Britain Palestine Project

Britain Palestine Project reflects on the political, legal and humanitarian developments of 2025 and looks ahead to the challenges and opportunities shaping 2026.

Chair Andrew Whitley, Trustee Sir Vincent Fean, and Executive Director Dr Brian Brivati explore what recent moves towards recognition of Palestinian statehood have - and have not - delivered on the ground. Drawing on decades of experience in diplomacy, international law, human rights advocacy and conflict resolution, the speakers assess the UK government’s role, the limits of symbolic recognition without enforcement, and the urgent need for accountability under international law.

The webinar also reviews BPP’s work over the past year - including advocacy, events and policy engagement - and sets out priorities for the year ahead, from parliamentary pressure and public education to amplifying Palestinian voices and defending the rules-based international order.

This conversation offers clear analysis, historical context and practical insight into why recognition is only a starting point - and what must come next to achieve peace with justice, security and equal rights for Israelis and Palestinians.

Speakers

• Andrew Whitley – Founder and Executive Director of Geo-Political Advisory Services; former senior UN official, journalist and founding director of Human Rights Watch’s Middle East division

• Sir Vincent Fean – Former British Consul-General in Jerusalem and Trustee of the Britain Palestine Project

• Dr Brian Brivati – Historian, human rights specialist and Executive Director of the Britain Palestine Project

Speaker: Susie Becher, Communications Director, Policy Working Group (PWG)
*Hosted by the Britain Palestine Project

In this wide-ranging and deeply insightful conversation, Susie Becher — Communications Director of the Policy Working Group (PWG), founding member of All Its Citizens, managing editor of the Palestine-Israel Journal, longtime activist, and former US Embassy analyst — explores the state of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the failures of diplomacy, and the urgent need for international engagement to secure a just two-state solution.

Susie reflects on her 50 years in Israel, her work across civil society and political organisations, and the motivations guiding the PWG’s advocacy. She gives a candid, nuanced analysis of Israeli politics, the post-October 7th reality, and the dangers posed by current geopolitical dynamics — including the US administration’s shifting policies and the rise of anti-democratic tendencies within Israel.

A central highlight of the webinar is Susie’s detailed account of the PWG’s recent advocacy trip to the UK, where they met with parliamentarians, Foreign Office officials, think tanks, civil society actors, and Middle East analysts to discuss recognition of Palestine, protecting international law, and countering the growing marginalisation of the two-state solution.

In this powerful and wide-ranging conversation, Humza Yousaf, former First Minister of Scotland and long-time advocate for Palestinian rights, joins host Diana Safieh for an honest, urgent and deeply personal discussion about the UK’s recognition of the State of Palestine, what must come next, and how Britain can no longer look away from its historic and present responsibilities.

Humza reflects on:

• Why recognition is only the start and what concrete steps the UK must take now — including an immediate halt to arms sales to Israel, meaningful sanctions, and suspension of the UK-Israel trade agreement.

• His family’s personal story, including the displacement of his wife’s grandmother during the Nakba, her life in Gaza, and the pain of her exile and passing last month in Istanbul.

• How dehumanisation enables genocide, and why continued public pressure is essential as Gaza slips from the news cycle.

• The crisis of global leadership and how failure to uphold international law anywhere erodes its power everywhere.

• Why the UK’s position is hypocritical, recognising Palestine in principle while arming a state condemned by the ICJ for apartheid and led by a man sought by the ICC.

• Where public opinion is shifting, especially among younger generations in the UK and the US, and why politicians remain far behind.

• How citizens can influence MPs, especially those “on the fence”, and why mobilisation ahead of the 2026 elections will be crucial.

• The West Bank, the rise in settler violence, and what justice demands for 700,000+ illegal settlers in any future settlement.

• The release of Palestinian political prisoners, including Marwan Barghouti, and what equitable Palestinian leadership might look like.

• Rebuilding Palestinian institutions, including universities, hospitals and governance structures—and why Palestinians, not the West, must lead.

• His own future plans, from nurturing the next generation of global leaders to countering the far right and helping rebuild Gaza’s higher education sector.
  

Throughout, Humza offers clarity, compassion and a grounded path forward—rooted in justice, equal rights and Palestinian self-determination.

On Monday 17th November the UNSC published Resolution 2803 - authorising the International Stabilisation Force and backing the US ‘Comprehensive Plan to end the Conflict in Gaza’.

In doing so the UNSC welcomed the Board of Peace and stipulated that they must cooperate with international organisations such as the UN. However, the legal grounding of the Board is questionable, and their remit undefined. 

There are three key issues that we have identified with the UNSC:

1. It does not mention or reference any previous UN Resolutions, 

2. It seems to confirm the reality of the “yellow line” - accepting the holding of 58% of Gaza by the Israeli’s, and

3. The legal confirmation of Palestinian’s inalienable right to self-determination.

To read a more detail assessment of what is missing from UNSC Resolution 2803, read the article here. 

In this episode Lara and Brian discuss their concerns with the UNSC Resolution and the reality of what this means for Palestinian’s in Gaza, as well as for the UN itself. 

Dr Philippa Whitford is a breast cancer surgeon, former MP for Central Ayrshire, trustee of MAP, patron of the BPP and worked in Gaza as a surgeon between 1991-2 and then again from 2016-2019. 

In this episode Lara talks to Philippa about her experiences working in Gaza over two crucial periods in Gaza’s recent history. Philippa tells us about the daily struggles of working in Gaza during the first Intifada and in the wake of the Madrid Conference, and then again during Gaza’s occupation by Israel. Lara asks about what it was like to watch the genocide unfold and what parallels Philippa sees between what we are seeing now and her experience living in Gaza. 

This is an incredibly moving and insightful episode which paints a vivid picture of the state of Gaza’s health service pre genocide and outlines the challenges that the healthcare system faces now.

If you are interested in seeing Philippa speak live, then make sure you are following her and her ongoing tour of Scotland. 

Join Lara Bird-Leakey as she summarises the latest ICJ AO into the role of the UN in Gaza.

Yesterday the ICJ delivered an Advisory Opinion (AO) on the Obligations of Israel in relation to the Presence and Activities on the UN, other international organisations and third states in the relation to the Occupied Palestinian Territory.

Within this Advisory Opinion the Court confirmed that Israel has an obligation to:

i. Respect and protect all relief and medical personal facilities,

ii. Respect the prohibition against forcible transfer and deportation in the Occupied Palestinian Territories,

iii. To respect the prohibition on the use of starvation against civilians as a method of war,

iv. That as an occupying power, Israel has an obligation under international human rights law to fulfil the human rights of the occupied territory, including through the activities of UNWRA and the UN.

As well as finding that Israel has not submitted evidence to substantiate their claim linking Hamas to UNWRA.

Listen along as Lara summarises this AO and discusses it’s impact here in the UK.

Recorded at the Beyond Borders International Festival in Scotland, this episode of Palestine Matters explores whether diplomacy can still make a difference in an age of realpolitik, wars, and international law in crisis.

Host: Brian Brivati Guests:

• Afif Safieh – Veteran Palestinian diplomat and former ambassador, who played a central role in the transition from armed struggle to dialogue within the Palestinian national movement.

• Frances Guy – Former British ambassador with decades of experience across the Middle East and beyond, now engaged in international policy and humanitarian work.
  

👉 Together, they examine:

• Why Afif describes himself as “ashamed” at diplomacy’s failures, yet still an optimist about dialogue.

• The unavoidable coexistence of Israelis and Palestinians – and why only “possible justice,” not absolute justice, is now being sought.

• The decisive role of the United States and what Afif calls the battle for Washington.

• The two “Americas”: settler-colonial vs. founding ideals – and which one Palestinians must appeal to.

• Why Arab Americans and even some Republicans were drawn to Trump’s early promises of neutrality.

• The concept of compellence – Israel’s coercive regional policies, and why the international community must resist them.

• The urgent need for accountability: sanctions, recognition of Palestine, and reform of multilateral institutions.

• Frances’ reflections on how diplomacy, through relationships and persistence, can prevent escalation – and why isolation is no substitute for pressure plus engagement.

• The hope for an Eisenhower moment when a US leader has the courage to force Israel to comply with international law.
  

✨ Despite genocide and famine, our guests insist diplomacy is not dead. What the world needs now is statesmanship, courage, and persistence.

🎧 Palestine Matters is available on all podcast platforms, YouTube, and our website. Just search Britain Palestine Project.

Recorded live at the Beyond Borders International Festival in Scotland, this episode of Palestine Matters explores the historic role of Britain in shaping the Israel–Palestine conflict -  and what responsibility Britain carries today.

Host: Diana Safieh, Britain Palestine Project Guests:

• Sir Vincent Fean – Former British Consul-General in Jerusalem (2010–2014), former Ambassador to Libya, and BPP trustee.

• William Dalrymple – Historian and bestselling author, widely known for his work on empires and their legacies.
  

👉 Together, they examine:

• How Britain’s policies during and after WWI laid the foundations of today’s conflict.

• The Balfour Declaration and its lasting consequences.

• Britain’s violent suppression of the Arab Revolt (1936–39), including the use of torture and collective punishment.

• The failure of Britain’s Mandate to protect Palestinians or prepare them for independence.

• The Nakba of 1947–48 and Britain’s responsibility in creating the refugee crisis.

• Why British education neglects empire and Palestine, and the consequences of public ignorance.

• How international law defines the occupation and why recognition of Palestine must be more than symbolic.

• Concrete measures Britain and allies should take now: ending arms sales, sanctions, and trade restrictions with settlements.
  

✨ The conversation also touches on cultural and historical context — from shared sacred traditions in pre-Mandate Palestine to new historical research on Gaza and the deep continuity of the Palestinian people.

📣 Special Announcement: We are delighted to welcome William Dalrymple as a new patron of the Britain Palestine Project.

🎧 Palestine Matters is available on all podcast platforms, on YouTube, and via our website. Just search Britain Palestine Project.

Brian Klug is Hon Fellow in Social Philosophy, Campion Hall, University of Oxford. He has published and lectured extensively on antisemitism, Islamophobia and racism in general, and is one of the authors of the Jerusalem Declaration on Antisemitism (2021). Earlier this year he took part in a Roundtable in Granada which drafted the document ‘Combating Islamophobia and Antisemitism: A Declaration of Shared Principles’. He will be part of a panel presenting the Declaration at the UN Social Summit in November.

Yesterday the UK formally recognised the state of Palestine. A move which they have been dragged to kicking and screaming and which is at least 75 years overdue. 

In this episode, Lara discusses what this means in practice for Palestinians, how this might change the UK government’s position on the ICJ Provisional Measures and Advisory Opinions, if at all, and what must come next in order for this to be more than a merely symbolic gesture.