OPINION: Communal leaders must stop normalising the actions of the Israeli government
We Democracy, a diverse group of Israelis living in the UK, write to urge the community to join Sunday's anti-Netanyahu demo in central London
We are writing to call on the British government and British Jewish community to take a stance.
We’re a diverse group of Israelis living in the UK, watching from afar as our loved ones continue to be put at risk by Israel’s far-right government.
We urge you to join us at our protest at Whitehall (across from Downing Street), this Sunday at 11am. Join in solidarity with families of hostages, pro-democracy and anti-war protesters in Israel.
Events of the past week have included the Israeli Government’s decision to unilaterally breach the ceasefire agreement with Hamas by unleashing a full scale attack on Gaza, which resulted in the killing of hundreds of Palestinians, many children and women among them.
Prior to that, Netanyahu decided to fire the head of the Shin-Bet – an organisation which is investigating illegal ties between Netanyahu’s senior aides and Qatar.
With the war back in Gaza, Itamar Ben-Gvir, the leader of the ultra-right party, has rejoined the coalition, which is working to pass a disastrous budget at the end of the month. The real aim of this war is the survival of Netanyhu’s government, nothing else.
As the hostages who were released and the families of those still in Gaza have said again and again: military pressure and collective punishment on Gaza has been a disastrous failure.
Not only has it failed to bring the hostages home, it puts their lives at risk. 59 Israeli hostages remain in Gaza.
More bombs, more humanitarian pressure, more threats – won’t save the hostages. It’s been tried and tested, and failed. The war will not bring back the hostages. Hostage families are protesting daily in Israel – they oppose the war as do the majority of the Israeli public.
We are expressing the views of the mainstream – at least 70% of the Israeli public support the ceasefire and return of all hostages.
With Hamas in Gaza significantly weakened due to the war, Israel’s Government is refusing to discuss plans for the ‘day after’, such as the Arab-league backed Egyptian plan for the post-war reconstruction of the Gaza Strip.
The illusion of ‘total victory’ over Hamas just motivates more and more young Gazans to join and back Hamas, as they cannot see any other alternative. The war will not provide security for Israelis or Palestinians.
Israelis living in the UK are not blind to what is really happening and it is incredibly frustrating to see that Jewish communal leaders and political leaders continue to normalise the actions of the Israeli government. More broadly, the vast majority of British Jews also oppose Netanyahu and his government.
In a survey conducted a few months ago, only 12% among British Jews approved of Netanyahu and 78% believe that he prioritises his own personal interests over those of the state of Israel.
The events of the last week make it clear that Netanyahu and his government are prioritising their own survival at the expense of lives in Gaza, whether these are Israeli hostages or uninvolved Palestinians. The war does not serve any interests of Israelis and Jews in the diaspora.
Israel has many friends in the UK – in parliament, in government and in the Jewish community. We need our friends in the UK to speak and act in a way that acknowledges the severity of the situation – Israel is on the verge of democratic collapse while many lose their lives in the interests of corrupt politicians.
We need our friends to carry out an intervention. Those at the helm in Israel are not just making reckless mistakes, they are purposely hurting our democratic foundations and putting lives at risk. Condemnations and statements aren’t enough. You must act now to stop them!
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