UK: Members of prominent Jewish group break with leaders to condemn Israel over Gaza

Dozens of members of the largest body claiming to represent British Jews have broken with the organisation's leadership over their stance on the war in Gaza.

In an open letter, 36 members of the Board of Deputies of British Jews (BoD) criticised the Israeli government for resuming its assault on Gaza, warning that "Israel's soul is being ripped out".

Published in the Financial Times (FT) on Wednesday, the letter is the first public show of opposition to Israel's war on Gaza from within the BoD.

Signatories urged the BoD, which has more than 300 elected deputies, to release a statement criticising the renewed offensive in Gaza last month, but the BoD has not done so.

"The inclination to avert our eyes is strong, as what is happening is unbearable, but our Jewish values compel us to stand up and to speak out," the open letter says.

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"Israel’s soul is being ripped out and we, members of the Board of Deputies of British Jews, fear for the future of the Israel we love and have such close ties to.

"Silence is seen as support for policies and actions that run contrary to our Jewish values."

'Most extremist of Israeli governments'

The letter criticises Israel's assault on Gaza and settler violence against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank, saying that "this most extremist of Israeli governments is openly encouraging violence against Palestinians in the West Bank, strangling the Palestinian economy and building more new settlements than ever".

It further warns that the Israeli police force is "increasingly resembling a militia and repressive laws are being advanced as provocative partisan populism is bitterly dividing Israeli society".

Harriett Goldenberg, vice-chair of the BoD’s international division, told the FT that while "some fear the appearance of disloyalty, we feel it is essential as British Jews to speak up".

She added: "Otherwise, we run the risk of being complicit. In Jewish history, silence is not a good thing."

The BoD said that it is a diverse organisation and "others would no doubt put more emphasis on the fundamental responsibility of Hamas for this ghastly situation".

"This diversity is not unlike the politics of Israel itself, whose rambunctious democratic culture sees a fierce exchange of views about these excruciating life and death issues."

This past September, the BoD slammed the Labour government for imposing a partial arms embargo on Israel and has consistently voiced support for Israel's war on the besieged Gaza Strip.

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