More than 1,000 councillors across England have pledged support for Palestinian rights ahead of the upcoming May local elections, as campaigners seek to make Palestine a key electoral issue, Anadolu Agency reports.
The Councillor Pledge for Palestine, launched in December by the Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PSC) and supported by the Vote Palestine 2026 coalition, commits elected representatives to uphold Palestinian rights and ensure their local councils are not complicit in Israel’s alleged violations of international law. The pledge includes calls for divesting council pension funds from companies linked to such violations.
According to PSC data, 31 councils have already passed motions or issued statements backing pension fund divestment. The group claims 46% of voters support the move, compared to 14% who oppose it.
“The mass movement for Palestine – which has brought millions onto Britain’s streets – is not going away,” said Dan Iley-Williamson, PSC’s political organiser. “Vote Palestine will take our demands into the May elections and deliver a message to those seeking office: if you want our votes, stand up for Palestine.”
Of the 1,028 councillors who have signed the pledge so far, 345 are from the Green Party of England and Wales, 338 from the Labour Party, 104 from the Liberal Democrats, and three from the Conservative Party. Additional signatories include members of the Scottish National Party, Plaid Cymru, the Scottish Green Party, local parties, and independents.
Notable figures backing the pledge include Green Party deputy leader Mothin Ali, Labour’s Matthew Brown, leader of Preston City Council, independent MP and Birmingham councillor Ayoub Khan, and Trafford councillor Hannah Spencer.
The coalition is also promoting a People’s Pledge for Palestine, urging voters to back only candidates who have signed the councillors’ commitment.
The initiative comes amid reports of declining national support for Labour. Richard Burgon, Labour MP for Leeds East, warned that party leader Keir Starmer’s stance on Palestinian rights has already cost Labour at the polls and could do so again in the local elections.
In some councils, the pledge may influence results. In Hackney, where Labour holds a majority, all six councillors from the Independent Socialists and several Greens have signed, compared with three Labour councillors.
Green councillor and mayoral candidate Zoe Garbett drew parallels with past campaigns, saying the council had previously taken a stand against South African apartheid and should now do the same for Palestinians.
The political debate unfolds against the backdrop of ongoing violence in Gaza and the occupied West Bank. Since October 2023, Israeli military operations and settler actions in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, have resulted in over 1,100 Palestinian deaths, thousands of injuries, and tens of thousands of arrests, according to Palestinian sources.
In Gaza, more than 72,000 Palestinians have been killed and over 171,000 wounded during the conflict, with extensive damage reported to civilian infrastructure. Palestinians say continued operations and settlement expansion threaten prospects for a future Palestinian state as envisioned in UN resolutions.
