STATEMENT

At news of a ceasefire, the British Palestinian Committee reaffirm urgent need for accountability and centering of Palestinians’ inalienable rights

London, 19th January 2025

After 15 months of relentless and devastating Israeli assaults on Gaza – which have claimed tens of thousands of lives, left hundreds of thousands injured and starved, displaced over 90% of the population, and decimated Gaza’s civic infrastructure – this ceasefire is long overdue. 

From the terms of the agreement, it’s clear that a halt to the bloodshed could have been achieved months ago, were it not for the Israeli government’s clear policy of inflicting maximum devastation on the Palestinian people. Israel’s campaign of destruction has not been undertaken alone: it has been enabled by international actors, including our own government in Britain, which have provided unflinching political and material support to Israeli atrocities.

Genocide is the intentional destruction of a people, and Israel’s actions in Gaza fit this definition. The deliberate targeting of civilians, combined with the systematic dismantling of Gaza’s essential infrastructure—schools, hospitals, cultural institutions, mosques, churches, media outlets—has shown the world its intent to destroy Palestinian life and society. This violence is not new; it echoes the ethnic cleansing and mass dispossession of Palestinians during the Nakba of 1948 and the following decades of occupation and apartheid that have entrenched this settler colonial project. 

From the outset, the UK government has been an active participant in Israel’s genocidal assault on Gaza through diplomatic, military, and political support. Successive administrations have provided cover for Israeli atrocities by parroting a rhetoric of “self-defence” misleadingly invoked by an occupying power against an occupied people, while dismissing the rights of Palestinians under international law. Arms sales from Britain to Israel, worth millions of pounds, have supplied weapons used to commit war crimes against the Palestinian people. Military cooperation and intelligence sharing have further fed Israel’s impunity. This, too, is not new: Britain’s colonial history in Palestine-from the Balfour Declaration and British administration period-laid the groundwork for the dispossession and suffering of the Palestinian people that continues today. 

In the face of such monumental military force, the resilience and courage of Palestinians have been unwavering. From first responders and journalists to doctors and teachers, the people of Gaza have not only survived; they have inspired the world by demonstrating an enduring commitment to their existence, dignity, and collective future. Despite the onslaught, our people and institutions remain, and it is Palestinians who must lead the rebuilding of their society on their land. 

A fundamental change in approach is essential if this ceasefire is to be more than a brief pause in the ongoing war against the Palestinian people. As long as Israel’s occupation and apartheid policies remain intact, the violence will persist, albeit in different forms. Daily violations of Palestinian rights continue across Palestine, from land confiscation and settlement expansion to the arbitrary imprisonment and killing of civilians, including children. 

Plans to promote the normalisation of Israel’s apartheid regime across the region are now likely to be revived, and will come as the US, Israel and its allies seek to impose a settlement in favour of Israel’s expansionist goals and at the direct expense of the Palestinian people’s inalienable rights. 

Such moves will undermine any prospect for a just peace, instead reinforcing the existing structures of occupation and apartheid. Imposed solutions which bypass Palestinian civil society, which fall short of fulfilling the rights of all Palestinians - our people in Gaza, across Palestine, and in exile - will always fail.  

As outlined in our policy guide, it remains imperative that citizens and their elected representatives in Britain take decisive action to hold Israel accountable and end the UK’s complicity in Israel’s violations of international law. This includes pressuring the government to suspend military cooperation, impose an immediate two-way arms embargo, and support international legal action against Israeli war crimes. Parliament must push for policies that isolate Israel until it complies with international law and upholds the rights of the Palestinian people, including their right to freedom, self-determination, and return. 

For more on specific policy recommendations, please see our Policy Framework for the UK Government.

The British Palestinian Committee is an independent organisation working to ensure that British Palestinian perspectives are integral to public discourse and policy making on Palestine.