Palestine has emerged as a significant domestic electoral issue in Britain, marking a shift in public and political engagement, according to Aimee Shalan, the incoming director of the Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PSC). Shalan will assume leadership of the country’s largest Palestinian solidarity organisation in November amid widespread protests against Israel’s military operations in Gaza.
Shalan highlighted a growing trend in which anger over Israel’s treatment of Palestinians and the British government’s response is increasingly influencing elections, workplaces, trade unions, and consumer campaigns. She noted that pro-Palestinian candidates achieved notable gains in the 2024 general election and are expected to have continued influence in the 2026 local elections.
Speaking ahead of a PSC demonstration at the Labour party conference, Shalan stressed that Palestine has become a domestic political concern “for the first time in British history,” resonating at both national and local levels. The organisation attributes part of this shift to the growing momentum of ongoing protests, which organisers say constitute one of the most sustained movements in modern British history.
A key development cited by Shalan was Labour Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband’s announcement of sanctions targeting Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories. Miliband addressed the conference, acknowledging public outrage about the Palestinian situation and describing the sanctions as a significant policy change for Labour.
While Shalan welcomed the announcement as a positive step reflecting public pressure, she criticised it for not going far enough. She called for “full sanctions on the state of Israel,” including a two-way arms embargo, an end to military support from Britain, and the cessation of diplomatic backing for what she described as an apartheid state. Shalan also referenced the devastating human toll of the conflict, citing an estimated 70,000 Palestinians killed in Gaza during the war and over 1,300 deaths since a ceasefire was declared last year.
The PSC has experienced a rapid increase in membership and engagement throughout 2023. Its individual membership has more than doubled, from 7,800 to nearly 17,000, while newsletter subscribers have risen from 70,000 to approximately 300,000. Alongside allied groups, the PSC has organised 36 national demonstrations since October 2023, some drawing hundreds of thousands of participants.
Despite this growth, the movement has faced criticism over concerns about antisemitism at some pro-Palestinian protests. Some politicians and campaign groups have labelled events as “hate marches.” Shalan rejected these characterisations, describing the protests as diverse gatherings comprising people of various faiths, ethnicities, and backgrounds united in solidarity.
She also dismissed calls to designate the PSC as an extremist organisation, arguing that measures to criminalise Palestine solidarity activism are increasingly out of step with public sentiment and risk galvanising further activism. Shalan said such attempts only fuel greater public anger and commitment to the cause.
Ahead of the next general election, the PSC aims to build on its Pledge for Palestine campaign, which secured signatures from more than 2,200 candidates before recent local polls. Shalan emphasized the urgency of maintaining a robust movement to resist what she described as a looming authoritarian turn in British politics, asserting that support for Palestinian freedom and justice will continue to grow across multiple sectors of society.