Jewish intellectuals call for sanctions on Israel

According to Israeli state television, KAN, hundreds of Jews, including Oscar and Pulitzer Prize winners, wrote a letter demanding sanctions against Israel.

More than 450 Jewish figures from the fields of culture, academia and politics demanded that Israel be held accountable for its crimes in the occupied Palestinian territories of Gaza, the West Bank and East Jerusalem, writing, "Our solidarity with the Palestinians is not a betrayal of Judaism, but its fulfillment."

The letter called on the UN and world leaders to impose sanctions on Israel for its "unimaginable" actions that constitute genocide in the Gaza Strip, and noted that Israel has repeatedly violated international humanitarian law.

The signatories called on world leaders to abide by the rulings of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) and the International Criminal Court (ICC), to refrain from complicity in violations of international law by halting arms transfers to Israel and imposing targeted sanctions, to ensure adequate humanitarian aid is provided to Gaza, and to reject "charges of anti-Semitism" against those who advocate for peace and justice.

Following reports that sanctions against Israel were planned to be lifted following a ceasefire in Gaza, the letter, published ahead of the European Union leaders' summit, included signatures from former Israeli Parliament Speaker Avrom Borg, former head of the peace negotiations team Daniel Levy, British author Michael Rosen, Canadian author Naomi Klein, Oscar-winning director Jonathan Glazer, American actor Wallace Shawn, Emmy-winning actresses Ilana Glazer and Hannah Einbinder, and Pulitzer-winning author Benjamin Moser.