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A young woman in a hijab walks among the rubble of Jabalia's destroyed buildings
Airstrikes and ground operations by Israeli forces have caused widespread destruction in Gaza’s Jabalia refugee camp. Photograph: Haitham Imad/EPA
Airstrikes and ground operations by Israeli forces have caused widespread destruction in Gaza’s Jabalia refugee camp. Photograph: Haitham Imad/EPA

Members of leading British Jewish body condemn Israel’s latest actions in Gaza

Signatories from Board of Deputies say in open letter that ‘Israel’s soul is being ripped out’ and they ‘cannot turn a blind eye’ to loss of life

Members of the Board of Deputies, the largest body representing British Jews, have said they can no longer “turn a blind eye or remain silent” over the war in Gaza.

In a significant break with the board’s customary support for the Israeli government, the 36 signatories to an open letter published in the FT say “Israel’s soul is being ripped out”.

Since the war began after the terrorist atrocities committed by Hamas against Israelis on 7 October 2023, statements by the Board of Deputies of British Jews have been broadly supportive of the Israeli government.

But the letter, signed by about one in eight of the board’s members, is highly critical of recent actions by the Israeli government.

It says: “The inclination to avert our eyes is strong, as what is happening is unbearable, but our Jewish values compel us to stand up and to speak out.”

Last month, after a pause in fighting during which dozens of Israelis held hostage in Gaza were released, the Israeli government “chose to break the ceasefire and return to war in Gaza … Since then, no hostages have returned. Hundreds and hundreds more Palestinians have been killed; food, fuel and medical supplies have once again been blocked from entering Gaza; and we are back in a brutal war where the killing of 15 paramedics and their burial in a mass grave is again possible and risks being normal.

“Such incidents are too painful and shocking to take in, but we know in our hearts we cannot turn a blind eye or remain silent at this renewed loss of life and livelihoods, with hopes dwindling for a peaceful reconciliation and the return of the hostages.

“This most extremist of Israeli governments is openly encouraging violence against Palestinians in the West Bank, strangling the Palestinian economy and building more new settlements than ever … Israel’s soul is being ripped out and we, members of the Board of Deputies of British Jews, fear for the future of the Israel we love and have such close ties to.”

The letter adds: “Silence is seen as support for policies and actions that run contrary to our Jewish values. Led by the families of the hostages, hundreds of thousands of Israelis are demonstrating on the streets against the return to war by an Israeli government that has not prioritised the return of the hostages. We stand with them. We stand against the war … It is our duty, as Jews, to speak out.”

One of the signatories, Philip Goldenberg, a lawyer, said the Israeli government had “absolutely adopted the Trump playbook”, including demonising those who disagreed with it. “That is not what Israel is about,” he told the BBC’s The World at One.

There was a “whole range of views” among British Jews, “and there are those who think we should not have done this”, he said. There were others who shared the views expressed in the letter but “don’t want to put their heads above the parapet”.

What was happening in Gaza was “a total breach of Jewish ethical values”, he added. “More damage is being done to the Zionist project by Netanyahu than Hamas could ever achieve.”

A spokesperson for the Board of Deputies said other members would “no doubt put more emphasis on the fundamental responsibility of Hamas for this ghastly situation and the need to ensure that they are prevented from ever repeating the heinous crimes of 7 October”.

Within the diversity of views among British Jews, “however, there is much unity”, the spokesperson added. The UK Jewish community wanted to see Hamas release the remaining hostages, aid flowing in to Gaza and “definitive progress towards lasting peace and security for Israelis, Palestinians and the wider Middle East”.

More on this story

More on this story

  • Israeli minister met David Lammy on ‘private’ visit to UK, Foreign Office says

  • No plans to allow any aid into Gaza, says Israeli minister

  • ‘Keeping people alive’: Gaza’s last working bakery forced by Israel to keep on moving

  • Hundreds of former Mossad operatives criticise Israel’s return to war in Gaza

  • Airstrike destroys parts of Gaza City hospital as Israel intensifies offensive

  • IDF unit involved in Gaza paramedics’ killing was under command of brigade led by notorious Israeli general

  • Gaza City strike kills at least 23 as Israel reportedly plans to seize Rafah

  • Gaza medic deaths just the latest in Israel’s long history of changing its story over civilian killings

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