A Message from our ED and our Board President

We are deeply disturbed by the resumption of Israeli airstrikes in Gaza yesterday, killing over 400 people, and to see that Minister Itamar Ben Gvir has rejoined the Netanyahu government. Bibi’s failure to engage in good faith in negotiations to secure a second-stage ceasefire agreement that allows for the release of all remaining hostages and an end to the war in Gaza is a craven attempt to preserve his own political power and the most right-wing, ultranationalist government in Israel’s history, over the lives and safety of Israelis and Palestinians alike.

Prior to this resumption of military action, we have watched in horror as humanitarian aid delivery has again been suspended for these last two weeks in Gaza, alongside a dramatic and cruel cutoff in clean water and electricity. Israel has made it explicit that it is pursuing a model of collective deprivation as part of its negotiating strategy. Regardless of the status of military operations, international law unambiguously requires that sufficient humanitarian aid, water, and electricity must be allowed to reach the civilian population in Gaza, and both international bodies and the Israeli Supreme Court have agreed that it is Israel’s responsibility to ensure this. 

This war will end — and security and peace for all inhabitants for the region will be achieved— only through a diplomatic resolution. We endorse the plan formulated in Cairo recently by a number of Arab states and international actors to ensure a swift end to the war with the release of all hostages, and an end to Hamas’ ability to act as a ruling power in Gaza or elsewhere, democratic elections for new  leadership in Palestine, a meaningful global investment in rebuilding Gaza, and ultimately establishment of a Palestinian state alongside a secure Israel. Arab states, including Saudi Arabia, accepted primary responsibility for reconstruction and its estimated $53 billion price tag. France, the United Kingdom, Germany, and Italy have endorsed this plan. Shamefully but predictably, the United States and Israel have rejected it.

 We must recognize that the Arab peace plan is the only one in sight that provides security for Israel, meaningful self-determination for Palestinians, and a shared vision for the Middle East.  A peace plan overseen in cooperation with regional leaders and predicated on security and a removal of Hamas would free Israel to begin to heal from the horrors of October 7th, 2023 and their aftermath.  It is in the best interest of Israelis, Palestinians, and all who care for them to publicly recognize that this plan contains all the essential ingredients for a lasting Middle
East peace.

Rabbi Margo Hughes Robinson, Executive Director 
Paul Scham, Board President, Partners for Progressive Israel