British voters have spoken on Gaza. How will leaders respond?

Middle East Eye

6 hours ago

For more than 20 months, we have watched the devastation in Gaza unfold: entire neighbourhoods razed, families buried beneath the rubble, the healthcare system obliterated.
Even the most basic rights to safety, clean water and food are being systematically denied.
Despite mounting and credible evidence that Israel's actions in Gaza meet the definition of genocide under international law, many western leaders have equivocated, delayed or outright denied the scale of the atrocities.
But the British public is not being fooled.
New polling commissioned by Action For Humanity, in partnership with the International Centre of Justice for Palestinians and conducted by YouGov, shows that the public is far ahead of the political establishment.
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A majority of respondents - 55 percent - now oppose Israel's military campaign in Gaza. Among them, a striking 82 percent say Israel's actions constitute genocide.
That means nearly half of all UK adults - 45 percent - view Israel's actions in Gaza as genocidal.
This is not a fringe opinion. It reflects the reality on the ground - a reality that, despite relentless efforts to spread doubt, has become increasingly difficult to deny.
From the targeting of civilians, journalists and humanitarian workers to the destruction of infrastructure essential to life, the evidence has grown steadily. So, too, has public awareness.
Media silence
While many mainstream outlets have downplayed or obscured the scale of atrocities being committed in Gaza, social media - and courageous platforms like Middle East Eye - have provided an unflinching view of what is happening. People cannot unsee what they have seen.
Even securing coverage in mainstream media for these shocking polling results, conducted by a highly reputable organisation like YouGov, has proven difficult.
The message could not be clearer: the British public believes in international law. They believe in accountability, and they want action
Upon closer examination of the data, the picture becomes even clearer. Nearly two-thirds of Britons - 65 percent - believe the UK must enforce the International Criminal Court's arrest warrant against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu if he were to visit the country. Among Labour voters, the figure rises to 78 percent.
The message could not be clearer: the British public believes in international law. The people believe in accountability. And they want action.
While the ICC has taken the first steps towards justice, doing what many western governments have refused to do, the UK government has so far failed to match this legal progress with political will.
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As our polling shows, voters - particularly those who helped deliver Labour a landslide victory just weeks ago - are demanding a meaningful change in approach.
This is not only about justice for Gaza. It is about what kind of country Britain wants to be. Will we uphold our commitments to international law, or retreat behind the shield of diplomatic convenience?
A turning tide
The polling also shows strong public support for meaningful political solutions.
Among Labour voters, 43 percent support the immediate recognition of Palestine as an independent state - with only 2 percent opposed.
More than half - 56 percent - support the creation of a humanitarian visa scheme for Palestinians from Gaza, a 'Homes for Gaza' initiative modelled on the one introduced for Ukrainian refugees.
Why the UK refuses to do the one thing that could stop Israel's 'intolerable' war on Gaza Read More »
The time for mealy-mouthed statements and diplomatic hedging has long passed.
When atrocities reach the threshold of genocide, silence is complicity - and the public understands this. The polling shows that Labour's position on Gaza is out of step with its own supporters.
The cost of inaction is not just moral - it is political. Leaders who continue to ignore the will of the people on Gaza risk abandoning their moral responsibility and alienating their voters.
While this may seem a cynical lens through which to view such suffering, it is difficult not to feel cynical when faced with the ongoing inaction of world leaders in the face of deliberate, systematic brutality.
This is not just a British phenomenon. In Canada, recent polling suggests that nearly half the public believes Israel's actions in Gaza amount to genocide.
It is safe to say that the tide is turning - across the West and globally.
As an organisation working on the front lines in Gaza and other conflict zones, we have seen firsthand the human cost of global impunity. But we have also seen the power of solidarity - of justice pursued, and of public opinion transformed into policy.
Western governments' failure to recognise the scale of the crimes being inflicted on Gaza places them not only on the wrong side of history, but on the wrong side of the present.
The views expressed in this article belong to the author and do not necessarily reflect the editorial policy of Middle East Eye.