Ifølge forfatterne er brevet skrevet for at flytte fokuset i den tyske debat til den egentlige konflikt; i de sidste par uger er Gaza-konflikten nemlig blevet overskygget af en debat om anti-semitisme, da nogle demonstranter har udtrykt adskillige anti-semitiske holdninger, og dette har ført til, at det ikke længere virkede oplagt at gå ind for en ændring af den nuværende udenrigspolitik i Israel.
According to its writers, the letter is meant to direct the focus of the debate in Germany back to the actual conflict. Due to several anti-Semitic outbursts from some protesters, the reporting on Gaza over the past few weeks has been overshadowed by a debate on anti-Semitism, and it no longer seemed feasible to promote discourse on current foreign policy in Israel.