Introductory note: This op-ed was posted today at Haaretz – for those with a subscription, here it is

Faced with an increasingly recalcitrant Netanyahu government, Senate Leader Chuck Schumer and his Democratic colleagues are leading a welcome shift in policy. Both Israel and the U.S. have a moral obligation to do better

John Rosove

Elliott Tepperman

March 20, 2024

When we woke up on October 7 to the shocking news of the Hamas terror attack in Israel, we were deeply shaken–as were Jews around the world.

As accounts of Hamas’ barbarism emerged – and as we spoke with loved ones in Israel–the anguish only grew worse. With over 1,200 murdered, well over 200 taken hostage, and hundreds of thousands displaced, the pain of the attack and its aftermath has been enduring for Israelis and Jews around the world alike.

The ensuing war against Hamas in Gaza has brought no end to the grief. Over 30,000 Palestinians have been killed, more than 1 million forced to flee their homes, and the entire population is enduring unimaginable suffering with scarce medical supplies and hundreds of thousands on the brink of starvation.

We’ve watched as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government has exacerbated the pain and suffering of Israelis and Palestinians alike, running counter to our Jewish values, to the foundations of the U.S.-Israel relationship, and to Israel’s own national interests.

As Jewish Americans and rabbis who care deeply for our Jewish homeland, our U.S. ally Israel, and its citizens–among whom we count our own friends and family–we understand the moral struggle U.S. lawmakers now face as they wrestle with both how to support Israelis and bring the death and suffering in Gaza to an end.

Rightfully, Capitol Hill has been spending a lot of time on the crisis since October 7, and we have been particularly proud of those U.S. senators leading the way. While so many have struggled to hold the humanity of both Israelis and Palestinians in their hearts, some are showing true, courageous leadership – precisely what this perilous hour demands.

In an unprecedented speech on the Senate floor last week, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer opened his remarks saying he spoke for the “silent majority” of Jewish Americans “whose nuanced views … have never been well represented in this country’s discussions about the war in Gaza.”

In a bold but important call, he went on to urge Israelis to hold new elections, noting Netanyahu “has put himself in coalition with far-right extremists like Ministers [Bezalel] Smotrich and [Itamar] Ben-Gvir, and as a result, he has been too willing to tolerate the civilian toll in Gaza, which is pushing support for Israel worldwide to historic lows.”

Other signs of understanding that the crisis demands an overdue, different approach came last month when U.S. President Joe Biden issued National Security Memorandum 20–widely reported to have been coordinated with Maryland Democrat Senator Chris Van Hollen and inspired by his amendment to the Senate supplemental aid package. The memorandum stipulates countries receiving U.S. military aid must comply with U.S. and international law and align with our country’s interests and values. In so doing, the memorandum requires Israel to conduct the war in a way that prioritizes the safety of civilians both in its military operations and its facilitation of humanitarian aid delivery.

In a separate move, Van Hollen joined his Democratic Senate colleagues Jeff Merkley, Dick Durbin, Elizabeth Warren, and Peter Welch in calling for a comprehensive approach to immediately mitigate the humanitarian crisis in Gaza–while clearly acknowledging Israel’s right to go after Hamas and reiterating the need to free hostages held in captivity.

Another example of a welcome shift was Senators Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock, both Democrats from Georgia, leading 25 Senators in advocating for a “mutual ceasefire” to gain the release of the remaining Israeli hostages and stop the killing of Gazan civilians, simultaneously recognizing Hamas must “be removed from power in Gaza.”

And last week, Senators Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) and Chris Coons (D-Del.) published an opinion piece in Foreign Policy, stating Israel should take steps to increase the flow of humanitarian aid into Gaza and that the United States is “prepared to take more persuasive steps to ensure compliance with U.S. policy on civilian protection and humanitarian assistance.”

Most of these calls occurred in the shadow of the Senate’s passage of the bipartisan national security supplemental package, which, in addition to security aid to Israel, Taiwan, and Ukraine, included humanitarian aid for Palestinians in Gaza. Appallingly, former President Donald Trump and Speaker Mike Johnson have sought to block the bill from a vote in the House for short-term political reasons, even though it is all but certain to pass with bipartisan support.

What is clear to us, as Jewish leaders who care deeply for the safety of Israelis and the country’s future, is that the Democratic lawmakers mentioned have a deep, nuanced understanding of what it means to be pro-Israel. Faced with an increasingly recalcitrant Netanyahu government, it is not enough to spout platitudes or support symbolic resolutions. The U.S.-Israel relationship deserves and is strengthened by a more substantive approach.

These senators realize that to be pro-Israel also means being pro-Palestinian. As October 7 and its aftermath have made clear yet again, the fates of these two peoples–who share a land and a history, and neither of whom is leaving–are inextricably linked.

We in the pro-Israel community would be wise to understand, as these legislators do, that providing Palestinians with stability, security and self-determination while promoting reforms in governance and education will also serve to benefit Israel’s security in the future. Compounding an already-dire humanitarian calamity in Gaza, on Israel’s doorstep, is in nobody’s interests.

We find solace and hope in the efforts of our Congressional representatives to help bring this war to an end, the hostages home, and desperately needed aid to Gaza.

We thank them for the political courage they have displayed in recent months. Schumer himself summed up the welcome, straight-talking new direction, when he noted in his speech that we hope will be a roadmap forward, “We should not let the complexities of this conflict stop us from stating the plain truth: Palestinian civilians do not deserve to suffer for the sins of Hamas, and Israel has a moral obligation to do better. The United States has an obligation to do better.”

Rabbi John L. Rosove is a national co-chair of the J Street Rabbinic and Cantorial Cabinet. He is a past national chair of ARZA, the Association of Reform Zionists of America, and Rabbi Emeritus of Temple Israel of Hollywood.

Rabbi Elliott Tepperman is a national co-chair of the J Street Rabbinic and Cantorial Cabinet. He has been the spiritual leader of Bnai Keshet in Montclair, NJ since 2002, and he is the immediate past president of the Reconstructionist Rabbinical Association. @RavElliott