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Parliamentary group
The
Conservative Friends of Palestine
(
CFoP
) is a parliamentary group within the
British Conservative Party
that promotes and advocates for "peace and justice" in
Palestine
[3]
and is currently chaired by ex-cabinet minister
Sayeeda Warsi, Baroness Warsi
[2]
who co-founded it with
Flick Drummond
.
[4]
Within the first two months of founding, there were 35 Conservative MP and members of the House of Lords in the group, making up just 6% of the total, in contrast to
Conservative Friends of Israel
which represent two thirds of Conservative parliamentarians.
[1]
Founding
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It was founded in May 2023
[1]
with the view of being a vehicle
"to provide accurate and balanced information to parliamentarians on the issue of Palestine and Israel"
and was originally intended to be named the
Conservative Friends of Palestine and Israel
to reflect this. The perceived lack of balance within the party led to its current name.
[5]
Its founding was welcomed by Ben Jamal, the Director of the
Palestine Solidarity Campaign
stating that "any counter to the dominant voice of Conservative Friends of Israel in the Conservative Party is to be welcomed."
[5]
It was founded as a "platform to engage and learn beyond the narrow remit" of
Conservative Friends of Israel
.
[6]
Since its founding it has engaged directly with the British-Israel and British-Palestinian communities
[6]
and currently works with the pro-Palestinian
[4]
Conservative Middle East Council
to helping "lawmakers grasp the region as a whole."
[5]
An unrelated, grass-root group previously existed with the same name but disbanded in late 2022,
[5]
which
Flick Drummond
claims that she and Warsi "re-founded".
[6]
[4]
Current parliamentary members
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As of 2024, the parliamentary members of the group are:
[7]
See also
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References
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External links
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