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Labour Friends of Israel defends major West Bank settlement blocs
Labour Friends of Israel defends major West Bank settlement blocs Imran Mulla on Tue, 08/04/2026 - 11:59 Lobby group publishes briefing urging the Burnham government not to ban settlement goods A picture taken from the Israeli-occupied West Bank city of Hebron shows the Israeli Gush Etzion settlement bloc on 5 March 2017 (AFP) Off The Labour Friends of Israel (LFI) lobby group has published a report apparently justifying some illegal Israeli settlements in occupied Palestine and urging the British government not to ban goods produced by them. This comes as Andy Burnham's Labour government is believed to be considering imposing a ban on imports from Israeli settlements, which according to British policy are all in occupied Palestinian territory. LFI is a group within the Labour Party which is believed to count more than 70 MPs as affiliates, although it no longer keeps a public list. The group published a policy briefing report late last week titled "Settlements and Solutions: A Guide to the Issues". The report, reviewed by Middle East Eye, argues against a ban on Israeli settlement goods. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); All Israeli settlements in the West Bank, including the major blocs, are illegal under international law. The International Court of Justice also ruled in a 2024 advisory opinion that Israel's occupation of Palestinian territory is itself illegal and places obligations on countries to take measures to end the occupation. But LFI's report says: "While Israel asserts that settlements are legal under international law, much of the international community disputes this position." It criticises settlement outposts not recognised by the Israeli government which are "established without legal authorisation", and advocates for adopting a different approach to major blocs from other settlements, tolerating the former but opposing the latter. The report calls on Britain to urge "the next Israeli government to remove illegal settlement outposts; halt settlement expansion outside the major blocs; issue more building permits for Palestinians in Area C; and expand Palestinian autonomous areas". This suggests the government should not object to the major settlement blocs. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); The report argues that "a boycott of all trade with settlements is practically and politically impossible". It says a full boycott would "impact all Israeli businesses operating in the settlement blocs, as well as East Jerusalem and the Old City". The report adds that a boycott could inadvertently affect "Israelis living within the state’s borders. A settlement boycott would thus become a de facto boycott of all of Israel. "This will rightly be perceived within the UK Jewish community as a further example of the government singling out and targeting Israel for punitive action and harsh rhetoric." Burnham mulling ban on settlement goods Prime Minister Burnham recently said he is considering "further measures to deter unacceptable violence" in the occupied West Bank, and Whitehall sources have said that his government is considering announcing a ban on settlement goods after parliament returns from recess. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); Wes Streeting, now Burnham's defence secretary, last year said in leaked text messages to the now-disgraced former ambassador to the US, Peter Mandelson, that he had been a supporter of LFI for "over 20 years". But he endorsed sanctions on Israel and accused the country of "committing war crimes before our eyes". The same failed policies have broken six prime ministers. Can Burnham break the mould? Read More » Jonathan Reynolds, the business and trade secretary, was previously a vice-chair of LFI. In opposition, Labour called for a ban on the import of settlement goods, with the then shadow foreign secretary, Lisa Nandy, saying in June 2020 that the move would require "courage that so far ministers have not been willing to show". France and Sweden recently put forward a proposal calling on the European Union to enforce strict import controls on settlement goods. The Netherlands also banned trade in such goods last month. Polling of Labour members earlier this year showed that a staggering 87 percent support a ban on trade with Israeli settlements, with only 6 percent opposing it. The LFI report criticises the "current Netanyahu government, which took office in January 2023, [for having] accelerated expansion of settlements beyond the 'settlement blocs', while also failing to uphold the law and crack down on the noxious activities of extremist settlers". It adds that there "is a long-standing consensus - previously accepted by Israeli and Palestinian negotiating teams alike, as well as influential segments of the international community - that the key settlement blocs will remain under Israeli control through land swaps". UK Politics News Post Date Override 0 Update Date Mon, 05/04/2020 - 21:19 Update Date Override 0
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Families say they are struggling to pay school fees – why are so many still choosing private schools?
mihailomilovanovic/Getty Images This month, multiple news outlets have reported families’ concerns about rising private school costs during the cost-of-living crisis. It’s likely this trend will increase, as private school tuition fees rise faster than inflation. Why are families putting themselves under this pressure? What does it suggest about the broader Australian school system? Parents are struggling In Australia, on average, private school fees (including additional costs) sit at around $8,973 for each year of schooling per student. Costs can total over $100,000 over the course of an K-12 private school education. However, fee averages can differ across Australia. In 2024, the average tuition fee for a Year 12 student in an independent school (also known as private schools) in NSW was A$15,674. In Victoria it was $20,923. Private school peak body Independent Schools Australia surveyed 1,508 parents who have kids in independent schools. Of those surveyed, 75% had adjusted their household budget in the last year to remain in their selected schools. More than half reported struggling to pay school fees, and 28% said they had also cut back on essentials, such as medicine, groceries and transport, to help pay fees. The survey also reported “one in five receive financial support from other family members”. An educational shift Despite the fees, we know families are increasingly choosing independent schools over public schools. The proportion of Australian students attending independent schools has jumped from 13% in 2006 to 17% in 2025. At the same time, the number of students attending public schools has dropped. In 2025, 63% of students attended public school. In 2006 it was 67%. Enrolments at Catholic schools didn’t change much throughout this period and remained at around 20%. Why is this happening? More NSW students are going to private schools – where are they coming from? Our research Our research, which looked at the impact of philanthropy in Australian public schools, might offer some perspectives as to why. Over the last two years, as part of an ongoing research project we interviewed 58 public school principals across every Australian state and territory about their experiences with school funding. We found that many principals perceived parents to be choosing schools based on infrastructure, extra-curricular offerings and facilities they could not match, including basics such as heating or cooling. All principals interviewed said they had to apply for competitive funding for critical infrastructure in the school, even for necessities such as ramps for students with disability. Other findings An Australia Institute study published in June also mirrors these principals’ concerns. The survey asked 2,230 Australian adults questions about primary and secondary school funding. Participants were recruited online and represented by a range of ages, genders, education levels, regions, household incomes and political preferences. As part of the study, 801 Australian parents with children in private schools were asked about their schooling choices. It found 38% would have enrolled their child in the public system if their local public school was better funded. About 41% of respondents said they would still enrol their child in a private school even if their local public school was better funded while the remaining 21% said they were unsure. Respondents were not asked the reasons for their answers. The bigger picture Parent choices about where they send their kids to school must be understood in the context of Australia’s broader funding environment. For instance, public schools in Australia have experienced chronic underfunding. Other than the ACT, most public schools across other states and territories do not currently receive their minimum amount of funding as calculated by the Schooling Resource Standard (SRS). The SRS is the measure used to determine the minimum amount of government funding that should be allocated to schools for their students’ educational needs. In Australia, there is no regulation around how much non-government schools can charge, such as price caps. Nor do tuition fees impact the amount of government funding independent schools receive. Indeed, Australia’s private schools charge some of the highest fees in the OECD. It’s important to note not all independent schools charge high fees. But research has consistently suggested school fees of any level are linked with higher levels of “school segregation”. This means advantaged and disadvantaged students are concentrated in separate parts of the school system. This then leads to overall declines in educational equity and quality. Australia is among some of the most segregated school systems in the OECD. Australian public schools educate the majority of disadvantaged students. What should change to help families? One way to limit high school fees would be to tie them to the amount of government funding a school receives. That means if a school charges fees, it should receive decreased government funding linked to this. This would encourage schools to maintain low tuition fees and, in turn, keep independent education more affordable for financially-struggling families. While this measure might be met with political resistance in the Australian context, research has shown the measure has worked in countries such as Canada, the United Kingdom, Sweden and Belgium. These countries have either prohibited or regulated school tuition fees where they also receive government funding. With this in mind, a key question emerges: to what extent are private schools that are charging high fees, and receiving full government funding support, responsible for easing some of the burden on parents and families? Emma Rowe receives funding from the Australian Research Council. Elisa Di Gregorio does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
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De Zerbi wants to convince Spence to stay at Spurs
Tottenham manager Roberto de Zerbi says he wants to convince England defender Djed Spence to stay at the club.