British trade unions expressed solidarity with Palestinians by staging a historic general strike, which saw shops shut across Gaza, the occupied West Bank, East Jerusalem, and Israel.

Trade unions in Britain lent their support to striking Palestinians on Tuesday. Unite said it stood in full solidarity with Palestinians in their protest against Israel’s brutal shellfire of the Gaza Strip, which caused to deaths of more than 200 people in just over a week.

The union vowed to continue supporting sanctions against goods from Israel’s illegal settlements until it ends its ‘regime of institutionalized racist discrimination against the whole of the Palestinian population, amounting to the crime of apartheid.’

“We salute the Palestinians’ brave and courageous stand against these brutal attacks against them and stand with them in their fight for life, dignity, and a free Palestine,” the union added.

Postal workers’ union CWU general secretary Dave Ward said, “We in the CWU send our solidarity to our friends in the Palestinian trade union movement, as they launch their historic general strike. The ongoing struggle of the Palestinian people for dignity and statehood is one of the core moral issues of the day.”

Unison head of international relations Nick Crook told, “Palestinians are striking in a desperate attempt to get the fighting to stop. Unison fully supports them, and calls for an end to the violence and senseless loss of life.”

Small protests also happened across Britain, in London, Sheffield, and Cambridge, Italy to support striking Palestinians.