Israel, Palestine and your organisation: holding safe conversations

A note on scope and intent. This is a sensitive subject on which people hold deep, sincere and opposing views. This article takes no position on the political and legal rights and wrongs of the Israeli–Palestinian conflict. That is not the same as indifference to suffering (see below). It is only about how a faith-based organisation can hold conversations, and support those who wish to help, safely, lawfully and with care for every member. It protects equally against antisemitism and anti-Muslim hatred (also called Islamophobia), both of which are wholly unacceptable. It is general information and reflection, not legal advice — take professional advice on your specific situation.

Few issues are as painful, or as divisive, as the conflict between Israel and Palestine. Faith communities feel it acutely: members may have family in the region, may be grieving, may be frightened, and may hold strong and opposing views. Some will want to help, to give, or to discuss it together. Handled without care, these conversations can wound people, fracture a community, and expose an organisation to real legal and regulatory risk — and can give rise to antisemitism or anti-Muslim hatred. This guide is about doing it well.

Neutral on the politics, not indifferent to suffering

An important distinction sits at the heart of this. Choosing not to take a political side is not the same as pretending nothing grave is happening, and a faith community should never let its care shrink into a bland, evasive silence. It is honest — and right — to name the sheer scale of the human suffering this conflict has caused: the many thousands of innocent people, among them a great many children, whose lives have been lost or shattered, and the grief, fear and trauma carried by so many, here and there. A faith-based organisation can grieve every innocent life, be moved by suffering, and hold fast to compassion, human dignity and the hope of a just and lasting peace. What it can wisely leave to others — to citizens, governments and courts — is the contested political and legal argument about the conflict itself. Refusing to adjudicate that argument is prudent and lawful. Refusing to acknowledge suffering would be neither honest nor faithful.

Why this needs such care

Three things make this different from an ordinary disagreement:

• It is deeply personal. For many, this is not an abstract debate but grief, fear and family. Treat it as such.
• Two forms of hatred must be guarded against with equal vigilance. Both antisemitism and anti-Muslim hatred (Islamophobia) have risen sharply, and both are completely unacceptable — in your building, at your events and online. Protecting Jewish members and Muslim members alike is not optional (this connects to our guidance on security for places of worship).
• The legal and regulatory risk is real. Since October 2023, the Charity Commission has opened over 300 regulatory cases involving charities with differing views on the conflict and made over 70 referrals to the police. Its position is unambiguous: charities "must not become forums for hate speech against any community."

Ground rules for a safe conversation

If your organisation chooses to create space for discussion, set clear ground rules first:

• Protect people, not positions. The goal is not to reach a shared view, but to ensure no one is made unsafe, unwelcome or afraid.
• Zero tolerance for hatred — of anyone. Make explicit that antisemitism and anti-Muslim hatred (Islamophobia) are equally forbidden, and mean it.
• Distinguish debate from abuse. People may hold and voice strong political views; what is never acceptable is hatred, harassment, intimidation, or targeting people for who they are.
• Never blame the person in front of you. Don't hold individual Jewish or Muslim members responsible for the actions of any government or armed group.
• Listen, and make room for grief. Sometimes the most needed response is not argument but presence.
• Notice who is in the room. Be aware of power, of minorities, and of who may be frightened to speak or to be there at all.
• Agree in advance how you'll handle disagreement — and when to pause. It is wise, not weak, to step back from a conversation that is causing harm.

Handling differing views

Members will disagree, sometimes sharply — and that is legitimate. A leader's job is not to enforce one view, but to keep the space safe and respectful for all. Don't require conformity, don't let the loudest voice dominate, and take particular care of those who are personally affected — the bereaved, the frightened, those with family in the region. For them, this is not a debate to be won but a wound to be tended.

If your organisation wants to help or donate

Many faith communities will want to respond to suffering practically. That's good — but trustees have clear legal duties, especially where money crosses borders into a conflict zone:

• Give through experienced, registered charities with a track record of working in the region — the safest and most effective route.
• Do robust due diligence and monitoring. Trustees must take reasonable steps to know their partners and verify the end use of funds, particularly when working through local partners.
• Comply with financial sanctions. Check that individuals and organisations you deal with are not subject to UK sanctions.
• Guard against terrorist or extremist abuse. Trustees have a legal duty to take reasonable steps to ensure charitable funds cannot reach proscribed organisations.
• Stay within your charitable purposes. Humanitarian relief is usually fine; political campaigning is tightly limited — a charity cannot have a political purpose, and any campaigning must further its objects and follow the rules on political activity (CC9).
• Document your decisions, and read the Charity Commission's specific guidance for charities operating in the Middle East.

Staying the right side of the law

• Your premises, events and online channels must not become forums for hate speech or extremism — the Charity Commission is explicit on this, and unlawful speech can be a criminal matter.
• Be alert to hate crime and harassment. If it happens, act, record it, and report to the police where appropriate.
• Moderate your platforms — a charity can be held responsible for what happens on its premises and in its name, including online.

Caring for your community through it

• Acknowledge the pain openly — on all sides, without taking sides.
• Reassure every member of their safety and belonging, whatever they believe.
• Watch for the toll on wellbeing, and help people reach support.
• Draw on relationships across communities. Interfaith friendship, built in calmer times, is one of the strongest protections against a distant conflict tearing local communities apart (see interfaith conversations).

The bottom line

Faith communities cannot, and should not, pretend the hardest questions of the age do not exist, nor retreat into a false neutrality that looks away from suffering. An organisation can be honest about the human cost, and still insist that the conversation is held with dignity, safety and within the law — protecting every member equally from hatred, tending to those who grieve, giving wisely and lawfully, and refusing to let the conflict divide a community that should be a refuge for all. Compassion for the suffering and care for one's own community are not in tension; both are simply what faith asks.

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This article is general information and reflection, not advice, and takes no position on the conflict. Charity law, sanctions and hate-crime law are complex and fact-specific — take professional and legal advice, and report concerns to the police or the Charity Commission as appropriate. For help with the governance and compliance side, get in touch.

Sources verified (June 2026):

• Charity Commission — Charities operating in the Middle East: guidance and support for trustees — https://www.gov.uk/guidance/charities-operating-in-the-middle-east-guidance-and-support-for-trustees
• Charity Commission — Advice on how to help civilians impacted by the Israel-Gaza conflict — https://www.gov.uk/government/news/charity-commission-advice-on-how-to-help-civilians-impacted-by-the-israel-gaza-conflict
• Charity Commission — Charities must not become forums for hate speech over Gaza (300+ regulatory cases; 70+ police referrals; "hate speech against any community") — https://charitycommission.blog.gov.uk/2023/11/28/charities-must-not-become-forums-for-hate-speech-over-gaza/
• Charity Commission — Campaigning and political activity guidance for charities (CC9) — https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/speaking-out-guidance-on-campaigning-and-political-activity-by-charities-cc9