Thousands of prominent Jews sign global letter calling for Netanyahu to end Gaza war and secure hostage releases

A protest letter, organised by an influential pro-Israel network, has accused Benjamin Netanyahu of pursuing policies doing “lasting damage” to the Jewish state and calls for him to end the Gaza war and agree a hostage deal.

The signatories –  who include the president of UJIA, Sir Trevor Chinn – also accuse the Israeli prime minister of pursing policies impacting on the security and unity of diaspora communities around the world.

The letter, already signed by thousands of prominent Jews – including Sir Mick Davis, Charles Bronfman and Dame Vivien Duffield –  is organised by the London Initiative network.

Already signed by 2500 people, those behind the “protest letter to PM Netanayhu from world Jewry” are looking to pick up a massive response when it shared within disapora communties globally.

Amongst its demands is a call for the Israeli government to “permanently restore and enable the provision of food and humanitarian aid to the Gazan population” and to end the war and bring the hostages home in a single deal, and to clampdown on extremist violence in the West Bank.

Damningly, the letter also cites the fact that members of Netanyahu’s government have used “language of racism, hatred and incitement without censure” adding such statements are “a moral abomination and a chilul hashem – a desecration of Jewish values and Israel’s founding principles. ”

It begins by stating:”We are members of Jewish communities around the world who passionately support the State of Israel as the national homeland of the Jewish people. Our solidarity is always with Israel and Israel’s citizens, never more so than since Hamas unleashed its barbaric attack of October 7.

“We are under no illusions about the actions and intentions of Hamas, other extremist forces and the states that support them, and we acknowledge the painful dilemmas any Israeli government would face in addressing these threats.

“Yet we also cannot escape  the fact that the policies and rhetoric of the government you lead are doing lasting damage to Israel, its standing in the world and the prospects of secure peace for all Israelis and Palestinians. This has severe consequences for Israel but also for the wellbeing, security and unity of Jewish communities around the world.”

But reflecting on the scenes in Gaza in recent weeks, it says:” Impeding aid when you took the decision to resume fighting in March was a moral and strategic disaster.

“It is not protesting that policy and its outcomes that hands a propaganda victory to Hamas but the policy itself.

“We do not deny the despicable role of Hamas in stealing aid and preventing its distribution, but nor can we reject the evidence of our eyes and ears as to the extent of the human suffering and the role of your government’s policies in it. As President Trump recently said about starvation in Gaza, ‘you can’t fake that.'”

The signatories accept that any attempt to negotiate hostage releases with “a depraved terrorist organisation is of course complex and fraught” but adds “any opportunity to release all the hostages must be seized, and prioritized above appeasing extremist members of your coalition.”

It also calls for Netanyahu to “provide assurances also that Israel will not seek to resettle Gaza or pursue or advocate any policy of expulsion of Palestinian civilians under any guise.”

Addressing the violence in the West Bank it adds:” If Israel’s military, when given the bold order by you, can send a missile through a window in Tehran to take out an Iranian general with unerring accuracy it surely has the ability to maintain order in the West Bank, prevent Jewish extremist violence, protect Palestinian civilians and apply the law.

“That it does not, suggests a lack of will. We therefore urge you to prevent attacks by settlers and their supporters and ensure arrests and prosecutions of those responsible.”

Condemning the use of extremist language by some in the Israeli government, the letter names Heritage Minister, Amichai Eliyahu, who recently boasted that “the government is racing toward erasing Gaza…Thank God we are erasing this evil…All of Gaza will be Jewish.”

It ends by saying that as “past, present and future leaders of Jewish communities we do not remain silent in the face of Israel’s external threats, but nor will we remain silent when we believe the policies of Israel’s own government are wrong, and endangering the resilience, security and sustainability of both Israel and world Jewry.”

“We will increasingly speak out and urge others in our communities, including the leaders of major organizations, to do the same,” adds the letter.

Former Tory Party chair Sir Mick is founding partner of the London Initiative, alongside Mike Prashker.

The group’s senior advisers include Michael Wegier and Nicola Cobbold.

Others signing the letter include Oscar-winning filmmaker Simon Chinn, Michael and Susie Gelman and Dr Jeff Solomon.

The letter can be viewed here https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScXJr3XEuyZbJ6wh5_b56pNoHglMNR4gpkvy7xi9deQczRXwA/viewform?pli=1