The Muslim Council of Britain condemns in the strongest possible terms Israel’s latest military strikes on Tehran, which have seen residential areas engulfed in flames and civilians once again paying the price. These attacks mark a dangerous escalation in a months-long campaign of unchecked aggression led by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who remains the subject of an International Criminal Court arrest warrant issued in November 2024.Instead of facing justice, Netanyahu has been emboldened expanding the conflict from Gaza and the West Bank to Damascus, Beirut, Sanaa, and now Tehran. His actions have not only breached the sovereignty of multiple nations but have also brought the region to the brink of a much wider war.
Dr Wajid Akhter, Secretary-General of the Muslim Council of Britain, said:
“This is the act of a genocidal regime dragging the world toward catastrophic war. Netanyahu, indicted for war crimes, unleashes terror with impunity while civilians burn – and Israel is handed a blank cheque. The UK Government’s silence is complicity. Enough with the double standards. If any other state had committed a fraction of these crimes, sanctions would be immediate. Yet Israel is shielded, indulged, and excused. The international community has failed again and again and history will remember this cowardice. Every delay, every deflection, every refusal to name the aggressor makes us all complicit. Justice demands more than words.”
Communities across Britain are horrified not only by the violence itself, but by the weak and equivocal response from UK officials. Foreign Secretary David Lammy’s call this morning for “all parties to show restraint” is both cowardly and morally bankrupt. There is no equivalence here. There is an aggressor, and there are victims.
With deep familial and trade links to the cities under bombardment, some British Muslims are not distant observers. Many are connected to this region, and are watching with growing horror as a regime already accused of genocide continues its campaign unabated.
It is time for Britain to stop turning a blind eye. The MCB again calls on the UK Government to take decisive diplomatic and economic measures, hold Israel accountable under international law, and work urgently to de-escalate this spiralling crisis.
[ENDS]