NEW YORK – In response to President Trump’s tweets this week suggesting the U.S. cut aid to Palestine, Rabbi Jill Jacobs, executive director of T’ruah: The Rabbinic Call for Human Rights, issued the following statement:
“Yet again, President Trump’s tweets in the past 24 hours show his reckless disregard for the lives of Israelis and Palestinians, for the interests of the United States, and for international law. Suggesting that Jerusalem is off the table in peace negotiations, and threatening to cut off aid to a region that sorely needs it, is irresponsible at best and malicious at worst.
“All reasonable peace plans understand that Jerusalem will be shared between Israelis and Palestinians. And the aid Palestine receives from the U.S. is vital to the survival of its people, as well as crucial for the security and well-being of Israel. The book of Proverbs teaches that “life and death are in the hand of the tongue” (18:21). Today, sadly, we fear that life and death may be in the hands of the tweet.”
Rabbi Jacobs is available for further comment. Please contact Sarah Garfinkel at sarah@westendstrategy.com or (202)765-4290 to schedule a time to speak.
###
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
CONTACT:
Sarah Garfinkel, West End Strategy Team
sarah@westendstrategy.com; Cell: (202) 765-4290
T’ruah: The Rabbinic Call for Human Rights is a network of 1,800 rabbis and cantors from all streams of Judaism that, together with the Jewish community, act on the Jewish imperative to respect and advance the human rights of all people. Grounded in Torah and our Jewish historical experience and guided by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, we call upon Jews to assert Jewish values by raising our voices and taking concrete steps to protect and expand human rights in North America, Israel, and the occupied Palestinian territories.
