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.
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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
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AROUND J STREET
Responding to the West Bank Crisis
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.”
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.
Read the full story here >>
Pro-Israel Jewish Groups Join Together to Call Out Settler Violence
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.”
Read the full statement here >>
Want to learn more about settler violence: Check out these J Street resources ⬇️
Important Biden Admin Decision Upholds Differentiation between Israel and 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 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.”
Read the full statement here >>
Joining the Conversation
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 via ActBlue – or learn more about joining our National Leadership Circle.
- We’re proud to deliver J Street’s free daily News Roundup straight to your inbox. every weekday morning. Sign up here to hear from today’s leading journalists, experts, and activists. Take this brief survey and help us make the newsletter even better!
ENDORSEE SPOTLIGHT
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. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. Learn more >>
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