Seek a ceasefire and to end Israeli occupation of the West Bank and Gaza Strip
This petition gathered 268,882 signatures between 18 October 2023 and 18 April 2024, according to the Parliament petitions site. The Government responded on 13 November 2023. MPs debated it in Westminster Hall on 11 December 2023.
The petition
The petition's creator is not named in the Petitions site's published record. Quoted in full from the UK Parliament petitions site.
Seek a ceasefire and to end Israeli occupation of the West Bank and Gaza Strip
We want the Government to seek a ceasefire and also seek to address the root cause of the current conflict by promoting dialogue and advocating for the end of Israeli occupation of the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
This war has the potential to spill over into neighbouring lands and that would only worsen the humanitarian situation. Palestinians have suffered from occupation and blockades for many years now. I urge the Government to pursue a just and peaceful resolution to the current conflict. With peace comes stability for all of us.
The Government's response
The Government published its response on 13 November 2023; the petitions site lists the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office as responsible. Its summary:
We are focused on conflict resolution. We have consistently called for humanitarian pauses to allow aid in and hostages out, and welcome the announcement of four-hour pauses as a first step.
The response in full:
As the Prime Minister has said: following Hamas’ horrific terrorist attacks on 7 October, there is no scenario where Hamas can be allowed to control Gaza again. That is why we are not at this stage calling for a general ceasefire, which would potentially allow Hamas to regroup and entrench its position. The United Kingdom is supportive of humanitarian pauses as part of measures to facilitate the flow of life-saving humanitarian aid and ensure civilians are safe.
The UK’s longstanding position on the Middle East Peace Process is clear: we remain committed to a two-state solution, and support a negotiated settlement leading to a safe and secure Israel living alongside a viable and sovereign Palestinian state. We do not believe that a long-term presence of Israeli security forces within Gaza would be of benefit to Israelis or Palestinians, and will foster discontent in the region.
In their diplomatic engagements with governments in the region and beyond, the Prime Minister, Foreign Secretary, and Lord Ahmad, the Minister of State for the Middle East, have all also discussed ways to establish Israeli-Palestinian dialogue and to prevent wider regional escalation. This includes the King of Jordan, the President of Egypt, the Prime Minister of Israel, Palestinian Authority President Abbas, the President of Turkey, the Amir of Qatar, the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, the UN Secretary General and the leaders of France, Canada, Italy, the USA and Germany. The Foreign Secretary visited Israel on 11 October, Egypt on 19 October, attended a summit convened by President Sisi in Egypt on 21 October, visited the United Arab Emirates on 30 October, and has this week met with G7 Foreign Ministers in Japan, and Arab Foreign Ministers in Saudi Arabia. Lord Ahmad visited Egypt on 20-21 October, Israel and the OPTs on 1-2 November, and Morocco on 7-8 November.
Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office
Where the signatures came from
Signatures came from 650 constituencies on the boundaries used until the 2024 general election. The largest number, 3,322, came from Bethnal Green and Bow.
264,634 of the signatures were from the UK and 4,248 from elsewhere, by the location signers gave.
| Constituency | Signatures |
|---|---|
| Bethnal Green and Bow | 3,322 |
| Hackney North and Stoke Newington | 2,887 |
| Hackney South and Shoreditch | 2,673 |
| Poplar and Limehouse | 2,642 |
| Lewisham, Deptford | 2,111 |
| Camberwell and Peckham | 2,071 |
| Bristol West | 2,014 |
| Birmingham, Hall Green | 1,934 |
| Walthamstow | 1,910 |
| Holborn and St Pancras | 1,892 |
| Region | Signatures |
|---|---|
| London | 83,153 |
| South East | 30,662 |
| North West | 26,431 |
| West Midlands | 20,936 |
| Yorkshire and The Humber | 18,981 |
| Scotland | 18,823 |
| South West | 17,646 |
| East of England | 17,573 |
| East Midlands | 12,439 |
| Wales | 7,470 |
| North East | 4,980 |
| Northern Ireland | 3,919 |
Debate in Parliament
MPs debated the petition in Westminster Hall on 11 December 2023. Read the debate in Hansard. House of Commons Library debate pack.
Source and receipt
- https://petition.parliament.uk/archived/petitions/648292.jsonUK Parliament Petitions API · read 2026-10-15 · SHA-256
2108626645ea381f… - The petition on petition.parliament.uk
The petition's words are its creator's and the response is the Government's; this site quotes both and gives no view on either. Signature counts can still change while a petition is open. To report an error, send a correction request.