As global powers fail to halt Israel’s ongoing genocide in Gaza, a new global initiative was launched in London over the weekend to confront Israel’s impunity and advance the Palestinian struggle for justice and self-determination.
Delegates from over 25 countries convened for the inaugural conference of the Global Alliance for Palestine (GAFP). This new transnational initiative seeks to transform rising global solidarity for Palestine into coordinated political action.
Amid the collapse of Israel’s narrative and mounting evidence of war crimes and genocide, the Alliance seeks to channel grassroots mobilisation into a coordinated global movement for accountability and Palestinian liberation.
Further aims of GAFP include strengthening global coordination, challenging the growing repression of Palestine advocacy, and defending fundamental freedoms under threat from rising authoritarianism.
The gathering brought together grassroots activists, trade unionists, students, parliamentarians, community leaders and academics from across the world—including many from outside the Arab and Muslim worlds. It aims to build on the unprecedented rise in solidarity for Palestine that surged since October 2023 in response to Israel’s genocide in Gaza and draws on decades of peaceful campaigning to end Israel’s illegal occupation and apartheid.
The formation of the GAFP comes amid Israel’s ongoing military onslaught on Gaza, widely described as genocide by legal experts and human rights bodies. Israel has killed over 59,000 Palestinians, the majority of them women and children. The estimate death toll is expected to rise to hundreds of thousands, according to the Lancet.
The conference launched with a call to action from Dr Mustafa Barghouti, a leading Palestinian political figure and a member of the GAFP Steering Committee. “The brutality unfolding in Gaza demands an unequivocal response from the international community” said Barghouti. “The Global Alliance for Palestine represents a crucial step towards unifying our efforts and ensuring that the calls for justice and an end to the occupation resonate globally.”
GAFP Steering Committee Chair, Jeremy Corbyn MP, described the conference as a turning point in the global struggle for Palestinian rights. “Today marks a pivotal moment in the fight for Palestinian rights” said the MP for Islington North. “The sheer scale of human suffering in Gaza is unconscionable. The Global Alliance for Palestine will serve as a vital platform to coordinate our actions, to demand accountability, and to work relentlessly for a just and lasting peace rooted in self-determination for the Palestinian people. Silence is not an option when faced with such injustice; our unified voice will be a force for change.”.”
Video messages of solidarity were shared by members of the GAFP Steering Committee, including Gerry Adams, former president of Sinn Féin and a key figure in the Northern Ireland peace process; Professor Yanis Varoufakis, former Greek finance minister and founder of the Democracy in Europe Movement 2025 (DiEM25); Ronnie Kasrils, former South African intelligence minister and veteran of the anti-apartheid struggle; Varsha Gandikota-Nellutla, a writer and international coordinator of the Progressive International and Peter David, former foreign minister of Grenada.
Other notable contributions at the inaugural event came from Revd Frank Chikane, former director-general in the South African presidency under Thabo Mbeki and a prominent anti-apartheid activist, and Angelo Bonelli, a member of the Italian Chamber of Deputies and co-spokesperson for the European Greens–Green Italia.
The conference featured three focused sessions: the first assessed the global state of Palestine solidarity and the challenges it faces; the second explored strategies for converting public mobilisation into policy impact; and the third addressed the organisational framework of the Alliance, including plans for interim leadership and future coordination. The day concluded with the adoption of a joint communiqué and a call for a Global Day of Action for Gaza on 6 September 2025, to be marked across all time zones.
The timing of the launch could not be more critical. Polling on both sides of the Atlantic shows a marked shift in public opinion, with support for Palestinian rights rising sharply—even among groups traditionally aligned with Israel. This growing solidarity reflects a broader crisis of legitimacy for the Israeli state, which has seen its narrative collapse under scrutiny.
Israel’s credibility has been further damaged by widely discredited atrocity hoaxes and unverified claims—from false reports of babies being beheaded to allegations that Hamas is stealing humanitarian aid. These fabrications have formed part of a deliberate campaign of disinformation designed to manufacture consent for genocide in Gaza. With its military assault under investigation by the International Court of Justice and international condemnation intensifying, Israel’s standing on the world stage has plummeted.
In a powerful closing statement, the conference issued a united call for a Global Day of Action for Gaza on 6 September 2025, to be marked across the world. Delegates agreed the day would serve as a coordinated show of international solidarity and a renewed demand for an end to Israel’s ongoing assault on Gaza.
Dr Anas Altikriti, Chair of the GAFP Preparatory Committee and the conference convenor, outlined the next steps for the Alliance. These include the formation of an interim Executive Committee and the mobilisation of movements and communities across the globe with the aim of transforming solidarity into a collective force to end Israel’s illegal occupation, dismantle the apartheid regime and advance the just cause of the Palestinian people.
As solidarity with Palestine intensifies worldwide, GAFP is positioning itself as the central platform for unifying those efforts. The days of fragmented advocacy are over. The world is uniting—and Palestine is the cause.
