We are ‘We Democracy’ – a grassroots community of British Jews and Israelis living in the UK who care deeply about the future of Israel and about preserving its democracy.
We are writing following Board of Deputies President Phil Rosenberg’s column in the Jewish News out of profound concern pertaining to some of the claims he made.
In his column the President dismissed the public letter, which was published in the Financial Times and signed by 36 current members of the Board of Deputies, as unrepresentative.
But that does not reflect the reality on the ground.
As Israelis with families and friends in Israel, we are acutely aware of developments there: the voices calling for a ceasefire and hostage deal are louder, broader, and more urgent than ever.
For us, the deputies’ letter was a welcome sign: we finally felt that mainstream communal voices are standing in solidarity with the majority of Israelis – Israelis who do not support this far-right government, who want the war to end, and who want to see all hostages returned home.
Polls repeatedly show that around 70% of Israelis support a permanent ceasefire and a comprehensive hostage deal.
These are not fringe views. They are held by hundreds of former Israeli Air Force pilots, former Mossad officials, former ambassadors and diplomats, veterans of Unit 8200 and the Medical Corps, hundreds of former Police officers, Israeli academics, and thousands IDF reservists from elite units.
Gideon Moshe Sa’ar, Israel’s Foreign Minister, left with Phil Rosenberg, President, Board of Deputies of British Jews, right.
Just this week, letters were published in the Jewish News and in the Times from former leaders of the Israeli security establishment as well as by 250 hostage families and surviving hostages – calling for an end to the war and pointing out that the continued fighting is putting the hostages at risk.
Let us be absolutely clear: We condemn Hamas unequivocally.
Their attack on October 7th was brutal, inhumane, and must never be forgotten. Their treatment of the hostages, their use of civilians as shields, and their disregard for both Israeli and Palestinian lives are abhorrent.
Frankly, we should not have to make this disclaimer, but all too often Israeli government members and their allies in the far-right media accuse critics of strengthening Hamas.
And yet, we must also hold the Israeli government to account. It was Israel that refused to pursue the second phase of the negotiated ceasefire. It was Netanyahu who chose the return of Ben Gvir to his coalition and his political survival over bringing home 59 hostages.
Since then, hostages have continued to suffer, Israelis have been again targeted by missiles, and hundreds of Palestinian civilians – many of them children – have been killed. Gaza again faces starvation, reportedly worse than at any time since October 7th.
Aid to Gaza is explicitly and unashamedly blocked, exacerbating the suffering of Palestinian civilians. The Israeli government is fully aware that these actions endanger the hostages, who endure daily abuse with their lives hanging in the balance.
While it is clear that Hamas bears responsibility for hostage-taking, we also know that the Israeli government is refusing serious diplomatic proposals: as is well known, they have flatly rejected without any consideration the Egyptian plan, endorsed by the Arab League.
Moreover, the notion that Israel is close to ‘total victory’ is a lie that the Netanyahu government has been selling for at least a year now. Hamas has been weakened and Gaza has become largely unliveable, but there can be no ‘total victory’, and setting such an aim is guaranteed to bring more death and destruction to Israelis and Palestinians.
This war is not delivering safety – it is delivering devastation. And we all know how it will ultimately end: with diplomacy. Because in the end, it is the only path forward. The real question is, how many more lives – including those of the hostages – will be lost before we get there?
The article claims that ‘unity is strength’. But what does unity mean?
Does it mean staying silent as the most extreme government in Israel’s history dismantles democratic institutions?
Does it mean ignoring the hundreds of thousands of Israelis in the streets, demanding an end to the war and the return of the hostages?
Does it mean aligning with a leadership that serves a political and messianic agenda rather than the safety of its people?
When the President says that the Board stands with Israel, we ask: does it stand with its people and their interests, or with the corrupt, failed politicians who have abandoned them?
True solidarity with Israel means standing up for its democracy, for the Jewish value of pidyon shvuyim, and for those bravely resisting extremism.
It means listening to the Israeli majority, who are saying clearly: end the war and bring all the hostages home. NOW.
