LONDON/ PNN/

More than 1,000 local council members in the United Kingdom signed a statement on Saturday calling for the Palestinian cause to be made a central issue in the upcoming local elections scheduled for May 7 and urging local councils not to cooperate with Israel.

According to a statement issued by the Palestine Solidarity Campaign, 1,028 council members signed the declaration titled “Councilors’ Pledge for Palestine.”

The pledge was opened for signatures last December with support from several platforms, including Vote Palestine 2026, the Palestinian Youth Movement in Britain, Muslim Votes, the Britain Palestine Committee, and the British Palestine Forum.

The statement stressed the need for the Palestinian issue to be a central focus of the local elections, which will determine 5,014 council seats and six mayoral posts across 136 areas, including all London boroughs. It called on local leaders to commit to protecting Palestinian rights.

It also emphasized the importance of local governments refraining from cooperation with Israel over human rights violations and violence against Palestinians, and ending partnerships with companies linked to such activities.

Of the 1,028 signatories, 345 are members of the Green Party, 338 belong to the ruling Labour Party, 104 are Liberal Democrats, and three are from the opposition Conservative Party.