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Dear Friend, It finally happened. Last month, President Trump released his long-delayed “peace plan.” For months we have been clearly and consistently highlighting the red flags surrounding the development of this so-called plan: the exclusion of Palestinians from the process, the destructive steps taken by the Trump administration to put their thumb on the scales for Netanyahu, and the close ties between the plan’s authors and the Israeli settlement movement. The plan proved to be as reckless and dangerous as we expected. Rather than a genuine attempt to lay the groundwork for peace, the Trump team delivered a smokescreen of disingenuous talking points and details designed to distract from their true intention: to hand a political victory to Prime Minister Netanyahu and help pave the way for illegal, unilateral annexation of significant parts of the West Bank. With stakes this high, J Street was ready to respond. In the media, in our policy analysis and through our outreach to political leaders, we’ve played a decisive role in shaping the national conversation around this disastrous plan. We helped encourage presidential candidates to denounce Trump’s reckless moves and took action to ensure that members of Congress condemned the plan and warned against annexation. We’re going to continue to build a powerful drumbeat against Trump and Netanyahu’s “peace sham” -- while doing all we can to ensure that we can defeat the president and his agenda this November. In January, JStreetPAC announced a commitment to endorse the eventual Democratic nominee, raise over $1 million for their campaign and help organize American Jews across the country to get involved in the most important election of our lifetimes. Together, we’re going to transform American politics and lay the groundwork for a new, diplomacy-first era of US leadership in the Middle East. With your support, we can win this fight. Logan Bayroff Communications Director |
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Around J Street |
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Leading the response to Trump’s ‘Peace Sham’ |
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In a video released shortly after the release of Trump’s peace sham, J Street Director of Government Affairs Debra Shushan exposed it for what it was: a smokescreen for annexation. That same day, J Street hosted a private briefing call with journalists and a public call featuring Brookings experts, breaking down the elements of the plan, its implications for Palestinians and Israelis and how we can take action to oppose it. In the Washington Post, J Street President Jeremy Ben-Ami made clear the plan was “a blatant political stunt” meant to distract from Trump and Netanyahu’s political and legal problems. “This is not the day, if you are a serious policymaker, to resolve the world’s most difficult conflict,” he said in an interview from Israel. “The fact that they chose this day tells you everything you need to know.” Our supporters took action and helped rally 107 members of Congress to sign a letter to the White House condemning the plan for undermining peace and stability, damaging the foundations of the US-Israel relationship and paving the way for unilateral annexation. The letter makes clear that Congress will not allow Trump and Netanyahu to succeed in their efforts to set a new baseline for US foreign policy and to destroy the prospects for a negotiated peace. On our “peace sham” resource page, we’ve gathered J Street’s fundamental breakdown of the plan along with reactions from political leaders and allied organizations in both the United States and Israel. Please check it out and share the link with others who may be interested. |
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Visit the resource page → |
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JStreetPAC launches 2020 Presidential Nominee Fund to defeat Donald Trump |
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With the battle for the Democratic presidential nomination heating up, it's important to remember what unites us as pro-Israel, pro-peace Americans: our shared determination to defeat Donald Trump at the ballot box this November. That’s why, for the first time ever, JStreetPAC has announced our commitment to support whichever candidate ultimately becomes the Democratic nominee for president. To help make an imprint on this massive electoral battle, we’ve announced the creation of a 2020 Presidential Nominee Fund, and will ultimately raise over $1 million for the Democratic nominee. Although donors and candidates are continuing to focus on the primary campaign, President Trump is already making significant ad buys on TV and digital media and posting strong fundraising numbers. Giving the eventual nominee a strong boost out of the gate to ensure they can compete must be a top priority. Visit the JStreetPAC website (and become a member if you aren't already) to learn more about the 2020 Presidential Nominee Fund. |
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Learn more → |
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J Street-backed resolution to prevent unauthorized Iran war passes House |
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In early January -- shortly after President Trump once again brought America to the brink of a catastrophic war with Iran -- J Street welcomed the passage of a historic war powers resolution in the House of Representatives. The resolution makes clear that President Trump does not have congressional authority to launch a conflict with Iran and reasserts Congress’ constitutional responsibility to decide whether, when and where our country goes to war. The war powers resolution was introduced by J Street endorsee Rep. Elissa Slotkin (D-MI) and could never have passed without the pro-diplomacy House majority that J Street supporters helped elect in 2018. As the Times of Israel noted, J Street was among the only American Jewish groups to back the resolution and play a major role in fighting back against Trump’s drift toward war. Now, we are urging the Senate to pass its own war powers resolution -- and send a clear message to the president that bipartisan majorities in both houses will not stand for another disastrous war of choice in the Middle East. |
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Call your senators → |
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J Street U gears up for #ChangeThePlatform campaign |
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In January, more than 70 students and organizers from across the country joined the annual J Street U Winter Leadership Institute in Los Angeles to train and plan for the year ahead. The retreat included strategic discussions, chapter-building work and important political and communications training sessions. This year, J Street U has an ambitious, important goal: ensuring that the next Democratic party platform adopts language explicitly opposing occupation, annexation and settlement expansion. With the new Trump-Netanyahu peace sham, this has become more urgent than ever. J Street U is committed to ensuring that elected leaders hold the line, stand up for our values and prevent Trump and Netanyahu from creating a dangerous new normal for Israelis and Palestinians. If you haven’t yet, please sign and circulate the J Street U platform petition. The team is especially eager to build the number of students across the country who are signing on. |
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Sign the petition → |
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We need your vote: J Street joins slate for World Zionist Congress elections |
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J Street is thrilled to be joining 11 fellow progressive groups to field an amazing slate of candidates in the World Zionist Congress elections. Together, we are running as ‘HATIVKAH: Progressive Israel Slate’ on a platform of social justice, democratic rights for all Israeli citizens and a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. We know many of our supporters are backing slates affiliated with their congregations, including ARZA and MERCAZ. What’s most important is that Jewish progressives make sure their values are represented at the WZO by voting in this election. The results of these elections directly affect the distribution of $1,000,000,000 in annual funding, which has a huge impact on the lives of Israelis of all religions and backgrounds, as well as Palestinians in the occupied territory. |
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Learn more and vote →
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