RCOT and our role in the world

We are all very concerned and pained by the continuing conflict in Gaza and Israel with the increasing loss of innocent lives and the rapidly deepening humanitarian crisis. We welcome the news that a short ceasefire and release of some of the hostages has been agreed.  

We know that members care deeply about what is happening in the world, as do our members of staff. And that there is a growing feeling that RCOT should be doing more, and saying more, in response to the difficult times in which we find ourselves. 

The challenge is being able to create statements and establish positions that adequately and democratically reflect the views of our 36,000 plus members. 

RCOT’s Council and senior leaders are acutely aware of this challenge. The need to consider whether and how we respond to future conflicts and geopolitical events is a priority for Council and will be discussed at their next meeting.  

Council would welcome members’ views on this. We will be exploring how best to gather these to inform our discussions. For now we encourage you to share your thoughts in this form. Once these discussions have taken place, we will have a clearer position on how to respond to global events. Until we’ve had those discussions we won’t comment further on current or future global events. We hope that members understand that this is a very complex matter, and we want to be able to reflect members' views authentically.  

While we’re consulting and considering our position, we want to assure members that we are absolutely committed to supporting human rights, occupational justice and ensuring that all our members can practice in a safe and inclusive environment, free from antisemitism and islamophobia or any other form of discrimination. These are key principles in our equity, diversity and belonging strategy.