The organisation was founded around 17 February 2002 by UK academic Irene Bruegel, the daughter of German-Jewish refugees, and her partner Richard Kuper, together with many, mainly female, Jewish friends, just after Bruegel had toured the West Bank. Within six years it achieved as membership of 1,300 out of a UK Jewish population of over a quarter of a million and over that period proved instrumental, according to an obituary, in 'shattering the illusion that all Jews unconditionally support the Israeli government.' It grew out of a reaction to the Al-Aqsa Intifada, which had rapidly led to the formation of a movement of British Jews opposed to Zionism who formed JPUK in October 2000. The deployment of the word 'Palestinian' in their name led to some controversy, but was retained. Bruegel's political skills quickly made it the largest organization of this type in its field. It played a significant role in the establishment of a broader organization, the European Jews for a Just Peace. It describes itself as welcoming all Jews, practising and secular Jews, Zionist and not, who oppose Israeli policies that could be seen as threatening Palestinian rights. It works through cultural events to bring about a public awareness critical of such policies. It supports a wide range of Israeli peace and human-rights groups working towards these same ends. One of its leaders, Richard Kuper, was active in forming a coalition of Jews who sailed in late 2010 from Cypus in an effort to break the blockade of the Gaza Strip, some months after the Gaza flotilla raid. Its stated reasons for supporting Palestinian rights are promoting human rights and that this is the best means of securing peace for Israelis. It supports the right of Israelis to live in freedom and security within Israel's 1967 borders. It organises to give voice to the many strands of Israeli peace activism and to ensure that Jewish opinions critical of Israeli policy are heard in Britain. It believes that such opposition is important in countering anti-semitism and the claim that opposition to Israel's policies is itself anti-semitic. David Hirsh quit the organisation in 2016 because some of its signatories questioned the good faith of those supporting allegations of antisemitism in the Labour Party. It cooperates with other organisations on specific issues without necessarily endorsing them. Together with others, it calls on the British and European Union governments to suspend trade agreements with Israel, recognise the Palestinian Authority and support it financially, to cease to trade arms with Israel, push for the enforcement of international law in the region and strive for fair and free negotiations between the parties. It supports the British Shalom-Salaam Trust which funds a variety of humanitarian and educational projects in Israel and Palestine. It is a founder member of the Enough! Coalition in the UK in 2007.
