When Jews light the Hanukkah candles, they should remember their own history and stand up to Israel over illegal settlements

In the very same land in which Netanyahu now rules as leader, our ancestors once lived, forced into hiding as an expansionist power actively and cruelly set out to replace a nation’s way of life

Benjamin Netanyahu visits the Western Wall during the Hanukkah holiday (Getty)

Christmas may be over, but for Jews celebrating the festival of Hanukkah festivities still are in full swing. Though the story of the Maccabees fighting their oppressors took place thousands of years ago, disputes over who should control swathes of land in Israel and Palestine are pressing and pertinent to this day.

Following last week’s United Nations Resolution 2334, which describes Israel’s settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem as “illegal” and an obstacle to peace with the Palestinians, the Israeli government has made its position clear: settlements in the occupied territories will continue growing, and any states who criticise this are making a “declaration of war” against Israel. Ambassadors have been recalled; meetings with leaders have been cancelled; Israeli aid to Senegal has been stopped.

This latest resolution isn’t much of a development in the history of the region. Back in 1967, Resolution 242 was passed by the UN Security Council calling on Israel to withdraw its military from the West Bank, East Jerusalem, Gaza Strip and Golan Heights. But after years of inaction from many of the world’s most powerful nations, the significance of this latest warning to Netanyahu’s government can’t be underestimated.

This may be too little too late from Obama’s administration; had such a step been taken earlier on in his tenure such action might have felt more promising, a Trump presidency now being just a matter of weeks away. But even though this attempt by the UN is unlikely to bring the expansion of Israeli occupations to a halt, active supporters of Israel living around the world must take note – my fellow Jews included.

A 2015 poll of British Jews found three quarters agreed with the statement that “the expansion of settlements on the West Bank is a major obstacle to peace”, while 58 per cent said Israel “will be seen as an apartheid state if it tries to retain control over borders that contain more Arabs than Jews”.

In short, the vast majority of Jews living in Britain simply don’t support the Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories. Yet Jewish organisations such as the Board of Deputies remain silent on the matter.

Under Netanyahu’s administration, this silence is being harnessed as support for Israel’s actions and used to justify an occupation and expansion of settlements that is breaking international law. Netanyahu is confidently asserting that diaspora Jewry “want to be part of Israel’s success story”, giddily encouraging us to move there. The occupation continues in our name.

Whatever your views on the solution for the region, it’s now more evident than ever that the occupation of the Palestinian territories must come to an end.

It’s easy for Arab nations’ concerns to be dismissed by a right-wing Israeli government, but actions of long-standing allies like Britain and the US cannot be brushed off. The voices of the Jewish diaspora must now join in this growing crescendo calling for the occupation to end.

Tonight, when Jews of all faiths and affiliations light the Hanukkah candles, consider the story we remember afresh. In the very same land in which Netanyahu now rules as leader, our ancestors once lived, forced into hiding as an expansionist power actively and cruelly set out to replace a nation’s way of life. As we say the ritualistic prayers we’ll also be celebrating the oppressed and their uprising. It’s a message we must stand by today.

Netanyahu seems intent on pursuing an expansionist agenda despite international law and condemnation. Jews in Britain might not all share a single vision for the future of Israel and Palestine, but an end to the occupation must be part of any solution. It’s about time we made that clear.