BPC’s comprehensive Policy Guide for the new Labour government. The guide puts forward a new framework, advancing a new approach in policy based on the principles of justice, freedom and international law.

UNRWA is crucial in delivering aid to millions of people- but the agency is not just an aid mechanism. BPC write to highlight the global political significance of the agency-making clear what is at stake in attempts to undermine, attack, and discredit its work.

Image credit: Roman Deckert

The British Palestinian Committee wrote to the Foreign Secretary, David Lammy, for the fifth time in recent weeks to raise our severe alarm and disturbance at Israeli forces massacres, blocking of aid, and repeated attacks of civilian centres in northern Gaza.

The Committee wrote again to David Lammy, the Foreign Secretary, regarding further attacks on refugee camps and a hospital in Gaza over the past week, killing approximately 150 displaced women, men and children who had been seeking shelter. 

One year on, British Palestinians reaffirm our united and steadfast commitment to ending Britain's complicity in genocide.

The British Palestinian Committee wrote to the Foreign Secretary, David Lammy, regarding the airstrike on a coffee shop in Tulkarem by Israeli forces on Thursday night, resulting in the killing of 18 people and injuring of many others. We communicated our deep alarm and urged him to take immediate action in accordance with the UK’s legal and moral duties to the Palestinian people. 

The British Palestinian Committee wrote to the Foreign Secretary, David Lammy, regarding the massacre of Palestinians during two attacks by Israeli military forces on women, men and children sheltering in the al-Mawasi area and al-Jaouni school. We communicated our deep alarm and urged him to take immediate action in accordance with the UK’s legal and moral duties to the Palestinian people. 

As the history of anti-racist struggle in this country and around the world, including mobilisations against racist attacks in the last few days, have shown – our freedom is indivisible. The defeat of racism, from Palestine to Britain, will only be achieved when we confront it head on, and come together to build a coalition mobilised around universal principles of solidarity, freedom and equality. Photo credit: Credit: Alberto Pezzali

The British Palestinian Committee writes to register our alarm and profound dismay over the airstrike on the al-Tabin School in Gaza City, which has reportedly resulted in the deaths of at least 100 Palestinians, many of whom were children. We discuss this blatant violation of international law, and call the new government to condemn the attack and end UK complicity.

Our email to the new Foreign Secretary, David Lammy, after his post on X - acknowledging 300 days since October 7th, 2023 - made no mention of Palestine, or the war on Gaza. The British Palestinian Committee wrote to challenge this.

The UK has not been a neutral bystander as this assault continues. Instead, it has given a green light to Israel’s genocidal campaign against the Palestinian people through its political, diplomatic, and military support, its active attempts to undermine efforts of accountability and even going as far as participating in the collective punishment of Palestinians when it suspended funding to UNRWA. The announcement today by the foreign secretary that funding to UNRWA will be resumed was essential but long overdue.

With the biggest mobilisation of citizens in decades – on the streets, on campuses and in workplaces – demanding the UK changes its position, each party must say what it will do to uphold its legal and moral duties to the Palestinian people as they continue to face daily atrocities.

Whatever the outcome of the upcoming election, Britain must demonstrate a clear commitment to universal values of freedom and justice – and to ending its own complicity in war crimes – by withdrawing its diplomatic support for Israel, imposing a two-way arms embargo, and working to ensure accountability for its grave breaches of international law.

The British Palestinian Committee writes in light of the decision by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) to convey the alarm and horror of British Palestinians - and the broader British public - at the government’s response to Israel’s relentless assault on Gaza and the urgent need for remedy.

As British Palestinians, we stand together, united by our shared history, by the spirit of our people, and by a commitment to universal principles of justice. Compelled by the urgency of the unfolding atrocities in our homeland, we write today to affirm our presence once again and reassert our common humanity, in the face of attempts to erase our existence and dehumanise our people as we face an ethnic cleansing on a scale not seen since the 1948 Nakba.

The British Palestinian Committee is alarmed by reports that the UK government is seeking to stop the International Court of Justice (ICJ) from issuing a legal opinion on Israel’s occupation of Palestinian land which was requested by the UN General Assembly in a resolution passed in December 2022.

“The fight to defend fundamental Palestinian rights is a universal one, allied with all struggles for freedom, justice, and equality. The BPC has joined a broad civil society coalition, including more than 60 trade unions, charities, NGOs, faith, climate justice, human rights, and solidarity organisations, committed to defending the fundamental democratic rights threatened by this bill. Our local democracy, freedom of expression and the right of public bodies to freely decide how they invest their funds are all at stake. For breaches of Palestinian rights and the basic civil liberties that belong to all of us as British citizens, this bill should be clearly opposed at every stage.”

“To target a project of this nature - dehumanising children and smearing their artwork as offensive - is frankly appalling. While we understand that the hospital may have been put under a great deal of pressure, its capitulation and unwillingness to respond to constructive engagement with us on the issue has exacerbated the situation, lent credence to baseless claims, and ultimately failed all the children who were involved in the project. It also sets a dangerous precedent that could prevent similar projects in the future.”

“I have no doubt that Palestinian students and British Palestinians up and down the country will be left feeling utterly betrayed. What could have been an opportunity for the NUS to robustly assert both the importance of addressing antisemitism and the rights of the Palestinian people, as part of the same overarching commitment to antiracism, has been squandered.” Sara Husseini, BPC Director.

“As you will be aware, there have been further deeply worrying developments within the past 48 hours… Whatever position the UK government takes, these actions certainly do not reflect the ‘long-standing commitment to democratic values’ ascribed to the State of Israel in your letter dated December 6th 2021.”

“As Palestinians, we are deeply concerned about what this [new governing coalition] will mean for the millions of Palestinian women, men and children living under imposed Israeli rule, and the now even greater threat to their safety. As British citizens, we would like to hear how the British government intends to respond to the coalition's extremist positions, which stand at stark odds with the UK's stated positions, commitments, values, and international obligations.”

“In short, relocating the embassy - thereby endorsing Israel’s current actions - threatens to severely compromise the safety of Palestinians, the credibility of the UK on the international stage, and the prospects of any kind of just future in the region. We seriously hope you will reconsider this move, for the sake of all parties involved.”

"The fact that the decision to dismiss Ms. Dallali was leaked and published in the Jewish News and the Jewish Chronicle, and reportedly shared with the Government and the Leader of the Opposition, before she had even been notified, is wholly inappropriate and beggars belief."

“British Palestinians fear that the inquiry, including its terms of reference and broader political context, will result in a fundamentally flawed report which conflates antisemitism with criticism of the State of Israel.”

“An enhanced UK-Israel trade agreement would send precisely the wrong message to the Israeli government: that continued settlement expansion, annexation and apartheid is not only supported by the British government, but materially rewarded. “

“The UK has a commitment and duty to ensure that Palestinian human rights defenders - and human rights defenders around the world - are able to operate without fear of intimidation or reprisal.”

“Until the root causes of this injustice are addressed, we will continue to see regular escalations in violence that will take both Palestinian and Israeli lives, and there will be no achievement of a real and lasting peace.”

The British Palestinian Committee wrote to the Foreign Secretary, David Lammy, regarding the massacre of Palestinians during two attacks by Israeli military forces on women, men and children sheltering in the al-Mawasi area and al-Jaouni school. We communicated our deep alarm and urged him to take immediate action in accordance with the UK’s legal and moral duties to the Palestinian people. 

As the history of anti-racist struggle in this country and around the world, including mobilisations against racist attacks in the last few days, have shown – our freedom is indivisible. The defeat of racism, from Palestine to Britain, will only be achieved when we confront it head on, and come together to build a coalition mobilised around universal principles of solidarity, freedom and equality. Photo credit: Credit: Alberto Pezzali

The British Palestinian Committee writes to register our alarm and profound dismay over the airstrike on the al-Tabin School in Gaza City, which has reportedly resulted in the deaths of at least 100 Palestinians, many of whom were children. We discuss this blatant violation of international law, and call the new government to condemn the attack and end UK complicity.

Our email to the new Foreign Secretary, David Lammy, after his post on X - acknowledging 300 days since October 7th, 2023 - made no mention of Palestine, or the war on Gaza. The British Palestinian Committee wrote to challenge this.

The UK has not been a neutral bystander as this assault continues. Instead, it has given a green light to Israel’s genocidal campaign against the Palestinian people through its political, diplomatic, and military support, its active attempts to undermine efforts of accountability and even going as far as participating in the collective punishment of Palestinians when it suspended funding to UNRWA. The announcement today by the foreign secretary that funding to UNRWA will be resumed was essential but long overdue.

With the biggest mobilisation of citizens in decades – on the streets, on campuses and in workplaces – demanding the UK changes its position, each party must say what it will do to uphold its legal and moral duties to the Palestinian people as they continue to face daily atrocities.

Whatever the outcome of the upcoming election, Britain must demonstrate a clear commitment to universal values of freedom and justice – and to ending its own complicity in war crimes – by withdrawing its diplomatic support for Israel, imposing a two-way arms embargo, and working to ensure accountability for its grave breaches of international law.

The British Palestinian Committee writes in light of the decision by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) to convey the alarm and horror of British Palestinians - and the broader British public - at the government’s response to Israel’s relentless assault on Gaza and the urgent need for remedy.

As British Palestinians, we stand together, united by our shared history, by the spirit of our people, and by a commitment to universal principles of justice. Compelled by the urgency of the unfolding atrocities in our homeland, we write today to affirm our presence once again and reassert our common humanity, in the face of attempts to erase our existence and dehumanise our people as we face an ethnic cleansing on a scale not seen since the 1948 Nakba.

The British Palestinian Committee is alarmed by reports that the UK government is seeking to stop the International Court of Justice (ICJ) from issuing a legal opinion on Israel’s occupation of Palestinian land which was requested by the UN General Assembly in a resolution passed in December 2022.

“The fight to defend fundamental Palestinian rights is a universal one, allied with all struggles for freedom, justice, and equality. The BPC has joined a broad civil society coalition, including more than 60 trade unions, charities, NGOs, faith, climate justice, human rights, and solidarity organisations, committed to defending the fundamental democratic rights threatened by this bill. Our local democracy, freedom of expression and the right of public bodies to freely decide how they invest their funds are all at stake. For breaches of Palestinian rights and the basic civil liberties that belong to all of us as British citizens, this bill should be clearly opposed at every stage.”

“To target a project of this nature - dehumanising children and smearing their artwork as offensive - is frankly appalling. While we understand that the hospital may have been put under a great deal of pressure, its capitulation and unwillingness to respond to constructive engagement with us on the issue has exacerbated the situation, lent credence to baseless claims, and ultimately failed all the children who were involved in the project. It also sets a dangerous precedent that could prevent similar projects in the future.”

“I have no doubt that Palestinian students and British Palestinians up and down the country will be left feeling utterly betrayed. What could have been an opportunity for the NUS to robustly assert both the importance of addressing antisemitism and the rights of the Palestinian people, as part of the same overarching commitment to antiracism, has been squandered.” Sara Husseini, BPC Director.

“As you will be aware, there have been further deeply worrying developments within the past 48 hours… Whatever position the UK government takes, these actions certainly do not reflect the ‘long-standing commitment to democratic values’ ascribed to the State of Israel in your letter dated December 6th 2021.”

“As Palestinians, we are deeply concerned about what this [new governing coalition] will mean for the millions of Palestinian women, men and children living under imposed Israeli rule, and the now even greater threat to their safety. As British citizens, we would like to hear how the British government intends to respond to the coalition's extremist positions, which stand at stark odds with the UK's stated positions, commitments, values, and international obligations.”

“In short, relocating the embassy - thereby endorsing Israel’s current actions - threatens to severely compromise the safety of Palestinians, the credibility of the UK on the international stage, and the prospects of any kind of just future in the region. We seriously hope you will reconsider this move, for the sake of all parties involved.”

"The fact that the decision to dismiss Ms. Dallali was leaked and published in the Jewish News and the Jewish Chronicle, and reportedly shared with the Government and the Leader of the Opposition, before she had even been notified, is wholly inappropriate and beggars belief."

“British Palestinians fear that the inquiry, including its terms of reference and broader political context, will result in a fundamentally flawed report which conflates antisemitism with criticism of the State of Israel.”

“An enhanced UK-Israel trade agreement would send precisely the wrong message to the Israeli government: that continued settlement expansion, annexation and apartheid is not only supported by the British government, but materially rewarded. “

“The UK has a commitment and duty to ensure that Palestinian human rights defenders - and human rights defenders around the world - are able to operate without fear of intimidation or reprisal.”

“Until the root causes of this injustice are addressed, we will continue to see regular escalations in violence that will take both Palestinian and Israeli lives, and there will be no achievement of a real and lasting peace.”