It was with some surprise that I read the letter to the Financial Times signed by 36 members of the Board of Deputies of British Jews (BOD) attacking Israel’s continued war against the Palestinians in Gaza. Although they make up only one in eight of the total number of deputies, it was refreshing to see this, given the unity with which the BOD usually supports Israel, a foreign state, whatever it does.

The letter was headed “As British Jews we can no longer stay silent on the war in Gaza”. The signatories argued that “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.”

They suggested that “the most successful way of bringing the hostages home and creating a lasting peace is through diplomacy. By the end of the first phase of the second ceasefire and hostage release deal, 135 hostages had been released through negotiation, just eight by military action, with at least three tragically killed by the Israel Defence Forces.”

They are certainly right on this. It is also important to mention that the last hostages to be released by Hamas and Islamic Jihad saw freedom under the ceasefire agreement that Israel signed, but then violated. It continues to violate the agreement to this day, killing dozens of Palestinians, most of whom were seeking shelter in tents with little protection from the elements and no protection from Israel’s US-made bombs.

Whilst their main focus in the letter was on freeing the Israeli prisoners of war (“hostages”), the fact that they........

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