An open letter, signed by at least 460 Jewish and Israeli intellectuals, celebrities and political figures, calls on the UN and heads of state to address “the underlying conditions of occupation, apartheid and the denial of Palestinian rights” that are absent from US President Trump’s Gaza ceasefire agreement.

A group of prominent Jewish leaders and celebrities are calling on world leaders to hold Israel accountable for its actions in Gaza and to use the ceasefire with Hamas as a turning point toward a just and lasting peace.

In an open letter titled “Jews Demand Action” released on Wednesday, former Knesset Speaker and interim Israeli president Avraham Burg, former Israeli negotiator Daniel Levy, Canadian writer Naomi Klein and author Peter Beinart, are joined by at least 460 Jewish public figures urging sanctions on Israel and enforcement of international law.

The  letter, addressed to the UN secretary-general and global heads of state, marks the first co-ordinated appeal of its kind since the ceasefire took effect on 10 October.

“It is with great relief that we welcome the ceasefire,” the letter reads. “And yet there should be no doubt that this ceasefire is fragile: 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.”

Signatories include artists, authors and activists such as actors Ilana Glazer, Hannah Einbinder and Wallace Shawn, Oscar-winning directors  Jonathan Glazer and Yuval Avraham, comedians Eric André and Leo Reich and Pulitzer Prize-winning writer Benjamin Moser.

The letter urges world leaders to uphold international law, sanction those complicit in war crimes, ensure aid reaches Gaza and reject false accusations of antisemitism against advocates for peace and justice.

“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,” the letter says.

In a phone interview with Haaretz,  Burg explained his motivation for initiating the letter.

“Throughout the darkness in Gaza, I never stopped writing and defending my values. From this emerged a project I wholeheartedly support. We have reached a moment of existential rupture. My country now stands in conflict with my deepest human and Jewish values. Between a state apparatus that has been hijacked and the moral foundations of my people, the choice is clear,” he said.

In August, Burg  called on Jews worldwide to join a collective legal complaint at the International Court of Justice accusing Israel of crimes against humanity in Gaza, writing on his Substack, “We need one million Jews — less than 10% of the global Jewish population — to file a joint appeal to the Court in The Hague.

“I’ve come to realise I was wrong to think we were few. Thousands of Jews around the world have been waiting for this voice. What’s happening in Gaza and the occupied territories is not Judaism – it’s a horrific religious and fanatic mutation. We must stand against it, speak truth to power, and refuse to be silenced,” he added.

Levy, one of the initiators of the letter, told Haaretz the effort wasn’t about diminishing the atrocities of 7 October. “It’s about being clear-eyed – not only about what happened next, but about what had been neglected for decades: the refusal to pursue any political path to address and resolve permanent occupation. That could never lead to security or well-being,” he said.

The initiative is about finding other Jewish voices. “And they’re not hard to find,” Levy said. “They keep proliferating. Many have been deeply disgusted by what’s been done in the name of the Jewish collective, as if this is what we learned from Jewish history, as if this is our manifest destiny.”

The letter follows a recent  _Washington Pos_t poll showing sharp disapproval among Jewish Americans for Israel’s conduct in the war, with 61% saying Israel has committed war crimes against Palestinians in Gaza.

Despite the ceasefire, IDF strikes in southern Gaza have killed 44 people since Sunday, according to hospital sources.

“I think we’ll see more people unwilling to return to business as usual after this fragile ceasefire. They’re saying no – this has to change. We must fundamentally reclaim what we stand for. Because simply returning to the status quo of 6 October will only lead to more disaster. Pressure works. Accountability matters. We can’t just move on as if nothing happened,” Burg added.

“Throughout Jewish history, there were moments when the majority followed disastrous leaders blindly, and it was the few who stood against them who preserved this great and noble tradition. It has happened before, and it is our duty once again,” he said.

“The righteous minority must offer a lifeline to the misguided majority. To oppose the ideologies of Jewish supremacy and the leadership of a corrupt prime minister who sacrifices us all on the altar of his own selfish interests and lethal hubris.”

The release of the letter coincides with an EU summit in Brussels where leaders are weighing sanctions on Israel, and an International Court of Justice ruling on Israel’s obligations in Gaza, the West Bank and East Jerusalem. It also coincides with talks beginning over the second phase of Trump's ceasefire plan.

Republished from Haaretz, 22 October 2025

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