Why are we taking action on Palestine?
You might think the war in Gaza and repression of Palestinians isn’t an environmental issue, and it’s not our place to speak out. But environmental justice is at our core. That means we fight for the safety of our planet and its people too.
Friends of the Earth England, Wales and Northern Ireland is a member of the largest grassroots environmental justice network in the world. We focus our solidarity work on countries where the need is greatest.
In solidarity with all affected, we’re continuing to call for a full arms embargo on Israel and an end to the occupation of Palestine.
The human cost
The loss of life in Gaza cannot be overstated. At the time of writing, over 47,000 people have been killed and over 100,000 have been injured. Health systems have collapsed. Save the Children reported that more children were killed in Gaza in 3 months than in all other conflicts combined in the past 3 years. Humanitarian workers, journalists and medics are also being killed at alarming rates.
The environmental cost
Research shows that just the first few months of the conflict have produced more planet-warming gases than 20 climate-vulnerable nations do in a year. 70% of agricultural land in Gaza has been destroyed, while its people face mass food insecurity. Israel has reportedly fired shells containing white phosphorous, which would contaminate soil for years to come.
The war has also stopped climate action.
Why solidarity matters
We know the challenges of the climate and ecological crises are global, so we need a strong global network to respond. The way to build that strength is through solidarity and showing up for one another.
For those of us based in the UK, our solidarity is particularly important. The UK is one of Israel’s strongest allies. Our government is complicit in violations of humanitarian law and profits from this devastation through its licensing for the sale of arms.
We wrote to the Foreign Secretary David Lammy to demand an immediate ceasefire and for international humanitarian law to be respected. We’ve written to our supporters asking them to do the same with their MPs. In solidarity, we’ll continue to put pressure on our leaders until Palestine sees justice.
If you’d like to stand in solidarity, consider attending a Palestine solidarity protest near you. You can also raise awareness of the conflict and our government’s role in it by speaking about it with friends and family. No act is too small.
