The goal of the Middle Eastern Programme is to broaden the knowledge and perception of Young Fabian members and supporters of this most difficult and challenging region. As Egypt attempts to join the league of democracies, we will observe and debate what these fundamental change to the status quo means for the political landscape of the entire region and what their impact is on the fragile and stalled peace process. 

As Tunisia and Egypt are throwing off the burdens of suppression and dictatorship, the world is watching with excitement and anxiety as the Middle East changes. The momentous changes in the region are bound to alter the dynamics of the stalled peace negotiations in the Arab-Israeli conflict, which remains one of the biggest challenges to the International Community.

In the past, much attention has been paid mainly to the relations between Israel and Palestine and the influence of the US rather to the political dynamics of the entire region. This attempt fails to fully explain the complexity of the conflict and creates a discourse which invites polemic arguments and one-sided accusations of guilt towards the different parties of the conflict.

The programme will consist of a range of panel events, which will be accompanied by reading lists, blog entries as well as an interview with a high-profile politician the Young Fabian Magazine “Anticipations”. There will also be events with Young Fabian Women, where we will discuss Feminism in the Middle East.

The highlight of the programme will be the opportunity to join a small delegation of about 15 people who will visit the region. Due to limitations in logistics and time, the delegation is likely to visit only Israel and Palestine, but there will be ample opportunity to meet with people on the ground that have differing regional analyses of the current situation. We are currently working with the Israeli Embassy, One Voice and the Portland Trust to establish a programme for the trip. The exact details remain to be confirmed. We will cover the results of the programme in a pamphlet, which will be published towards the end of this year’s YF Executive Year (October/November 2010).

For further information, please contact International Officer Marie-Noelle Loewe by emailing This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

The YF Middle Eastern Programme-outline of activities:

Panel Discussions:

"Hamas, Hezbollah and the Muslim Brotherhood: What does the revolution in Egypt mean for Gaza?" on 6 April at 7 pm. Speakers: Shashank Joshi from IISS and Dr Franceso Cavatorta from the University of Dublin and Yossi Mekelberg from Chatham House.


"International stakeholders in the Middle East-what role are the EU, Arab League, Russia and China playing?" 18 May from 6:30. Confirmed speaker so far: Dr Ashraf Mishrif Lecturer at King’s College ‘Marco Vincenzino, Founder of the Global Strategy Project and Adviser to the American State Department and Clara O’Donnell, Centre for European Reform
 

“The Challenge of dealing with Iran” 13 July from 6.30. Confirmed speakers so far:  Stephen Twigg MP, Shadow Minister at the FCO; Mark Fitzpatrick, Director, Non-Proliferation and Disarmament Programme at the IISS; and Ali Fathollah-Nejad, PhD Candidate at SOAS and author on the international conflict surrounding Iran.

"Understanding the Middle Eastern Conflict" 31 October from 7.00pm. At the final event of the Middle Eastern Programme, we will discuss Palestine's bid for statehood and launch our pamphlet on the recent delegation to Israel and Palestine. Speakers include John Woodcock MP, Richard Burden MP and Toby Greene from BICOM.

Partners in London and on the ground
American Embassy London, Matt Mulley
The Tony Blair Foundation, Matthey Doyle
The Portland Trust, Nicola Cobold
Israeli Embassy London, Yahav Lichner
Office of Richard Burden MP, Chair of the APPG on Palestine and the Middle East
Labour Friends of Israel, Ben Garratt
Labour Friends of Palestine and the Middle East, Duncan Sinclair
One Voice UK: Joel Braunhold
Breaking the Silence
ME Peace- main contact: Eyal Raviv, Founder
HaNoar HaOved, Sharon Napchan
Gilad Sher
The New Israel Fund, Amit Handelsman
The Pears Foundation, Charles Keidan

Academic Partners
Dr Clive Jones, University of Leeds
Shashank Joshi, IISS and Harvard University
Dr Franceso Cavatorta, University of Dublin
Yossi Mekelberg, Chatham House and Regents College
Toni Klug
Dr Ashraf Mishrif, Senior Lecturer at King’s College
Marco Vincenzino, Founder of the Global Strategy Project