NEW YORK — On Wednesday, the eve of Israeli Memorial Day when eyes were turned elsewhere, the Israeli Supreme Court published a ruling supporting the legality of the eviction orders against thousands of Palestinians living in Masafer Yatta in the South Hebron Hills. T’ruah, a rabbinic human rights organization that represents over 2,300 rabbis and cantors and their communities in North America, condemned this cruel decision and warned of the humanitarian crisis that will most likely result from this forced transfer.
Rabbi Jill Jacobs, CEO of T’ruah, issued the following statement condemning the court decision:
“The Israeli Supreme Court’s decision to reject the Palestinian residents’ petition to remain in their homes, thus ending proceedings lasting more than 20 years, violates the most basic human rights protections and puts lives in immediate jeopardy. Thousands of Palestinians may now be forcibly removed from the declared ‘firing zone’ as a result of this decision.
“Forced transfer of people is a direct violation of international law, and is even defined as a war crime per the Nuremberg Charter. This decision is a cruel one, likely to uproot the residents of Masafer Yatta in order to expand and entrench occupation.
“This week’s Torah portion includes the warning “you shall not render unjust decisions” (Leviticus 19:15) as well as the famous verse, “the gerim who reside with you shall be as your citizens; you shall love each one as yourself, for you were gerim in the land of Egypt.” (19:34) As the week of Yom HaAtzma’ut comes to a close, the Jewish people — both in Israel and the United States — must remember the deep responsibility that accompanies the return to our ancestral land. This responsibility, as laid out by the Torah, includes establishing courts that treat every person equitably and justly, and ensuring that every single person in the land — Jewish or non-Jewish — has the same basic rights. With this callous decision, the Supreme Court abdicated its sacred responsibility.
“T’ruah has consistently opposed expulsions from neighborhoods in East Jerusalem and the West Bank for more than a decade. We have fought back against attempts by Jewish National Fund-Keren Kayemeth LeIsrael (JNF-KKL) to evict families, attempts by settler organizations to displace Palestinians for archaeological projects, and the transfer of U.S. donor funds to extremist organizations aimed at harassing Palestinians to leave their homes.
“T’ruah rabbis and cantors are committed to a just and secure future for both Israelis and Palestinians. We will continue to stand with our Israeli partners, including human rights and civil society organizations, as well as with Palestinian residents of Jerusalem, in their efforts to protest and bring legal challenges to immoral eviction efforts.”
T’ruah: The Rabbinic Call for Human Rights mobilizes a network of more than 2,300 rabbis and cantors from all streams of Judaism that, together with the Jewish community, act on the Jewish imperative to respect and advance the human rights of all people. Grounded in Torah and our Jewish historical experience and guided by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, we call upon Jews to assert Jewish values by raising our voices and taking concrete steps to protect and expand human rights in North America, Israel, and the occupied Palestinian territories.