After the Israeli Security Cabinet unanimously approved a plan to expand Israel’s military operation in Gaza, including a long-term strategy to occupy the region, T’ruah: The Rabbinic Call for Human Rights forcefully denounced the decision as a moral disaster, with deadly consequences for Gazans and for the remaining Israeli hostages.
Rabbi Jill Jacobs, CEO of T’ruah, said:
“This is a dangerous and morally corrupt decision. With this vote, Prime Minister Netanyahu’s government has abandoned the remaining hostages, whom high level security and intelligence personnel say will have little chance of surviving an expanded military engagement, in order to pursue territorial gains and endless war. The Security Cabinet is also acting in opposition to the will of more than 70% of the Israeli public, who want the government to prioritize bringing home the hostages and making a deal to end the war. While Prime Minister Netanyahu may believe that Israel should always ‘live by the sword,’ the vast majority of Israelis — and certainly of Palestinians — do not.
“This news comes as Gaza enters a third month under total blockade by Israel, with no food, medicine, or other humanitarian aid entering the region, a form of collective punishment that violates international law. The IDF continues to bomb Gaza, leading to the deaths of hundreds of Palestinians, including children, since the ceasefire ended, on top of tens of thousands of deaths in the prior year and a half of devastation. The recent call up of thousands of reservists and resumption of a ground war will lead to even more death on both sides.
“Under this plan, Palestinians will be forced into the southern part of Gaza for an indefinite length of time. From there, Netanyahu and his cabinet members hope to force Palestinians to leave for third countries, with plans to resettle Israelis in Gaza. Let’s be clear: What they seek is nothing less than ethnic cleansing. This is a humanitarian and moral crisis.
“Instead of acting in line with the will of the Israeli people or with respect for international law or the civilians in Gaza, Netanyahu has once again prioritized only himself, doing anything to remain in power rather than face the consequences of his decisions. He and the far-right ministers he is beholden to are pursuing a disastrous, messianic vision of Greater Israel; ordinary Israelis and Palestinians are paying the price.
“Prolonging this war and occupying Gaza will not make Israelis safer. U.S. intelligence during the Biden administration estimated that Hamas has recruited nearly as many new members as have been killed over the course of the war. The end of the ceasefire has already led to new Israeli military casualties, and the occupation of Gaza would force even more young soldiers to risk their lives defending settlers.
“In the Torah, God warns the Israelites not to defile the Land of Israel, which they are about to enter, ‘for blood pollutes the land…in the midst of which I dwell.’ (Numbers 35:33-34) As punishment for bloodshed, the Talmud explains, ‘The Temple is destroyed and the Divine Presence leaves Israel.’ (Shabbat 33a) Today, the Land of Israel is filled with blood, of Israelis and of Palestinians, whose lives could be saved through negotiations and an end to war. This unnecessary bloodshed drives away the divine presence and pushes off redemption.
“For decades, T’ruah has brought rabbis, cantors, and seminary students to the West Bank, to learn about the cruelty of prolonged military occupation and the moral deterioration it causes to Israeli society. We have supported the efforts of Israelis and Palestinians in the region who know that a shared society and a negotiated political solution are the only ways forward and who have tirelessly pursued those goals. Expanding the occupation to Gaza would be a disaster and put these aims much further out of reach. The war needs to end for good so that Palestinians can begin to bury their dead, gain access to sufficient food and medical care, and rebuild their homes and their lives, and so that the hostages can return home, IDF reservists can return to their lives, and Israeli society can begin to recover from trauma. We know that ending the war is only the first step; any long-term diplomatic solution must include disarming Hamas and ending the occupation.”
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About T’ruah: The Rabbinic Call for Human Rights
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.