Irwin Cotler joins thousands of prominent Jews calling on Israel to end war in Gaza

In the summer heat, Palestinian children carry jerry cans after collecting water from a distribution point in Gaza City, Tuesday, Aug. 12, 2025. (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi)

OTTAWA — Former Liberal justice minister Irwin Cotler has joined thousands of Jews calling on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to end the war and starvation in Gaza.

The longtime human rights activist, a strong supporter of Israel, has signed an open letter saying Netanyahu’s policies on Palestinians “are doing lasting damage to Israel” and the prospects for peace.

The letter, organized by a group called the London Initiative, says Israel’s policies and its failure to suppress settler violence in the West Bank are having “severe consequences” for Jewish communities around the world.

It calls Israel’s aid restrictions on Gaza “a moral and strategic disaster” that hands a “propaganda victory to Hamas” and undermines the important work of countering Hamas and Iran.

The letter is also signed by Canadian philanthropist Charles Bronfman, one of the founders of the Birthright program, which sends Jewish youth on trips to Israel.

Netanyahu does not appear to have directly responded to the letter since it was made public a week ago, though he defended the war on Sunday, saying Israel’s only choice is to completely defeat Hamas.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 13, 2025.

Dylan Robertson, The Canadian Press