Civil Society Peacebuilding in I-P at the Labour Party Conference

Rachael Liss, ALLMEP’s UK rep, attended this year’s Labour Party Conference to ensure that the importance of civil society peacebuilding was brought to the forefront of discussions about the future of Israel-Palestine.

During a panel on “Diplomacy, Development and Defence: Labour’s Foreign Policy Agenda,” Emily Thornberry, Chair of the UK Foreign Affairs Committee, underscored the vital role the international community must play in supporting civil society peacebuilding initiatives in Palestine and Israel. She pointed to Northern Ireland as a powerful example, where grassroots efforts were instrumental in advancing a peace agenda ultimately adopted by both the public and political leaders. Thornberry highlighted how such models could be applied to the Israel-Palestine context. 

This echoed a conversation she had with Rachael and ALLMEP’s Executive Director, John Lyndon, the previous week, where they discussed how Labour’s experience in Northern Ireland offers valuable lessons that could guide efforts toward peacebuilding in Israel and Palestine, particularly through empowering civil society.

“There needs to be some sort of support within the two countries and between the people within the two countries,” Thornberry remarked. “How do we do that? It will have to be – it seems to me – a focus on building civil society and alternative voices coming from the people themselves”

Watch the full panel discussion here.

Angela Rayner, the Deputy Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, also spoke poignantly about the tragedy of October 7th during Labour Friends of Israeli’s reception noting, “we lost some of the most remarkable advocates for peace, including the lifelong activist Vivian Silver.” Vivian was a pioneering leader within ALLMEP and founded several of our member organisations, such as AJEEC-NISPED and Women Wage Peace. Her legacy of peacebuilding lives on through her son, Yonatan Zeigen, who has continued her work and emerged as a passionate peacebuilder and activist in his own right (read more in this NYTimes article).

Jon Pearce, the Labour MP for High Peak and newly elected chair of Labour Friends of Israel, then emphasised the importance of supporting peacebuilding initiatives and championing the values of reconciliation, coexistence, and mutual respect between Israelis and Palestinians.

During a panel discussion on how Britain can be a force for good in the MENA region, Jasmine El Gamal, former Pentagon Middle East advisor and CEO of Mindwork Strategies, highlighted the crucial work of peacebuilders like Magen and Maoz Inon, Aziz Abu Sarah, and many others in Israel and Palestine. She stated, ‘“There is so much potential. There are people like that in Palestine and Israel who are ready and willing to take the chance towards peace and who are willing to work together”, However, Jasmine emphasised that these changemakers are grappling with their own traumas and often lack support. She expressed a strong desire for the UK to “support people like that, and to help them [the peacebuilders] recruit more of them.” 

Later that day, attendees at the conference had the opportunity to hear directly from Magen Inon, who spoke on a Yachad panel titled ‘Israel-Palestine: Building a Future Based on Dignity, Freedom, and Security for All’