Chair of the Leeds Palestine Solidarity Campaign believes local protests have led to a shift in public opinion on the Israel-Palestine conflict with growing calls for a ceasefire.
Leader of the Leeds branch of Europe’s largest Palestinian rights organisation, James Dickens, has praised the way social media is being utilised to spread awareness of Israel’s siege on Gaza.
Dickens, who said the calls for action are meaningfully changing the minds of the everyday citizen, was dismayed by politicians’ response.
He said: “The really crucial thing is to recognize that our politicians — the mainstream politicians – most of them simply will not stand up on this issue.”
He said that British citizens have an opportunity to use their collective voice to bring an end to the violence in Palestine.
Campaigning has been taking place in Leeds with recorded turnout in the thousands according to organisers.
One petition called for the Government to ‘seek a ceasefire and to end Israeli occupation of the West Bank and Gaza Strip’, garnered over 250,000 signatures.
The petition, submitted by Ibnan Ali, was debated in the House of Commons on Monday.