8 months ago
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On 19 September 2025, Friends of the Earth Asia Pacific and Friends of the Earth England, Wales, and Northern Ireland sent a joint open letter to the UK government, demanding that they recognise the State of Palestine as promised, without conditions. Below is a digital copy of our letter to Prime Minister Keir Starmer
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Dear Prime Minister,
We are writing to you from Friends of the Earth England, Wales, and Northern Ireland and Friends of the Earth Asia Pacific, a regional network within Friends of the Earth International, the world’s largest grassroots environmental justice network, which operates in 73 countries. We focus on addressing the most pressing environmental and social issues of our time. Friends of the Earth Asia Pacific consists of 12 member organisations, including the Palestinian Environmental NGOs Network, or PENGON/Friends of the Earth Palestine.
We stand in steadfast solidarity with PENGON, 10 of whose members have been killed by Israeli military activity since October 2023. In 4 days, against a backdrop of genocide in Gaza and deepening oppression of the Palestinian people in the West Bank, the UK will join the 23rd United Nations General Assembly. At it you have pledged to recognise a Palestinian state. We are calling on you today to keep that promise.
You have stated UK recognition is contingent on Israel taking steps to end its war, allowing aid into Gaza, and committing to a genuine peace process. In the event Israel complies with these steps, UK recognition would be withheld.
This is not acceptable. People have a right to their land without conditions. Israel has been illegally and brutally occupying Palestine for decades and has been conducting a genocide upon the people of Gaza since 2023. Recognition of statehood and the fundamental right to self-determination of the Palestinian people should not hinge on the activity of their oppressive occupier. Nowhere else would such a standard be applied. The recognition of the state of Palestine must be unconditional.
We know that recognition will not translate to a material difference for Palestinians living under oppression, occupation and genocide. But its symbolic and diplomatic weight would carry significant meaning, especially coming from a permanent member of the UN security council. So we ask you to commit to full recognition now, without conditions.
We also know that recognition cannot absolve this government’s deeply shameful record to date. The UK’s continued support for Israel through the supply of arms risks government complicity in genocide. And the operation of UK surveillance flights over Gaza raises serious concerns about that complicity shifting into active participation. Only urgent and decisive action can begin to address this.
On that note, we also reiterate our calls for:
- A full arms embargo on Israel.
- An immediate cessation of surveillance flights.
- The immediate end of trade with illegal settlements in line with international law.
- Expanded sanctions on ministers, military officials, entities and individuals involved in endangering Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank.
Research from PENGON has illustrated the grave environmental destruction and injustice of the genocide. To take one example, Israel’s deliberate targeting and control of water has turned it into a weapon of war. Gaza’s water resources have been systematically contaminated and depleted, leaving families with no safe options. Before the war, Gazans used on average 82 litres of water per day—already below the World Health Organization’s recommended minimum of 100 litres. Today, those who still have access survive on just 2 to 3 litres per person per day. Families are being forced to choose between thirst and contamination.
As PENGON say, this genocide is also an ecocide. The killing of the earth goes hand in hand with the killing of the people. Both are intentional, both are stains on our collective conscience, and both are breaches of international law the UK has become materially complicit in whilst delivering hollow condemnations that are ignored by the Israeli state. Enough is enough. We urge you to recognise the State of Palestine as promised, without conditions, and to use your office to end this genocide and hold Israel accountable for their violations of international law.
Sincerely,
Friends of the Earth England, Wales, and Northern Ireland,
Friends of the Earth Asia Pacific.
Signatories of Friends of the Earth Asia Pacific:
Palestinian Environmental NGOs Network
Friends of the Earth Australia
Bangladesh Environmental Lawyers Association
Centre for Environmental Justice (Sri Lanka)
Centre for Environmental Law and Community Rights, Inc. (Papua New Guinea)
Forum for Protection of Public Interest – Pro Public (Nepal)
Friends of the Earth India
Friends of the Earth Japan
Korean Federation for Environmental Movement
Sahabat Alam Malaysia
The Legal Rights and Natural Resources Center (Philippines)
Wahana Lingkungan Hidup Indonesia
