Masorti rabbi joins over 400 signatories accusing Israel of using ‘starvation as a weapon’
Letter by UK, Israeli and US rabbis urges Israel to allow international aid into Gaza and end settler violence
More than 400 rabbis from across the UK, Israel, Europe, and North America have signed an open letter accusing Israel of using “the use and threat of starvation as a weapon of war” in Gaza and warning of a “grave moral crisis” facing the Jewish people.
The statement, co-authored by Senior Masorti Rabbi Jonathan Wittenberg, Boston’s Rabbi Arthur Green and Tel Aviv-based Rabbi Ariel Pollak, calls on the Israeli government to allow “extensive humanitarian aid into Gaza under international supervision,” bring hostages home “by all routes possible” and end “criminally violent” settler attacks in the West Bank.
Wittenberg, who signed in a personal capacity, told The Jewish Chronicle the letter was drafted by “people who love Israel” but want to see a change in how it conducts the war. Other British signatories include New London Synagogue’s Rabbi Jeremy Gordon, Liberal Rabbi Alexandra Wright, Reform Rabbi Larry Tabick and Finchley Reform’s Rabbi Jeff Newman.
The letter warns that “the Jewish people face a grave moral crisis, threatening the very basis of Judaism as the ethical voice that it has been since the age of Israel’s prophets,” and adds: “We cannot condone the mass killings of civilians, including a great many women, children, and elderly, or the use of starvation as a weapon of war.”
It argues that “the severe limitation placed on humanitarian relief in Gaza” and “withholding of food, water, and medical supplies from a needy civilian population” violate core Torah values, including the sanctity of life and the belief that “every person is created in God’s image.”
While affirming Israel’s right to defend itself and the legitimacy of its campaign against Hamas and Hezbollah, the rabbis say Israel must pursue a political solution and keep dialogue open “to lead toward a just settlement, ensuring security for Israel, dignity and hope for Palestinians, and a viable peaceful future for all the region.”
The letter follows a World Health Organisation warning that large parts of Gaza are “experiencing starvation”. Israel halted most aid convoys in March, citing theft by Hamas, but says aid is now being channelled through a new system backed by the US and the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation.
In a statement on Thursday, COGAT’s Gaza liaison head, Colonel Abdullah Halabi, denied Israel blocking supplies and blamed a “lack of cooperation from the international community” for delivery delays. “Approximately 1,000 trucks’ worth of aid are awaiting collection by the United Nations and aid groups,” he said, accusing Hamas of promoting a “famine narrative” to bolster its image.
Jewish News has contacted the Israeli Embassy in London for comment.
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