An activist who has been fighting for justice for Palestinians for more than four decades is encouraging others interested in the cause to join a movement in their area.

Rada Daniell and fellow activists hold weekly stalls in different part of Waltham Forest where they speak to shoppers about the plight of the Palestinian people.

The chairman of Waltham Forest Palestinian Solidarity Committee said judging by the positive response from passersby, there’s a real appetite for change in the way the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is dealt with.

She said: “Waltham Forest is a very pro-Palestinian borough.

“We need to stand up and make it impossible for our politicians to ignore this issue.”

Mrs Daniell organised a vigil in Walthamstow Town Square on Tuesday (May 15) to commemorate Nakba Day and show solidarity with the dozens of Palestinians shot at the Israeli-Gaza border.

Sixty protesters were killed by the Israeli military after fierce clashes erupted when the US opened its embassy in Jerusalem.

Palestinians had been protesting at the border for six weeks in the lead up to Nakba, which means ‘day of the catastrophe’.

After first becoming interested in the Palestinian cause while studying at university in Belgrade, Serbia in her early 20s, Mrs Daniell went on to volunteer in the West Bank and Gaza.

The 61-year-old, who is originally from Montenegro, spent 10 months in the coastal strip in 2010 where she attended demonstrations and witnessed people being shot.

“I attended a students’ protest and saw a young man shot a few metres away from me,” said Mrs Daniell of Leytonstone.

“I’m in touch with my friends in Gaza and what is happening to them is heart-breaking.

“Seventy years after Israel was created they are still in refugee camps in Gaza. They have not chosen this.

“Israel is saying it is defending itself but the protesters are only throwing stones and firing slingshots.

“We want to raise awareness about the diaspora of the Palestinians and the lack of justice.”

Israel faced international criticism for the deaths in Gaza, which has been under a land, air and sea blockade since 2007.

The Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accused Hamas of deliberately putting civilians in the line of fire while the Israeli Defence Forces said the terror group used the protests as a cover to carry out attacks.

For more information on Waltham Forest Palestinian Solidarity Campaign visit www.wfpsc.blogspot.co.uk.