Britain-Palestine All Party Parliamentary Group

Richard is Chair of the Britain-Palestine All Party Parliamentary Group which seeks to foster good relations and understanding between Britain and Palestine and to promote a just and durable peace in the Middle East.

Richard has had an active interest in this region since writing his university dissertation and visits the area at least once a year to see for himself the situation on the ground and to meet key players. Richard regularly speaks on this issue in Parliament as well as writing articles and commenting on developments. This section of his website has these articles available to download as well as any press releases issued.

The secretariat of the APPG is managed by the Council for the Advancement of Arab British Understanding. Their website is www.caabu.org.

• Ehud Barak at Labour Party Conference (30 September 2009)
  Ehud Barak at Labour Party Conference - The appearance at Ehud Barak at the Labour Party Conference in Brighton this week has attracted widespread disapproval. Last night I presented Mr Barak with a copy of the Britain-Palestine APPG report of a fact-finding mission to Gaza earlier this year. You can read the press release we put out below. MP CONFRONTS ISRAELI MINISTER OVER WAR CRIMES CHARGE Richard Burden MP last night confronted Israeli Deputy Prime Minister Ehud Barak at the Labour Party Conference. Mr Burden called on him to respond to the findings of the recent UN report that Israel...
  
  more...
• Parliamentary group welcomes UN Gaza report findings (18 September 2009)
  UN Goldstone Report - The report of the United Nations fact-finding mission on the Gaza conflict heading up by Justice Richard Goldstone has been released today – ahead of its presentation to the UN’s Human Rights Council in Geneva on 29 September. A copy of the UN report is available online here and you can read our press release below. PARLIAMENTARY GROUP WELCOMES UN GAZA REPORT FINDINGS Richard Burden MP, Chair of the Britain-Palestine All Party Parliamentary Group (BPAPPG), has welcomed the findings of a United Nations’ investigation into the conduct of Israel and Hamas during Operation Cast Lead. The...
  
  more...
• Palestine Delegation Report (20 May 2009)
  Earlier this year, in the immediate aftermath of Israel’s attack on Gaza, I led a delegation of MPs on a visit to the region to survey the impact of the conflict. The situation we encountered in Gaza was appalling. Over 1,300 Palestinians had been killed during ‘Operation Cast Lead’ and a further 5,300 injured. Over two hundred schools lay damaged or destroyed, whilst hospitals and the United Nations Gaza City Headquarters had also been attacked. Today, we have published a report of our findings. It details the scale of the devastation and the human cost paid by the people...
  
  more...
• DEC Gaza Crisis Appeal
  Over 120 Members of Parliament have expressed their astonishment at the BBC’s refusal to broadcast the Disasters Emergency Committee Gaza Crisis Appeal. Today I tabled a motion in the House of Commons with the support of 122 MPs from across all the main political parties (see latest version here). The motion says: That this House is astonished by the refusal of the BBC and Sky to broadcast the Disasters Emergency Committee Gaza Crisis Appeal; considers that the explanations given for this decision by BBC spokespersons are both unconvincing and incoherent; and draws attention to the fact that people wishing to...
  
  more...
• UK Parliament debates Gaza crisis (15 January 2009)
  The UK Parliament today debated the ongoing military attacks on Gaza. You can read a copy of Richard's speech online here. Ahead of the debate Richard said: ‘Israel's continuing massive military strikes on Gaza are an outrage. We are now almost three weeks into this conflict but what people in the UK and around the world are asking is not will the international community express its disapproval of what is happening to the people of Gaza, but when will we put a stop to it. ‘I have no doubt that the Foreign Secretary is genuinely making major efforts...
  
  more...
• Gaza needs a real ceasefire
  ‘Gaza needs a real humanitarian lifeline and an immediate end to attacks, not just a three hour break in violence’, Richard Burden MP has said today. Responding to the halt of Israeli military operations for three hours earlier today Mr Burden, Chair of the Britain-Palestine All Party Parliamentary Group, said: ‘The people of Gaza have been holed up in their homes for 12 days now. They have been subject to attacks from sea and air virtually around the clock. In the last few days they have also been hit by Israeli tanks and artillery shells. More than 600 Palestinians are...
  
  more...
• Stop the slaughter in Gaza
  The continuing slaughter in Gaza is an outrage. The international community has to make clear that respecting its calls for a ceasefire is not simply an optional extra for those launching attacks on either side. International humanitarian law must be upheld. That means protecting civilians from military attack. Common humanity also demands that food, medicines and other essential supplies must be allowed to get through to the one and a half million people who are under siege. Over 120 Parliamentarians from different parties have so far signed a statement demanding an end to the slaughter in Gaza. The statement calls...
  
  more...
• It is time for this madness to stop
  Earlier this week, I wrote a short piece about why the international community should no longer allow the Israeli blockade to continue its slow strangulation of Gaza and the humanitarian crisis it is causing. Barely had I finished writing when news began to come through that Israel had begun to open its borders to let more humanitarian supplies through. Ominously though, the news was not accompanied by statements from Israel about a new approach to relieve tension or get the ceasefire back in place. Instead it was accompanied by warnings of military action. Today we found out what they meant....
  
  more...
• Christmas Eve in Gaza
  On Christmas Eve, I received the following bulletin about Gaza from the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in Jerusalem (www.ochaopt.org). The Gaza crossings have been closed completely for eight consecutive days including for humanitarian supplies. This is the second longest period the crossings have remained closed since the Hamas takeover in June 2007. The ongoing closures have significantly reduced the capacity of UN humanitarian agencies to provide assistance in the event of an escalation in violence. UN humanitarian assistance programs have run out of stock for several essential supplies and are facing severe difficulties...
  
  more...
• We need to embrace new thinking to secure peace in the Middle East
  Richard Burden MP, Chair of the Britain-Palestine All Party Parliamentary Group, has today called on President Peres, the next Israeli Prime Minister and President Elect Obama to embrace new thinking to secure peace and justice in the Middle East for both Israelis and Palestinians. As Foreign Secretary David Miliband completes his visit to the Middle East, today sees both Israeli President Shimon Peres addressing parliamentarians and an unconnected major Lobby of Parliament urging an end to the occupation and justice for the Palestinians. Speaking earlier today Mr Burden said: ‘I welcome the Foreign Secretary’s recognition that justice for the Palestinians...
  
  more...