In this new spin-off series, Chair Andrew Whitley and Trustee Sir Vincent Fean sit down for a candid, unscripted conversation on the latest developments shaping Palestine, Israel and Britain’s role in the region.

Recorded every two months, each episode focuses on the most pressing issues of the moment - from diplomatic shifts and legal developments to UK policy decisions and global political trends that could reshape the landscape.

There’s no fixed script. Just informed analysis, decades of diplomatic experience, and honest reflection on what’s happening - and what it means.

If you want context beyond headlines, and insight grounded in international law, diplomacy and lived experience, this is your quarterly briefing.

In the first episode of the Britain Palestine Project Situation Report, Chair Andrew Whitley and Trustee Sir Vincent Fean discuss the latest developments shaping the situation in Palestine and Israel and the role Britain and the wider international community should be playing.

In a candid and unscripted conversation recorded on 5 March, Andrew and Vincent examine the humanitarian and political situation in Gaza, the accelerating dynamics in the West Bank, and the policy choices facing the UK government. They also reflect on the implications of international law, the role of European states, and the pressures shaping Israeli domestic politics.

The conversation draws on decades of diplomatic and policy experience to explore what meaningful action could look like and why maintaining international attention on Palestine remains essential even as global crises shift the headlines.

Andrew WhitleyAndrew Whitley is founder and executive director of Geo-Political Advisory Services (GPAS), a UK-based consultancy working on the alleviation of armed conflict in the Middle East and Asia. He previously served as Policy Director and interim Chief Executive of The Elders, was a journalist with the BBC and Financial Times, and founded Human Rights Watch’s Middle East and North Africa division. At the United Nations he held senior posts at UNCTAD, the Department of Peacekeeping Operations and UNRWA.

Sir Vincent FeanSir Vincent Fean served in the British Diplomatic Service from 1975 to 2014. His final posting was as British Consul-General in Jerusalem (2010–2014). He previously served as Ambassador to Libya and High Commissioner to Malta. Vincent advocates equal rights for Israelis and Palestinians and British government recognition of the State of Palestine alongside Israel on pre-June 1967 lines. He is a Trustee of the Balfour Project.

Key themes discussedThe impact of wider regional tensionsThe humanitarian situation in GazaThe relationship between Gaza and the West BankSettlement expansion and the E1 projectInternational law and accountabilityIsraeli domestic politicsThe role of the UK governmentAbout the speakers