UK’s top mosques to PM: end the siege on Gaza, stop arming Israel, recognise Palestine

Britain’s largest mosques and Muslim organisations have issued a powerful open letter to Prime Minister Keir Starmer, warning that the UK government’s inaction has enabled ongoing atrocities in Gaza. They also condemned the government’s refusal to adopt “a consistent, firm and principled stance in response to policies that have constituted collective punishment and potentially, war crimes with the ethnic cleansing of the civilian population in Gaza.”

Signed by 44 leading institutions — including East London Mosque, Birmingham Central Mosque, Finsbury Park Mosque and the Islamic Cultural Centre at Regents Park — the letter condemns the UK government’s “morally inexcusable failure” to prevent famine and mass civilian suffering in Gaza.

“For over eighteen months, we have witnessed harrowing scenes of intolerable human suffering and destruction in Gaza,” the letter reads. “It is abundantly clear, that contrary to international humanitarian law, Israel is using starvation as a weapon of war against a defenceless civilian population.”

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The signatories, which include many of Britain’s most prominent mosques and scholarly bodies, urged the prime minister to adopt four specific measures: an immediate ceasefire and release of captives; an end to the Gaza blockade; formal recognition of Palestinian statehood; and a halt to all arms sales to Israel.

They warn that the UK risks undermining its own professed commitment to international law and human rights by continuing material support to Israel while failing to demand accountability. The institutions assert, “The absence of meaningful diplomatic or humanitarian intervention and continued material support to Israel undermines the UK’s stated commitment to international law, justice and the protection of human rights.”

The letter insists that a two-state solution must be grounded in justice, not political expediency. “We must commit to a peace process grounded in justice, equality, and international law,” it says. The group calls for the recognition of the State of Palestine in accordance with international consensus and UN resolutions.

The institutions also highlight the deadly consequences of Israel’s use of starvation against Gaza’s two million Palestinians: “Thousands of malnourished and emaciated children and babies now face the prospect of inhumane, agonising and preventable deaths.”

Underscoring that international law must be applied universally and not selectively, the letter warns of the dangerous precedent of a legal double standard based on ethnicity or religion. “Human rights, non-discrimination, and anti-racism must be universal,” they stress.

The joint statement reflects growing pressure on the UK government from civil society and religious communities to end its support for what human rights experts and genocide scholars increasingly describe as Israel’s campaign of ethnic cleansing in Gaza.