Welcome to the Liberal Democrats Friends of Palestine (LDFP) news bulletin. This bulletin aims to keep you informed about the latest updates related to Israel-Palestine and Liberal Democrat activity on Palestine.  The bulletin is sent to a mailing list of Lib Dems and supporters who have expressed interest in our work. We encourage those who are not already members of LDFP to consider joining (details available here).  This edition includes our statement on recent commentary linking pro-Palestinian marches with antisemitism, a statement on the new police powersto restrict repeat protests, an invitation to join us at the upcoming national demonstration for Palestine on Nakba Day (16 May), an LDV article by Committee Member Nina Wessel, and details of a recent LDFP webinar with Jewish filmmaker Gillian Mosely. We also cover this month’s Liberal Democrat Party activity on Palestine, latest news, opinion pieces, and new publications on sexualised violence by Israeli settlers and soldiers against Palestinians in the West Bank, and reporting of the Gaza genocide by mainstream British news outlets.

Statement on the Golders Green attack and commentary linking pro-Palestinian marches with antisemitism The recent appalling stabbing attack on two Jewish men in Golders Green underlines the urgent need for action to protect Jewish communities. LDFP supports Ed Davey’s recent letter to the Prime Minister calling for stronger measures stronger measures to tackle antisemitism and improve community protection. We are concerned by recent comments from ministers and public figures associating these vile antisemitic attacks with the national demonstrations for Palestinian rights, amid calls for a temporary ban on the marches in response to the Golders Green attack. These marches are overwhelmingly peaceful, lawful, and focused on calls for peace and respect for international law. To characterise them as antisemitic or violent is wholly unfounded and a dangerous misrepresentation. It is also important to note that Jewish people are a visible and active part of these demonstrations, including through an organised Jewish Bloc and regular Jewish speakers – although this is rarely reported in mainstream media coverage. These points are reflected in a recent Guardian article which includes letters from Jewish and other readers refuting claims about the links between the marches and antisemitism. The current wave of antisemitic attacks is part of a wider trend of increasing racism and community division across the UK, with Islamophobic attacks and attacks on Black citizens also on the rise. Any response rooted in liberal values must be founded on rejecting all forms of hatred, protecting every community, and resisting attempts to divide people along racial or religious lines.

Next National March for PalestineSaturday 16th May, Central London Join us at the next National Demonstration for Palestine on 16th May, the 78th anniversary of the Nakba – the 1948 catastrophe in which Palestinians were violently expelled from their homes. We’ll be meeting at a nearby cafe from 11am before marching together under our LDFP banner to demand accountability, an end to occupation, and freedom and self-determination for Palestinians.  For details on where to meet on the day, email info@ldfp.org.uk.

New police powers to restrict repeat protests On 14 April, the government passed a new measure granting authorities sweeping powers to ban protests on the grounds that they take place repeatedly and in the same location. These powers represent a significant expansion of state authority to restrict the rights to peaceful expression and assembly. Sustained protest has historically been central to achieving democratic change. Banning protest simply because it is persistent risks targeting the very causes that are most likely to be urgent and justified. Though their effects will be far more wide-ranging, the new measures mark a further escalation in the government’s efforts to suppress the mass demonstrations for Palestinian rights that have taken place since late 2023. As Israel continues its campaign of genocide, apartheid and ethnic cleansing against the Palestinian people, the UK’s focus should be on using its influence to help end these flagrant violations of international law, not penalising those who speak out against them at home. Liberal Democrat Friends of Palestine will continue to stand alongside those mobilising peacefully for Palestinian rights, including at the next national demonstration for Palestine to commemorate the 1948 Nakba on 16 May. We remain committed to defending the lawful exercise of the right to protest, and to making clear the Liberal Democrats’ long-standing support for Palestinians in their demands for peace, justice, and self-determination under international law. View the statement on our website.

Webinar with Jewish filmmaker Gillian Mosely On 30 April, we hosted a webinar with BAFTA award-winning Jewish filmmaker Gillian Mosely, exploring the themes of her powerful new documentary, Planet Israel. Drawing on her research, Gillian examined why 73% of Jewish Israelis were polled as supporting Israel’s conduct in Gaza, situating this within a broader “culture of conflict” shaped by intergenerational trauma, biased media reporting, and the indoctrination of young people through the military and education system.  The discussion also considered the implications of these findings for the Jewish diaspora, particularly for those grappling with critical perspectives on Israel, and explored what role countries like the UK can play in compelling Israel to change course.  Ahead of the film’s release in selected local cinemas this summer, you can view confirmed screenings here. We’re keen to help ensure the film’s important message reaches as many people as possible, so members are encouraged to help spread the word where there are local screenings in their area.

LDV Article: The Labour threat to the right to protest –Nina Wessel, 20 April In this Lib Dem Voice article, LDFP Committee Member Nina Wessel condemns the government’s introduction of new “cumulative disruption” powers, enabling police to ban protests on the grounds that they take place repeatedly. She argues that restricting repeat demonstrations risks undermining the fundamental right to protest and reflects a broader erosion of civil liberties in the UK, particularly in relation to the suppression of pro-Palestine activism.  Read the article here.

Lib Dem Activity on Palestine and Israel Lord Strasburger opposes anti-protest measures in Middle East Eye op-ed On 14 April, Lord Strasburger published an op-ed in Middle East Eye making clear the Liberal Democrats’ strong opposition to the authoritarian anti-protest measures in the Crime and Policing Bill and warning that the government’s suppression of Pro-Palestinian activism risks undermining protest rights for everyone. He highlights in particular the Bill’s new “cumulative impact” clause, which would allow protests to be restricted simply because they take place repeatedly in the same location: “From women’s suffrage to civil rights to anti-war movements, meaningful change has always depended on people returning, again and again, to make their voices heard. Curtailing protest simply because it is persistent strikes at the heart of that tradition.” Lord Strasburger also warns that the government’s use of terrorism powers to proscribe Palestine Action risks setting a dangerous precedent for future protest movements: “This is the first time an organisation has been proscribed as a ‘terrorist’ group solely on the basis of property damage, rather than injury to people… it risks establishing a dangerously low threshold under which any politically inconvenient protest could be treated as terrorism.” Read the full article Calum Miller and Monica Harding write to Foreign Secretary demanding urgent action to end Iran war and protect lives across Lebanon, the West Bank and Gaza On 1 April, Calum Miller, Liberal Democrat Foreign Affairs Spokesperson, and Monica Harding, International Development Spokesperson, wrote to UK Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper calling for urgent action to secure a multilaterally-backed, negotiated end to the war in Iran, and to protect lives and rights across Lebanon, the West Bank, and Gaza. The letter warns that Netanyahu and Trump’s illegal war on Iran is unleashing chaos across the region, and raises alarm at Israel’s illegal military actions in Lebanon and the rising civilian death toll there. The MPs also highlight Israel’s continued expansion of illegal settlements in the West Bank and ongoing detention of thousands of Palestinians without charge or trial, stressing that these practices violate international law and severely compromise prospects for a just and lasting peace. On Gaza, the letter urges the UK Government to stop sitting on the sidelines and take a leading role in pressing for humanitarian access and meaningful steps towards a genuine pathway to peace. Read the letter Parliamentary Debates (21 April) House of Commons – Foreign Office Questions Will Forster MP: In the West Bank, there are now daily reports of extreme violence and death, as well as the forceful eviction of Palestinians and the continued expansion of illegal Israeli settlements. That is not only immoral, but yet further evidence of illegal Israeli Government-sponsored activity. Does the Secretary of State agree that the violence in the West Bank must stop immediately, as must the continued expansion of illegal settlements? Can she assure the House that despite the continuing conflicts in Ukraine, Lebanon, Iran and Sudan, the Government are very much still focused on Gaza and the West Bank? Monica Harding MP: Alongside what is happening on the West Bank, in Lebanon, more than 1 million people have been forcibly displaced. The Guardian has reported that Israeli strikes on medical facilities in Nabatieh have killed health workers and ambulance crews; it notes that such incidents are becoming increasingly common. The UN is clear that the forced displacement of civilians and the targeting of civilian infrastructure may constitute war crimes and crimes against humanity under international law. What concrete measures are the UK Government putting in place to ensure that Israel ceases targeting civilian infrastructure, and stops forcible displacement in Lebanon? Munira Wilson MP: The Foreign Secretary has just reiterated that it is this Government’s stated objective and aim to recognise the Palestinian State, yet there are Members of the Israeli Government who say that it is their policy to expand illegal settlements in order to undermine a viable Palestinian state. Will she take firm action, ban the trade in settlement goods, and look at further sanctions on members of the Israeli Government and Members of the Knesset who promote these illegal policies? Calum Miller MP: The Government were right to finally recognise the State of Palestine, yet the actions of the Israeli Government on the West Bank are explicitly intended to destroy the prospect of a two-state solution. I am deeply concerned that what the Foreign Secretary has laid out today is not enough to show the Israeli Government that this Government are serious about prohibiting that. Let me ask again: will the Foreign Secretary do everything in her power to ban all settlement goods from the UK? Will she look again at measures to prohibit all UK individuals, businesses and banks from enabling illegal settlement? Watch the debate Read the debate transcript (14 April) Lords Chamber – Middle East Statement Lord Purvis: In Gaza, 700,000 displaced people are still living in emergency shelters and being denied the vital food and medical assistance they require. Just in recent weeks, 5,000 children have been screened for malnutrition. In the West Bank, settler and outpost violence against civilians is being conducted with impunity. The UK Government must finally say that there are repercussions for our relationship with the Israeli Government as a result. Continuing restrictions on food and humanitarian assistance is a perpetuation of breaches of international humanitarian law. Watch the debate Read the debate transcript (14 April) Crime and Policing Bill – Consideration of Lords Amendments  Max Wilkinson MP: Liberal Democrats are vehemently opposed to the Government’s Lords amendment to give the police unprecedented powers to further restrict the right to protest. That follows a pattern started by the previous Conservative Government, who hacked away again and again at the historical right to protest enjoyed by British people. It is an absolute travesty that that has carried on under Labour. The right to protest is a vital component of our democracy, and Liberal Democrats will fight to defend it.…I thank the Minister for being generous with her time. Earlier, she said that the right to protest was sacrosanct in this country. My understanding of the definition of “sacrosanct” is that it describes something that is too important to be trifled with. In making this argument, the Government are suggesting that the right to protest should be trifled with, and that the police must do more to restrict the right to protest, aren’t they? Clive Jones MP: I am deeply alarmed by the amendment, which would require senior police officers to take into account any so-called cumulative impacts of frequent protests on local areas when considering whether to impose conditions on public processions and assemblies. In short, the Government are giving the police unprecedented powers to restrict or prohibit protests that they expect to be too disruptive. That is an unacceptable attack on our democracy. These powers represent a significant expansion of state authority and risk undermining long-standing democratic freedoms. They also set a dangerous precedent for the suppression of dissent and inhibit people’s legitimate right to peaceful protest. Watch the debate Read the debate transcript (13 April) Commons Chamber – Middle East Statement Ed Davey MP: Though Donald Trump thankfully did not follow through this time, those words are a stark reminder of how reckless, immoral and completely outside the bounds of international law this President is. Regrettably, he is no friend of the United Kingdom. He is no leader of the free world. He is a dangerous and corrupt gangster, and that is how we must treat him. Will the Prime Minister advise the King to call off his state visit to Washington before it is too late? I really fear for what Trump might say or do while our King is forced to stand by his side. We cannot put His Majesty in that position. Brian Mathew MP: I thank the Prime Minister for his comments on Lebanon. We are seeing an Israeli military playbook from Gaza—collective punishment, forced displacement and attacks on health—being used in Lebanon without meaningful action from the UK Government. Will the Prime Minister please outline the specific steps his Government will take to ensure an end to Israel’s chronic immunity and impunity? Andrew George MP: The Prime Minister knows that he has the full support of the House when he says that he wants Lebanon included in the ceasefire, but surely he must accept that he could do a great deal more, first by ensuring that no UK arms components end up in the hands of the genocidal Netanyahu Government, and secondly by ensuring that there is absolutely no trade with the illegal settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories. Watch the debate Read the debate transcript

Written Questions (28 April) John Milne MP Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, if his Department will conduct an investigation into whether Watchkeeper drone components are being exported from the UK to Israel to support drone exports to Romania. Government response: No response. Due for answer by 6 May 2026.( 27 April) John Milne MP Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, with reference to Question UIN 117035, how many of the five licences referenced are for IDF training; and what equipment is covered by those licences. Government response: No response. Due for answer by 13 April 2026. (24 April) John Milne MP Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, pursuant to question UIN 117033, how many of the 5 ML3 licences referenced are for non-military purposes. Government response: Three were not for military purposes in Israel. One was for commercial use, one for civilian use, and one for re-export to another country. The remaining two licences were for military training purposes, specifically non-lethal ammunition only used in training and not suitable for operational use. (16 April) Lord Roberts of Llandundo Question: To ask His Majesty’s Government what estimate they have made of the number of medics killed in Lebanon during the current conflict with Israel. Government response: The UK has not made its own estimates, but the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has published figures – based on data from the Lebanese Ministry of Health – stating that more than 2,000 people have so far been killed in Lebanon, including at least 172 children and 91 healthcare workers, with more than 7,000 others injured, as of 21 April. The UNHCR further report that, since early March, over one million people have been displaced across Lebanon, with more than 140,000 individuals currently staying in Government designated collective shelters. Over 280,000 people are reported to have crossed into Syria through the three official border crossings, including almost 238,000 Syrians and around 44,000 Lebanese. On the UK’s support for families displaced by the conflict, I refer the Noble Lord to the answer I gave on 29 April in response to Question HL16505. (16 April) Lord Roberts of Llandundo Question: To ask His Majesty’s Government what estimate they have made of proportion of women and children among those killed in Lebanon in the current conflict with Israel. Government response: Same as above.  (13 April) Helen Maguire MP Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to support the freedom of worship for Palestinian Christians. Government response: The UK remains committed to championing freedom of religion or belief (FoRB) for all around the world including in Palestine. The UK Special Envoy for FoRB discussed the issue of access to holy sites during his visit to the Holy See in March 2026. The UK is concerned about recent restrictions on access to holy sites in Jerusalem. We have called on Israel to work with religious communities to facilitate access in line with the Status Quo, and ensure the right to worship is protected. (10 April) Andrew George MP Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, if his department will make a statement on the company RCV Engines exporting drone engines to Israel without requiring an export license. Government response: The requirement for an export licence is set out in the Export Control Order 2008, Schedule 2 of which covers Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) and parts thereof (under ML10). Export licence applications for all controlled goods, including UAV components specially designed or modified for military use, are rigorously assessed on a case-by-case basis against strict assessment criteria, the Strategic Export Licensing Criteria. Where licence applications include items that are not covered by the 2008 Order, exporters can be informed that no licence is required. Beyond such cases, by definition, the Department does not hold information on the export of items that fall outside of export controls. For goods export data, you should refer to HMRC, who publish UK trade in goods statistics by partner country and product which can be found on www.uktradeinfo.com.

Latest News Gaza ceasefire violations:  British Gaza flotilla activists say they needed hospital care after Israeli forces’ abuse – The Guardian, 4 May  Israel intercepts and detains crews of Gaza aid flotilla near Crete – The Guardian, 30 April  Deadly Israeli attacks worsen Gaza’s water shortage crisis – The Guardian, 27 April  Israeli strikes kill eight Palestinians in Gaza, first responders say – BBC News, 23 April Gaza’s yellow line creeps forward as Israeli forces expand zone of control – The Guardian, 22 April Satellite images reveal Israel expanding Gaza military sites – Al Jazeera, 19 April Dozens of women and girls killed each day during Gaza war, UN says – The Independent, 17 April ‘Neither war nor peace’: What Gaza looks like six months into ‘ceasefire’ – Al Jazeera, 10 April Injured and abandoned: hundreds of Gaza amputees left stranded in Egypt – The Guardian, 9 April ‘Dying of thirst’: Inside Gaza’s al-Mawasi water crisis – Al Jazeera, 7 April  WHO suspends Gaza medical evacuations after Israeli fire kills driver – Al Jazeera, 7 April  Israeli airstrike kills at least 10 near Gaza school – RTÉ News, 6 April Israeli politics and West Bank settlement expansion: UN says Israel death penalty law targets Palestinians, erodes rights – Middle East Eye, 1 May  Israeli forces conduct raids and seize land in occupied West Bank – Middle East Eye, 1 May Smashed pipes, blocked off wells: Taps run dry in the West Bank as Israeli settlers target Palestinians’ water – CNN, 29 April New Israeli political party promises change, but no let-up in virulence against Palestinians – TRT World, 28 April  ‘Israel must change direction’: Netanyahu rivals join forces for next election – The Guardian, 27 April  Palestinians in West Bank and some in Gaza vote in local elections – BBC News, 25 April Israeli settlers block Palestinian children from school in the West Bank – Al Jazeera, 22 April  Israeli soldiers using sexual assault to force Palestinians out of West Bank, report says – The Guardian, 21 April  Two Palestinians killed during settler attack on West Bank village, officials say– BBC News, 21 April Palestinian leader Marwan Barghouti facing ‘escalating abuse’ in Israeli jails’  – The Guardian, 15 April Israeli forces fire teargas at schoolchildren holding West Bank sit-in – The Guardian, 13 April Palestinians condemn storming of Al-Aqsa Mosque by Israel’s Ben-Gvir – Al Jazeera, 12 April  OIC condemns Israeli approval of 34 new West Bank settlements – Al Jazeera, 10 April  Elderly Palestinian woman dies of heart attack after Israeli raid on West Bank home – Anadolu Ajansi, 7 April  International & UK response: Some pro-Palestinian protests could be banned amid attacks on British Jews– The Guardian, 2 May UK rights groups urge trade deal suspension over Israel death penalty law – The New Arab, 30 April Israel’s direction poses ‘existential threat’ to Judaism, UK’s leading progressive rabbis warn – The Guardian, 28 April  UK appeals High Court ruling that granted Palestine Action a victory – Al Jazeera, 28 April  Nine Arrested While Holding Jury Equity Signs Outside Filton24 Trial – Novara Media, 24 April Foreign Office unit tracking Israel’s potential breaches of international law closes due to cuts – The Guardian, 23 April EU foreign ministers reject proposal to suspend association agreement with Israel – The Guardian, 21 April  British universities paid security firm to ‘spy’ on pro-Palestine students – Al Jazeera, 20 April‘Erosion of civil liberties, gift to Zionism’: UK Parliament passes bill restricting protests – The New Arab, 15 April Met police accused of favouring Tommy Robinson far-right rally over Palestine march – The Guardian, 10 April

Opinion Pieces The Problem With Naftali Bennett – Dahlia Scheindlin in Haaretz, 27 April  American-Israeli political analyst Dahlia Scheindlin critiques the newly formed coalition between right-wing Israeli politician Naftali Bennett and Yair Lapid’s Yesh Atid party, arguing that the Jewish nationalism and dreams of a Greater Israel supported by the two former Prime Ministers cannot be reconciled with liberal democratic values.  Israel’s Opposition Is Determined to Exclude Arab Parties. It May Cost It the Election – Jack Khoury in Haaretz, 29 April  Israeli Arab journalist journalist Jack Khoury argues that the decision by Israeli opposition leaders Lapid, Bennett, and Eisenkot to rule out forming a government with Arab parties entrenches the political exclusion of Palestinian citizens of Israel, undermining democratic representation and ultimately weakening the opposition’s own electoral prospects. Why is the US media silent about Israel’s role in Trump’s decision to go to war? – Jason Stanley in The Guardian, 27 April  This piece argues that US media coverage has deliberately downplayed Israel’s influence on Trump’s decision to go to war with Iran, suggesting that this omission distorts public understanding and reflects a broader reluctance among politicians and the media to voice open criticism of Israel. The West’s bubble of illusion about Israel – and about itself – is finally being burst – Jonathan Cook in Middle East Eye, 1 May  Author and regional expert Jonathan Cook argues that Israel’s actions in Gaza, Lebanon and Iran have shattered long-standing Western narratives portraying Israel as a defensive democracy, exposing instead a militarised, expansionist state sustained by US and European backing, and in turn revealing the West’s own complicity and declining moral credibility. New UK Policing Bill is a threat to right to protest for Palestine – Jonathan Rosenhead in the New Arab, 13 April  In this op-ed, Jewish academic Jonathan Rosenhead argues that the UK’s Crime and Policing Bill poses a serious threat to the right to protest, warning that conflating pro-Palestinian protests with antisemitism and framing restrictions as necessary to protect Jewish communities is both misleading and dangerous, and that such measures risk eroding civil liberties while silencing legitimate dissent.

Publications Sexual violence and forcible transfer in the West Bank – West Bank Protection Consortium Report, 27 April 2026  This report documents gender-based and sexualised violence perpetrated by Israeli settlers against Palestinians in Area C of the West Bank in contexts where Israeli forces were present and did not prevent or halt the violence, nor effectively investigate the abuses. These include cases of forced nudity, invasive body searches, indecent exposure – including to children – groping, stalking, threats of rape, and the use drones to film inside women’s bedrooms and capture footage of strip searches. The report records sixteen cases of sexual violence. The incidences form part of a broader pattern of sexualised harassment, intimidation and humiliation, much of which remains underreported due to stigma, fear of reprisals, and the culture of impunity surrounding settler violence in general. Taken together, the evidence shows how sexualised violence is used to pressure communities and create a coercive environment that contributes to the forced displacement of Palestinians from their land.  How UK Media Covers the Gaza Genocide – Newscord, April 2026 Through analysis of over 11,000 news excerpts from four news outlets, comparing the coverage of mainstream British outlets – the BBC, the Guardian and Sky – with that of Al Jazeera, this study found that UK media consistently choses to obscure Israel’s responsibility for crimes committed during the Gaza genocide. Israel was identified as the perpetrator of attacks in only around half of the British news reports analysed, in contrast to nearly 90% of Al Jazeera reports. British outlets were found to rely heavily on the convoluted passive voice when describing Israeli crimes, with BBC coverage using the passive tense in nearly 4 out of 5 of the causality reports analysed. The study also highlights a concerted effort to avoid legal terms like genocide or ethnic cleansing, an over-amplification of the Israeli perspective (with Sky News giving nearly twice as much space to Israelis as to Palestinians), and repeated undermining of the official death toll by regularly attributing the figures to a “Hamas-affiliated” health ministry – even though the UN has found the findings to be credible.  Israel: What Went Wrong? – Omer Bartov, 23 April 2026 This book by Israeli-born Holocaust historian Omer Bartov examines how Zionism has developed into a state ideology shaped by ethno-nationalism, exclusion, and the violent domination of Palestinians. It traces Israel’s transformation into a state accused of war crimes and genocide, exploring the wider implications of its near-total impunity and the factors underpinning widespread support among Jewish Israeli citizens for its conduct in Palestine.

Video of the Month Reproductive Injustice and Colonial Violence in the West Bank: Animated – Visualising Palestine in collaboration with animator Amjad Jarrar and audio artist Iyas Horani.