GREEN Party parliamentary candidates have been found to be the most responsive to a set of concrete commitments to Palestine, campaigners revealed today.

Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PSC) launched the Vote Palestine 2024 initiative two weeks ago, drafting an email template with six questions on Palestine that supporters can send to those standing in next Thursday’s general election.

They cover an immediate ceasefire in the Gaza Strip; restoration of funding to UNRWA, the United Nations aid agency for Palestinian refugees; an arms embargo; support for the International Court of Justice and the International Criminal Court to uphold international humanitarian law; suspension of trade agreements with Israel; protection of the right to protest; and boycotts of and divestment from companies complicit in violations of international law.

Thousands of people wrote to their local candidates, prompting some 750 responses.

Most were received from Green Party candidates (247), and independents (86), followed by Liberal Democrats (47) and the the Workers Party of Britain (44). Only 21 Labour candidates replied.

The Labour candidates who committed to all six actions included Apsana Begum, John McDonnell, Zarah Sultana and Bell Ribeiro-Addy.

Among the independents were Claudia Webbe, Faiza Shaheen, Andrew Feinstein, Tanushka Marah and Jeremy Corbyn. 

PSC director Ben Jamal said: “Our support for Palestinian rights is based on a progressive set of values that we want to help shape voters’ choices in the polling booth. 

“We need to see politicians elected who embrace those values and will stand up for them in Parliament.

“By sending our demands to candidates and making clear to them that their responses will affect how people vote, we are taking the issue of justice for the Palestinian people right to the heart of this general election.”