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.

Our sister organisation PENGON/Palestine Friends of the Earth know this too well. The group works to document the environmental impacts of the horrific, ongoing Israeli attacks on Gaza, as well as the impacts of the Israeli occupation generally. For example, PENGON report that half of Gaza’s trees have now been destroyed. And in the past 20 years the Israeli army have uprooted more than half a million Palestinian trees in the West Bank.

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. Our sister organisation hasn’t escaped this brutal assault, with at least 5 members killed by Israeli airstrikes. 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, as environmental justice activists, and as members of one of 73 organisations around the world bound together by solidarity, there's every reason why we should take antimilitarist action in solidarity with PENGON.

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 will have a significant political resonance.

Every action we take to achieve these goals – even “small” things like raising awareness – means we’ll be standing in solidarity with our Palestinian sister organisation, PENGON.

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 them to divest from fossil fuels and arms companies.
• 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 nonviolent 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 with PENGON, and for environmental justice, means standing against supplying arms to Israel.

Get involved with the Global Week of Action for Peace and Climate Justice

We’re going to kickstart this activity by taking part in the Global Week of Action for Peace and Climate Justice, which runs from 21 to28 September. 

• To find out more about the week or about antimilitarism work generally, you can sign up to this session on climate justice and antimilitarism organised by War Resisters International during the week of action. 
• Sign up to the Friends of the Earth training to find out more about the week or about antimilitarism 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 antimilitarism work.

The links between environmental justice and antimilitarism are not well known, so remember, every little bit you do makes a difference in changing that. Or as a leading PENGON member told us this year:

You said you feel powerless but hearing about the things groups are doing makes us feel powerful. It gives us the energy to move on and continue our fight. Even if the action seems little to you, to us it means a lot.

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 letters to David Lammy and David Cameron for strong arguments against arms exports to Israel, and the link to environmental destruction and human rights.
• The Week of Action resource pack.
• Friends of the Earth’s protest guidance.
• A reading list on climate and militarism.
• This PENGON audio and webpage and video, outlining the environmental impacts of the war.
• Canva link to download or edit We Stand with PENGON signs.
• War on Want resource on Barclays.