Attack on Israel: Statements

Today’s International Court of Justice’s (ICJ) order on provisional measures is outrageous. It does nothing more than promote South Africa’s slanderous and dangerous narrative that Israel is targeting Palestinian civilians in its military operation in Gaza, masked in the language of international law.

Following reports of the involvement of a number of UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) employees in the October 7 Hamas attacks against Israel – and sixteen UN member states pulling economic support from the agency – the UN commissioned a report, released this week, on the agency’s management and adherence to UN principles.

American Jewish Committee (AJC) welcomes the House of Representatives’ strong bipartisan vote in support of H.Res. 288, a resolution calling on Europe to stand against the Iranian regime’s destructive behavior around the world by designating the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) a terror organization.

It is outrageous that the resolution adopted today by the United Nations Security Council – by a vote of 14-0, with the United States abstaining – demands “an immediate ceasefire for the month of Ramadan” without unequivocally linking that action to its further demand for “the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages,” and, unforgivably, fails to condemn Hamas’ brutal terrorism.

Israel’s fight against Hamas is part of a larger battle that affects us all. Hamas is supported by Iran and is protected in international fora by Russia and China. Today, Russia and China defended Hamas’ interests at the UN Security Council. Those demanding an immediate, unconditional ceasefire willfully ignore that it is Hamas terrorists who stand in the way of an end to the war.

American Jewish Committee (AJC) today applauded both President Joe Biden and a bipartisan group of members of Congress for reaffirming the United States’ commitment to bringing all the hostages home from Gaza and sharing the stories of those still being held in captivity by Hamas.

American Jewish Committee (AJC) today applauded the House of Representatives for its clear-cut condemnation of Hamas for its use of sexual violence including rape as a weapon of war on and since October 7. H.Res.966, passed by an overwhelmingly bipartisan vote of 418-0-1, also calls on the international community to hold accountable the perpetrators of this violence.

South Africa’s outrageous case against Israel at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) was dealt a major blow today, as the Court plainly rejected South Africa’s request for Israel to be ordered to cease its defensive military operation against Hamas in Gaza.

For the past two days, the world has been forced to listen to the hearings at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in the outrageous case filed by South Africa accusing Israel of committing genocide against Palestinians in Gaza.

The Israeli motto of the moment is #BringThemHomeNow, translated to or from the Hebrew, “Machzirim otam ha-bye’tah akhshav.” But the Hebrew and English are not exactly the same, and the difference is instructive.
The English, perhaps a call to the world, is a demand of others: do whatever you – diverse government, civic, and faith leaders, influencers - can do to bring the hostages home. But the Hebrew is more profound – it actually means, “We are bringing them home now.”

Since the horrific attack by Hamas on Israeli civilians on Oct. 7, journalists, pundits and some national leaders have pointed out, almost in passing, that Hamas is supported by Iran. Despite this fact, Iran seems to have escaped serious scrutiny and any measure of responsibility for the ongoing terror it has unleashed in Israel, Gaza and the region. That needs to change; Iran must be held accountable.

American Jewish Committee (AJC) released the following statement after University of Pennsylvania (Penn) President Liz Magill stepped down from her post.

This week, more than 110 Ibero-American and U.S. Jewish leaders unanimously endorsed American Jewish Committee’s (AJC) Santiago Declaration, reaffirming their regional commitment to fight antisemitism, stand by Israel in its war against Hamas, support democratic values and human rights worldwide, and promote continued collaboration. The Strategic Forum for Leaders of Ibero-American Jewish Communities, convened December 3-5 by AJC's Arthur and Rochelle Belfer Institute for Latino and Latin American Affairs (BILLA) and hosted by the Jewish Community of Chile, brought together diplomats, political leaders, and representatives from civil society from 13 countries for discussions on current relations with Israel and rising global antisemitism, among other topics.

Tuesday’s congressional hearing was shocking and disappointing. After nearly six hours of testimony in which the university presidents from Harvard, MIT, and Penn made clear their schools’ commitments to free speech and academic excellence, they could not bring themselves to affirm that calling for the genocide of the Jewish people constitutes a violation of their institutions’ codes of conduct.

At first glance, the wars in Israel and Ukraine seem unrelated and bear little similarity. One is a rapid-response counterterrorism operation, the other a years-long, multi-front defensive action focused on reclaiming and protecting sovereign territory.

Since the Hamas attack on Israel, we have seen disturbing headlines, videos, and even arrests made on college campuses across the country due to an alarming surge in antisemitism. As we justifiably focus on how to ensure the safety of Jewish university students, we cannot forget the need to combat antisemitism in K-12 schools as well. 

The American Jewish community is reeling not just from the shock of Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack but also from the explosion in domestic Jew hatred it has provoked. Antisemitic vandalism, harassment, intimidation, and violence, including an incident last week where Queens high school students rioted over a teacher attending a pro-Israel rally, have skyrocketed across the country. Personal relationships have been shattered by the realization that some friends support Hamas.

American Jewish Committee today welcomed the U.S. House of Representatives’ unanimous passage of a bipartisan resolution condemning the Hamas terror attack on Oct. 7 and demanding that Hamas immediately release all hostages and allow for their safe return home.

American Jewish Committee (AJC) welcomes today’s announcement of an agreement brokered by the United States, with assistance from Qatar, for the release of 50 of the hostages abducted by Hamas and other terrorists from southern Israel on October 7.

I have not been immune to doom scrolling Facebook, to post and repost in support of Israel. Much of what I read — the obituaries, the stories of those held hostage, the pain of parents and children — is deeply affecting, but one post stopped me in my tracks. A young woman whose bat mitzvah I had officiated at many years ago simply posted, “’Never Again’ Doesn’t Have an Expiration Date.” In seven words she said it all.

When the Hamas attack on Israel unfolded last month, I watched, as many of us did, in sheer horror as the full scope of the terrorists’ depravity and barbarism was revealed.

Amid a global wave of antisemitic harassment, intimidation, and violence, more than 290,000 people from across the United States came together on Tuesday in Washington, D.C. to make clear that Americans stand with Israel and the Jewish community. The March for Israel made clear that we are united against terrorism, against antisemitism, and in our dedication to bring home every hostage being held by Hamas.

November 14, Jews from all across the U.S. will gather in Washington, D.C. for a pro-Israel march. Together, we will show our support for Israel, call for the release of the hostages, and rise against antisemitism. We will stand united for human dignity and against terror and hate. This moment transcends politics, generations, and religions.

Saving lives is a core mission of ZAKA—95% of whose volunteers are EMTs—and they are used to doing that under the most difficult of circumstances.

To those who failed to see our pain, please reconsider. For most Jews, this is the most vulnerable moment of their lifetimes

American Jewish Committee (AJC), the global advocacy organization for the Jewish people, is deeply disturbed by French President Emmanuel Macron’s comments, in a BBC interview released today, that Israel’s actions to protect its citizens from terrorists had “no legitimacy” and that Israel must stop killing women and babies in Gaza.

American Jewish Committee (AJC) today welcomed the U.S. Senate’s unanimous passage of a bipartisan resolution condemning the Hamas terror attack on October 7 and demanding that Hamas release all hostages and allow for their safe return home. The resolution, introduced by Senators Jacky Rosen (D-NV), Todd Young (R-IN), Cory Booker (D-NJ), Marco Rubio (R-FL), Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Ben Cardin (D-MD), Bill Cassidy (R-LA), Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), and Mitt Romney (R-UT), was adopted on day 33 of the hostages being held in Gaza.

American Jewish Committee (AJC) CEO Ted Deutch and President Michael Tichnor this week returned from a solidarity mission to Israel during which they met with the Israeli government, spoke with family members of those being held hostage by Hamas, and visited with the injured, survivors, and victims' families of the October 7 attack.

American Jewish Committee (AJC), the global advocacy organization for the Jewish people, today welcomed the House of Representatives’ unanimous passage of H.Res.599, a resolution urging the European Union (EU) to declare all of Hezbollah a terrorist organization. Like Hamas, Hezbollah is backed by Iran – financially and materially.

Many faiths proudly have signs outside their houses of worship stating, “We’re open. Come on in.” Yet for the Jewish community, this is, sadly, not possible. The scourge of antisemitism has meant that synagogues must institute security measures rivaling that of international airports.

New York, NY, October 31, 2023 – American Jewish Committee (AJC), the global advocacy organization for the Jewish people, today categorically rejected a UN panel’s recent statement asserting a false equivalence between the horrific acts of terrorism targeting civilians committed by Hamas on and since October 7 and Israel’s defensive response to those acts in Gaza, as well as its determination that Israel’s use of military force to respond to Hamas’s attack was illegitimate.

Families of those being held hostage by the Hamas terrorist group are sharing their heartbreaking stories with Congress.

Hamas, at the time of this writing, had so far freed only four hostages, an American mother and daughter and two Israeli women, ages 79 and 85, all for what the group called humanitarian grounds. Its begrudging benevolence is a start; but it is not nearly enough. All of the hostages must be immediately released.

The spectre of Iran continues to loom over the Hamas attack on Israel. Being the de facto bank for armed militias and terrorists throughout the Middle East has been part of Iran's stock-in-trade for decades. Written by Simone Rodan-Benzaquen, Director of AJC Europe

American Jewish Committee, the global advocacy organization for the Jewish people, issued this statement following remarks from UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, who said the Oct. 7 attack on Israel by Hamas terrorists "did not happen in a vacuum."

American Jewish Committee (AJC) today decried the failure of a UN panel to identify the October 7 mass murder of Israelis by Hamas as a terrorist act and protested its “false equivalence” of the Hamas attack and Israel’s self-defensive actions.

American Jewish Committee, the global advocacy organization for the Jewish people, today was joined by more than 110 Jewish organizations from more than 40 countries in urging the United Nations and all governments to take swift action to secure the immediate and unconditional release of the estimated 200 hostages being held by Hamas after its terror massacre against Israel on October 7.

The New York diplomatic community—including envoys from 60 nations--joined American Jewish Committee (AJC), the global advocacy organization for the Jewish people, for a solidarity rally today with Israel to condemn the Hamas massacre of more than 1,200 Israelis and the kidnapping of more than 200 people.  

American Jewish Committee (AJC), the global advocacy organization for the Jewish people, is urging members of the United Nations Security Council’s (UNSC) to issue a condemnation of Hamas’s terror attack against Israel following the body’s emergency session Sunday. AJC welcomes statements from individual Member States expressing solidarity with Israel and urges key UN bodies and other multinational institutions to follow suit.