We, the rabbis of the Zionist Rabbinic Coalition, spanning a broad spectrum of religious and political viewpoints affirm that our connection with the Land, People, and State of Israel is eternal and unbreakable, for it enriches our identities as Jews and Jewish leaders. We support and admire the efforts of our brothers and sisters to rebuild and revitalize our ancestral homeland, especially over these past years of rising anti-Israel and antisemitic vitriol, worldwide. This worrisome trend only confirms our age-old, righteous claim for a strong, secure, and peaceful Israel.
It is because of this commitment to a State built on principles of justice and peace, that we are heartbroken when we hear about incidents of unprovoked violence against Palestinians in Judea and Samaria (the West Bank). We acknowledge that there is much dispute over the frequency, context, original causes, extent of and claims about these incidents. However, no democracy, built on foundations of law and order, can tolerate vigilante violence against people and property, as a democracy is designed to protect the rights of all. Indeed, as Prime Minister Netanyahu himself emphasized, we must speak out and take action against extra-legal violence by Israeli citizens, “because we are a nation of laws, and a nation of laws acts in accordance with the law.”
While some among us believe that Jewish construction in the disputed territories is an obstacle to peace and coexistence, and others support our ancestral claims to those same territories, regardless of one’s perspective, violence against Palestinians undermines those ideals. It either reinforces the narrative that Jews are perpetrators of violence who do not seek peace, or it delegitimizes the authority of the State of Israel in that region when Jews act outside the law.
World media and online reportage do not help, for they often provide an inaccurate, exaggerated and distorted picture of the problem.
Recognizing that Israel is a just society, where criminal acts are firmly rejected as illegal and counter to the ideals on which the Jewish State is founded and governed, we call upon the government of Israel to treat these acts (however sporadic) as criminal acts.
We applaud the efforts to bring perpetrators who act with the intent to terrorize other inhabitants to justice and the unequivocal denunciation of such acts by the Prime Minister and the vast majority of the Israeli public, as they are an aberration to Israel’s ethos and should be subject to full prosecution under the sovereign law of the land.
We recognize and pray that these well-reported acts are few and far between and are recognized as illegal and treated accordingly. Peace may seem elusive in this moment – but we can (and must) do our part and assume our moral responsibility to bring about and encourage coexistence, peace, justice, tolerance and security for all who inhabit our beloved homeland.
Recommended for you:
Letter presented to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu by North American Unity Mission
Rabbinic Letter In Support of Israel during the Gaza War
ZRC Statement and Letter to Govt of Israel about Disruption at the Kotel on Tisha B’Av
ZRC Letter Calling Upon Rabbinical Schools to Include Ahavat Yisrael as a Criteria for Admission