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[2]Street Talk: J Street's Monthly Newsletter

Friends,

In Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territory, it feels like everything
is coming to a head right now.

2023 has been one of the deadliest years for Palestinians since the UN
began recording data in 2005. Terror attacks against Israelis have surged.
IDF operations throughout the West Bank, including a massive incursion
into Jenin, have been on a level not seen since the days of the Second
Intifada. Settlers have launched violent pogroms against Palestinian
communities described by the IDF itself as “nationalist terrorism.”

Meanwhile, the Netanyahu government is reviving its judicial overhaul
plans and pressing ahead with these anti-democratic “reforms” at an
alarming pace. Courageous pro-democracy protesters continue to flood the
streets to try to save Israel’s founding ideals.

Webinar: Israeli Democracy Protest Update
Tuesday, July 18 at 1pm Eastern | 10am Pacific

[ [link removed] ]Register Now!

As pro-Israel, pro-peace, pro-democracy Americans, we are called to act in
the face of this historic crisis. At J Street, we’re standing with the
Israelis fighting for their democracy and speaking out loudly and clearly
against the far-right’s agenda. Together, we’re pushing for strong
American leadership to avert disaster.

In an interview this month, President Biden decried the impact of
“extremists” in the Israeli governing coalition pushing for unlimited
settlement in the West Bank.

We know that he’s right – and that his administration can and should be
doing more to help defend Israeli democracy, challenge the settlement
movement’s one-state nightmare in the West Bank and chart a path to a
better future.

Read about our latest work in this month's Street Talk newsletter below.
Your support means a great deal.

Thank you,

Logan Bayroff
Vice President of Communications

[ [link removed] ]DONATE

AROUND J STREET

Responding to the West Bank Crisis

[3]Separation barrier between Israel and the occupied west Bank

The deteriorating one-state reality in the West Bank continues to prove
disastrous for both Israelis and Palestinians. Under Prime Minister
Netanyahu and his far-right government, there is no real security for
Israelis, no check on the extremist settlement movement, and no concern
for Palestinian rights and aspirations.

“We know that no people can or will accept permanent statelessness without
basic rights or freedoms. We know that Israeli democracy cannot survive if
it is based on forever ruling over millions of Palestinians whose lives
are restricted and controlled and who lack any say over how they are
governed,” wrote former IDF officer and Executive Director of J Street
Israel Nadav Tamir. ”The only path to the peace both Israelis and
Palestinians deserve is through a genuine commitment to ending the
conflict, ending the occupation and delivering both Israelis and
Palestinians the right to live freely, peacefully and equally in two
independent states.”

[ [link removed] ]Read and share Nadav’s important post here >>

The path to real peace and real security means standing up to endless
occupation and promoting a different path. In an interview with the
Washington Post this month, J Street President Jeremy Ben-Ami noted the
Biden administration needs to both “make there be some consequences” for
Netanyahu’s dangerous policies and also muster “a vision for an alternate,
better future” for Israelis and Palestinians.

[ [link removed] ]Read the full story here >>

Pro-Israel Jewish Groups Join Together to Call Out Settler Violence

[6]Israeli settlers, with their faces covered, throw rocks at Palestinians

Israeli settlers have launched unprecedented, violent attacks on
Palestinian communities in recent weeks. Last month, settlers torched
homes and cars in Turmus Ayya, a West Bank town where a majority of
residents are US citizens.

Settler violence is not new, but escalations have occurred with particular
ferocity under the Netanyahu government. The Prime Minister and his allies
have also approved settlement growth faster than any Israeli government
since the Israeli human rights group Peace Now began tracking a decade
ago, greenlighting more than 13,000 settlement units in the first six
months of 2023.

Twelve American Jewish organizations, including J Street, our fellow
members of the Progressive Israel Network, the Union for Reform Judaism
and the National Council of Jewish Women, issued a powerful joint
statement calling on Netanyahu and his government “to cease empowering,
excusing or protecting those undertaking these attacks. We call for those
who perpetrate these attacks to be brought to justice.”

[ [link removed] ]Read the full statement here >>

Want to learn more about settler violence: Check out these J Street
resources ⬇️

* Issue Brief: [ [link removed] ]“Israeli Settler Violence Against Palestinians in the
West Bank”
* Blog: [ [link removed] ]“Settler Violence in the West Bank: Why Is it Surging & Who
Can Stop It?”
* J Stream: [ [link removed] ]“Surging Settler Violence and West Bank Escalation,”
featuring Israeli settlement and security experts Lior Amihai and
Celine Touboul

Important Biden Admin Decision Upholds Differentiation between Israel and West
Bank

[11]Map of Israel and the occupied West Bank

Securing Israel’s long-term future as a democratic homeland for the Jewish
people will require the creation of an independent Palestinian state
living in peace and security alongside it – and an end to the occupation.
Prime Minister Netanyahu and the settlement movement are doing their best
to erase the distinction between occupied territory and Israel proper in
their attempt to lock in permanent, undemocratic control of the West Bank
and the millions who live there.

That’s why it’s critical to maintain the distinction between the State of
Israel and the occupied territory beyond the Green Line – and why J Street
was glad to [ [link removed] ]welcome the Biden administration’s announcement that they
will restore longstanding US policy that prevents funding for research
projects conducted in Israeli settlements. The decision reverses a harmful
Trump-era shift that legitimized illegal settlements and violated US
commitments to international law.

As we said in our statement, “clarifying and enforcing this position is
particularly important given the current Netanyahu government’s all-out
effort to expand settlements, annex territory and deepen occupation
throughout the West Bank, entrenching the one-state nightmare that is
destructive for both Israelis and Palestinians.”

[ [link removed] ]Read the full statement here >>

Joining the Conversation

[14]Cover photo for our last Word on the Street discussion

J Street strives to keep the pro-Israel, pro-peace, pro-democracy movement
connected, informed and engaged. Here are some of the best tools to stay
in the know:

* Want to know the “Word on the Street?” J Street’s conversation series
with President Jeremy Ben-Ami is available exclusively to recurring
monthly donors and top supporters. Jeremy has hosted insightful and
timely conversations with former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert,
Labor Party Leader Merav Michaeli, Governor Howard Dean, and other top
experts, commentators and leaders. To receive regular monthly invites
and watch all of “Word on the Street” on-demand, consider becoming a
sustaining supporter by setting a recurring monthly donation of $10 or
more [ [link removed] ]via ActBlue – or learn more about joining our [ [link removed] ]National
Leadership Circle.
* We’re proud to deliver J Street’s free daily News Roundup straight to
your inbox. every weekday morning. Sign up [ [link removed] ]here to hear from
today’s leading journalists, experts, and activists. Take this brief
[ [link removed] ]survey and help us make the newsletter even better!

ENDORSEE SPOTLIGHT

[19]Photo collage with our 6 latest PAC endorsees: Colin Allred, Lisa
Blunt Rochester, Susan Wild, President Biden, Mazie Hirono and Amy
Klobuchar

As 2024 approaches, JStreetPAC is working to grow the ranks of pro-Israel,
pro-peace, pro-democracy leaders in Washington. As MAGA Republicans
continue to threaten our democratic freedoms, our support for
pro-democracy candidates is critical.

By pooling our donations with JStreetPAC, J Street members give campaigns
the resources they need and send a powerful message to Washington about
our values and priorities. [ [link removed] ]Learn how JStreetPAC can boost the impact –
and lower the fees – of your political giving here >>

Meet our newest endorsees (and re-endorsees):

* President Joe Biden. In 2020, JStreetPAC members contributed over $2
million to elect Joe Biden and defeat Trump. President Biden has long
supported J Street’s most important priorities, and we’re all in to
support his re-election in 2024. [ [link removed] ]Learn more >>
* Rep. Susan Wild. The sole Jewish member of the Pennsylvania
congressional delegation, Rep. Wild holds one of the most competitive
swing seats in the country. [ [link removed] ]Learn more >>
* Rep. Lisa Blunt Rochester. Our long-time ally is running to replace
retiring Delaware Sen. Tom Carper. This is an exciting opportunity to
elect a J Street champion to Senate. [ [link removed] ]Learn more >>
* Rep. Colin Allred. Challenging far-right MAGA Republican Ted Cruz in
Texas, the former NFL linebacker and civil rights attorney was a proud
J Street endorsee in the House. [ [link removed] ]Learn more >>
* Sen. Mazie Hirono. Hawaii’s senior senator is a champion for social
justice, democratic freedoms and diplomacy-first foreign policy. Her
pursuit of equality does not stop at America’s borders. [ [link removed] ]Learn more
>>
* Sen. Amy Klobuchar. The Minnesota senator is the fourth-ranking
Democrat in Senate Leadership. We were honored to host her at our 2019
Conference where she spoke about her commitment to Israelis,
Palestinians and democracy. [ [link removed] ]Learn more >>

Must Reads

* [ [link removed] ]Israel’s Push to Expand West Bank Settlements, Explained, The New
York Times

* [ [link removed] ]Netanyahu’s Attack on Jenin Shows Weakness. The Palestinians are Weak
Too – And Therein Lies the Danger, The Guardian

* [ [link removed] ]Israel Can (But Won’t) Stop West Bank Settlers’ Attacks on
Palestinians, The Daily Beast

* [ [link removed] ]In Photos: Israelis Protest After Tel Aviv Police Chief Says He Was
Forced Out, The Washington Post


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© 2023 J Street | [ [link removed] ]www.jstreet.org | [email protected]

J Street is the political home for pro-Israel, pro-peace, pro-democracy
Americans who want Israel to be secure, democratic and the national home of the
Jewish people. Working in American politics and the Jewish community, we
advocate policies that advance shared US and Israeli interests as well as Jewish
and democratic values, leading to a two-state solution to the
Israeli-Palestinian conflict.



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