Quakers have a long history of supporting peace and nonviolent solutions. The Quaker commitment to dialogue and diplomatic solutions led to the establishment of Quaker UN offices in Geneva and New York at the inception of the United Nations. Since that time, we’ve partnered with the UN to uphold the dignity and worth of all so that peace can flourish. 

Today, we continue that work. We stand firm in the belief that violence and military approaches will not produce lasting peace. Instead, instances of insecurity, injustice, and hostility must be solved through de-escalation, dialogue, and diplomacy.  

We call on all parties to the spiraling conflict between Iran, Israel, and the United States to prioritize solutions that have the potential to lay a path towards conflict transformation and peace. In these efforts, the UN, formed with the aim of saving “succeeding generations from the scourge of war”, has a role to play in supporting all actors to settle disputes through peaceful means. During the UN Security Council meeting of 22 June, the UN Secretary-General, António Guterres, called on UN Member States “to de-escalate and to uphold their obligations under the UN Charter and other rules of international law”. We echo these words and urge all nations and peoples to seek out alternatives to violence so that we can “try what Love will do”.