Stop arming Israel: how to take action now

When we think about the climate and ecological crises we don’t usually think about war and militarism, but they're in fact deeply entwined.

What's militarism and how's it linked to the climate and ecological crises?

Militaries and a healthy environment simply don’t go together. Consider how wars and militarisation are often used to assert control over and ensure the continued production of fossil fuels. Then there’s the catastrophic destruction of land, air and water from war and the use of arms. And of course militaries are an enormous source of carbon emissions in themselves.

Militarism and war also take far too many innocent lives. And in the case of Gaza there's extensive evidence that Israel has done this on a massive scale, with disregard for international law, and as the International Court of Justice has ruled, perhaps even with intent. Environmental justice means standing against injustice where we see it. The war on Gaza is a towering, historic injustice.

We can’t ignore militarism. As an anti-racist network and as environmental justice activists there's every reason why we should take anti-militarist action.

What's the UK’s role in arming Israel?

The UK is a relatively small, but crucial supplier of arms to Israel. For example, the UK provides important parts for the F-35 fighter jet. This is used in bombing campaigns in Gaza. Without those parts the bombing stops. Community and activist groups around the country have been picketing these very arms companies for months.

While the UK government doesn’t directly supply or sell weapons to Israel, it does issue the export licenses enabling UK based companies to do so. It could cancel these licenses and is currently under pressure to do so. We can deepen this pressure through local action. As a key diplomatic ally to Israel, any success in stemming the flow of UK arms has significant political resonance, and while the UK issued a partial arms embargo on Israel in September (by suspending 30 of its 350 licenses), this isn't nearly enough. Especially when that suspension doesn't include F-35 parts.

Take action to help end the supply of arms to Israel

Local action groups can play a part in standing against the supplying of arms to Israel. To help do this, you can take action in your community. Here’s how you can get involved:

• See if there’s an arms factory or producer of military components near you. Find out if any groups are already holding demonstrations you can support, or think about organising your own. Campaign Against the Arms Trade have a map of all the sites in the UK producing F-35 parts to help start your planning. See below for more on demonstrations.
• Research whether your council or pension fund is investing in arms and pressure them to divest.  
• Find allies active in the peace movement and set up a meeting or event to discuss ways you can work together. Check out whether there’s any CAAT, CND, PSC or Quakers activity in your area to link up with.
• Hold an action outside your local Barclays branch calling on the bank to divest from fossil fuels and arms companies. Check out how Luton Friends of the Earth tied messages to a tree outside its local branch.
• Establish whether there’s any arms industry advertising in your area, or recruitment on university campuses, and campaign to have it removed.
• Organise a street action or community event inviting people to share what they would put money divested from military spending towards and visualise their responses to deliver to your MP.

If you do find an arms manufacturer in your area and decide to hold or support a protest or demonstration, remember it must follow Friends of the Earth’s position on non-violent protest. If you can, try to reach out to factory workers and invite them to join you in calling for a just transition away from militarism and into decent, environmentally friendly jobs.

Standing for environmental justice, means standing against supplying arms to Israel.

How can I get involved

We kickstarted this activity in September 2024 by taking part in the Global Week of Action for Peace and Climate Justice. Sign up to the Friends of the Earth training to find out more about similar weeks or about anti-militarism work generally.

Keep in mind that you don’t have to be an expert to take action against militarism and you don’t have to stop other campaigning you’re engaged in. This work can complement what you’re already doing. If you feel like you have enough on your plate, you can start small. Why not start a conversation about militarism and the environment with people you know?  See the resources below to help you do this.

It can also help you build new community partnerships that could strengthen your current campaigns, so use it as an opportunity to reach out and make connections with activists or faith or community groups. Or it could be a great opportunity to identify someone in your group who might like to step up and lead on anti-militarism work.

The links between environmental justice and anti-militarism are not well known, so remember, every little bit you do makes a difference in changing that.

Whatever you do make sure to let us know or get in touch for support or advice.

Further resources

• Friends of the Earth’s why are we taking action on Palestine article.
• Friends of the Earth’s protest guidance.
• A reading list on climate and militarism.
• War on Want resource on Barclays.
• Friends of the Earth's How to talk about Palestine guide