The silence on what is happening in Palestine from the British Psychological Society and the Association of Clinical Psychologists is deafening.

We write as applied psychologists, psychology academics, therapists, trainees, assistants and students struggling to reconcile what is happening to the Palestinian people. What we are witnessing on our phones and TV screens is the real time whole scale destruction of human life in Palestine; an unfolding humanitarian catastrophe so extreme it defies words. Where is our collective voice as a profession when an entire nation has been bombed to the ground, civilians are shot at food distribution centres, and two million people starve to death? Is using our knowledge, training and influence to help prevent large scale trauma and adverse intergenerational mental health outcomes not our business? Do we only study the impact of trauma or treat the traumatised after the damage has been done? And from the safety of our domestic clinics? How do we ignore the cries of the people of Palestine begging us not to forget them as they die in front of our eyes?

Since the atrocities that Hamas committed on October 7th 2023, the Israeli Government has annihilated every Hospital, University and community in Gaza. Each day the death toll for civilians rises and the suffering becomes more extreme and unbearable. The torment in the cries of parents carrying the dismembered bodies of children through the rubble. The anguish of mothers struggling to feed malnourished babies from starved breasts. The psychosocial toll of the war crimes being committed is not abstract. It is visceral. It is etched into the minds and bodies of every child and adult in Gaza. This is not a war. It is the mass displacement, maiming and killing of civilians on a devastating scale. The lack of opposition to what is happening in Palestine is making the world increasingly unsafe for everyone. This trauma is collective, and it is global. 

As a profession we are no stranger to being complicit in acts of harm. At the same time we have a deep understanding of human responses and a rich history of helping people heal from trauma. We have constructed theories to help us understand the devastating impact of the dehumanisation of particular groups of people. We've contributed to the understanding of the importance of early attachment relationships and the first 1000 days of life to healthy and thriving societies. We also know that hurt people hurt people, and compassion not condemnation is the path forward. At the same time, the harm must stop.   

We also know the healing power of being seen and heard in the face of trauma and abuse. With this in mind the silence from our professional representatives about what is happening to the Palestinian people is not only deafening, but painful and potentially harmful. History teaches us that silence is complicity. We cannot continue to look away from the abject horror that is unfolding in Palestine. 

We call on the British Psychological Society (BPS) and Association of Clinical Psychologists UK (ACP-UK) to:  

1. Publicly condemn the mass killing and starvation of Palestinian civilians.

2. Demand an immediate and permanent ceasefire and the return of all hostages.

3. Demand the full restoration of humanitarian aid coordinated by the UN and NGOs.

4. Call for the UK government to stop selling weapons to Israel and enforce trade embargos when international laws have been broken

5. Express solidarity with humanitarian workers in Palestine. Demand the release of those wrongfully incarcerated, condemn their deaths.

6. Acknowledge the immense psychological and transgenerational impact that this escalating catastrophe will have on the Palestinian people. 

7. Demand the upholding of international laws by every nation involved in this crisis.

We are a profession that is grounded in care, compassion, responsibility, and integrity. If we cannot uphold these values when they matter most, then what do they mean?

Update 27/7/25 : We have had a request to add the Association of Educational Psychologists (AEP) to this list and will send this letter to them as well for comment.