British Palestine Project: New Podcast Episode and New Chair!

Posted: 9th July 2026

Peace with justice, security and equal rights for Israelis and Palestinians

We are delighted to share two exciting updates from the Britain Palestine Project.

Firstly, we are pleased to announce that Tim Livesey has been appointed Chair of the Britain Palestine Project’s Board of Trustees, succeeding Andrew Whitley after a period of remarkable growth and impact for the organisation.

Tim brings decades of experience in diplomacy, public service, politics and international development. Having served as a UK diplomat, senior adviser to the Archbishops of Canterbury and Westminster, Chief of Staff to Ed Miliband as Leader of the Opposition, and Chief Executive of Embrace the Middle East, he joins us at a pivotal moment for our work.

We are incredibly grateful to Andrew Whitley for his outstanding leadership and warmly welcome Tim as we continue working to advance informed public debate, uphold international law and human rights, and contribute to a just and lasting peace for Palestinians and Israelis alike.

To mark the occasion, it feels especially fitting that our latest podcast episode features Tim alongside fellow Ecumenical Accompanier Julia Race, sharing their firsthand experiences from the occupied West Bank.

What does life under occupation really look like – not through headlines, but through the eyes of those who have lived alongside Palestinian communities?

In this powerful conversation, Tim and Julia reflect on the three months they recently spent as Ecumenical Accompaniers (EAPPI), living in the Jordan Valley and Bethlehem. They monitored human rights, accompanied vulnerable communities, and witnessed the realities of daily life under military occupation.
Drawing on their firsthand experiences, they share moving accounts of Palestinian families facing settlement expansion, home demolitions, restrictions on movement and increasing settler violence. They also reflect on the extraordinary resilience of the communities they met and the principle of sumud – steadfastness in the face of adversity.

About our guests

Tim Livesey first visited Palestine in 1987, shortly before the outbreak of the First Intifada, and has returned many times since. He recently completed a three-month placement as an Ecumenical Accompanier in the Jordan Valley.

Julia Race studied languages and spent much of her career with the British Council, working in Cairo, Cape Town, Rome and Brussels. She now advises organisations internationally on governance, fundraising and external relations. Having first visited Israel and Palestine in 2007, she has just returned from serving as an Ecumenical Accompanier based in Bethlehem.

Watch now on YouTube, or listen on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

If you find this episode valuable, please consider subscribing, leaving a review and sharing it with others. Every share helps us bring informed discussion, expert analysis and eyewitness testimony to a wider audience.

Thank you, as always, for your continued support.

Warm wishes,
The Britain Palestine Project Team