QUAKERS have become the first British church to state their belief that the Israeli government is committing genocide in Gaza. 

The faith group made the announcement during their annual gathering over the weekend, stating that “genocide and mass displacement are under way in the actions of the Israeli government and its military towards the population of Gaza.”

Last year, Quakers supported the findings of the International Court of Justice, which concluded that apartheid accurately described the situation in occupied Palestine and that there was a plausible risk of genocide in Gaza.

The “Meeting for Sufferings felt compelled to speak out following decades of direct Quaker witness and peace work in Palestine and Israel,” the statement said. 

“Over the last three months, we have witnessed the deliberate mass starvation of a people and dismantling of almost all life-sustaining systems within Gaza. 

“We have seen the forced movement of Palestinians and a stated intention to expel them from Gaza. 

“We have heard Israeli government ministers incite hatred against and dehumanise Palestinians. We have heard language and witnessed actions that cannot be justified and strike at the core of our common humanity.

“In a world where we are seeing cases in many countries of outrageous inhumanity, dehumanisation and the cruel actions that follow from denying the worth and dignity of all, what is being done in Gaza is no less terrible for not being unique. 

“Our long history of witness and peace work in Palestine and Israel gives us particular experience from which to speak on this issue.”

The statement reaffirmed that a “tenet of Quakerism that violence can never be the answer,” adding: “Peace can never be brought about by the systematic oppression of others.”