Israel's Ambassador Leiter rebukes US rabbis over Gaza claims, urges apology - Amichai Stein

 

by Amichai Stein

Ambassador Yehiel Leiter responds to rabbis' letter on Gaza, accusing them of spreading misinformation and ignoring Hamas's role in aid diversion.

 

Israeli Ambassador to the US Yechiel Leiter speaks to the media at the Capital Jewish Museum, near the site where two Israeli embassy staff were shot dead, in Washington, DC, US, May 22, 2025

(photo credit: REUTERS/KEN CEDENO)

Israel’s Ambassador to the United States, Dr. Yechiel Leiter, on Thursday, responded sharply to a public letter signed by 80 American Orthodox rabbis calling for “moral clarity” from Israel regarding alleged starvation in the Gaza Strip.

In a letter obtained by The Jerusalem Post, Leiter, whose son, Maj. Moshe Leiter, was killed in action in Gaza, accused the signatories of promoting misinformation and echoing anti-Israel narratives.

“Your statement not only reflects a severe unfamiliarity with the facts,” Leiter wrote, “but also relies on the lies of our worst enemies.”

Leiter cited Israeli intelligence estimates, also confirmed by UN monitoring sites, indicating that up to 90% of humanitarian aid to Gaza is seized or diverted by Hamas. “Hamas physically seizes aid, imposes taxes and fees, runs smuggling operations, and even infiltrates aid organizations themselves,” he wrote.

He criticized the rabbis for ignoring the reality that “Israel is the one feeding those who are firing on our children.”

Yechiel Leiter holds a photo of his heroic son Moshe Yedidya (credit: MARC ISRAEL SELLEM)

The rabbis’ letter, organized by Rabbi Yosef Blau, claimed there is hunger in Gaza and pointed to settler violence in the West Bank. In response, Leiter said linking the two issues serves only to delegitimize Israel and suggested the motivation behind the letter was political.

“According to the Shin Bet, the core group of violent individuals numbers fewer than 100,” Leiter wrote. “By contrast, in 2023, Palestinians carried out 11,370 terror attacks in Judea and Samaria.”

No barriers on quality or quantity of Gaza aid

Addressing claims of starvation in Gaza, Leiter noted that Israel is working to establish alternative mechanisms to deliver aid outside the existing UN channels, which he said empower Hamas. “Israel places no barriers, neither in quality nor in quantity, on the delivery of humanitarian aid,” he wrote, citing the Gaza Humanitarian Fund (GHF) as one such effort.

Leiter also directly addressed Rabbi Blau, writing: “Had you taken the time to study the subject, you would have read the research published under the title Debunking the Genocide Claims: A Re-examination of the Israel-Hamas War, which refutes the allegations of famine in Gaza and demonstrates that they were based on faulty data, circular citations, and failures in source criticism.”

He concluded by calling for moral courage: “In the face of heavy pressures and false accusations, what is required is moral backbone and a deep belief in the justice of our cause. Sadly, your statement undermined that.”

Leiter ended the letter with a pointed rebuke: “As Israel fights for survival on seven fronts, faces international pressure, and leads historic changes in the Middle East for security and stability, this is the time to support Israel’s elected government and the people of Israel, not to conduct political criticism rooted in blatant ignorance of the facts. You should apologize.” 

Amichai Stein

Source: https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/article-867229

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