From PSC – At the end of last year, we released our groundbreaking research uncovering UK universities’ investments in and institutional ties with companies complicit in Israel’s arms trade and illegal settlement economy. We discovered UK universities invest over an estimated £450million in companies arming Israel and compiled this information in our user-friendly database. On 12th February 2020, the UN released a long-awaited list of 112 companies involved in Israel’s settlement economy. After cross-analysing UK universities’ investments, obtained through Freedom of Information requests, we discovered that 10 UK universities are directly implicated in financial ties with companies listed on the UN’s database. Our online database has now been updated to include this information. The implicated universities we have identified are: University of Manchester, University of Birmingham, University College London, London School of Economics, Imperial College London, University of Glasgo...

From the Electronic Intifada - An influential parliamentary committee will investigate an Israeli embassy plot to “take down” a UK government minister. The chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee said on Sunday that disgraced Israeli embassy senior political officer Shai Masot’s discussion of a “hit list” of MPs was “interference in British politics of the murkiest kind.” Crispin Blunt, a lawmaker from Prime Minister Theresa May’s ruling Conservative Party, told the Mail on Sunday that “I hope to include this matter in the committee’s wider inquiry into the Middle East peace process.” After undercover footage revealed the plot, Masot was swiftly thrown under the bus. He was sent back to Israel and fired from his government position. The affair has been deeply embarrassing for Israel, with ambassador Mark Regev making a grovelling apology to Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson. The footage also shows Masot calling Johnson an “idiot.” more

Last year, socialist stalwart Jeremy Corbyn won the leadership of the UK’s Labour Party by a landslide. Since then, there has been a steady flow of claims by Israel’s supporters that Corbyn has not done enough to combat anti-Semitism. This has only accelerated in the lead-up to a major test for Corbyn, the UK local elections on 5 May. Even as this story was in preparation, two more victims were claimed in the war against his leadership. Lawmaker Naz Shah and the former mayor of London, long-time Palestine campaigner Ken Livingstone, were also suspended from the party – within hours of being accused of anti-Semitism. But an investigation by The Electronic Intifada has found that some of the most prominent stories about anti-Semitism in the party are falsified. The Electronic Intifada can reveal that a key player in Labour’s “anti-Semitism crisis” covered up his involvement in the Israel lobby. Most Labour members so accused are in reality being attacked for expressing opinions in...

BETHLEHEM (Ma'an) -- A petition to the UK government and parliament requesting that the government arrest Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu "for war crimes when he arrives in London," reached its targetSaturday afternoonwith 100,341 signatures. The petition calls for the arrest of Netanyahu on the grounds of alleged war-crimescommittedby Israel during its 51-day 2014 Gaza offensive, which killed more than 2,200 Palestinians, withmany more wounded in the 139 square mile strip. Around 20,000 Palestinian homes, 148 schools, 15 hospitals and 45 primary healthcare centers, and asmany as 247 factories and 300 commercial centers wereseverelydamaged or completely destroyed in the violence. The creator of the petition, UK resident Damian Moran, asks potential signatories to participate in demanding the arrest of the Israeli PM "under international law," which they claim lays grounds to detain the leader "for war crimes upon arrival in the U.K for the mass...

Two thugs affiliated with the Jewish Defence League UK were sentenced Monday to 150 hours of community service each and £1,140 ($1,700) in fines between them. Roberta Moore and Robert De Jonge assaulted two people at a Palestine literary festival in London in September. Last month a judge found Moore guilty on two counts of assault, and one count of possession of an offensive weapon. De Jonge was found guilty of assault. In addition to the unpaid work, the two must pay compensation to their victims: Andy Simons, an organizer of the festival, and Simon Assaf, who had been running a socialist bookstall that day. The video below was presented as evidence during the two-day trial in February. Attack at the Palestine Literature Festival 2014 The relatively light sentence raises questions about the limited scope of the Crown Prosecution Service’s case against the two. A custodial sentence was never likely for a first offense of common assault that caused no lasting physical injury. ...

The UK’s advertising watchdog has banned the Israeli Government Tourist Office from using an ad which implies that Jerusalem’s Old City is part of Israel. The ad shows a panoramic photo of the Old City with the caption “Israel has it all.” It appeared in a brochure produced by the Israeli Government Tourist Office (IGTO). Last week, the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) upheld a complaint made by a member of the public against the ad and banned it from appearing again in its current form. However, this is not the first time that the IGTO’s advertising campaigns have fallen foul of the watchdog. This branch of the Israeli government has a track record of producing ads which either wipe the occupied West Bank and Gaza off the map or eliminate any trace of Palestinian history, heritage and culture from the land in order to promote Israel as a travel destination. The IGTO’s latest publication is a glossy 32-page brochure, titled Taste of Israel, which was distributed in February...

An arms factory in southeast England was occupied by activists on Tuesday morning in protest against its sales to Israel and Afghanistan. Protesters say the company is complicit in “Gaza’s misery,” where 2,137 Palestinians were killed last summer. Instro Precision Ltd in Kent was besieged by activists at 5am on Tuesday, who occupied and shut down the factory. Taking to the roof, campaigners unfurled a banner demanding Instro “stop arming Israel.” Four protesters remained on the building’s roof, while 10 stood at ground level. The firm manufactures high-tech camera systems used in drones that have been deployed in Israel and Afghanistan. Located near the coastal town of Broadstairs, Kent, it is a subsidiary of Israeli arms company Elbit Systems. Elbit’s drones have been deployed by the Israel Defense Force (IDF) to kill countless Palestinian civilians in Gaza, according to UK think tank Campaign Against the Arms Trade (CAAT). The think tank adds the camera technology is used in Is...

BETHLEHEM (Ma'an) -- 700 British artists have signed a pledge to boycott Israel as long as it "continues to deny basic Palestinian rights," the latest major success for the global Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions of Israel movement. "In response to the call from Palestinian artists and cultural workers for a cultural boycott of Israel, we pledge to accept neither professional invitations to Israel, nor funding, from any institutions linked to its government until it complies with international law and universal principles of human rights," the call reads, according to the group Artists for Palestine UK, which organized the pledge. "We support the Palestinian struggle for freedom, justice and equality." The signatories include artists from many fields, including writers, film directors, comedians, musicians, actors, theater directors, architects, and visual artists. more

Activists have accused the UK government and Israeli arms company Elbit Systems of running scared from a court case that would have put their collusion with Israeli war crimes on trial. This follows the announcement that all charges have been dropped against nine campaigners who occupied the roof of an Elbit Systems factory in Staffordshire during Israel’s 2014 assault on Gaza. This means that the UK government will no longer be required to reveal details of the arms trade with Israel, and Elbit will avoid having to testify about the use of its drones during Israel’s massacre in Gaza last summer. The protest shut down UAV Engines, owned by Israel’s Elbit Systems, for two days from 5-6 August 2014 during Israel’s 50 day assault on the Gaza strip. The Israeli-owned factory exports engines to Israel for use in Elbit’s Hermes 450 drones that are widely documented as having been used to deliberately attack Palestinian civilians in Gaza, including during Israel’s massacre of more than 2,...

The protests were in response to the bank's holdings in Israel's largest military company which provided drones used in recent deadly strikes on Gaza. The flagship Barclays branch in Piccadilly Circus closed three hours early as 35 people from London's Palestine Action network held a sit-in occupation. A member of the group said: "We shut down Barclays today to protest its investments in Elbit Systems and other companies that arm Israel. "Barclays think it is acceptable to profit from Israel's massacres of Palestinians. "It is time for the UK government to stop arming Israel and for UK companies to dissociate themselves from the arms trade with Israel." Elsewhere three branches were closed by protesters blocking entrances in Manchester. Demonstrations were also held in Leeds, Sheffield, Brighton, Edinburgh, Bradford, Birmingham and more than 10 other towns and cities across the UK. Around 1.8 million people have signed a petition callin...

Cardinal Vincent Nichols, the leader of Catholics in England and Wales, visited Gaza today [Sunday], during his trip to the region. The Cardinal lead over 100 pilgrims from the Diocese of Westminister to Gaza to celebrate a Mass for the strips Catholic community, before going to visit the Holocaust memorial in Jerusalem. In an interview with MEMO today, Cardinal Nichols said "Everyone should rediscover the humanity of the situation, beyond the politics, beyond the oppression of war. We have to get a fresh focus, that it is a human community here in Gaza, and we have to look at ways that the community can prosper - because poverty is always a cause of frustration, and frustration is always a cause of dispute". The Cardinal agrees with the fears of others that the actions of an extreme few, on both sides, might set the agenda in the Holy Land, and thus strong leadership is required on both sides to lead to peace. He strongly believes that both sides must abide by internatio...

More than twenty activists occupied the London offices of Airbus on Friday to protest the aerospace company’s military cooperation with Israel. “Staff were unable to arrive for work and senior executives agreed to meet the campaigners in a bid to end the occupation of the second floor office on the Strand,” says a statement from London Palestine Action. “The occupation lasted more than an hour, whilst others distributed leaflets and spoke to the public outside the offices.” The video shows activists inside Airbus’ offices and at a certain point police are called. Activists occupy the London offices of aircraft and weapons manufacturer Airbus. (Coralie Datta) “Airbus writes on its website that ‘contributing to the wellbeing of the communities in which it works is an ethical imperative,’ but there is nothing ethical about profiting from Israel’s war crimes against the Palestinian people,” London Palestine Action states. “Airbus has close ties with Israel Aerospace Industries, which...

The UK's Crown Prosecution Service has confirmed that Bradford-West MP George Galloway will not be charged over a speech in made in Leeds, this past August, which asserted that Bradford was an 'an Israel-free zone'. Following Galloway's speech on August 2, which was posted online, several complaints were made to Yorkshire police that Galloway's comments amounted to hate crime. According to the PNN, these allegations have been comprehensively dismissed by the CPS. "This has been an extremely expensive waste of police' and CPS' time forced on them by ultra-Zionists who were pursuing a vendetta against me," Galloway said. "My comments were aimed at the state of Israel which - I repeat what I said at the time - is an illegal, savage and barbarous state, and had nothing whatever to do with race or religion. And they have the benefit of being true. That country has more censures against it by the United Nations than the rest of the countries i...

Parliament took the historic step tonight of voting unilaterally to back the recognition of Palestinian statehood. Voting by 274 to 12, a majority of 262, MPs on all sides urged the Government to “recognise the state of Palestine alongside the state of Israel” as part of a “contribution to securing a negotiated two-state solution”. Support for the motion, while symbolic, marks a significant change in the political landscape, following the failure of successive peace negotiations and the bitter conflict in Gaza over the summer. Significantly Labour whipped its MPs to vote in favour of the resolution, raising the prospect that the party would defy more

LONDON (AFP) -- British lawmakers on Monday hold a non-binding vote on recognizing Palestine although government ministers will not take part, in a sign of the political sensitivity of the issue. The debate is being closely watched internationally after Sweden incurred Israeli wrath this month for saying it will recognize Palestine. The symbolic vote is on a motion put forward by Grahame Morris, an MP from the opposition Labor Party, and is likely to get the backing of most Labor members. Within the two ruling coalition parties, some Conservatives and most Liberal Democrats are likely to vote in favor, despite the government's position. "If the vote is a success it would put a tremendous amount of pressure on the current government and the next government, which is likely to be a Labor government, to recognize Palestine as a state," Morris told AFP in an email. "The UK recognizing Palestine could give decisive momentum to more EU states following suit," he...

A letter has been published that shows the UK government cooperated with the Israeli Embassy in pressuring the Tricycle Theatre over its public row with the UK Jewish Film Festival in August. As Israel was bombing Gaza, the Tricycle Theatre asked the festival to forego Israeli embassy funding, on the basis that, given the ongoing bloodshed, it was "inappropriate to accept financial support from any government agency involved." Though the Tricycle management offered to provide alternative funding, the Jewish Film Festival insisted on the embassy link, thus withdrawing the festival (see a timeline of events here). According to campaigners, the newly published letter was sent by an official in the Department for Culture, Media and Sport "to a member of the public who had asked for an explanation of Secretary of State Sajid Javid's public denunciation of the Tricycle Theatre." The activists note that the letter "repeatedly refers to anti-Semitism and threa...

The Trades Union Congress (TUC) passed a statement on Gaza at its annual congress Wednesday, urging the UK government to impose an Israel arms embargo and calling for the suspension of the EU-Israel Association Agreement. The statement, overwhelmingly endorsed, condemns the death toll in Gaza that included "many people going about their daily work", and "deplores attacks on UN facilities". The TUC recommends that those responsible for breaching international law "should be dealt with in the International Criminal Court". The TUC statement also calls for an end to the "blockade of Gaza" and welcomes "the creation of a unity government for the Palestinian Authority" involving both Fatah and Hamas, urging "the UK government and the European Union to support this development". In light of Israel's attacks on Gaza and policies in the Occupied Territories, the TUC statement calls on the UK government and EU to end "to e...

Police are set to ban Gaza protesters from King Street and move them elsewhere after limiting numbers to 10 at a time. From tomorrow (Saturday), GMP will be imposing conditions on demonstrators, including limiting the maximum number at any one time to 10 and moving them to a designated area outside an empty business on Police Street. Police say the action has been taken because the ‘legal threshold’ required under the Public Order Act has been passed. Those who fail to comply could be arrested. A statement in conjunction with Manchester council states: “We have shown great patience in facilitating the protests, but it is the cumulative impact of the daily protests - which is causing significant disruption to the business community on and around King Street and has led to members of our communities experiencing concern, fear and intimidation.” more

Britain remains determined to keep on arming Israel, judging by a decision taken by one of the most senior figures in the UK government this week. Vince Cable, the business secretary, has reviewed 130 licenses granted for exporting British weapons to Israel. On Tuesday, he announced that just twelve of these licenses would be suspended “in the event of a resumption of significant hostilities.” This means that if the current “truce” between Israel and Hamas holds, then Britain will deliver all the military equipment that Israel has ordered. Israel will be able to prepare for its next offensive against Gaza, with the aid of British weaponry. The Campaign Against the Arms Trade (CAAT) in London has complained that Cable’s decision was “not good enough.” Andrew Smith, a spokesperson for CAAT, called on the government to announce a “full embargo on all arms sales to Israel as well as an end to all military-industrial collaboration with Israel.” Broken promises Cable’s stance is a cas...

From Mondoweiss - ...Nineteen-year-old student and activist Barnaby Raine has been organizing a “Jewish Bloc against Zionism” in London. And his speech at today’s Day of Rage demonstration in London is a knock out. Excerpts: I am proud to stand here today as a Jewish boy from North London in solidarity with the people of Gaza. I’m not here today in spite of Jewish history. I’m here because of Jewish history. .. I’m here today because my great grandparents knew what it meant to be excluded and to be the victims of racism. They knew what it was like to be booted out of their homes and turned into refugees… [To BBC] Is that a conflict? When people flee for their lives to United Nations shelters, and then Israel attacks the United Nations shelters, is that a conflict? (No!). No no no BBC this is not a conflict, this is a massacre… I am 19 years old. What future awaits the 19 year olds of Gaza?.. Let’s put sanctions on Israel until this barbarism ends. So I just want to leave you wi...