Jewish figures call for sanctions on 'Israel' over Gaza genocide
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Over 450 Jewish figures, including former Israeli officials, urge the UN to impose sanctions on "Israel" over its genocide in Gaza and violations of international law.
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Pro-Palestine activists protest at Lafayette Park across from the White House to mark the approaching one-year anniversary of the Israeli war on Gaza, Saturday, October 5, 2024, in Washington. (AP)
More than 450 prominent Jewish figures worldwide have issued a public call urging the United Nations and global leaders to impose sanctions on "Israel" over what they describe as “unconscionable” actions that meet the legal definition of genocide in Gaza.
Signatories to the letter include former Israeli officials, Oscar-winning artists, celebrated authors, and intellectuals, who have collectively condemned "Israel’s" conduct in Gaza, the occupied West Bank, and occupied al-Quds. The appeal coincides with an EU leaders’ summit in Brussels, where proposals for sanctions are reportedly being shelved despite evidence of ongoing human rights violations.
The open letter calls on world leaders to uphold rulings by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) and the International Criminal Court (ICC), halt arms transfers to "Israel", impose targeted sanctions, ensure humanitarian access to Gaza, and reject efforts to silence criticism of "Israel" as antisemitism.
“We have not forgotten that so many of the laws, charters, and conventions established to safeguard and protect all human life were created in response to the Holocaust,” the letter states. “Those safeguards have been relentlessly violated by Israel.”
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Signatories include former Knesset speaker Avraham Burg, former Israeli negotiator Daniel Levy, authors Naomi Klein and Michael Rosen, Oscar-winning director Jonathan Glazer, US actor Wallace Shawn, and Pulitzer Prize-winner Benjamin Moser.
The letter reads, “We bow our heads in immeasurable sorrow as the evidence accumulates that 'Israel’s' actions will be judged to have met the legal definition of genocide.”
Public opinion among US Jews shifts dramatically
The appeal comes amid a notable shift in public opinion among US Jews and the broader electorate. A Washington Post poll found that 61% of US Jews believe "Israel" has committed war crimes in Gaza, while 39% say it is committing genocide.
Among the general US population, 45% shared that view, according to the Brookings Institution. A Quinnipiac survey in August showed that half of US voters believe "Israel" is committing genocide, including 77% of Democrats.
'Solidarity with Palestinians is not a betrayal of Judaism'
Other notable signatories include Israeli conductor Ilan Volkov, playwright V (formerly Eve Ensler), comedian Eric André, novelist Damon Galgut, documentarian Yuval Abraham, and Israeli philosopher Omri Boehm.
“Our solidarity with Palestinians is not a betrayal of Judaism, then, but a fulfillment of it,” the signatories write. “When our sages taught that to destroy one life is to destroy an entire world, they did not carve exceptions for Palestinians. We shall not rest until this ceasefire carries forward into an end of occupation and apartheid.”
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West Bank violence, settler attacks, and lack of sanctions
According to Gaza’s Health Ministry, over 67,000 Palestinians have been killed and more than 167,000 injured since October 7, 2023. The UN estimates that 90% of Gaza’s population is internally displaced.
Two US senators, Chris Van Hollen and Jeff Merkley, who recently visited the region, accused "Israel" of executing “a systematic plan to destroy and ethnically cleanse Palestinians from Gaza,” with US complicity. Their findings described the destruction of civilian infrastructure and deliberate obstruction of humanitarian aid.
The ceasefire agreement declared on October 10 has been undermined by continuous violations. Palestinian media reported that "Israel" violated the truce 80 times within 11 days, killing at least 80 Palestinians. Meanwhile, the Israeli military accused Hamas of breaching the agreement by killing two Israeli soldiers in Rafah.
Ceasefire excludes West Bank despite rising violence
Critically, the ceasefire does not address conditions in the West Bank, where violence by illegal settlers persists. The UN documented over 3,200 Palestinian injuries from attacks in the West Bank in 2024 alone. In one incident, a masked settler assaulted a 55-year-old Palestinian woman harvesting olives, a moment captured on video.
According to the Israeli civil rights group Yesh Din, only 3% of settler violence cases between 2005 and 2024 resulted in convictions. Despite this, Donald Trump lifted limited sanctions imposed by Joe Biden on violent settlers and associated groups.
The ICJ issued a new ruling earlier today clarifying "Israel’s" legal obligations in the occupied Palestinian territories. This follows a July 2024 advisory opinion declaring the occupation unlawful. However, despite internal findings by the EU’s diplomatic corps indicating that "Israel" is breaching its human rights commitments under the EU-"Israel" association agreement, European foreign ministers are reportedly retreating from proposed sanctions.
