Why are we taking action on Palestine?
Palestine is an environmental justice issue
The occupation of Palestine and genocide in Gaza is a humanitarian and environmental catastrophe. The systematic destruction and contamination of the environment – including of agricultural land, water and sanitation systems – is a huge part of this.
Environmental justice is about fighting for solutions to inequality and environmental destruction.
The genocide and occupation in Palestine
The Israeli military has killed tens of thousands of Palestinians, including over 20,000 children. And the environmental destruction in Gaza has been catastrophic. In fact, the UN says it could take decades to recover from the damage.
More than 90% of Gaza’s cropland has been destroyed. And the planet-warming emissions of Israel’s genocide in Gaza are reportedly greater than that of 100 nations.
Meanwhile in the West Bank, as well as vast, escalating and extremely serious human rights abuses, Israeli settlers, with the support of security forces, continue to drive Palestinians off their land, steal their water and uproot their trees. For instance, from January 2023 – December 2025 settler attacks destroyed or damaged around 69,000 trees.
This is what environmental injustice looks like and in Palestine, under the Israeli occupation, it didn’t begin in 2023. It’s been happening for decades. The UK supports this injustice through the supply of arms, the provision of diplomatic cover and the continuation of trade with illegal settlements. At Friends of the Earth, we believe there can be no environmental justice without an end to this occupation.
The role of the UK
The UK government’s formal position is to support a 'two-state solution' in Israel/Palestine. But it continues to diplomatically and materially support Israel by justifying, denying or remaining silent on the vast majority of Israel’s gross violations of Palestinian rights.
By failing to address Israel's occupation of Palestine, ongoing attacks, land seizure and the brutal denial of Palestinian rights which are at the heart of the injustice and violence, the UK government is actually acting as an obstacle to peace, justice and accountability in the region. Friends of the Earth International has also called for a two-state solution and supports the rights of Palestinians to self-determination.
We’re committed to fighting for environmental justice on an international level, because we believe none of us are free from injustice until all of us are. That means recognising where injustice is at its worst and where the UK government and UK companies risk being complicit through their actions, as is the case in Palestine. So we’ll continue to stand and act in solidarity with the Palestinian people.
Why solidarity matters
The UK is one of Israel’s strongest allies. So for those of us based in the UK, our solidarity is particularly important. If you’d like to stand in solidarity, consider attending a Palestine solidarity protest near you. You can also raise awareness of the genocide and our government’s role in it by speaking about it with friends and family. No act is too small.
