Image Credit: Women Wage Peace
A Black Flag of Immorality
This statement comes to Lilith via Professor Daphna Hacker.
To the International Community:
We, feminist researchers and activists from Israel, address you from a place of deep pain and existential concern for the future of our region.
Black Flag of Immorality and Illegality
We are horrified by the severe hunger and devastating casualties in the Gaza Strip. What is happening in the Gaza Strip crosses every moral line, every humane threshold. The Gaza Strip is nearing total destruction. Hundreds of thousands of people have been displaced. Tens of thousands have been killed and dozens continue to be killed every day, including women and children. International mechanisms for delivering food and humanitarian aid were shut down and are still severely restricted, creating starvation conditions; and several Israeli ministers declare their plan to deport Palestinians from the Gaza Strip and establishing Jewish settlements in their place.
We are appalled by the repeated attacks on Palestinians in the West Bank. Armed militias are expelling entire communities, killing innocent people and burning Palestinian property, with no protection from the Israeli authorities.
We are devastated by the horrific state of the Israeli hostages kidnapped, held and tortured by Hamas, and are outraged by the fact that the Israeli government has not exhausted all non-violent means to save the hostages from cruel death. Instead, it has sabotaged possible deals and diplomatic efforts, while exploiting the war to advance a regime overhaul and silence criticism.
We are raising, what we call in Hebrew a “Black Flag,” to warn against such immoral and illegal actions.
Our Trauma and Our Responsibility
The murderous attack and atrocities, including sexual violence, committed by Hamas on October 7th 2023 against Israelis and others, including women and children, as well as the brutal missile attacks by Iran, Hezbollah, the Houthis, and Hamas, left us with deep trauma. We have experienced the suffering of the Israeli public, and we share the grief of the many Israelis who lost beloved family members and with the pain of the families of the hostages.
Hamas is guilty of war crimes and crimes against humanity not only against Israelis but also against Palestinians, including abusing Palestinian civilians and civil infrastructure to further its military goals, thus sacrificing its own people for a Jihadist war while hiding in a city of tunnels that has been built for years.
At the same time, we understand that our personal and collective trauma, as well as Hamas’ ongoing inhuman crimes, cannot justify what is happening now to the Palestinian people by the orders of the Israeli government.
While criticizing the Israeli government is crucial for stopping the war, we are shocked and outraged by the sharp rise in antisemitism that Jews are currently experiencing all over the world. There is never an excuse to antisemitism and it should never be tolerated.
We are deeply disappointed by those among the leaders of the Israeli public and private sectors, who remain silent in the face of the dehumanization of Palestinian civilians. We are likewise disappointed by the Israeli media, which with very few exceptions, assists the government in hiding the truth from the Israeli public about the reality in the Gaza Strip and in the West Bank.
After protesting for months alongside hundreds of thousands of Israelis, writing position papers and op-eds, lecturing, researching, and trying to change the course of Israel’s government, which continues to ignore the will of most Israelis to end the war, we call upon the international community to take urgent action.
Our Call
From our responsibility as Israeli citizens and from our deep feminist commitment to human rights, dignity, equality, justice, freedom and solidarity, we call for:
- The immediate and unconditional release of all hostages held in the Gaza Strip
- The immediate entry of food and medical supplies to the Gaza Strip and their effective distribution
- The prevention of civilian casualties, displacement and destruction
- The disarmament of Hamas and the end of the war in the Gaza Strip
- The halt of any plan for Jewish settlement in the Gaza Strip and immediate halt of settlers’ violence in the West Bank
- The formation of an international and regional alliance that will ensure security and dignity for Israelis and Palestinians and self-determination for both peoples.
Our Message to the World
We ask the international community to stand with us in the struggle for these causes! Time is running out, and the human cost is already unbearable.
August 2025
