STATEMENT

On Election Manifesto Pledges

London, 7 June 2024

Labour’s manifesto pledge to recognise the state of Palestine “as part of a peace process” is being presented as a concession to Palestinians. Instead, it confirms a retreat from the position put forward by the last two party leaders for immediate recognition, and is indistinguishable from the policy of the current government.

As Israel’s war machine advances, British voters will be asking what the parties will do to stop the genocide, which has killed or injured more than 100,000 women, men and children to date. According to two UN agencies, a further 1 million Palestinian people are “expected to face death and starvation” by mid-July, as a result of Israel’s siege on Gaza.

With the biggest mobilisation of citizens in decades – on the streets, on campuses and in workplaces – demanding the UK changes its position, each party must say what it will do to uphold its legal and moral duties to the Palestinian people as they continue to face daily atrocities.

If Labour is committed to universal values of freedom and justice, it should join the global coalition working to stop Israel’s genocidal campaign. It should back the cases being brought against Israel and its officials at the International Court of Justice and the International Criminal Court, and agree to ending UK complicity in Israel’s crimes – starting with a two-way arms embargo if it were to enter government. Palestinian refugees in Gaza are facing famine, their schools and hospitals destroyed - Labour should announce that it will immediately reverse the government’s shameful suspension of funding to UNRWA, at a time when Palestinians need their services more than ever before. 

The British Palestinian Committee is an independent organisation working to ensure that British Palestinian perspectives are integral to public discourse and policy making on Palestine.