Dear Prime Minister, The Rt Hon Sir Keir Starmer KCB KC MP
We write to you more than 600 days into the brutal war between Israel and Gaza that has devastated so many lives. It is unthinkable that for over 600 days, 58 hostages have remained in cruel captivity used as bargaining chips. It is beyond anyone’s imagination that the lives of so many innocent people in Gaza could have been devastated to the extent they have.
As British Jews and Israelis living in the UK, we know all too well that members of the public can take a simplistic and unhelpful view of the situation and that at times these views can morph into antisemitism. We also know that the crimes that Hamas committed on October 7th and their stronghold over the people of Gaza deserve to be condemned to the fullest extent, when often they are not.
Yet, this must not stop us from making it clear that there are many members of our community who are horrified by the continuation of the war.
The continued bombardment of the Gaza strip, the withholding of humanitarian aid and now its resumption in only the most basic form is wholly unacceptable and runs against the grain of the values we hold dear as Jews. We refuse to stand idly by whilst so much innocent life is lost, the hostages are abandoned, and the living are left devastated in conditions which are entirely unliveable.
We know the continuation of this war has nothing to do with bringing back the hostages. Ministers within the Israeli government have made it clear time and time again this is not their priority. We know it no longer has anything to do with security for Israel - there have been enough people with decades of security experience in the most senior positions in the Shin Bet, the Mossad and the IDF - who have been on the record for months making the point that the continuation of the war will not bring security to the people of Israel.
What we do know is that ministers in the Israeli government have made it clear through their public statements that they wish to empty Gaza of its population, and that they believe that innocent people in Gaza deserve to be punished because of Hamas’s sickening and deplorable behaviour. We take them at their word. These ministers are not marginal extremists as some in our community like to paint them. They sit at the very heart of the Israeli government, and we vehemently reject what they stand for and the ideology they represent.
Whilst we will never be pleased to see Israel come under severe international pressure and criticism, we feel compelled to write to you to express our support for the UK’s decision to take robust action in recent weeks in an effort to bring this war to an end. Without international action the war will continue unabated bringing more suffering and misery on Israelis and Palestinians alike.
There must be a ceasefire that results in a permanent end to the war and a full return of the 58 hostages to Israel. This is the only outcome that can allow the hostages to be returned and for bodies to be given a proper burial and for those still living to try and rehabilitate. It is the only way that the people of Gaza can properly access the aid they need and can attempt to piece together their shattered lives. And it is the only outcome that can set the region on a different path that leads to a long-term safe and secure future for Israelis and Palestinians. Those who suggest only one nation can live freely between the river and the sea are extremists, not the majority.
We thank you for your leadership.
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