Advice and guidance
- There are a regular protests and vigils being planned around the country calling for an end to the violence in Palestine and Israel. We have put together some advice on attending protests on Palestine and Israel (PDF).
- You may wish to organise you own vigil. Here is guidance on how to organise a vigil (PDF).
- We've received an increased number of questions from meeting houses in recent weeks as Friends try to make informed and often quick decisions about who to hire their rooms out to. Here are some of the key principles we use to guide our room lettings in Friends House in relation to Palestine and Israel (PDF), and which might be helpful for you as you make your own decisions.
Statements
Last updated: Jan 2025
2025
- 18 NGOs demand UK Government ensure Gaza cessation of hostilities leads to justice and accountability (16 January 2025)
- Quakers welcome 'crack of light' in Israel-Hamas agreement (16 January 2025)
2024 (Oct-Dec)
- Advent Not Arms: global letter from Christian leaders calling for a ceasefire, end of arms sales and delivery of humanitarian aid (17 December 2024)
- Quakers in Britain statement on ICC arrest warrants for Israeli and Hamas leaders (22 November 2024)
- Quakers join 37 organisations in call for urgent clarity from Foreign Secretary on genocide and the UK's international obligations (PDF) (5 November 2024)
- Joint
statement on Israeli Knesset ban of UNRWA
(26 October 2024)
- Quakers
align with ICJ on Israel and occupied Palestine
(23 October)
- October 7, one year on: a Quaker statement. (7 October 2024)
2024 (July-Sep)
- Quakers join calls for the UK to review its trade agreement with Israel. (24 September 2024)
- Quakers urge full ban on UK arms exports to Israel. (3 September 2024)
- Quakers welcome historic ruling on Palestine but warn of imminent danger of wider war. (2 August 2024)
- Quakers
join 200+ global Christian leaders in urging world powers to end their
complicity in the ongoing violence in Palestine and Israel
(23 July 2024)
- Quakers welcome landmark day for Palestine and Israel – Quakers in Britain statement on UK funding to UNRWA and ICJ ruling on Israeli presence in all occupied Palestinian territory. (19 July 2024)
- UK charities outline key steps the UK Government must take in its first 100 days to address the catastrophe in Gaza, in light of potential genocide (PDF) (11 July 2024)
2024 (Apr-June)
- Quakers join 21 other charities calling for UK compliance with ICJ orders (29 May 2024)
- Honour your heritage by ending investment in arms to Israel, Quakers urge Barclays Bank (9 May 2024)
- Quakers join 30 other charities calling for stop to Rafah attacks (8 May 2024)
- Quaker organisations share a vision for peace in Palestine and Israel (15 April 2024)
- Open
letter to the UK government – stop selling arms to Israel
(11 April 2024)
- Quakers
join global Christian leaders in call for Gaza ceasefire
(2 April 2024)
2024 (Jan-Mar)
- Quakers join 140 global Christian leaders in call for Gaza ceasefire in Holy Week (27 March 2024)
- Quakers join full page ad in The Times calling for an immediate ceasefire and suspension of UK arms sales (21 March 2024)
- Quakers condemn crackdown on right to protest (11 March 2024)
- Quakers
join other human rights groups in calling out UK weapons licences to
Israel
(29 February 2024)
- Open
letter to MPs from 62 organisations urging them to vote yes for a
ceasefire
(20 February 2024)
- Letter
to the PM on Israel's planned offensive in Rafah
(12 February 2024)
- UK
must take urgent action after ICJ genocide ruling, Quakers say
(30
January 2024)
2023 (Oct-Dec)
- Quakers sign joint letter calling on the UK government to stop selling arms to Israel (12 December 2023)
- Support
a bilateral ceasefire in Gaza and Israel
(joint letter delivered to
governments around the world by Quakers and other faiths) (1 December 2023)
- Quakers hold
Friends School Ramallah in the Light after three alumni shot in the USA
(29 November 2023)
- Ongoing Global
Open Letter
coordinated by Crisis Action calling for an immediate
ceasefire
- UK Church
and faith leaders statement
(Quaker news story about it here) (27 October 2023)
- Network
of Christian Peace Organisations open letter
to the Foreign Secretary (20 October 2023)
- Quaker organisations call for a ceasefire and humanitarian protections in Gaza (18 October 2023)
- Quakers
in Britain are shocked and deeply saddened by the major escalation of
violence in Israel and Palestine
(11 October 2023)
Older statements
Older statements that articulate Quakers in Britain's positions can be found on the Quaker positions page.
Ecumenical and interfaith statements
- Inter Faith Council for Wales statement
- Inter Faith Network for the UK statements and messages from UK faith and inter faith bodies
- Churches Together in Britain and Ireland
Letters and statements co-signed by Quakers in Britain
- Open letter 'UK must stop selling arms to Israel' on Oxfam GB's website April 2024 - please sign
- Global Christian Leaders Call for Permanent Gaza Ceasefire, March 2024 (offsite link)
- Quakers in Britain condemn UK and US airstrikes in Yemen and call for peaceful and just solutions to conflict in the Middle East 17 January 2024 (PDF)
- Joint letter to Foreign Secretary on supply of armaments to Israel 8 December 2023 (PDF)
- Global Christian Leaders' letter to the Prime Minister calling for a bilateral ceasefire in Palestine and Israel 30 November 2023 [PDF]
- Reliefweb co-signed by Quakers in Britain
- Christian Aid co-signed by Quakers in Britain
- Crisis Action (Google Drive folder) and list of signatories co-signed by Quakers in Britain
- Network of Christian Peace Organisations (NCPO) co-signed by Quakers in Britain
- Open letter calling on all MPs to back ceasefire motion co-signed by Quakers in Britain
Resources
Razor Wire & Olive Branches
Razor Wire & Olive Branches is a teaching resource (11+) to explore conflict, human rights and peacemaking in Palestine and Israel. It contains 28 case studies of Israelis and Palestinians and dozens of cross-curricular activities exploring identity, history and active citizenship. The resource use EAPPI's principle of principled impartiality, remaining neutral on the sides of the conflict but clearly communicating the importance of human rights and international law. You can order your copies from the Quaker Bookshop, download accompanying materials (zip) and watch accompanying videos (YouTube) and download free sample resources on TES
In the
'How can educators respond to events in Palestine and Israel?' blog Ellis Brooks from the peace education team discusses the challenges for teachers and how to educate with humanity and impartiality.
Blogs and news
- Support a bilateral ceasefire in Gaza and Israel, Quakers and others tell world governments
- Quakers join Christian calls for an end to violence in Israel and Palestine
- 5 ways to witness for peace
- 5 solidarity actions you can take for Palestine and Israel
- For eyewitness stories from Palestine and Israel visit the EyeWitness blogs website.
Supporting Quakers in the region
Friends World Committee for Consultation Europe and Middle East Section website has a list of resources and links to online meetings for worship for peace.
Actions you can take
Read more about actions you can take in this blog: 9 solidarity actions you can take for Palestine and Israel.
Understand the context
This major escalation did not happen in a vacuum. Here are some resources to help you understand the context and the events that led to this point.
The history of Israel and Palestine
This 6-minute video from Jewish Voice for Peace offers a simple and succinct historical background. Watch on YouTube.
Life in Gaza
Gaza has been under Israeli military blockade since 2007 and is often described as 'the worlds largest open air prison'. 80% of its population rely on foreign aid to survive and 97% of the water is undrinkable. This virtual tour by Israeli-Palestinian tour group, Green Olive Collective, takes you around Gaza and introduces the political and humanitarian realities. Watch on YouTube.
2023 in the West Bank
In the final days of 2022, the most religious and hardline right-wing government in Israel's history was sworn in. Since then, there has been a rapid increase in violence towards Palestinians in the West Bank, including the highest daily average of settler-related incidents affecting Palestinians since the UN started recording this data in 2006. By September, almost 2,000 Palestinians had been displaced due to settler violence and military demolitions of essential structures, including homes and water resources. Meanwhile, the new Israeli government committed to building thousands of new illegal settlements on Palestinian land. The military also carried out mass raids and arrests, including of children, and doubled down on the use of 'administrative detention', holding almost 1,200 Palestinians indefinitely without charge or trial. You can read eyewitness testimonies from our human rights monitors in the West Bank for a thorough understanding of the issues. Visit the Eyewitness blog website.
Choose your media wisely
News
Actively seek out articles written by Palestinians and Israelis. We recommend subscribing to the joint Israeli-Palestinian online news outlet 972+ Magazine, or for televised / international coverage, Al Jazeera English, which has journalists in both Palestine and Israel.
Social media
Human Rights Watch and others have reported on the circulation of a number of unverifiable posts trending on social media. Please be mindful of what you share. Due to Israel's cutting off of electricity and the prohibition of international journalists into Gaza, it is becoming ever more challenging for Gazans to get their story heard. Palestinian and Israeli human rights organisations are doing their best to keep up the reporting under unthinkable conditions. Here are some suggested accounts to follow that are especially active right now:
- Al Haq (Palestinian) - FB / X
- Al Mezan Centre (Palestinian) - IG / X
- B'Tselem (Israeli) - FB / IG / X
- Breaking the Silence (Israeli) - FB / IG / X
- Center for Jewish nonviolence (Israeli) - FB / X
- Defence for Children International (Palestinian) - X / IG
- Gisha (Palestinian) - FB / X
- MAKAN (Palestinian) - FB / IG / X
- Palestinian Center for Human Rights - FB / IG / X
- Rabbis for Human Rights (Israeli) - FB / IG / X
- We are not numbers (Palestinian) - FB / IG / XYesh Din (Israeli) - FB / X
There is also a list of Palestinian and Israeli human rights organisations on the Eyewitness blogs website.
Other media
The Oscar-nominated Palestinian short film The Present on Netflix illustrates the everyday humiliations Palestinians face living under occupation.
Show public solidarity
Historically, the escalation of violence in Palestine and Israel has resulted in an upsurge of antisemitic and Islamophobic attacks in the UK, and it is distressing to see some reports of such incidents already. Please call out hateful and oppressive speech when you encounter it and, where you can, extend care and support for your Muslim and Jewish neighbours.
Stay up-to-date by signing up to the EAPPI UK & Ireland mailing list and following us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
For more actions and reading about Israel-Palestine, visit EAPPI UK & Ireland's online action centre at www.eyewitnessblogs.com.
Photo: Smoke rises from Gaza near where Hamas militants broke through kibbutz Kfar Aza's fence in Israel days earlier, photo credit: Alexi J. Rosenfeld for Getty Images