Fellows
Name: Jack Maguire
University Course: MPhil in Intellectual History and the History of Political Thought at UCL & Queen Mary; BA Politics and International Relations at Goldsmiths.
Why did you join the Fellowship? At age 13, I visited the West Bank on holiday. I befriended Palestinian children in East Jerusalem and Jericho, and witnessed apartheid first-hand in the Old City of Hebron. Ever since, I have been staunchly committed to the cause of peace and justice in Israel-Palestine.
Name: Melissandre St Hilaire
University Course: Final year of LLB Law at the University of Reading
Why did you join the Fellowship? My interest in the fellowship stems from a passion for advocating equal rights and justice in the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. My frustrations with the international legal system at both the procedural and individual level, fuel my drive for change. Coming from a Syrian background, I’ve always questioned: where do my rights as a human being stand in our system? Time and again, I’ve found the answer complex. This fellowship will equip me to learn and contribute meaningfully to this cause.
Name: Bobby Woodcock
University Course: BA Modern History with Economics, University of Manchester
Why did you apply for the fellowship? I applied for the fellowship because I want to make a meaningful contribution to any discussion in the UK which might have an effect on promoting human rights, peace and equality in Israel/Palestine. The escalating, protracted conflict has been devastating. In order to provide conflict resolution, its roots must be acknowledged and studied. The Balfour Project provides an opportunity to carry out actionable change with the help of trustees who have considerable experience of diplomacy in the region.
Name: Joe Banfield
University Course/Current Occupation: Consultant in peacebuilding, reconciliation, & post-conflict reconstruction. MA Conflict Security & Development at KCL War Studies.
Why did you apply for the fellowship? Five years as a fundraiser and facilitator, building the Rose Castle Foundation, a peace education organisation. I joined the Fellowship Programme to help move the needle on British institutional support for a radically more just Israel and Palestine.
Name: Chloe Stoddard
University Course: MSc Gender, Policy and Inequalities, LSE; BA with Honors in International Relations and Human Rights, Stanford University.
Why did you join the Fellowship? Ihave worked for a number of human rights and gender equality organisations including Global Justice Center, Center for Intimacy Justice, and the Business and Human Rights Resource Centre. Over the past year, I have organised with fellow students at LSE to demand divestment from companies and banks that profit from crimes against the Palestinians, the arms trade, and climate breakdown. I am excited to participate in this fellowship to learn from the fellows and guest speakers and hopes to create a project of impact for students organising for divestment at their universities.
Name: Breshna Rani
University Course: LLB with International Law and Bar Vocational Studies, City St George’s, University of London
Why did you join the Fellowship? Being a Pakistani and growing up with exposure to the Kashmir conflict and instability in the region post the partition from Britain, I felt more connected to the Balfour Project’s purpose of promoting and recognising Britain’s responsibility towards peace, justice and equal rights of Palestinians and Israelis. With passion for international law and humanitarian issues, the fellowship provides an unparalleled opportunity to learn about the history of the conflict and make positive contributions through meaningful advocacy.
Name: Catherine Salma Maunder
University Course: Bar Training Course, Inns of Court College of Advocacy
Why did you join the Fellowship? As someone of British and Lebanese heritage, the conflict in Palestine/Israel has always been central to my life. Regular visits to Lebanon exposed me to the far-reaching effects of this conflict, deepening my commitment to understanding its political, legal, and cultural dimensions. The Fellowship offers an unparalleled opportunity to work alongside like-minded individuals and create avenues for dialogue. It has renewed my belief in the possibility of making real impact in one of the world’s most enduring human rights challenges.
Name: Marie Vandermeulen
University Course: MSc Human Rights and Politics at LSE; BA International Relations and Law at SOAS
Why did you join the Fellowship? For the past year, I have been inundated with eyewitness accounts and images of the devastating genocide of Palestinians in Gaza. The ongoing genocide, and in response, the international student movement for Palestine, sparked my interest in anti-colonial resistance, movements, and solidarity. The Balfour Project’s mission to remember British colonialism in Mandate Palestine, and highlight the UK’s continued responsibility in the oppression of the Palestinian people, alongside its work on education and advocacy, deeply aligns with my own values. We must come to understand and feel connected to the history of Palestine, in order to strive for accountability and justice.
Name: Jonah German
University Course: MSc Comparative Politics and Conflict Studies, LSE
Why did you join the Fellowship? The Israel-Palestine issue was always a divisive subject in my family, causing rifts which largely remain unbridged to this day. Having grown up around this division, I aimed to educate myself as best I could throughout my teenage years, eventually being lucky enough to study the conflict as part of my undergraduate degree. The Balfour Project fellowship represents an excellent route to share what I’ve experienced personally as well as my academic expertise in the hope of educating others and advocating for peace and justice within the region.
Name: Alex Powell
University Course: MA and BA History, University of Bristol
Why did you join the Fellowship? I studied history at the University at Bristol for both my undergraduate and postgraduate degrees, with a focus on the use of gender in wartime propaganda. Since then I have been working with humanitarian NGOs, including going to Ukraine in 2023 to assist with a conference. I joined the fellowship programme this year to continue my involvement in peace activism as well as to promote education around Britain’s role in the conflict.
Name: Gregoria Verity
University Course/Current Occupation: Recent graduate in MSt Jewish Studies, University of Oxford (2022-24); Chair of iYouth
Why did you join the Fellowship? At 15, visiting the St John Eye Hospital in Jerusalem opened my eyes to the region. After witnessing the healthcare disparities, I felt a sense of duty to understand the region’s complexities academically and socioculturally. I applied for the fellowship to transform my degree and eight years of healthcare advocacy into inspiring productive change. As a recent graduate, the fellowship allows me to extend this work beyond and be part of the bigger-picture with like-minded people.
Name: Sabah Ali
University Course: BA History at Queen Mary University of London (2021-2024)
Why did you join the Fellowship? Being a part of the Balfour Project has allowed me to exercise different ways of activism. What attracted me to applying was the creative and innovative ways the project has on showcasing the importance of education and Britain’s historical responsibility within the region. I believe that the education system fails to capture these injustices and what this project offers is a way of creating solutions to tackle this. The opportunity to both learn and grow as an activist; work alongside fellows and to be a part of change.
Name: James Porter
University Course: Msc Political Theory, LSE
Why did you join the Fellowship? Before the events of October 7th 2023, I had a limited knowledge of the conflict in Israel/Palestine, reliant mainly on what I saw and read in the media. As events escalated, I became increasingly distressed by polarising and divisive narratives which served mainly to incite anger and fury rather than inform, educate and envisage solutions. This is why I joined the Balfour project, as it offers the space for constructive and sensitive dialogue which is urgently needed in this crisis.
Name: Anna Balfour
University Course: MA Violence, Terrorism and Security, Queen’s University Belfast
Why did you join the Fellowship? My passion for advocating for both Palestinian and Israeli rights stems from research conducted during my undergraduate and postgraduate studies. Initially, I focused on the portrayal of the Nakba in contemporary UK media, and during my postgraduate, I examined the conceptualisation of ‘terrorism,’ particularly how it is often inscribed onto Palestinian bodies within Western discourse. With this theoretical foundation in understanding the conflict, the opportunity to serve as a Fellow at the Balfour Project presents a chance to make a practical and tangible contribution to peacebuilding efforts.
Advocacy Fellow
Name: James Henderson
Why did you join the Fellowship? Having had the opportunity to live and work in the West Bank and witness the occupation and illegal settlement policy, I recognise the narrative often told within this country and driving policy does not reflect the reality on the ground. I hope, with the Balfour Project, to begin changing the approach of the UK and better support the rights and interests of the Palestinian people, particularly towards both recognition and self-determination.
Education Fellow
Name: Rachel Yi
Why did you join the Fellowship? I recently graduated with a BA in International Social and Political Studies from UCL. As part of my degree, I studied Arabic and spent a year at the Qasid Institute in Amman, Jordan. I joined the Balfour Project as a Fellow for an opportunity to critically investigate Britain’s colonial legacy in Israel/Palestine and connect the movement for justice in Israel/Palestine to historical and current decolonial struggles across the world.