London, February 4th 2026

Statement by the British Palestinian Committee on US-Israeli Strikes on Iran

The British Palestinian Committee expresses profound alarm at the joint military strikes launched by the United States and Israel against Iran begun on Saturday 28 February, actions that have dramatically escalated regional conflict and violated core principles of international law. Such unilateral military action breaches the core prohibition on the use of force between states and undermines the foundational legal framework of the UN system. The US administration's justifications for the strikes are rapidly shifting, highlighting their lack of credibility. And as the rationale moves from claims of immediate security threats to broader political objectives, it is clear that the operation is motivated by an agenda of regime change – a purpose that has no basis or legitimacy under international law.

The current trajectory echoes the lead-up to the 2003 Iraq War, when false claims and disputed intelligence were wielded to justify a devastating military intervention that claimed over a million lives, displaced many millions more, and left a legacy of chaos and suffering that still reverberates today. The parallels are stark: similarly misleading claims leading to horrific violence and prolonged instability, causing irreparable harm for the people in the region.

This escalation must also be understood within the broader pattern of conduct by Israel as a destabilising power in the region. It unfolds against the backdrop of two and a half years of genocide in Gaza, as well as unlawful strikes in Yemen, Syria, Lebanon and Iran. As global attention once again shifts to Iran and the Gulf, Israel has reimposed a total siege on Gaza, sealing all crossings, halting the entry of aid, and preventing humanitarian personnel from accessing a population in desperate need. Meanwhile, the West Bank is under lockdown, while the confiscation of Palestinian land and settler violence are accelerating at an alarming pace. 

These events cannot be viewed in isolation; they form part of an expansionist colonial agenda that continues to deny the Palestinian people their fundamental rights. Lasting peace will remain out of reach so long as systems of settler-colonialism, apartheid and violence persist in Palestine. There can be no peace without justice, and no stability without accountability.

The British Palestinian Committee is an independent organisation of British Palestinians in leading or representative positions across major Palestine-related organisations and constituencies in the UK.

To download the full statement, please click here.

For more information or media enquiries: info@britpalcommittee.co.uk