By Aysu Bicer
LONDON (AA)—More than 1,000 councilors across England have pledged their support for Palestinian rights ahead of the crucial local elections in May, as campaigners aim to make Palestine a central electoral issue.
The Councillor Pledge for Palestine, launched by the Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PSC) in December and backed by the Vote Palestine 2026 coalition, commits elected representatives to act to uphold Palestinian rights and ensure their councils are not complicit in Israel’s violations of international law.
Measures include divesting council pension funds from companies implicated in these violations.
Thirty-one councils have already passed motions or issued statements supporting pension fund divestment, a position backed by 46% of voters and opposed by just 14%, according to data by PSC.
"The mass movement for Palestine – which has brought millions onto Britain’s streets – is not going away. 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," Dan Iley-Williamson, political organizer at PSC, said in a statement on Saturday.
Of the 1,028 councilors who have signed the pledge, 345 are Greens, 338 Labour, 104 Liberal Democrats, and three Conservatives, with hundreds more from the Scottish National Party, Plaid Cymru, the Scottish Greens, and local parties, or serving as independents.
Notable signatories include Green Party deputy leader Mothin Ali, Trafford councillor and by-election candidate Hannah Spencer, Labour’s Matthew Brown, leader of Preston City Council, and independent MP and Birmingham councillor Ayoub Khan.
The coalition is also promoting a People’s Pledge for Palestine, encouraging voters to support only candidates who have signed the Councillor Pledge.
The move comes as Labour faces declining support nationally, raising concerns of potential losses in key councils.
Richard Burgon, Labour MP for Leeds East, said: “Keir Starmer’s refusal to stand up for the rights of the Palestinian people is wrong and has already badly hurt Labour at the polls. We saw that in the last general election and I fear we will see it again in the May local elections.”
In some areas, the pledge could be decisive. In Hackney, where Labour holds a large majority, all six councillors from the Independent Socialists and several Green councillors have signed, compared with only three Labour representatives.
Green councilor and mayoral candidate Zoe Garbett said: “The council took a stand against South African apartheid and now it’s time we make a similar stand for the Palestinians.”
Independent Oxford councilor Hosnieh Djafari-Marbini said the pledge “highlights a candidate’s honesty, integrity, and consistency when it comes to the application of international law.”
Trafford councilor Hannah Spencer added: “People in Gorton and Denton – from all races and religions – are horrified at this inhumanity. They don’t want another Labour apologist for genocide, or a Reform cheerleader for Netanyahu. They want a real alternative. That’s what the Green Party is offering.”
Since the war in Gaza began on Oct. 8, 2023, Israel has intensified operations in the West Bank, including occupied East Jerusalem, through the army and illegal settlers.
These actions include killings, arrests, demolitions, displacement, and settlement expansion.
Palestinians warn that the measures pave the way for Israel to formally annex the West Bank, which they say would undermine the possibility of establishing a Palestinian state as outlined in United Nations resolutions.
Israeli operations in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, since Oct. 2023 have killed more than 1,115 Palestinians, injured about 11,500, and led to nearly 22,000 arrests.
The war in Gaza over two years has killed more than 72,000 Palestinians and wounded over 171,000, most of them women and children, and damaged about 90% of civilian infrastructure, according to Palestinian sources.