Our Chief Executive has formed part of the Jewish communal delegation attending Labour Party Conference.

As an organisation, we are appalled by the motion passed by Labour delegates on the Middle East conflict. To agree to the text without referencing the atrocities committed by Hamas on 7th October 2023 when 1,200 innocent people were murdered or the fact they continue to hold 48 hostages means they have no credibility to comment on what is an extremely complex issue.

The fact a more moderate motion that did reference these key facts was defeated highlights how many seem unmotivated to work towards a peaceful solution to the conflict. The text is not binding and we will continue holding conversations with key stakeholders within government to advocate against taking divisive and deeply problematic positions.

During our time at Conference we have held a number of meetings with Ministers, MPs and the press focusing on our concerns around the record levels of antisemitic hate crime across society. We also reiterated our strong opposition to the unilateral recognition of Palestine, supported the Government’s position on proscribing Palestine Action, highlighted concerns around antisemitism in cultural spaces including the need to cancel events by those who incite hatred whilst emphasising the importance of holding the Iranian regime to account by enforcing snapback sanctions.

On a positive note, we have attended excellent fringe sessions organised by our communal partners and spoke with a number of different sectors highlighting the work of our third sector organisations.

It is more important than ever that our communal voices remain part of the conversation.