The Israeli public bears responsibility for what is happening just a few kilometers away, reads a petition
JERUSALEM — Around 2,400 Israeli artists and architects have signed two separate petitions demanding an immediate end to Israel’s starvation policy, forced displacement of Palestinians and war crimes in Gaza, Israeli media reported on Sunday.
The Walla news outlet said that approximately 1,000 Israeli cultural figures including prominent names in music, theater, literature and film signed a petition calling for “an immediate ceasefire in Gaza.”
“We, the artists of Israel, refuse to be complicit — against our will — in the atrocities committed in Gaza: the killing of children and civilians, starvation, displacement and the senseless destruction of Gaza’s cities,” the petition said.
“We appeal to decision-makers: Stop! Do not issue unlawful orders. Do not commit war crimes. Do not abandon ethical and humanitarian principles or the values of Judaism,” it added.
The petition concluded with a clear demand: “Stop the war. Bring the hostages home.”
A second petition, also reported by Walla, was signed by nearly 1,400 visual artists, designers and architects. It described the situation in Gaza as “horror on a historic scale” and warned of a deepening humanitarian catastrophe.
“The Israeli public bears responsibility for what is happening just a few kilometers away,” it stated.
Earlier Sunday, the Gaza Health Ministry said the number of Palestinians who have died from starvation caused by the Israeli blockade has reached 175, including 93 children, since Israel’s genocide began in October 2023.
The Israeli army, rejecting international calls for a ceasefire, has pursued a brutal offensive on Gaza since Oct. 7, 2023, killing more than 60,800 Palestinians, most of them women and children.
Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.
Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave. — AA
