A coalition of 17 UK charities has urged incoming Prime Minister Andy Burnham to impose sanctions on Israel and end UK complicity in Israeli violations of international law, with campaigners telling The New Arab that Palestinians are paying the price for "every day of political inaction".
The humanitarian, development, human rights, environmental justice and faith organisations issued a joint statement on Wednesday calling on the next UK leader, set to be Burnham, to divest from Israeli goods made in settlements, impose an arms embargo, and suspend trade, warning that Palestinians are facing an "existential threat of erasure".
Charities include Medical Aid for Palestinians , ActionAid, War on Want and Save the Children UK.
"We are urging action because Palestinians are paying the price for every day of political inaction," Halla Keir, Advocacy and Research Manager at Medical Aid for Palestinians (MAP), told The New Arab .
Keir notes the MAP team have seen Gaza's healthcare system being decimated at the hands of the Israeli military, along with increasing military attacks and settler violence in the occupied West Bank.
"For almost three years, Palestinians have heard expressions of concern while the situation has continued to worsen," Keir said. "The new Prime Minister must do more than acknowledge the suffering; he must use the UK's influence to protect Palestinian lives and end the UK's complicity in Israel's egregious violations of international law."
The letter says the next Prime Minister has an opportunity to deviate from the Labour Party's current stance and protect Palestinians from Israeli crimes.
"The crisis in Gaza may have fallen from the headlines, but the near-daily bombing and attacks by the Israeli army have not stopped," Joanne O'Neill, Co-Director of Advocacy and Influencing at ActionAid UK, told The New Arab .
While the UK has condemned and raised concerns about Israel's war on Gaza and its illegal occupation of the West Bank , O'Neill notes the government has only brought in limited measures and failed to take meaningful action as would be expected under international law.
"This government and previous governments know exactly what the situation is, and it is time they listen, and act accordingly, to civil society, the British public, but above all Palestinians," Joseph Willits, Head of Parliamentary Affairs at the Council for Arab-British Understanding (Caabu), told The New Arab .
"It is the duty of organisations like Caabu to continue to place political pressure and demand a UK foreign policy that is fair, just, seeks to end Israeli impunity and demands justice and accountability for Palestinians," Willits said.
The joint call comes as newly elected MP Andy Burnham is officially set to become the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom on 20 July, running unopposed after current leader Keir Starmer resigned in June.
While Burnham previously spoke of Israel's supposed "right to defend itself", the politician apologised for the party's shortcomings in its inaction on Gaza, signalling tougher action in what appears to be a shift in the broader party's stance on the war.
"The incoming UK Prime Minister must reset the UK's currently inconsistent approach to international law and take action, including, at a minimum, banning all trade and investments with Israeli settlements," Kristyan Benedict, Amnesty International UK's Crisis Response Manager, told The New Arab .
A number of Labour figures have sided with Burnham's views, including Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper , who moved to proscribe direct action group Palestine Action and on Tuesday admitted the government had been too slow on Gaza, but did not commit to further action.
At the same time, Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy , who previously served in Cooper's role during the outbreak of the Gaza genocide, said on Friday that the party's initial response to the war was "problematic" and got the party off to a "bad start".
"Andy Burnham and current ministers are right to recognise that the UK government's response to Israel's multiple violations of international law has not been strong enough," Benedict said.
"Mr Burnham's words point in the right direction; now we need to see this translated into meaningful action that works towards ending Israel's genocide, apartheid, and illegal occupation," Benedict added.