Dear John,

Over the past 24 hours, Hamas and other Gaza-based terrorist organizations have fired hundreds of missiles and rockets at civilian population centers across Israel, forcing hundreds of thousands of Israelis — women, men and children — into bomb shelters. In response, the Israeli military has attacked terrorist targets across Gaza. Tragically, there have been several civilian deaths — both Israeli and Palestinian — and many have been injured.

In light of these developments, ADL has issued the following statement that we want to share with our community...

ADL is deeply concerned by the growing crisis in Israel.

We mourn the loss of all innocent lives as this crisis continues to escalate.

We strongly condemn Hamas firing rockets at Jerusalem and across southern Israel. We stand by Israel’s right to self-defense.

We call on the responsible international community to seek all paths to restore calm, protect lives, and ensure security for Israelis and Palestinians.

Those who explicitly seek to destroy the state of Israel, including Hamas, Islamic Jihad and the government of Iran are fanning the flames of hatred and stoking animosity. We remain concerned by those who condemn Israel’s conduct while ignoring Israel’s right to self-defense and its obligation to protect all its citizens.

Further, the tensions of the last weeks in Jerusalem have been exacerbated by extremists, including far-right Jewish nationalists.

We welcome the Supreme Court’s decision to postpone by another month the hearing on the possible eviction of Palestinian families from the neighborhood of Sheikh Jarrah. This is a deeply complicated matter with legal, social and security considerations for all residents of Jerusalem and broad legal and humanitarian considerations must be taken into account.

As ADL has consistently said: all parties — Israelis and Palestinians alike — must avoid actions, inflammatory rhetoric and provocations that raise tensions. Responsible leaders must seek to restore calm and ensure security for everyone in the region.

ADL will continue to closely monitor developments in the region and provide updates on this fluid and highly volatile situation.