22 October 2025
Prominent Jewish figures call for UN sanctions on Israel
Hundreds of prominent Jewish figures have signed an open letter calling on the United Nations and countries around the world to impose sanctions on Israel over its “unconscionable” conduct in Gaza, Jerusalem and the occupied West Bank, which they say amounts to “genocide.”
“We bow our heads in utter sadness as evidence continues to accumulate that Israel’s actions will meet the legal definition of genocide,” the letter reads. Guardian On Wednesday.
Former Israeli speaker also included among 450 signatories KnessetAvraham Berg, former Israeli peace negotiator Daniel Levy, Oscar-winning filmmaker Jonathan Glazer, American actor Wallace Shawn, British author Michael Rosen, Canadian author Naomi Klein, Pulitzer Prize-winning author Benjamin Moser and Emmy winners Ilana Glazer and Hannah Binder.
“Our solidarity with the Palestinians is not a betrayal of Judaism, but its fulfillment,” the signatories write. “When our saints taught that destroying one life meant destroying the entire world, they made no exception for the Palestinians. We will not rest until this ceasefire leads to the end of occupation and apartheid.”
The appeal comes ahead of a meeting of EU leaders in Brussels on Thursday, where reports suggest plans to impose sanctions on Israel may be postponed.
This opinion has changed among both Jews and non-Jews in the United States since the beginning of the Israeli military campaign in Gaza, launched in response to the deadly Hamas attack on October 7, 2023.
according to a Washington Post A survey conducted in September found 61% of American Jews believe Israel has committed war crimes against Palestinians in Gaza, while 39% think it has committed genocide.
“We do not forget that many of the laws, charters and conventions established to protect and defend all human life were created in response to the Holocaust,” the open letter reads. “Those safeguards have been consistently violated by Israel.”