Archive: palestine

24th October 2023
By: Brian Whitaker
When an explosion caused mass casualties at al-Ahli hospital in Gaza last week it was scarcely surprising that Palestinians — along with many others — assumed Israel was responsible. Israel had already phoned the hospital more than once to demand its evacuation, and a strike the previous… Read more
4th April 2020
By: Brian Whitaker
In a sudden reversal of policy, Israel's health ministry has announced a cutback in coronavirus testing. The World Health Organisation regards testing as an essential component in the battle against COVID-19 and Israel had been planning to increase testing levels to 10,000 a day by early next week… Read more
10th May 2019
By: Brian Whitaker
"Labour Friends of Palestine" is a Twitter account that purports to be connected with the British Labour party. Its choice of name seems intended to cause confusion with Labour Friends of Palestine & the Middle East, a genuine organisation which is recognised and supported by more than 100… Read more
8th May 2019
By: Brian Whitaker
A mysterious organisation that calls itself "Labour Friends of Palestine" has started posting tweets in support of Nigel Farage and his Brexit party. It posted two of them on Monday – one from the Brexit party saying "Another fantastic rally in Chester!" ... ... and one from Farage himself saying… Read more
7th May 2019
By: Brian Whitaker
If you've seen the Monty Python film where the Judean People's Front were enemies of the People's Front of Judea, this story will sound a bit familiar. Here in Britain we have "Labour Friends of Palestine" and "Labour Friends of Palestine & the Middle East". The latter group – LFPME for short… Read more
9th November 2018
By: Brian Whitaker
In 2014 two human rights researchers from Britain went missing in Qatar. They had gone to investigate the conditions of migrants working in the Gulf state and it turned out that the authorities, displeased by the researchers' activities, had arrested them. International media took up the case and… Read more
13th January 2018
By: Brian Whitaker
Palestinian-born journalist Sameh Akram Habeeb is a very busy man. Since November he has been in charge of Fox News 24. He also runs the Amsterdam Times, Australia News Today, Berlin Tomorrow, Ireland Now, Moscow News Daily, the New York Herald, the Norway Post, Sydney Now, Vegas News Today and… Read more
14th July 2016
By: Brian Whitaker
Britain's continuing political upheaval resulted not only in the appointment of a new prime minister yesterday but also a new foreign secretary, Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson – referred to by almost everyone simply as "Boris" or "BoJo".  In some ways, Boris and the Foreign Office ought to be… Read more
9th August 2015
By: Brian Whitaker
The UAE has some of the world's toughest laws against drugs. Convicted drug traffickers are liable to be executed and possessing even small amounts of illicit substances can lead to a lengthy jail sentence. Not only that. The British Foreign Office warns travellers arriving in the UAE or passing… Read more
23rd June 2015
By: Brian Whitaker
The Global Network for Rights and Development – the organisation at the centre of a $13 million money-laundering investigation by Norwegian police – declares itself to be an international NGO which is "neutral and impartial". It has made strenuous efforts to win acceptance as a normal, mainstream… Read more