Jewish Dutch people turn against the Gaza War in petition: ‘I think it is loyal to take a moral position’

For Judith Belinfante, born in hiding in 1943, the size was definitively full. The Israeli hostages are still not all free a year and a half later and then that attack on the Palestinian auxiliary Konvooi last month. On Húlp providers, that just wasn’t possible. And of course, they had also become victims before, just like many other innocent civilians. « But the gel around it. »

‘Jews say no’ is the message petition of which she-author, former PvdA MP and former director of the Jewish Historical Museum-is the initiator with seven others. Among them are also sociologist Abram de Swaan and writer Chaja Polak. They call on the Israeli government of Benjamin Netanyahu to put an end to the war as quickly as possible and to stop ‘destroying the living environment of the Palestinians’. The petition has been signed more than a thousand times, among others by prominent Jewish Dutch people as former Vice-Prime Minister Lodewijk Asscher and comedian Micha Wertheim.

Does this petition come from a sense of powerlessness?

« I think in part for sure. We outside of Israel have no influence on the Israeli government. It is a nasty feeling that you can’t do anything, while what you see happen is terrible. We have often thought: we or will we not? It has to be now. »

But why only now?

« Of course, many people ask: why did it take so long? There is a number of things on it. I come from the atmosphere of the Holocaust, an atmosphere of silence, knowing that everything happened, but it didn’t have it. When I then found out what all happened, it was scaring.

« In that atmosphere it is difficult to lose Israel, a country that was founded as a place where something like that should never happen again. After the Jewish genocide, Israel was a counterweight, a positive influence. The meaning of Israel as a counterpart of fear and destruction makes you stay loyal for a long time. »

And now you no longer feel loyal?

« No, I think it is loyal to take a moral position. »

What did your personal development in the issue look like?

« What played a role for me, and that needed time, is the discussion about the Genocide question. For a long time you could not call it the best Wil according to all the definitions. I thought: I just don’t come along in that political discussion. But if you see how it just closes itself so terribly, that there is no way for people in Gaza. »

The petition has already been sent to the Prime Minister, to the Chamber, to the European Commission and European Council. What is the sequel, what is the goal?

« It’s a call, we don’t have to have too many expectations of it. We deliver an instrument with the petition, that’s why it is also translated into English, for other organizations in Europe to join. We know someone in the European Parliament for the Social Democrats who had assured us: if you make that petition, then we will talk about it. Israel what brings about, my Israeli friends are certainly happy with it. ”

At least it does something about your feeling of powerlessness

« This is indeed one of the few things you can do about it. I think it’s a big step to dare to dare and am happy that people pick it up. It is about the future. For me, at my age, I want the future to be the future for the younger generations. I want Israel to be a place again, not the fearful of young people.”

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