Protestors called for a ceasefire during a rally in Brooklyn in November. A group of five New York City politicians last week penned an open letter calling for an end to the war in Gaza.
File photo by Jada Camille
Five Jewish politicians from New York City — including two hailing from Brooklyn — penned an open letter last week calling for an end to the war in Gaza and condemning the actions of the Israeli government.
“All parties in this conflict need to commit to finding a path to peace through negotiation for the sake of our communities, for the rights of Israelis and Palestinians, and for the real and lasting security of the State of Israel,” the letter reads.
The signatories — state Sens. Liz Kreuger and Brad Hoylman-Sigal and Assembly Member Harvey Epstein, who all represent Manhattan; Brooklyn Council Member Lincoln Restler; and City Comptroller Brad Lander, who formerly served as a council member in Park Slope — said their position is rooted in their “deepest Jewish values, honoring the life, dignity, and safety of all people.”
In the letter, the pols said Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack — during which militants killed roughly 1,200 Israelis and took more than 200 hostage — was “monstrous and indefensible.” They said they themselves lost loved ones, and demanded Hamas release the more than 100 living hostages still in Gaza.
“We also join with the families of the remaining hostages in continuing to call on the Israeli government to do everything in its power to ensure the safe return of the remaining hostages,” the letter reads. “The reality is this will only happen through the same active negotiations that brought home the first 112 hostages. Those negotiations must be the critical highest priority.”
But, they said, the Israeli government “cannot continue the mass destruction of Gaza and the killing of Palestinians who are trapped in a war zone with no possibility to flee to safety.”
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