Jewish and Israeli Leading Figures Call for Israel Sanctions, Accountability for Alleged ‘Violations of International Law’

Dozens of leading Jews and Israelis in the entertainment industry published an open letter this week that calls on world leaders to hold Israel’s leadership accountable for “violations of international law.”

The open letter, posted on Tuesday under the banner “Jews Demand Action,” is addressed to United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres, “presidents, prime ministers, heads of state and permanent representatives to the United Nations.”

The prominent Jewish and Israeli members of Hollywood requested that world leaders “turn the ceasefire into a just and lasting peace, ending Israel’s system of occupation and apartheid and thereby guaranteeing the future well-being of Palestinians and Israelis alike.”

“Apply the necessary pressure, end impunity, and hold Israel’s leadership accountable for its violations of international law. We come together to reclaim a Jewish ethic that is universal, learns from our history and guides our tomorrow,” they wrote. “Accountability for the Israeli leadership’s grievous violations of international law is necessary. It is time to do everything possible to definitively end the Israeli government’s collective punishment of the Palestinians and to pursue peace for the sake of both peoples … The monumental scale of the killing and destruction, the forced displacement, the deliberate withholding of life-sustaining necessities, and the ongoing criminal actions in the West Bank must end and never be repeated.”

Oscar-winning directors Jonathan Glazer and Yuval Abraham are among the many who signed the open letter, which also expressed support for the recent Israel-Hamas ceasefire, and the release of Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners. The group said it hopes the ceasefire would “end daily killing, destruction, displacement, and starvation in Gaza.”

“And yet there should be no doubt that this ceasefire is fragile,” they added. “Israeli forces remain in Gaza, the agreement makes no reference to the West Bank, the underlying conditions of occupation, apartheid, and the denial of Palestinian rights remain unaddressed.”

“It was international pressure that helped to secure this ceasefire, and it must be sustained to guarantee that it endures,” the group noted. “The ceasefire must be the beginning, not the end. The risk of reverting to a political reality of indifference to occupation and permanent conflict is too great. This same pressure must be continued to deliver a new era of peace and justice for all, Palestinians and Israelis alike.”

Others who signed the open letter include Emmy-winning actresses Hannah Einbinder and Ilana Glazer; author Gabor Maté; actors Morgan Spector and Wallace Shawn; Israeli comedian and activist Noam Shuster-Eliassi; and producers James Schamus and Libby Lenkinski. Daniel Levy; Lenkinski; Israeli author and businessman Avrum Burg; journalist Peter Beinart; Belgian politician Simone Susskind; and writer and activist Em Hilton initiated the open letter. Its publication comes two weeks after the ceasefire deal for the Israel-Hamas war took effect on Oct. 10. The two-year war started following the Hamas-led deadly terrorist attack in southern Israel, in which 1,200 people were killed and 251 others were taken as hostages back to the Gaza Strip.

“The need for redress long predates October 7th, 2023. The crimes committed by Hamas and other armed factions on that day horrified us. The Israeli actions that followed were unconscionable,” the letter further stated. The group also condemned Israeli leaders for justifying Israel’s military actions in Gaza during the war. “Israeli leaders have repeatedly taken to the world stage to declare that these actions are committed in the name of the Jewish people, as a manifestation of Jewish destiny. The Israeli government may claim to speak on behalf of the Jewish collective, but it does not speak for us,” they said.

The signatories stated that many aspects of international law protecting human life were originally created in response to the Holocaust. “Those safeguards have been relentlessly violated by Israel,” they claimed. “Accountability for the Israeli leadership’s grievous violations of international law is necessary. It is time to do everything possible to definitively end the Israeli government’s collective punishment of the Palestinians and to pursue peace for the sake of both peoples.”