Key facts
- Palestine has become a domestic electoral issue in Britain for the first time, according to Aimee Shalan, incoming director of the Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PSC).
Palestine has become a domestic electoral issue in Britain for the first time, according to Aimee Shalan, the incoming head of the Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PSC). Shalan stated that public anger over Israel's actions and Britain's response is now being expressed through elections, workplaces, and trade unions, not just demonstrations. The PSC has seen a significant increase in membership and has organized numerous large-scale protests.
The growing influence of the Palestine solidarity movement on British electoral politics and policy, including the imposition of sanctions, indicates a shift in public and political sentiment that could impact future foreign policy decisions and domestic activism.
Palestine has emerged as a significant domestic electoral issue in Britain for the first time, according to Aimee Shalan, who is set to become the director of the Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PSC) in November. Shalan stated that public anger over Israel's actions in Gaza and the UK's response is now manifesting beyond protests into electoral politics, workplaces, and trade unions.
Speaking ahead of a PSC protest at the Labour party conference, Shalan noted that the shift was evident in the 2024 general election and 2026 local elections, where pro-Palestinian candidates reportedly made breakthroughs. She highlighted Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband's announcement of sanctions against settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories as a success for the movement. Miliband stated that the government heard the concerns of millions of people regarding the plight of the Palestinian people and that the sanctions marked a change in Labour's approach to the Middle East.
Shalan welcomed the government's shift but argued that the sanctions fell short of the demands for immediate action, such as full sanctions on Israel, a two-way arms embargo, and an end to political and diplomatic support for what she described as an apartheid state. She referenced the ongoing conflict and the high number of Palestinian casualties.
The PSC has reported a significant increase in support, with individual membership more than doubling and newsletter subscribers rising substantially. The organization, along with partner groups, has organized numerous large-scale national demonstrations since October 2023, which organizers claim represent one of the most sustained protest movements in British history. Shalan also defended the boycott, divestment, and sanctions (BDS) movement as a peaceful means to campaign for human rights and accountability, despite Miliband's opposition.
Shalan, who has decades of experience campaigning for Palestinian rights, rejected characterizations of pro-Palestinian protests as "hate marches" and criticized attempts to criminalize the solidarity movement, arguing such efforts are at odds with public opinion. The PSC also noted that 34 councils have committed to divesting pension funds from companies deemed complicit in Israel's actions, and the Trades Union Congress backs the BDS movement.
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