MIDDLE EAST WORKING GROUP  led by Liz Sim 

This is (relatively) new group in process of formation. So far several members have expressed interest or may be potentially interested. We have not yet met as a group, but I hope to contact those interested in the near future.
(Question: How far should the brief of this group extend? Israel/Palestine, yes; Israel and its Arab neighbours? Iran??. To begin with, we propose to concentrate on Israel/Palestine.)
Hugh Drummond and Liz Sim attended the first meeting of the (new) Cross-Party Group on Palestine at Holyrood. Most of the ~50 members of the group were present. The invited speakers were: Keith Hammond, University of Glasgow, and Professor Hilary Rose, Convenor of BRICUP (British Committee for Universities of Palestine), who spoke about PACBI - academic and cultural ‘boycott’ of Israeli universities. This is not detachment from Israeli universities, but rather a determination to wake up Israeli academics to the realities of the situation in Palestine, especially the stark contrast between the freedoms of Israeli universities and the closures, restrictions and oppression suffered by universities and students under occupation in Palestine. The third speaker - Ms Rawya Shawya, an MP from Gaza, spoke movingly of her situation in Gaza. In the Q&A session Liz referred to UNA, its modus operandi and policy towards the Middle East (Policy Document 2007 Conference), and its links through UNA-UK with FCO in briefing Ministers at Westminster. Afterwards several people asked for information about UNA. Tony Grahame (Secretary of Cross-Party Group) emailed Liz afterwards asking for help to find a UN speaker for a future meeting of the Group. This request has been forwarded to Mark Rusling who deals with Middle East issues at UNA UK. So far Mark has been unable to help with a speaker, but a potentially useful line of communication has now been established between the Cross-Party group and UNA-UK.

Liz Sim,
Convenor of Middle East group