NEW YORK – After an order was signed allowing Israeli forces to enter the Homesh outpost in the West Bank and build settlements, T’ruah, a rabbinic human rights organization representing over 2,300 rabbis and cantors in North America, spoke out on the implications the move will have for safety and human rights in the region.
In a statement, Rabbi Jill Jacobs, CEO of T’ruah, said:
“This is a huge step backwards that paves the way for the government to move forward with even more illegal settlement expansion in the West Bank. When Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s far-right government overturned part of the 2005 Disengagement Law in March, we knew the result would be an increase in illegal settlement expansions. This most recent development legitimizes the establishment of a permanent Israeli presence in Homesh, goes against international law and undermines the human rights of all who live in the occupied territories.
“This move is just one example of what the extremist Israeli government is doing behind the scenes while the judicial coup dominates the headlines. Itamar Ben-Gvir’s visit to Temple Mount just days after the order was signed signals the government has no plans to stop their inflammatory actions and rhetoric anytime soon. If Israel’s government carries out their plans for a judicial overhaul, this type of behavior will only intensify under a system with no checks and balances.
“T’ruah stands in solidarity with the hundreds of thousands of Israeli protestors who have been fighting for democracy and peace for months, and we will continue to fight any attempts to weaken the rule of law, undermine human rights, or further entrench and expand occupation and annexation. We are glad the Biden administration has publicly denounced this action by Israel and hope they will continue to hold Netanyahu and his government accountable to their commitment to human rights and democracy.”
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.
