The sanctions were also condemned by the Jewish Leadership Council, which said the measures could place a “target” on British Jews, and the Board of Deputies, which expressed a “deep sense of anguish” over the announcement.
Rabbi Josh Levy and Charley Baginsky welcome attendees before Shabbat (Photo: Simon Marcus)[Missing Credit]
But Rabbis Baginsky and Levy said Jewish leaders have a “responsibility to make that diversity visible, not to place those who disagree beyond the communal boundary”.
They warned that Israel’s future was being shaped by settlement expansion and settler violence.
“Love of Israel cannot require us to reach only for qualifications and euphemisms when confronting what is being done in its name,” they said.
“We stand for Israel’s security and future, Palestinian freedom and dignity, and the right of both peoples to national self-determination. We reject BDS, including attempts to introduce it by the back door. We oppose occupation, settlement expansion, Palestinian dispossession and settler violence.
“For us, these are part of the same commitment: that Israelis and Palestinians might live in security, freedom and peace.”
While acknowledging that sanctions “are a clumsy tool” and “almost certainly not a perfect mechanism” that could “have unintended consequences and strengthen the very extremists they seek to constrain,” the rabbis warned that criticism of sanctions should not mean “looking away” from wrongdoing in the West Bank.
If sanctions are to be rejected by communal leaders, they “must offer more than condemnation,” they went on.
“We must say how settlement expansion will be opposed, what consequences should follow settler violence and dispossession, and how we will support Israelis and Palestinians working for democracy, dignity and peace.
“On the ground, settlements continue to expand, Palestinians are being dispossessed, and settler violence takes place with the protection, encouragement or indifference of the state... The possibility of Palestinian self-determination is being deliberately closed down.”
Responding to warnings about the safety of British Jews, the rabbis continued: “Holding an Israeli government accountable for its actions does not cause antisemitism. Antisemites cause antisemitism.
“Palestinian rights and international accountability cannot be made contingent upon the good behaviour of antisemites.”
They also recognised the “vulnerability” of British Jews but said “measures directed at Israeli settlements are not the same as an attack on Jews. We should take care not to collapse the distinction between them,” adding that confronting these issues was part of their Judaism.
“The High Holy Days do not ask us first to account for the failures of other people. They ask us to examine our own deeds, our own community and the choices made in our name.
“To ask these questions is not to withdraw our love or solidarity. It is part of teshuvah. If our Judaism cannot ask this of us, particularly at this time of year, then what is it for?”
Rabbi Wittenberg, meanwhile, released a statement on Wednesday in which he directly supported British government action concerning Israel’s presence in the West Bank.
The Masorti leader was visiting the Palestinian village of Umm al-Kheir when Miliband delivered his statement in the House of Commons and said he saw “the results of settler violence with my own eyes”.
Wittenberg said he shared the concerns of Anglo-Jewish leaders about antisemitism and the demonisation of Israel, as well as “the hate-driven brutality of Hamas, Hezbollah and the leaders of Iran”.
Describing Israel as “family” and saying he remained committed to it, he continued: “What is taking place today in the West Bank is a Chillul HaShem, a violation of God's name of the worst order. We cannot stay silent.
“This is terrible for Palestinian people who want to get on with their lives in peace. It is terrible for Israel. It desecrates the millennia-old good name of the Jewish People. It prepares the way for more and yet more conflict, suffering and grief, God forbid.
“Are we, who love Israel, who feel for the people here as for our family, who are deeply connected and deeply care, are we supposed to say nothing?
“We must speak out. We must do so out of deep concern for what is human and just, and for the sake of Israel and Judaism. We cannot turn away.
“It is possible to care deeply for our fellow Jews in Israel, be concerned for our own safety as Jews in the UK and believe that it is right that the UK government and allies take action to safeguard the lives of both Israelis and Palestinians.
“We do not all have to agree with everything that the British government chooses to do, but the time is for action. My plea is: 'Be on the side of healing.' We need healing for our fellow Jews and for our neighbours, for our shared humanity, for Hatikvah, hope.”
