Open Letter to President Biden
We are deeply disturbed by the announcement that the Biden Administration withheld ammunition from being delivered to Israel last week. This breach of trust would be a serious betrayal at any time. But it is especially harmful when Hamas has been effective in manipulating public opinion while continuing to imprison and abuse Israeli hostages, and cynically manipulating hostage negotiations.
Mr. President, your Administration has provided important military and political support to Israel, and our organization has thanked you for that. And, on Tuesday, you said all the right things in your Yom Hashoah remarks about remembering the Holocaust, remembering the depravity of Hamas's atrocities, and standing by Israel "even when you disagree." You spoke forcefully against the explosion of antisemitism, including the outrageous Hamas supporters on university campuses with their libelous cries of "genocide" and violence against Jewish students and faculty.
But many of your Administration's recent actions belie those words, because they have allowed Hamas, which started this war and committed war crimes against Israelis and Palestinians, to dictate the conduct and outcome of the conflict.
It is unthinkable under these circumstances that the Administration appears to be pressuring Israel and not Hamas. This is a failed strategy. The hostages remain in captivity and are subjected to horrific abuse, and there are serious questions about how many are even alive. Hamas's cruelty to the hostage families has been excruciating, unbearable. Israeli society and Jewish people everywhere are heartbroken.
Part of the answer should be for the U.S. and our allies to pressure Egypt to allow Palestinian civilians to temporarily shelter in the Sinai so they can be protected, and receive all the aid they need, while Israel carries out the indispensable work of destroying Hamas's remaining forces in Rafah. The cost to Egypt would be minimal and the benefits to humanity would be enormous.
With all of the pressure placed on Israel, Hamas leaders are emboldened to count on "world opinion" to save them from their rightful elimination and they seem to be succeeding. We believe the President of the United States should speak and act with clarity and strength the road to ending the Palestinian suffering must begin with the release of all Israeli hostages. Any other policy rewards and enables terrorist behavior.
As Holocaust survivors and descendants of survivors, we believe that your only proper course is to provide strong and decisive leadership to help Israel win this war and get back to the business of expanding its relationships with the Middle East countries that seek peace, security, and prosperity. Your actions must meet your words, Mr. President.
