James Sunderland

Dr James A.S. Sunderland holds a doctorate in Israeli history from Merton College, Oxford

Starmer risks repeating Britain’s Palestine mistake

Britain has formally recognised a Palestinian state for the first time. The Prime Minister Keir Starmer said his announcement yesterday keeps 'alive the possibility of peace'. Given Britain’s history in the region the move is deeply symbolic, even if it is unlikely to change the reality on the ground. Britain will recognise a country with whose past it is deeply enmeshed and correct a historical injustice. But Starmer would do well to learn from Britain’s involvement with Palestine a century ago: promises and words are cheap, a viable two-state solution will require more.

Israel’s murder problem

A wave of violence is convulsing Israeli society. It’s not caused by Hamas, Hezbollah, Houthi, or Iranian attacks. Instead, it’s the daily violence meted out, not by terrorists or enemy governments, but by citizen against fellow citizen. Amidst the chaos of war, Israel is suffering a crime wave. Murder is a crime that happens in every society, but there are alarming trends emerging in Israel. A recent study by the Taub Centre for Social Policy Studies in Israel found that the murder rate amongst Arab-Israelis, who comprise around a fifth of the state’s population, is one of the largest in high-income countries, behind only Mexico and Columbia in the OECD.