Once the bustling heart of Christian pilgrimage, Bethlehem now faces shuttered hotels, empty streets and a shrinking Christian community, while Israel’s assault on Gaza and the tightening grip of occupation destroy hopes of peace at the birthplace of Christ, writes Father GEOFF BOTTOMS
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Jewish Voice for Labour ponders a name change
Many are no longer in the party, others excoriate the new Labour government’s capitalist and discriminatory policies, writes LINDA PENTZ GUNTER
JVL members and supporters protest outside the BBC's offices in London
[Steve Eason / Creative Commons]
After years hidden away, Oldham’s memorial to six local volunteers who died fighting fascism in the Spanish civil war has been restored to public view, marking both a victory for campaigners and a renewed tribute to the town’s proud International Brigade heritage, says ROB HARGREAVES
The June 2025 attacks on Iran have heightened the risk of a wider war, exposed the fiction of a rules-based international order and left ordinary Iranians trapped between external aggression and internal repression, says the Committee for Defence of Iranian People’s Rights
While pretending to seek peace, Europe is heading toward a collision course with Russia – using security guarantees, troop deployments, expropriation and censorship as tools, writes SEVIM DAGDELEN
A WWI hero, renowned ornithologist, medical doctor, trade union organiser and founder member of the Communist Party of Great Britain all rolled in one. MAT COWARD tells the story of a life so improbable it was once dismissed as fiction
The long-term effects of chemical weapons such as Agent Orange mean that the impact of war lasts well beyond a ceasefire
AT A RECENT pro-Palestine demonstration in Manchester — where a rally and march has been a weekly event since October 7 — the two Jewish Voice for Labour banners fluttering in the breeze had the words “for Labour” crossed out in thick black marker.
The affiliation with a party its members were once proud of, after former leader Jeremy Corbyn rebuilt its membership and mandate to reflect a genuine socialist manifesto, is now a source of embarrassment and even anger.
Intense discussions have been ongoing as to whether to change the name altogether, while somehow retaining the acronym. Jewish Voice for Liberation was one suggestion. Another was to use a lower case L, representing the labour movement instead of the party. For now, the name remains. But it’s an uncomfortable alliance.
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