To the international psychological community and the esteemed professional organizations, including the International Union of Psychological Science (IUPsyS), the American Psychological Association (APA), and the European Federation of Psychologists' Associations (EFPA):
We, a group of psychologists from Israel, issue this urgent ethical appeal, in the face of the unprecedented atrocities unfolding in Gaza and the escalating danger to Palestinians in the West Bank. We feel a deep obligation to break the silence in Israel that has largely surrounded the ongoing destruction, starvation, and a war of annihilation, which we consider to be war crimes and a potential act of genocide. Silence, in the face of this reality, constitutes a severe ethical failure and passive complicity in the continuation of suffering, and it erodes the humanity of Israeli society by making us party to these actions.
We reiterate: Silence itself is a political act! The understanding that our professional practice is not detached from the social and political context, and from the horrific violence perpetrated in our name, compels us to act. Our lives in Israel and the lives of the residents of Gaza are inextricably linked – There can be no mental health in Gaza as long as there is no safe place or providing for basic needs; There can be no mental health in Israel as long as we are causing unspeakable physical and mental suffering across the border, while at the same time denying it or silently allowing it to take place.
The ethical principles that form the core of our professional work, as detailed in the relevant ethical codes, obligate us, as psychologists, to break our silence.
These principles, as outlined in the Universal Declaration of Ethical Principles for Psychologists, include, among others:
Respect for the Dignity of Persons and Peoples – This principle "recognizes the inherent worth of all human beings". It respects diversity among persons and peoples and includes fairness and justice in relation to persons and peoples.
Competent Caring for the Well-Being of Persons and Peoples – This "involves, above all, doing no harm", and also minimizing potential harm, and offsetting or correcting harm.
Professional and Scientific Responsibilities to Society – This imposes on psychology the responsibility to contribute to knowledge that improves the condition of individuals and society, and to conduct its affairs in accordance with the highest ethical standards, while encouraging the development of social structures and policies that benefit all persons and peoples.
Similar principles are also found in the APA Ethics Code of the American Psychological Association (APA), the EFPA Meta-Code of Ethics of the European Federation of Psychologists' Associations (EFPA), and even in the Professional Code of Ethics for Psychologists in Israel (IPA). Specifically, these codes also emphasize the principles of Beneficence and Nonmaleficence (doing no harm), Justice (fairness and equal access to psychological services), and Respect for People's Rights and Dignity.
We call upon the Israel Psychological Association (IPA), as a member of the International Union of Psychological Science, and in accordance with its commitment to the Professional Code of Ethics for Psychologists in Israel, to break its silence and voice a clear and unequivocal stance against the destruction, killing, and starvation occurring in Gaza. We previously reached out to the IPA to take a stand, but received no response. We recognize that most of the professional mental health organizations in Israel are heavily influenced by the prevailing Israeli consciousness, which makes it difficult for them to take a stand transcending this sense of victimhood. Therefore, they need you, the international community, to shake them out of their silence.
We call upon you, as international psychological associations and community, to recognize the severe collective trauma being inflicted, and to uphold your ethical obligations to act for human rights and the well-being of all people, regardless of religion, race, or nationality.
We urge you to join this clear call to the Israeli Association. However, our call extends beyond professional associations. We appeal directly to your governments and communities to exert pressure on the government of Israel. All of this is based on the central principle of "First, do no harm!".
Against the backdrop of our commitment as psychologists to protect the psyche and act for the well-being of all human beings, we demand a clear professional call for an immediate, complete, and unconditional cessation of the killing and starvation in Gaza, for the sake of the people of Gaza and the kidnapped Israelis.
We call on you to act immediately – whether through your professional communities or through your governments. It's time for empathy to move beyond feeling and become a foundation for responsible, active engagement.
Empathy is the cornerstone of mental health, but empathy without commitment to act is a betrayal of our profession. It becomes a hollow term rather than a call for action and disconnects us from our own humanity and from the people we are sworn to protect. To witness the suffering around us and remain passive is to deny our shared existence. For mental health professionals, such inaction is not only a failure to act—it is a betrayal of our most fundamental duty. We are taking responsibility, and we ask you to help us truly make an impact. Remember your fundamental commitment: not only to treat the psyche, but to protect it. Be silent no longer!
Signed, Silence Is A Crime Forum and 303 psychologists: