Petition With 56,000 Signatures Puts Britain Under Pressure to Investigate Its Role in Gaza Genocide War

Public pressure on the British government to disclose its role in the Israeli war on the Gaza Strip is mounting, with the number of signatories to a parliamentary petition demanding an independent public inquiry into the United Kingdom’s participation in Israeli military operations exceeding 56,000 — a step that opens the way for the issue to be debated in the House of Commons.

The petition has drawn 56,947 signatories, who are demanding an independent and comprehensive investigation into the nature of Britain’s role during the war of genocide waged on the Strip since 7 October 2023, including arms supplies, reconnaissance aircraft and the use of Royal Air Force bases in operations linked to the war.

The petition rests on the signatories’ belief that Britain played a significant role in supporting Israeli military operations, and they demand disclosure of the nature of this support, the government bodies that took the relevant decisions, and the extent to which these are linked to the violations committed in the Gaza Strip.

The demands include subjecting the arms export file to “Israel” to investigation, identifying the types of military equipment supplied or used, disclosing the role of Royal Air Force bases in the war and the reasons for their involvement, and the nature of the intelligence gathered during reconnaissance sorties over the Gaza Strip and the parties that received it.

The demand for an inquiry is not limited to military aspects, as the signatories call for disclosure of the legal advice the British government sought regarding the assessment of the likelihood that genocide crimes were being committed in Gaza, and the decisions it took on the basis of that advice.

The initiative is led by the trade unionist and Labour activist Jennifer Forbes, who launched the parliamentary petition, amid growing demands from British MPs, including prominent figures in the governing Labour Party, to open an investigation into Britain’s role more than a year ago, with no government response so far.

The move gains additional significance after the petition surpassed the legal threshold of 10,000 signatures, which obliges the government to respond in writing, while reaching 100,000 signatures would open the door for it to be considered for a public parliamentary debate. The signing period is scheduled to close on 23 April.

In the face of these demands, the British government last week rejected calls to establish an independent inquiry committee, deeming it unnecessary given the existence of extensive accountability and parliamentary oversight mechanisms — a position that drew criticism from those demanding disclosure of the details of Britain’s participation in the war.

In this context, British MP Jeremy Corbyn, the former Labour leader and current leader of the “Your Party” party, escalated his call to broaden signing of the petition, questioning why the government is obstructing efforts to reveal the truth if it has nothing to hide.

In a post circulated by users on social media platforms, Corbyn urged Britons to back the petition in large numbers to press for allowing the demand for an investigation to be debated in parliament, while Forbes called on signatories to contact their constituency representatives and urge them to support opening the investigation.

The British parliament had previously discussed in June the issue of Israeli influence in British politics, after more than 118,000 signatures were collected on a petition demanding an investigation into this file — a move reflecting the shift of some popular demands from the realm of protest to the path of petitions and parliamentary pressure.