What does it take to shift the UK’s position on Palestine?
One lawmaker, Layla Moran, has a deeply personal drive to fight for change. Her relatives have been trapped in a Gaza Church for days, surrounded by Israeli snipers and tanks and running out of food and water.
Moran has been fighting to change the position of her Liberal Democrats Party for years, to introduce policies about recognizing a Palestinian state by bringing together Israeli and Palestinian voices.
Her efforts led to the party calling for a ceasefire in Gaza on November 13, more than a month before other British parties budged on their blanket support for Israel’s military action.
Now she wants the government to commit to joining the international community in pushing for an end to the war, and to uphold its “historic obligation” to recognising Palestinian independence.
This week on the Big Picture, we speak to Layla Moran about her family, her Palestinian identity and her belief in dialogue as a tool to bridge the bitter divide.
We'd love to hear your thoughts on this episode, and any guests you'd like us to have on our show. Reach us by email at mh@middleeasteye.org or find us on instagram @BigPictureMee.
You can also watch all our episodes on our YouTube channel here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLMyaP73Ho1ySj3cO0OSOHZAOgD1WTDixG
What does it take to shift the UK’s position on Palestine?
One lawmaker, Layla Moran, has a deeply personal drive to fight for change. Her relatives have been trapped in a Gaza Church for days, surrounded by Israeli snipers and tanks and running out of food and water.
Moran has been fighting to change the position of her Liberal Democrats Party for years, to introduce policies about recognizing a Palestinian state by bringing together Israeli and Palestinian voices.
Her efforts led to the party calling for a ceasefire in Gaza on November 13, more than a month before other British parties budged on their blanket support for Israel’s military action.
Now she wants the government to commit to joining the international community in pushing for an end to the war, and to uphold its “historic obligation” to recognising Palestinian independence.
This week on the Big Picture, we speak to Layla Moran about her family, her Palestinian identity and her belief in dialogue as a tool to bridge the bitter divide.
We'd love to hear your thoughts on this episode, and any guests you'd like us to have on our show. Reach us by email at mh@middleeasteye.org or find us on instagram @BigPictureMee.
You can also watch all our episodes on our YouTube channel here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLMyaP73Ho1ySj3cO0OSOHZAOgD1WTDixG