We must speak out to stop the humanitarian crisis in Gaza

A statement circulating in the Australian Jewish community declares, “Australian Jews cannot remain silent about the war in Gaza”.

Positioning themselves firmly as Jews who “share a deep concern for Israel’s future” and want all the hostages home, the signatories express their concern for the suffering of Palestinians and their solidarity with the tens of thousands of Israelis demonstrating weekly against the Netanyahu government.

“We know that many in our community have been reluctant to publicly criticise Israel, hoping the war will end soon. But what is happening in Gaza is so catastrophic to Palestinians and Israeli hostages, that any constraint against open criticism is no longer tenable,” they write.

This statement, which is still collecting signatures, represents the position of an increasing number of Jews, both in Israel and in the Diaspora.

We have reached a tipping point where the devastation of Gaza is so widespread and the human suffering so disturbing that many Jews can no longer support the war.

We at The Jewish Independent came to the conclusion more than 12 months ago that it was time to stop. We published an editorial entitled “It’s time for the Israel-Hamas war to end" which argued Netanyahu’s stated aim of “total victory” is a delusion and that the cost of continuing the war, for both Gaza and Israel, is too high.

A year ago, this was a controversial position in the Jewish community. Many people believed that Israeli forces needed to continue to further remove Hamas’ presence in Gaza and that civilian casualties were a tragic but necessary adjunct of the campaign to protect Israel from terror.

There is far less support for the war now, within the international community, in Israel, or among Diaspora Jews.

International governments, including Australia, have expressed their deep concern about the humanitarian situation.

Prominent Israelis, including a former defence minister and chief of staff, have condemned the way the war is being conducted. There is strong evidence that a majority of Israelis oppose the current strategy. In a survey conducted earlier this month, 61% of respondents said ending the war and freeing remaining hostages should be the priority, rather than the government’s priority of destroying Hamas; and 54% said they believed the war had been expanded for political, rather than security, reasons.

There is no strategic or security imperative which justifies continuing military operations in Gaza and certainly not restricting the supply of much needed humanitarian aid.

The war against Hamas in Gaza began as a justified response to an unprovoked attack by genocidal terrorists who killed, raped, and kidnapped thousands of Israelis. It was necessary for Israel to defend itself by destroying Hamas’ military capacity in Gaza to prevent a recurrence of the horrors of October 7.

The key realistic strategic aim of disabling Hamas has been met. Most of the hostages have returned home and an immediate ceasefire is the only hope for the remaining living hostages.

Israel’s two-month blockade of humanitarian aid has caused unjustified harm and this week’s decision by the Israeli government to allow a "basic amount of food" is inadequate.

We oppose Israel’s continuation of the war because we care about Palestinians; because we want the killing to stop, the hungry fed and the injured treated.

And we oppose it because we care about Israelis; and we believe that the continuation of this war is harming the society that pursues it, damaging Israel’s standing in the world, and pushing the country further from the peace and security it wants.

These motivations are intrinsically intertwined. Israel is itself damaged by the harm it is inflicting on Palestinians.

Jews who speak up against Israel’s actions are frequently silenced or maligned within a community understandably inclined to close ranks when it is under attack.

This week, the Australian Jewish News refused to publish a paid advertisement calling for an end to the war. Editor Gareth Narunsky told the organisers that he was “not comfortable with it”.

The UK Jewish community recently suspended members of the Boards of Deputies executive after 36 members signed a letter to the Financial Times criticising the resumption of the war.

In France, high profile Rabbi Delphine Horvilleur has faced a torrent of abuse after criticising Israel’s denial of humanitarian aid. She wrote, “No pain is eased and no death is avenged by starving innocents or condemning children”.

Many Diaspora Jews are deeply torn between the need to speak out against the wrongs being perpetrated in Gaza and their attachment to Israel and understanding of the challenges it faces. The cognitive dissonance caused by this clash of values is deeply painful.

But Jewish tradition demands that we pursue justice. Indeed, the Talmud declares that when we fail to call out wrongdoing, we become liable for that transgression.

It is certainly true that there are many contexts in which criticism of Israel slides quickly into complete denial of the right of Jewish people to our own homeland – and beyond that often into the marginalisation and abuse of Jews that culminates in the growth in antisemitism that we have seen across the Diaspora since October 7.

But that is a reason to speak up – not to keep quiet. When Israel is wrong, we need criticism that is couched within belief in its fundamental rights, which does not allow the wrongs of the Netanyahu government to become what defines Israel. If we leave criticism of the war to anti-Zionists, we risk losing much more than this battle.

Jews who choose to speak out are not traitors and they are not “feeding antisemitism”. Belief in Israel as the Jewish homeland does not equate with support for its government, and care for Israelis does not preclude care for Palestinians.

Our tradition speaks to us clearly on this subject:  צֶ֥דֶק צֶ֖דֶק תִּרְדֹּ֑ף Justice, Justice, shall you pursue.