search
Jill Jacobs
CEO of T'ruah: The Rabbinic Call for Human Rights

Why American Jews must protest Netanyahu

Today, a small number of zealots wield power in Jerusalem and over the fate of the Jewish people. It’s time to stand up to them.

The Talmud tells the following story about the Roman conquest of Jerusalem: The city had been besieged. Three wealthy and righteous men stepped up to offer their storehouses of goods to the desperate residents. Between them, they said, there is enough wheat, barley, oil, wood, and salt to last 21 years–long enough to outlast the Roman siege.

But a group of zealots had a different idea. They argued that the people should go to war with the Romans. The sages, the earliest rabbis, tried to dissuade them, warning of the devastation and defeat that would come of such a move.. But the zealots burned down the storehouses, forcing the starving people into a doomed battle and centuries of exile. (Gittin 56a)

Today’s zealots, though likewise small in number, control the Israeli government and are enabled by their leader, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. These Jewish extremists are willing to burn down any number of storehouses in order to force perpetual war.

Prior to October 7, Israel’s extremist government waged a war against democracy, pursuing plans to weaken the judiciary, expand settlements, and formally annex the occupied territories without granting citizenship to Palestinians. Since October 7, they have legalized settlements, destroyed more homes in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, voted against the future establishment of a Palestinian state side-by-side with Israel, and dispatched police to carry out violence against protesters, including families of hostages.

This Wednesday in Washington, DC, American Jews have the chance to join Israelis to protest Prime Minister Netanyahu’s address to Congress, where he has colluded with Republican leaders to politicize support for Israel and to shut down critiques of the conduct of his forever war. Every American Jew who cares about the future of Israel — and about the safety and dignity of Israelis and Palestinians — should take part in these protests if they can.

Hamas bears full responsibility for the horrors of October 7, the inexcusable and unjustifiable murders, sexual violence, and kidnapping they carried out that day. And it is also true that the Israeli government bears responsibility for the intelligence and security lapses that allowed the atrocities to happen. Israelis know this. Billboards across the country proclaim, “You are in charge; you are guilty,” over a photo of Netanyahu’s face. Activists have dropped burned-out cars from the Nova festival near his home in Caesarea. Family members of hostages and of those murdered on October 7 have condemned Netanyahu daily in the streets and in the Knesset for prioritizing his political survival and the settlers’ apocalyptic goals over the lives of the hostages.

As Israelis also know, Netanyahu has been the primary block to achieving a ceasefire and hostage deal, which is the best hope of bringing home as many hostages as possible alive and returning the bodies of the deceased to their families for a dignified burial in Israel. This is why tens of thousands of Israelis, led by family members of hostages, are protesting every week in Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, and throughout the country.

Instead of pursuing a deal that would end a war that has already killed nearly 40,000 Palestinians and more than 1500 Israelis, and that even high-level military experts say publicly can never be won, Netanyahu is sticking to his conviction that Israel must always “live by the sword.” Like the ancient zealots, he would rather destroy the country from within than pursue peace. As conflict with the Houthis in Yemen heats up, the northern border remains a war zone, and famine and disease kill more innocents in Gaza, the necessity of ending the war — for the benefit of both Israelis and Palestinians — becomes even more urgent.

This is why Israelis are out on the street protesting Netanyahu’s destructive government, and it’s why American Jews should join them in solidarity.

Some American Jews believe that we, who do not live in Israel, have no right to criticize or protest the government, especially when it comes to security issues. It is time to put this argument to rest once and for all. First, the very reason for international law and for human rights is to insist that what happens within one country concerns everyone. When Russia invaded Ukraine, for example, few objected to Americans who don’t live in either country protesting this massive violation of international law. Nor did most Americans complain when large groups turned out to protest former President Trump on his visits to other countries.

Second, American Jews who turn out to protest Netanyahu are doing so in solidarity with the majority of Israelis who support a ceasefire deal, and with the tens of thousands who are on the streets every week demanding a deal and new elections. And third, while liberal Jews agonize over whether to publicly oppose the government and the war, right-wing American Jewish and Christian funders shamelessly pour millions of dollars into advancing their own agenda in Israel, building settlements, undermining Israeli democracy, and spreading propaganda that dehumanizes Palestinians.

Others may worry that Israeli- and Jewish-led protests for a ceasefire and hostage deal and against the Netanyahu government will be conflated with nearby protests that are against Israel’s very existence as a state or that cross the line into antisemitism. But that’s all the more reason for joining clearly separate protests with a nuanced moral message, led by Israeli groups such as UnXeptable and Israelis for Peace, along with American Jewish organizations such as T’ruah (the organization I lead) and Americans for Peace Now.

We need not feed into the narrative that one must choose between false alternatives: that caring about Israelis means supporting this government’s war, or that caring about Palestinians and means vilifying Israelis and opposing the very existence of Israel. We must insist, loudly, that there is another way, one that recognizes the dignity, human rights, safety, and self-determination of both Israelis and Palestinians. Indeed, the only way forward is to end the war with a deal that frees the hostages, brings respite to the suffering of Gazans, and moves toward a long-term diplomatic solution in which both Israelis and Palestinians can flourish.

About the Author
Rabbi Jill Jacobs is the CEO of T’ruah: The Rabbinic Call for Human Rights, which mobilizes a membership of more than 2,300 rabbis and our Jewish communities to protect and advance human rights in North America, Israel, and the occupied Palestinian territories.
Related Topics
Related Posts