‘We bow our heads in immeasurable sorrow’ — prominent Jewish figures sign open letter condemning Israel
Jews Demand Action, a collective of prominent Jewish voices in politics, entertainment and academia, has issued an open letter addressed to world leaders, calling for them to pressure Israel to stop violating Palestinian rights.
The letter expresses the group’s relief at the implementation of a ceasefire in Gaza, but maintains that this is merely the first step on the path to lasting peace. It says the ceasefire is fragile and the agreement it is based “makes no reference to the West Bank, the underlying conditions of occupation, apartheid, and the denial of Palestinian rights.”
Saying international pressure was what forced Israel to stop its violent campaign, the letter asks that similar pressure be applied towards achieving permanent peace for both Israel and Palestine. The writers said they “bow [their] heads in immeasurable sorrow” at Israeli actions amounting to genocide and that they hadn’t forgotten how many of the laws, charters and conventions Israel violated.
Asserting that the state of Israel does not represent its signatories and their Jewish values, the letter called on businesses, labour unions, civil society and the leadership and member states of the United Nations to:
- Respect and abide by the decisions of the International Court of Justice, arrest warrants issued by the International Criminal Court and oppose efforts to undermine the legitimacy of both bodies.
- Refuse any complicity in the committing of war crimes by Israel against Palestinians, including in arms and commercial trade.
- Take all necessary measures to enable a surge of humanitarian assistance to Gaza and a full withdrawal of Israeli forces.
- Refute false accusations of antisemitism against those criticising Israel.
Over 450 signatories to the letter include Emmy award winners Ilana Glazer and Hannah Einbinder, Academy award-winning filmmakers Jonathan Glazer and Yuval Abraham and Pulitzer Prize-winning author Benjamin Moser. Actor Wallace Shawn, comedian Eric Andre, and authors Damon Galgut, Michael Rosen and Naomi Klein also signed the letter.
On October 9, a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas halted Israel’s brutal two-year campaign in Gaza, which saw over 68,000 Palestinians killed, as per reports from the Gaza health ministry.
Tensions continue to simmer as Israel’s legislature gave preliminary approval to a bill making Israeli law applicable in the West Bank — a move tantamount to an Israeli annexation of the Palestinian territory. The bill’s passing was strongly condemned by Pakistan and several other states, including the United States of America.
US President Donald Trump, who helped negotiate the ceasefire, threatened to pull all American support to Israel if an annexation of the West Bank goes ahead. Separately, the world court ruled Israel has a responsibility to ensure the needs of the Gazan people are adequately met.
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