Thousands of Jews from Israel and around the world, including dozens of prominent Jewish philanthropists and communal leaders, have signed a letter to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, condemning his government’s policies and rhetoric for causing “lasting damage” to Israel and Diaspora Jewry and calling for an end to the Israel-Hamas war.

“We are under no illusions about the actions and intentions of Hamas, other extremist forces and the states that support them, and we acknowledge the painful dilemmas any Israeli government would face in addressing these threats. Yet we also cannot escape the fact that the policies and rhetoric of the government you lead are doing lasting damage to Israel, its standing in the world and the prospects of secure peace for all Israelis and Palestinians,” the letter reads. 

“As past, present and future leaders of Jewish communities we do not remain silent in the face of Israel’s external threats, but nor will we remain silent when we believe the policies of Israel’s own government are wrong, and endangering the resilience, security and sustainability of both Israel and world Jewry.”

The letter specifically calls for a massive influx of humanitarian aid to Gaza, an end to the war there, a crackdown on settler violence in the West Bank and a commitment to not seek the forcible transfer of the Palestinian population in the West Bank or Gaza.

Among the more than 4,000 signatories from at least 18 countries who have so far signed the missive, were philanthropists Charles Bronfman — one of the founders of Birthright Israel — Michael Gelman, Susie Gelman, Dame Vivien Duffield, Sir Ronald Cohen and Marcia Riklis, as well as Rabbi Sharon Brous and UnXeptable founder, Offir Gutelzon.

The letter was initiated by the Israel-focused London Initiative, a network of liberal Zionists founded last year by Sir Mick Davis, a former top figure in the British Conservative Party, and British-Israeli activist Mike Prashker to encourage “liberal democracy” in Israel and act as an ideological counterweight to the country’s current right-wing government. 

In May, Davis initiated a similar letter, signed specifically by Jewish donors to Israeli causes, opposing a bill that would levy an 80% tax on foreign-government donations to Israeli nonprofits. 

This new letter, which was sent shortly after several Diaspora Jewish groups issued statements on the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and amid reports of Netanyahu’s government’s plans to occupy the territory, adopted a markedly sharper tone.

“We will increasingly speak out and urge others in our communities, including the leaders of major organizations, to do the same. This will include urging the communities and agencies with which we are associated to treat members and coalition parties who use language like that cited above as persona non grata within our communities,” the letter said. “We reject actions and language that are an affront to our history, values and traditions, to Israel’s own Declaration of Independence and to the rule of law.”

The letter also called for Netanyahu to condemn statements by members of his ruling coalition, citing recent comments by Israel’s heritage minister, Amichai Eliyahu, who, in late July, told a Haredi radio station that the Gaza Strip will be “erased” and made entirely Jewish. 

“Such statements are a moral abomination and a chilul hashem – a desecration of Jewish values and Israel’s founding principles,” the letter said. “Members of your government who use the language of incitement are eroding the standing of Israel as the national homeland of the Jewish people and undermining Jewish communities as we face a surge in antisemitic, anti-Zionist hate. … They undermine all our efforts to strengthen the connection to Israel of future generations of Jews.”

The sentiments shared in the letter also highlight diverging opinions among Diaspora Jewry regarding the war in recent months. According to a survey by the Jewish People Policy Institute in July, in the aftermath of the Iran-Israel war, a quarter of American Jews reported a negative change in their view of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “in recent weeks,” compared to 9% of Israeli Jews. In contrast, 36% of Israeli Jews reported a positive change, compared to 17% of American Jews.