LONDON, 10 March. - (ANA) - A UK petition calling for an investigation into pro-Israeli influence on UK politics has surpassed 100,000 signatories, meaning it will be formally considered for debate in Parliament.

 

The petition, launched in January 2026, has reached over 108,000 signatories, with the highest numbers from London and Wales. Although the UK government is required to respond to any petition that exceeds 10,000 signatures, there was no immediate comment from Whitehall.

 

"I launched the petition after seeing a parliamentary petition about Russian influence in UK politics. Many of the comments underneath were asking, 'What about Zionist influence?'" Andy Kalil, who authored the petition, told The New Arab.

 

"So, I thought I'd write the petition. I was a bit surprised that no one had got there before me."

 

"The response has been remarkable and very much a collective effort. I'm extremely grateful to everyone who's signed or shared it."

 

Kalil said they "are concerned about reported Israeli state-linked and pro-Israel lobbying activity in UK politics", noting in light of Israel's genocidal war on Gaza and the UK's political response, "underline the urgent need to scrutinise how pro-Israel organisations, networks, and lobbying efforts may shape government decisions, party policy, and public debate".

 

The author notes the petition has been shared by several prominent activists, including Peter Tatchell, Andrew Feinstein and Daniel Lismore.

 

"I was actually refreshing my browser to grab a screenshot of the 100,000 mark — I caught it at 99,999 and then at 100,001 a second later," the author notes.

 

While it is not guaranteed, a debate would usually be held if a petition garners over 100,000 signatures.

 

"I hope the upcoming debate a) goes ahead as it should, and b) leads to serious scrutiny of foreign influence in UK politics, applied consistently, regardless of which country is involved," Kalil adds.

 

Kalil notes that the pace of signatures has slowed slightly since hitting the 100,000 threshold, but remains hopeful that more people will sign.

 

The author had previously tried to launch two petitions; one calling to send aid flotillas to Gaza, which was unsuccessful, and another calling on the UK Government to call Israel's war on Gaza a genocide, which was blocked and removed from the site.

 

After months of back-and-forth with the Petitions Committee, the current petition was "finally" approved.

 

"I'm very pleased it's reached the 100,000 mark and triggered a debate, assuming Zionist pressure doesn't prevent this," Kalil said, referring to calls to have the petition removed, claiming it draws upon "antisemitic conspiratorial tropes".

 

A parliamentary committee rejected a request by the Jewish Leadership Council to remove the petition on 4 March.

 

Jamie Stone MP said in a response that he had discussed the concerns with the committee, who said, "petitions are only rejected where there is judged to be an unequivocal contravention of the petitioning standards".

 

"It is for these reasons that it was judged that the ask and text of the petition complied with the standards and recent precedent," Stone said, referencing petitions calling for investigations into Russia and China.

 

The author also highlighted the 9 February government response to Russian influence in UK politics "with no sense of irony": "The Government will not tolerate attempts to interfere in our politics from any foreign actor and we will take all measures necessary to defend our democracy."

 

Amid more than two years of Israel's war on Gaza, the UK has come under increased scrutiny over its relationship with Israel. Activists have also accused the government of being influenced by pro-Israeli lobbies in its decision-making and stance on the Israel-Palestine issue.

 

Examples include politicians from the governing Labour Party failing to declare a trip to Israel funded by Labour Friends of Israel, where they also posed for a photo with Israeli President Isaac Herzog, and many Labour MPs being spotted having lunch with the group in London.

 

The UK also continues to send arms to Israel, train Israeli personnel in the UK, and conduct surveillance flights over Gaza despite several rights groups concluding that genocide is being committed in the Gaza Strip.   - (ANA) -

 

AB/ANA/10 March 2026 - - -