NEW YORK – Responding to the news of a negotiated ceasefire between the Israeli government and Hamas, World Jewish Congress President Ronald S. Lauder said:
“On behalf of the more than 100 Jewish communities across the globe affiliated with the World Jewish Congress, I welcome the cessation of hostilities between Israel and Hamas after more than 11 days of violence and bloodshed caused by Hamas’ terrorist barrage of rocket attacks aimed at Israel’s civilian population.
“We stand resolutely and unambiguously with Israel and express our deep appreciation to U.S. President Joe Biden and other world leaders for their repeated recognition of Israel’s absolute right to defend itself against terrorist onslaught, in whatever form it may come.
“We are also grateful to President Biden, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al Sisi for their efforts in helping to mediate a successful end to this most recent tragic chapter of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
“We mourn the loss of Jews and Arabs whose lives were horrifically ended as a result of Hamas hatred and disregard for the sanctity of human life, pray for the speedy recovery of the wounded, and pray that Israel and the Palestinians return urgently to the negotiating table to seek a permanent, peaceful, two-state solution.
“At the same time, we condemn in the strongest possible terms the horrendous outbreaks of antisemitic manifestations in the wake of the Israel-Hamas conflict, with anti-Israel demonstrators targeting synagogues and Jewish community centers and seeking to blame Jews around the world for the latest Middle East violence. We are also outraged by the surge of virulently antisemitic hate speech across social media with posts on major platforms featuring Holocaust imagery, conspiracy myths, and Nazi glorification. I call on governments and authorities everywhere to take all necessary measures to protect all Jewish communities, Jewish institutions, and individual Jews. And I call on social media organizations to immediately rid their platforms of vile posts that promote violence against Jews with such vile declarations as, ‘Hitler was right.’”
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