Category Archives: Balfour Project viewpoint

‘We Need a Ceasefire Now!’ Sir Vincent Fean on Deep Dive Palestine Podcast

Posted on November 17, 2023 by Diana Safieh

Mark Seddon: Today British Parliamentarians wrote to PM Rishi Sunak calling for a ceasefire. What did the letter say? Sir Vincent Fean: The letter is signed by around about 120 members of Parliament in both houses: Peers and members of … Continue reading →

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115 peers and MPs demand UK call for immediate ceasefire

Posted on November 15, 2023 by Diana Safieh

 

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Gaza ceasefire now

Posted on November 14, 2023 by Diana Safieh

 Gaza ceasefire now: Building hope for a better future for Palestinians and Israelis, with equal rights and mutual security A call on the British Government by the Balfour Project This cannot be allowed to continue: the civilian deaths and mass … Continue reading →

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Sir Vincent Fean on LBC with Matt Frei 11 Nov 2023

Posted on November 11, 2023 by Diana Safieh
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Some leaders are more concerned about Gaza’s future than ending war now

Posted on November 9, 2023 by Diana Safieh

Sir Vincent Fean, Balfour Project Trustee, on Al Jazeera Inside Story, 9 November 2023   Britain in Palestine 1917-1948 Film Palestinians live moment to moment as Israel’s bombardment continues. Life in Gaza is dominated by fears of Israeli attacks, finding … Continue reading →

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Much Ado About What?

Posted on September 7, 2023 by Diana Safieh

Evidence Submitted to House of Commons Committee on the Economic Activity of Public Bodies (Overseas Matters) Public Bill, 5 September 2023 With a host of other pressing matters, domestic and foreign, already on its plate, puzzlingly the Sunak government has … Continue reading →

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Israel Embassy move would ‘breach 1961 Vienna Convention’

Posted on November 14, 2022 by Diana Safieh

Letter to UK Foreign Secretary from 27 international law experts says ‘there is nothing to review’ by Professor Iain GM Scobbie, Chair of Public International Law, and Director of the Manchester International Law Centre, University of Manchester

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Embassy move dropped

Posted on November 7, 2022 by Diana Safieh

Britain’s Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak, has dropped the idea of “reviewing” the location of the UK Embassy in Israel, as suggested by his predecessor Liz Truss. Her proposal was to consider moving the embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, a … Continue reading →

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Report of the UN’s Independent Commission of Inquiry into the Situation of Human Rights in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and Israel

Posted on June 8, 2022 by Diana Safieh

Announcing Britain’s candidacy for a three-year term on the UN’s Human Rights Council in 2020, the then Minister of State for Human Rights, Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon, rightly said that respect for human rights sits at the heart of the … Continue reading →

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From Balfour to Biden: universal values and international law versus national interests

Posted on June 6, 2022 by Diana Safieh

By Sir Vincent Fean, Balfour Project Vice-Chair I was invited on 5 June to contribute virtually to a conference in Palestine to mark the 55th anniversary of the Six- Day War of 1967, leading to the occupation by Israel of … Continue reading →

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Britain’s duty to advance equal rights in Palestine/Israel

Posted on May 18, 2022 by Diana Safieh

BALFOUR PROJECT STATEMENT 18 MAY 2022 Whatever our assessment of Britain’s past role as an imperial power, since the Second World War the United Kingdom has played an important role in establishing a new rules-based order in international affairs, and … Continue reading →

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Israel’s designation as “terrorist” of six Palestinian civil society organisations: letter of protest to the Foreign Secretary

Posted on November 19, 2021 by Diana Safieh

European Parliamentarians, including British MPs and Peers, have written to the Foreign Secretary calling for Government action to dissuade Israel from three “red line” actions:– designating six Palestinian civil society organisations as “terrorist”– evicting Palestinian families from their homes in … Continue reading →

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Israel ‘terrorist’ slur on Palestinian human rights groups

Posted on October 23, 2021 by Diana Safieh

Statement by the Balfour Project On 22 October Israel’s Defence Minister designated six Palestinian human rights NGOs as ‘terrorist’. The aim appears to be to stem the flow of information about breaches of human rights in the Occupied Palestinian Territory. … Continue reading →

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Israel, Palestine, and Law

Posted on May 26, 2021 by Diana Safieh

Balfour Project statement, 26 May 2021 Equal rights under the law are the foundation stone of all democracies. Israel views itself as a democracy. But many in Israel and around the world, including in Britain, were dismayed by the Knesset’s … Continue reading →

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Israel, Palestine and International Law

Posted on May 21, 2021 by Diana Safieh

Sir Vincent Fean, Chair of the Balfour Project Trustees and former Consul-General in Jerusalem, and Professor Adam Sutcliffe, Professor of European History at King’s College, London, and member of the steering group, Independent Jewish Voices, have issued the following statement … Continue reading →

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Israel-Palestine: in search of the rule of law by Sir Vincent Fean in the Arab Digest

Posted on May 18, 2021 by Diana Safieh

Written by Sir Vincent Fean for the Arab Digest Just when you think it can’t get any worse – it does. Déjà vu, only worse.  It is the Israeli/Palestinian conflict, as I used to describe it in my time as … Continue reading →

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Bishop Christopher Chessun, Balfour Project Patron, in Jerusalem

Posted on May 17, 2021 by Diana Safieh
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Shameless: Ministers are now attacking our public authorities for respecting human rights in Israel and Palestine

Posted on May 17, 2021 by Diana Safieh

By Richard Burden There was a time when some politicians would argue that human rights were nothing to do with business; that it was perfectly legitimate for UK companies to profit from trade with regimes overseas however badly those regimes … Continue reading →

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Sir Vincent Fean on Sky News, 14 May 2021

Posted on May 14, 2021 by Diana Safieh
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Sir Vincent Fean, Chair of Balfour Project, on BBC, 12 May 2021

Posted on May 12, 2021 by Diana Safieh
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Souvenir Booklet from our Jerusalem Conference 2020

Posted on December 11, 2020 by Diana Safieh
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Sir Vincent Fean – How will the US Presidential Elections Affect the Israel/Palestine Conflict?

Posted on November 12, 2020 by Diana Safieh

Talk given on 12 November 2020. Vincent Fean is a retired member of the British Diplomatic Service. His last post was Consul General, Jerusalem, from 2010 to 2014. Before that he was the UK Ambassador to Libya and also High … Continue reading →

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Conference on Jerusalem – Closing Remarks & Statement

Posted on October 28, 2020 by Diana Safieh

Closing Remarks and StatementHE Khaled Al-Duwaisan -Kuwaiti Ambassador to the UKSir Vincent Fean Click here to read the statement. Sir Vincent Fean: I now welcome His Excellency Khaled Al-Duwaisan, Kuwait’s Ambassador to the United Kingdom for the last 27 years. … Continue reading →

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Illusions and Delusions about Peace in the Middle East

Posted on October 1, 2020 by Diana Safieh

A commentary by Andrew Whitley, with introduction by Sir Vincent Fean I commend to you Andrew Whitley’s thoughtful analysis, below, of current British Government policy on the Israel/Palestine conflict. Andrew asks if our Foreign Secretary’s recent visit signals sustained Government … Continue reading →

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Podcast: Vincent Fean on the ICC, Trade Agreements and Umbrella Organisations

Posted on May 4, 2020 by Tim Llewellyn

Diana Safieh: A question from Sara Apps, is there an opportunity to unlock the blockage on the ICC application? What best can we do to help? Vincent Fean: Palestine joined the International Criminal Court in 2015 after the UN General … Continue reading →

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Podcast: Vincent Fean on Israeli Annexation and International Law

Posted on May 4, 2020 by Tim Llewellyn

Q&A Session with Sir Vincent Fean, Chair of the Balfour Project Vincent Fean: It’s a pleasure to be with you. I think it’s important for us to address questions raised by participants at the 2 April talk. We will try … Continue reading →

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Vincent Fean on Annexation, International Law and Recognition

Posted on May 1, 2020 by Tim Llewellyn

Q&A Session with Sir Vincent Fean, Chair of the Balfour Project Vincent Fean: It’s a pleasure to be with you. I think it’s important for us to address questions raised by participants at the 2 April talk. We will try … Continue reading →

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Balfour Project: writing to your MP about Britain and Palestine/Israel

Posted on April 24, 2020 by Tim Llewellyn

Here is a template for your letter to your constituency MP. Please amend as you see fit, adding your address, to show the MP that you are a constituent. You can copy and paste the draft into a letter or … Continue reading →

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Thoughts on Nabil Fahmy’s suggestions for Palestinian policy

Posted on April 18, 2020 by admin

Click here to read Nabil Fahmy’s The “Deal” of the Century? Nabil Fahmy writes: ‘The Trump plan imposes Israeli security and economic control over a self-autonomous Palestinian entity’ Below are Sir Vincent Fean’s thoughts on Fahmy’s suggestions. Dr Nabil Fahmy, … Continue reading →

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Balfour Project Denounces President Trump’s Proposal which will only perpetuate the Israeli/Palestinian conflict; calls upon the British Government to take immediate remedial action to uphold a genuine two-state solution.

Posted on February 4, 2020 by admin

There’s a strong parallel between the Balfour Declaration and the Trump Vision. In both of the two historical circumstances -and the Trump plan is historical – a foreign state arrogated to itself the right to bestow to one people territory … Continue reading →

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You are right, Prime Minister: Israel needs a Palestinian State. We should recognise it, now: Open Letter to Boris Johnson from Sir Vincent Fean

Posted on January 22, 2020 by admin

Dear Prime Minister, This month HRH Prince Charles visits Israel and Palestine together for the first time, invited by Presidents Rivlin and Abbas. He will undertake engagements on your behalf in both countries. This is historic, and welcome. For more … Continue reading →

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Britain’s historic responsibility to the people of Palestine, Gaza and Israel

Posted on June 12, 2019 by admin

John McHugo Edited text of speech for the Balfour Project event The Tragedy of Gaza in Edinburgh 17 March 2018 My role is to explain why Britain carries a historic responsibility to the people of Palestine generally, to the people … Continue reading →

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Concluding remarks at Balfour Project meeting in Durham by Nicholas Frayling

Posted on November 27, 2015 by admin

Concluding remarks at Balfour Project meeting in Durham – 31.10.2015 by the Very Rev Nicholas Frayling One of the questions we as members of the BP are often asked is: ‘Why didn’t I know about this?’ Today, even those who … Continue reading →

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