Dear EASP members,

There has been much discussion within the academic community about the current crisis in Gaza and about the involvement of scientific associations. We, the Executive Committee of EASP, have been approached by members of our association who are concerned about these issues. In this message, we would like to share our position as the Executive Committee, and share concrete responses and actions.

We begin by mentioning that EASP is a diverse association and that our members do not agree on all matters. Likewise, the members of the Executive Committee do not agree on all matters, and academic freedom entails that all voices should receive attention and discussion. We, as your representatives, have discussed these important issues, and we also have the sincere aim to remain united as an association. These discussions therefore take time.

We have prepared a statement, which the majority of the Executive Committee has endorsed, in response to a recent call in The Lancet (De Vogli et al., 2025):

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Recent articles (Guillot et al., 2025; Khatib et al., 2024) have unequivocally documented the devastating impact of the ongoing war in Gaza, describing a genocide marked by a staggering reduction in life expectancy of over 35 years, the collapse of the health system, and widespread violations of international humanitarian law. The recent calls (by De Vogli et al., 2025, Kutlaca et al., 2025) urge the global scientific and medical communities in general, and psychology communities in particular, not to remain silent in the face of such atrocities and demand a reaffirmation of shared ethical principles by scientists worldwide.

The pervasive silence surrounding the crisis in Gaza is deeply concerning. The governments of many Western democratic countries remain inactive. Silence in the face of such atrocities legitimises and reinforces power asymmetries and signals social approval of injustice by failing to acknowledge and address harm (Tirion et al., 2024).

We recognise the critical importance of speaking out. We acknowledge the severe health, psychological, and social collapse occurring in Gaza and firmly condemn the ongoing genocide.

This is not a political stance by the association, but rather an ethical obligation rooted in the universal defence of human dignity. This position aligns with the principles enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the Convention on Genocide, and the UN 2005 World Summit Outcome Document, paragraph 138, which affirm the prevention and denunciation of crimes against humanity as a collective duty.

From a psychosocial perspective, silence in the face of systematic dehumanisation and the deliberate cultivation of contempt toward an entire people risks normalising such attitudes and enabling further atrocities (Tirion et al., 2024). Speaking out is, therefore, not an act of political alignment, but a moral necessity to uphold the values of justice, humanity, and the protection of all civilian lives.

While this statement focuses on the public health crisis in Gaza, we also acknowledge the pain experienced by Israeli hostages and their families. Recognising their suffering does not diminish the widespread destruction in Gaza, nor does it justify ongoing breaches of international law by the Israeli government. Every civilian, regardless of background or circumstance, deserves to be treated with dignity, compassion, and protection.

We hope for immediate international intervention, including a permanent ceasefire, unrestricted humanitarian access, and full legal accountability for all violations of international humanitarian law.

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As we noted earlier, the majority of the Executive Committee has endorsed the above statement. However, we need to note that some members of the Executive Committee, whilst sharing the hope for a peaceful resolution and protection of humanitarian law, do not endorse the terminology and some emphases of the above response. On a broader level, these members believe that it is not in the best interests of EASP to issue statements of this kind, for both internal (within our community) and external (vis-à-vis society at large) reasons. Some of these reasons were discussed in the panel on the role of scientific societies in addressing social issues that EASP organised in November 2024, including refraining from publishing statements beyond our scholarly reach, our inability to address all crises in the world and hence unfairly focusing on only a few, the risk of adding to an already polarised membership, and our lack of mandate to comment on behalf of the EASP membership.

We believe that sharing our statement, whilst reflecting on the diversity of perspectives, is the best way to represent our association at this point. Collectively, the Executive Committee of EASP firmly rejects all forms of racism, antisemitism, and Islamophobia. We are confident that within our community there is a strong and shared awareness of the importance of respecting diverse perspectives, especially when discussing sensitive topics. We are also confident that within our community there is the shared understanding that, in the best interest of our association, we should avoid polarisation and continue a respectful and open dialogue, even on topics that evoke strong emotions.

We would also like to share two immediate ways in which our members can become active (if they wish to):

1. Sign an open letter to the Presidents of the European Council, the European Commission, and of the European Parliament that has been prepared for social psychologists by several EASP members.

2. Join an online forum (social psychologists for Gaza) to discuss what actions social psychologists can take to voice and share their expertise. Our Executive Officer for Diversity will guide the secure participation of our (current and past) members. If you would like to be added to the forum, please email g.baysu@qub.ac.uk.

These actions continue the ongoing efforts of the EASP in this context. Since the eruption of the violence, we have been listening to all voices within our association and have been trying to identify ways to respond to the crisis which are in line with the EASP’s vision and our tasks as the Executive Committee. In January 2024, we expressed our concerns about the escalating violence in the Middle East. In this message, we asked our membership to suggest ways in which the EASP can support colleagues who have been affected by the crisis. We also reached out to an affected Palestinian colleague to discuss what kind of support they would appreciate from EASP. Further, we issued a call to support online teaching for Palestinian students in the field of community psychology, organised an online discussion on the role of scientific societies in addressing social issues, and invited scholars to share their views on this topic in our April 2025 Bulletin.

We appreciate the ongoing support of our members in these activities. We are also currently discussing other activities for our members.

With best wishes,

The EASP Executive Committee.