This week marks 600 days since the 7th October 2023. On that date Hamas murdered more Jews than in any day since the Holocaust. It is a date seared not just in the memory but in the very soul of Israelis and Jews around the world. Now, nearly twenty months on, 58 hostages are still in captivity in Gaza, although some tragically no longer alive, and tens of thousands of Palestinians are dead. We see the pictures of those hostages still captive, in our synagogues and community spaces; we see pictures of Palestinian children who have been killed or at risk of malnutrition and starvation across the media. And it is heartbreaking.
The actions of the Netanyahu and the far right members of his Government has been a calamity – and it is getting worse. Starvation as a government policy can never been excused or justified. Yet last month defence minister, Israel Katz, stated “Israel’s policy is clear: no humanitarian aid will enter Gaza.”
The Jewish Labour Movement’s belief in social justice, at home and abroad, is fuelled by both our Jewish and Labour values. They are intertwined. In the Talmud (Sanhedrin 37a) it states: “Whoever saves a single life is considered by scripture to have saved the whole world.’ As Rabbi Janner-Klausner made clear, we reject the cruelty of the denial of food and humanitarian aid to Gaza as a tool of warfare: and are distraught at the desertion of the hostages there.
We are Zionists, we believe in Israel, but we utterly reject the actions of Prime Minister Netanyahu in placing his political survival above the needs of the country. As the families of the hostages said in a statement to mark the 600 day milestone: “The Israeli Government is abandoning [the hostages] to maintain the integrity of their coalition…Our families have become the victims of cheap politics at the hands of the Prime Minister.”
Events in the Middle East, have repercussions for Jews wherever and however they live. Antisemitic attacks are on the rise, sometimes with deadly consequences. Last week two young people were murdered in the US by a man shouting ‘Free Palestine’. Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Miligrim were targeted at an event at a Jewish museum that was focused upon fostering dialogue and peace. Here in the UK, we have seen antisemitism spike to unprecedented levels since records began – with some of those people and organisations who claim to advocate for Palestine unable and unwilling to do so in a way that isn’t antisemitic. Our community is more fearful and uncertain as a result.
The challenge before us can feel overwhelming or intractable. But there are signs of hope. In Israel, huge numbers of people, led by members of the hostage families, are taking to the streets to challenge the actions of their Government. We have seen Israelis put their own lives at risk by protesting against the violence of settlers in the West Bank and courageous of Gazans demonstrating against Hamas. It is this strength that can provide us with hope and direction. It is these voices that we need to listen to – including for release of all the hostages, immediate humanitarian aid into Gaza and a ceasefire as the start of a long term roadmap towards what we all desire – a two-state solution.
