Gaza Justice Campaign
A joint update from All We Can and the Methodist Church in Britain
05 June 2025
As justice-seekers we can’t stay silent!
We cannot stay silent in the face of atrocities that continue to be perpetrated in Gaza.
The Church institutionally is no expert in international law. But it must take seriously the findings of the top experts in the field, many of whom are adamant that Israel’s actions in Gaza constitute the crime of genocide. 'The international community must heed the warnings of genocide and act to avoid being complicit in the loss of tens of thousands of lives.
We have a duty to stand in solidarity with our partners on the ground who are bravely continuing their life-transforming work in the face of ‘mass forced hunger, mass forced displacement, mass killings and mass atrocities.’[1]
In November, All We Can, the Methodist Church in Britain and the United Reformed Church launched the joint ‘Gaza and Lebanon Justice appeal’ to raise awareness of the unfolding disaster, and to meet the humanitarian need resulting from the worsening crisis in Gaza and Lebanon. But to give financial support alone is not sufficient.
We will act and call for justice.
We believe that all are made in the image of God, each worthy of equal value and dignity. God wills the flourishing of creation and human community within it. We believe, that in solidarity with others, we are called to challenge injustice that contradicts God’s plan for a just world.
The Hamas attacks of 7 October against innocent Israeli civilians, and the ongoing cruelty of holding hostages, is criminal. However, the escalation of attacks in the wake of these events in the name of self-defence by Netanyahu’s government – resulting in the persecution, killing, and repeated expulsion of Palestinian communities across Gaza and the West Bank must stop. This appalling reality is something that the Church can neither ignore nor condone, for any reason whatsoever.
We have a duty to use our voices and power to challenge what is unjust. The UK government, along with France and Canada in a joint statement, has called on Israel to halt military operations and allow humanitarian aid to enter the territory. It says that ‘We will not stand by while the Netanyahu government pursues these egregious actions. If Israel does not cease the renewed military offensive and lift its restrictions on humanitarian aid, we will take further concrete actions in response’. However, despite the suspension of some arms export licenses to Israel in September last year, the UK still supplies components that are used in combat aircraft operations in Gaza, and we are concerned that these concrete actions are an empty threat which will not alleviate the suffering of the Palestinian people.
Therefore, we call on the UK Government to act with decency and morality, and to urgently implement these threatened actions. We encourage people to write to their MPs to echo this call. We also ask that people continue to support our partners by donating to our appeal and find out more about their work. We offer this prayer for decision-makers, may they be guided by what is right and have the courage to act.
We commit to working towards a just and lasting peace, and the recognition of the state of Palestine alongside the state of Israel.