In an open letter published Wednesday in The Guardian, more than 450 prominent Jewish figures from around the world called on world leaders and the UN to impose sanctions on Israel, accusing it of "unconscionable actions" in Gaza that they say amount to genocide.
"It is with great relief that we welcome the ceasefire, the release of Israeli hostages and Palestinian captives, and the hope for an end to the daily killing, destruction, displacement, and starvation in Gaza", the letter begins.
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Hannah Einbinder, Ilana Glazer, Yuval Abraham
(Photo: John Locher, AP, Evan Agostini/Invision/AP, Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP )
"And yet there should be no doubt that this ceasefire is fragile: Israeli forces remain in Gaza, the agreement makes no reference to the West Bank, the underlying conditions of occupation, apartheid, and the denial of Palestinian rights remain unaddressed."
The letter continues, "Our solidarity with Palestinians is not a betrayal of Judaism, then, but a fulfillment of it… We shall not rest until this ceasefire carries forward into an end of occupation and apartheid."
Signatories include Oscar-winning film-maker Jonathan Glazer and Yuval Abraham, former speaker of the Israeli Knesset Avraham (Avrum) Burg, Emmy winners Ilana Glazer and Hannah Einbinder, British author Michael Rosen, Canadian author Naomi Klein, US actor Wallace Shawn, Israeli conductor Ilan Volkov, playwright Eve Ensler, and American comedian Eric André.
Many of the letter's signatories have previously voiced opposition to Israeli government actions.
Last year, after Glazer took to the stage to accept the Oscar for best international film "The Zone of Interest", he said: “Our film shows where dehumanization leads at its worst… The Holocaust being hijacked by an occupation which has led to conflict for so many innocent people, whether the victims of October 7 in Israel or the ongoing attack in Gaza."
Einbinder, who won an Emmy in September for her supporting role in the series Hacks, concluded her acceptance speech with "Free Palestine."
The signatories urge world leaders to uphold international court of justice (ICJ) and international criminal court rulings, avoid complicity in international law violations by halting arms transfers and imposing targeted sanctions, ensure adequate humanitarian aid to Gaza, and reject false claims of antisemitism against those advocating for peace and justice."
"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 said. "Those safeguards have been relentlessly violated by Israel."