NEW YORK – On Friday, the Israeli air force killed longtime Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah with a series of airstrikes on Beirut. Over the past two weeks, Israel has assassinated many high-ranking Hezbollah officials. These attacks in densely populated areas have killed a reported 1,000 people and left thousands injured and hundreds of thousands displaced. Since October 8, and including this week, Hezbollah has attacked Israel with thousands of rockets, requiring the evacuation of more than 60,000 residents of northern Israel. Yesterday, Israel made ground incursions into southern Lebanon.
T’ruah: The Rabbinic Call for Human Rights reacted to Nasrallah’s death by affirming that Nasrallah — a terrorist responsible for the deaths of thousands of Israelis, Syrians, Lebanese, and other civilians — and the other high ranking Hezbollah officials were legitimate targets, who knowingly endangered civilians by establishing their meeting space under an apartment building. Bases in southern Lebanon from which Hezbollah has been firing on Israel are similarly legitimate targets. At the same time, T’ruah mourned the Lebanese civilians caught in the crossfire, warning that their tragic deaths, along with the injuries to Israelis today, foretell the human losses to come if there is a new war with Hezbollah, which is unlikely to bring safety to anyone in the region. They urged international actors to move quickly to prevent a potentially catastrophic wider regional war.
Rabbi Jill Jacobs, CEO of T’ruah, said:
“For many, Nasrallah’s death will feel like a measure of justice. He was a terrorist responsible for some of the worst atrocities perpetrated against Israelis, Lebanese, Syrians, Americans, and Jews elsewhere in the world. He had the blood of thousands of innocent people on his hands. Since October 8, Hezbollah has been firing rockets into Israel on a nearly daily basis, forcing the displacement of more than 60,000 Israelis from their homes for almost a year.
“Hezbollah bases, tunnels, and leaders are no doubt legitimate targets, particularly after a year of rocket fire into Israel, and threats of incursions into Israel. But this is cold comfort to the families of Lebanese civilians killed over the last 12 days. Their tragic deaths should serve as a warning that escalation, including the potential for direct conflict with Iran, will endanger everyone in the region. The injuries to Israelis, including civilians and soldiers, along with threats of an Iranian ballistic strike on Israel, offer a warning of the severe price that Israel may pay for an expanded war. A full-scale war with Hezbollah has the potential for catastrophic consequences for the people of both Israel and Lebanon. The two disastrous previous wars in Lebanon, in 1982 and 2006, should demonstrate to both parties the need to learn from the past and seek to quell tensions. There is no question that Hezbollah engages in terror, has disregard for human life, and seeks to wipe Israel off the map. But the current leadership of Israel has demonstrated again and again that they cannot be trusted to carry out a war legally and ethically, or to prioritize the lives of their own citizens, let alone Lebanese civilians.”
“Maimonides wrote that war should never be waged without first offering peace (Hilkhot Melachim 6:1). It is now past time for this war to end. We encourage the U.S. and other members of the international community to step up efforts to achieve a ceasefire that includes an end to hostilities on both sides, and the withdrawal of Hezbollah north of the Litani River per UN Security Resolution 1701, so that Israeli and Lebanese residents displaced from their homes along the border are able to return. We call on Prime Minister Netanyahu to prioritize the safety and well-being of his citizens by committing to a ceasefire in Lebanon and a deal in Gaza that would bring home the hostages and is the best possibility for restoring calm to the region.”
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T’ruah: The Rabbinic Call for Human Rights brings the Torah’s ideals of human dignity, equality, and justice to life by empowering our network of over 2,300 rabbis and cantors to be moral voices and to lead Jewish communities in advancing democracy and human rights for all people in the United States, Israel, and the occupied Palestinian territories.