Britain Palestine Project

With Andrew Whitley and Sir Vincent Fean | 30 October 2026What does Israel's election mean for Palestinians, and can Britain help bring about meaningful change?Britain Palestine Project's Andrew Whitley and Sir Vincent Fean examine the aftermath of Israel's closely contested election, the possible political scenarios ahead, and what the outcome could mean for Palestinians living in Israel, the occupied West Bank and Gaza.With Benjamin Netanyahu's political future still uncertain, the pair discuss the possibility of a national unity government, fresh elections or an alternative coalition that includes the Arab parties, which together secured 19 seats in the Knesset.But would a change of government bring a genuine change in policy towards Palestinians, or merely a change in tone?Andrew and Vincent also explore the urgent need for international action, including Britain's responsibility to challenge illegal settlement expansion, protect the Palestinian economy and ensure humanitarian aid reaches Gaza.The Situation Report is a regular podcast from the Britain Palestine Project, featuring Andrew Whitley and Sir Vincent Fean.Drawing on their extensive diplomatic and international experience, they provide informed analysis of developments in Israel and Palestine, examine Britain's historical and contemporary responsibilities, and explore the political and diplomatic steps needed to secure a just and lasting peace.Listen, watch and subscribe to the Britain Palestine Project wherever you get your podcasts, or visit our website for more analysis, events and resources.Recognition is the beginning.

With Jack Munayer, Director of International Relations at Yesh DinIsraeli settler violence in the occupied West Bank is entering a dangerous new phase. Attacks that were once largely concentrated in Area C are increasingly spreading into Areas A and B – Palestinian towns and villages previously considered relatively sheltered from direct settler violence.In this episode of the Britain Palestine Project podcast, Diana Safieh speaks with Jack Munayer, Director of International Relations at Israeli human rights organisation Yesh Din, about its latest report, The Next Frontier: Violence by Israeli Civilians Against Palestinians in Areas A and B.Drawing on Yesh Din's extensive documentation and legal work, Jack explains how settler violence is not simply the work of isolated extremists, but part of what the organisation identifies as a coordinated strategy of intimidation, displacement and territorial expansion, facilitated by Israeli state institutions.The figures are deeply troubling: Yesh Din reports that 93.6% of police investigation files concerning offences by Israeli civilians against Palestinians are closed without indictment, while only 3% of investigated cases result in full or partial convictions.Jack examines the rapid expansion of settlement outposts into Area B, the growing involvement of Israeli security forces in settler attacks, and the devastating consequences for Palestinian communities – from the theft of livestock and destruction of homes to organised raids, arson and forced displacement.The conversation also explores the escalating violence surrounding the 2026 olive harvest, the challenges facing Israeli and Palestinian human rights organisations, and the role of the international community in confronting violations of international law.During an extensive audience Q&A, Jack addresses whether a change in Israeli government could reverse these developments, the prospects for Palestinians reclaiming confiscated land, and what meaningful international action might look like.Despite the gravity of the situation, the discussion concludes with a reflection on the importance of sustained international engagement, accountability and recognising opportunities for change.Further reading:The Next Frontier: Violence by Israeli Civilians Against Palestinians in Areas A and B – Yesh Din.Maximum Territory, Minimum Population – Yesh Din.Both reports are available through Yesh Din.

What is really happening on the ground in occupied East Jerusalem and the West Bank? And what responsibility does Britain bear for the deepening crisis facing Palestinians?In this powerful and wide-ranging conversation, award-winning journalist, author and broadcaster Peter Oborne joins the Britain Palestine Project's Diana Safieh following three weeks spent reporting from Jerusalem and the occupied Palestinian territories.Drawing on firsthand observations and conversations with Palestinians, aid workers and human rights advocates, Peter describes a deeply troubling situation: escalating settler violence, increasing restrictions on Palestinian life, the displacement of communities and a looming economic and humanitarian catastrophe in the West Bank.He also examines the controversy surrounding Britain's Consulate General in East Jerusalem, questioning the British government's response to Israeli pressure and what it reveals about Britain's commitment to international law and Palestinian rights.The discussion explores the role of the British media in shaping public understanding of Palestine, the implications of the proscription of Palestine Action for civil liberties, and the prospects for holding governments accountable under international law.Peter reflects on the changing character of Jerusalem, the threatened displacement of Palestinian communities in neighbourhoods such as Al-Bustan, and the increasingly precarious future facing Palestinian Christians.Despite the gravity of the situation, the conversation concludes with a reflection on hope. Peter pays tribute to the extraordinary resilience of Palestinians, describing their sumud - steadfastness - in the face of unimaginable hardship. He also highlights the courage of Israeli human rights organisations and activists working to defend Palestinian communities.Peter Oborne is a former chief political commentator at The Daily Telegraph and the author of several acclaimed books, including Complicit: Britain's Role in the Destruction of Gaza. His journalism appears in publications including Middle East Eye, Declassified UK and openDemocracy.

What does it mean to describe the Nakba as ongoing?In this episode, historian and author Dr Anne Irfan joins Britain Palestine Project podcast host Diana Safieh to trace the history of Palestinian displacement from the Nakba of 1948 to the present day.Anne begins with the events of 1947–49, when at least 750,000 Palestinians became refugees, and explains why the Nakba should be understood not only through the original expulsions, but through the subsequent denial of return and repeated displacement of Palestinian communities.She explores the central role Palestinian refugee camps have played in political organisation, resistance and sumud (steadfastness), from the Palestinian revolutionary movement of the late 1960s and 1970s to the First Intifada and later movements centred on the right of return.The conversation also examines the particular place of Gaza within this history. More than 200,000 Palestinian refugees arrived in Gaza following the Nakba, transforming its population and landscape and creating a refugee population whose descendants have experienced repeated displacement. Anne connects this history to the destruction and displacement witnessed in Gaza today.Dr Anne Irfan is a historian and lecturer at University College London, researching the history and politics of Palestinian displacement. She is the author of Refuge and Resistance: Palestinians and the International Refugee System (Columbia University Press, 2023) and A Short History of the Gaza Strip (Simon & Schuster, 2025).Her academic work has appeared in the Journal of Palestine Studies, Journal of Genocide Research, Journal of Refugee Studies and Jerusalem Quarterly. She has also contributed to media outlets including Al Jazeera, The Nation, +972 and Jewish Currents.

Britain Palestine Project trustees Andrew Whitley and Sir Vincent Fean discuss what they see as a significant shift in British policy towards Israel and Palestine following Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband’s announcement of new measures relating to Israel’s illegal settlements and Gaza.Sir Vincent describes the change as significant not only in substance, but in tone and determination – arguing that, for the first time in his 39-year diplomatic career, he has heard a British Foreign Secretary link condemnation of Israeli settlement activity with concrete action.Andrew and Vincent examine what this could mean in practice, including the threat posed by the E1 settlement project; Israel’s response and the closure of the British Consulate in Jerusalem; growing settler influence within Israeli politics and state institutions; and the increasingly contested status of Jerusalem and its holy sites.They also turn to the situation in Gaza, where severe restrictions continue despite the ceasefire, and discuss the obstacles to implementing the next stages of the Trump plan, including the question of disarmament and the future administration of Gaza.Finally, they look ahead to possible Palestinian elections and the urgent need for democratic renewal, asking what role Britain should play in ensuring that Palestinians in Gaza, East Jerusalem and the rest of the West Bank are able to participate – and that the international community respects the outcome.There may have been a significant change in British policy, they conclude, but changing policy is only the beginning. The real test is whether sustained international pressure can bring about meaningful change on the ground.

Who controls what appears in our social media feeds, and who decides which voices are amplified, suppressed or removed altogether?Diana Safieh speaks to Issam Hijazi, the Palestinian-Jordanian-Australian founder of UpScrolled, an independent social media platform created in response to concerns about censorship, shadow banning and the power of Big Tech.Issam describes his own experience of posting about Palestine and finding that content received dramatically less visibility than his other posts. He explains how those experiences helped inspire UpScrolled, which has grown from around 150,000 users at the beginning of 2026 to more than five million, largely through organic growth and word of mouth.The conversation explores the increasingly important question of who controls the information we see online. Issam discusses algorithms and shadow banning; data collection and privacy; content moderation and hate speech; fake accounts and bot farms; political influence; and the challenges of building an ethical social media company while competing with some of the world's biggest technology businesses.He also explains UpScrolled's approach to transparency: allowing users greater control over what they see, collecting only the data it needs, not selling user data to third parties, and attempting to moderate content consistently rather than favouring particular political positions or groups.The discussion asks some difficult questions. Can social media ever be politically neutral? Where should platforms draw the line between free expression and harmful content? Can we escape algorithmically created echo chambers? And can an ethical alternative to Big Tech succeed without eventually compromising the principles on which it was founded?

Professor Brian K. Barber talks to us about his book, NoWay But Forward: Life Stories of Three Families in the Gaza Strip.Brian first travelled to Palestine as a researcher in the1990s. Over the following three decades, he developed close relationships withfamilies in Gaza, gaining a rare insight into their everyday lives, ambitionsand struggles. His book follows three families through the defining moments oftheir lives - from education, employment and marriage to siege, repeateddisplacement and devastating loss.Brian explains why the book is not primarily an account ofthe politics of Palestine and Israel, but an attempt to fulfil the one requestmade of him by the families who welcomed him: “Tell our story.”The conversation explores the danger of viewing Palestinianchildren solely through the language of trauma and why Brian prefers todescribe Palestinians as “resourceful” rather than “resilient.” He discussesthe central importance of family, education, religion and a shareddetermination to defend human dignity.The final section of No Way But Forward records ayear of WhatsApp messages sent to Brian by the three fathers following 7October 2023. These firsthand accounts document displacement, starvation,injury, bereavement and the indignities of life in makeshift tents, while alsorevealing the families’ continuing commitment to their children’s education andfutures.About Brian K. BarberBrian K. Barber is Professor Emeritus at the University ofTennessee and lives in Washington, DC. His work examines how different contexts,from parenting and family life to political systems and violent conflict, affectindividual and social development.He is the editor of Intrusive Parenting: HowPsychological Control Affects Children and Adolescents and Adolescentsand War: How Youth Deal with Political Conflict. His most recent book is NoWay But Forward: Life Stories of Three Families in the Gaza Strip.The book is available in print and as an e-book, withtranslations in Italian and German and a French edition forthcoming.Please listen, share and help these families’ stories reacha wider audience. 

Has Britain's change of leadership created a genuine opportunity for a new approach to Palestine, or will little change in practice?Britain Palestine Project trustees Sir Vincent Fean and Andrew Whitley assess the implications of the new Labour government under Prime Minister Andy Burnham, examining whether recent statements on Gaza and international law will be matched by meaningful action.The discussion explores practical policy options available to the UK, from sanctions on illegal settlements and financial services to enforcing the International Court of Justice's advisory opinion on the occupation of the Palestinian territories. Vincent and Andrew also consider the political pressures facing the new government, the role of public opinion, and why Britain has both a historic responsibility and an opportunity to provide international leadership.They also discuss:The UK's recognition of the State of Palestine and what should happen next.Why international law must be followed by practical consequences.Trade with Israeli settlements and proposed sanctions.The significance of the proposed E1 settlement expansion.Humanitarian access to Gaza and the role of UNRWA.Whether Britain should continue to follow Washington's lead—or build a coalition with like-minded countries.The importance of Palestinian political unity and forthcoming elections.How upcoming elections in Israel, Palestine and the United States could reshape the political landscape.Despite the gravity of the current situation, Vincent and Andrew end by identifying areas where sustained public pressure, principled diplomacy and international cooperation could still bring meaningful change.Sir Vincent Fean served in the British Diplomatic Service for more than 35 years, including as British Consul-General in Jerusalem (2010–2014). He is a trustee of the Britain Palestine Project and author of A Misunderstood Friendship: Britain and Israel, 1948–2020.Andrew Whitley is a former senior United Nations official with extensive experience across the Middle East, including senior roles with UNRWA and the Office of the UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process. He is a trustee of the Britain Palestine Project.Subscribe to the Britain Palestine Project Podcast for expert analysis, interviews and discussions exploring Britain's historic and contemporary role in Palestine.Guests

What does life under occupation look like - not through headlines, but through the eyes of those who have lived alongside Palestinian communities?We speak with Tim Livesey and Julia Race, recently returned Ecumenical Accompaniers (EAPPI), who spent months living and working in the occupied West Bank. Drawing on firsthand experience from the Jordan Valley and Bethlehem, they share eyewitness testimony of daily life under military occupation and the human stories behind the headlines.Together, they explore how settlement expansion, movement restrictions, demolitions, settler violence and the erosion of Palestinian communities fit into broader political and legal developments, including the International Court of Justice's 2024 advisory opinion declaring Israel's occupation unlawful. They also highlight the work of Israeli and Palestinian human rights organisations, the principle of sumud (steadfastness), and practical ways people in the UK can take informed action.GuestsTim Livesey first visited Palestine in 1987, six weeks before the outbreak of the first intifada, and has been a frequent visitor since then. He returned from a three-month spell as an Ecumenical Accompanier on the West Bank last November. He has been a UK diplomat, senior adviser to the Archbishops of Canterbury and Westminster, Chief of Staff to Ed Miliband as Leader of the Opposition, and Chief Executive of the development charity Embrace the Middle East.Julia Race studied languages and has spent most of her career working for the British Council including postings to Cairo, Cape Town, Rome and Brussels. She now advises organisations from around the world on external relations, governance and fundraising. She first visited Israel and Palestine in 2007 and has just returned from three months as an Ecumenical Accompanier (or human rights monitor) based in Bethlehem.Listen & SubscribeWatch this episode on YouTube, or listen on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.If you enjoyed this conversation, please subscribe, leave a review, and share it with others. Your support helps us continue bringing expert analysis and eyewitness testimony on Palestine, international law and UK policy.For more webinars, podcasts and events, visit the Britain Palestine Project.

What happens when a healthcare system is systematically dismantled during war?In this powerful and deeply personal episode of the Britain Palestine Project Podcast, Professor Nick Maynard—consultant surgeon, humanitarian, and Chair of Medical Aid for Palestinians—shares his eyewitness testimony from multiple medical missions inside Gaza since October 2023.Drawing on over sixteen years of experience working in Palestinian hospitals, Professor Maynard describes the realities facing doctors, nurses and patients as hospitals are overwhelmed, medical supplies run out, healthcare workers are killed or detained, and civilians struggle to survive amid mass displacement and hunger.This conversation examines the collapse of Gaza's healthcare system through the eyes of a surgeon who has treated the wounded firsthand. Professor Maynard discusses the challenges of operating without basic equipment, the impact of malnutrition on patients, attacks on hospitals and medical personnel, and the urgent humanitarian crisis facing Gaza today.Hosted by Diana Safieh, the discussion also explores what governments, healthcare professionals and ordinary citizens can do in response.Topics covered include:Professor Maynard's medical missions to GazaThe collapse of Gaza's healthcare systemConditions inside emergency departments and operating theatresThe impact of attacks on hospitals and medical staffChild casualties and trauma careMalnutrition and the humanitarian crisisMedical evacuations and barriers to treatmentInternational humanitarian law and accountabilityThe role of the UK government and international communityHow individuals can support humanitarian effortsWhether you are interested in healthcare, international law, humanitarian aid or the ongoing situation in Palestine, this episode offers a rare first-hand medical perspective from one of the UK's most experienced surgeons working in Gaza.Professor Nick Maynard is a Consultant Upper Gastrointestinal Surgeon at Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and Associate Professor of Surgery at the University of Oxford. He has worked extensively in Gaza since 2008, training Palestinian surgeons and supporting the development of surgical services. He is Chair of the Board of Trustees of Medical Aid for Palestinians and was awarded the UK Humanitarian Medal in recognition of his medical work in Gaza.Subscribe for conversations with leading historians, diplomats, academics, journalists, humanitarian workers and policymakers exploring Palestine, Britain and the wider Middle East.