[ ]J Street [ ]
Friends,

Over 48 hours since Hamas launched a shock terrorist onslaught against
Israel, the J Street community is reeling from the full scope of the
nightmare that has unfolded and the full extent of the losses.

At this time, over 700 Israelis have been killed and more than 2,300
wounded in the unprecedented infiltration of terrorist gunmen into
communities near the Gaza border and the barrage of indiscriminate rocket
fire against Israeli cities.

Over one hundred Israelis – men and women, elderly people and young
children – have reportedly been taken hostage inside Gaza, creating an
extended agony and trauma for their families, for the entire country, and
for the diaspora.

We know that a number of US citizens are among the dead, wounded and
kidnapped. We know that this all began on one of the most sacred and
celebratory of Jewish holidays, Shemini Atzeret/Simchat Torah.

Across the country, J Street is joining and supporting community vigils
and rallies. Tomorrow, October 10, we’ll host a public briefing with top
Israeli security and geo-political experts.

Together, we’ll attempt to understand more about what has happened, how it
happened, and what could come next. We invite you to join us via Zoom on
Tuesday at 12pm Eastern / 9am Pacific. [ [link removed] ]Register to join us here.

Hamas’ heinous, murderous attack is a gross violation of international law
and constitutes an abhorrent crime against humanity. This is one of the
most shocking massacres in the history of Israel, and indeed in the entire
history of this century. The horror and pain is difficult to process and
comprehend.

As respected Israeli human rights attorney Michael Sfard has written, “We
have been watching for over a day a crime against humanity being committed
on a large scale by Hamas against the citizens of Israel.”

We are appalled to have seen some organizations, commentators and
politicians find ways to excuse, justify or even celebrate these horrific
crimes against Israelis. And we are appalled to see others use these
events as an excuse to make hateful, racist generalizations against and
about the entire Palestinian people, or to promote wanton, retaliatory
violence against civilians.

In this time of profound anguish, with Israel in a state of war and
national emergency and conflict still raging on both sides of the Gaza
border, with other fronts already in a vulnerable state, we stand in
solidarity with the Israeli people and with the Israeli armed forces that
have been battling desperately to protect them. We support Israel’s right
to defend its citizens from this barbaric attack, in accordance with
international law.

We are deeply worried for the safety of the Israeli people, including the
hostages now in Gaza, as well as for the safety of the Palestinian
civilians who are now caught in the crossfire – with hundreds of people
now reported dead and over 2,500 wounded in Gaza amidst intensive Israeli
airstrikes and a full cut of electricity, gas, water and food to the
Strip.

As a movement of pro-Israel, pro-peace, pro-democracy Americans, we
support the Biden Administration as they take all necessary measures to
aid, support and reinforce our Israeli allies, as they combat Hamas and
Palestinian Islamic Jihad, and guard against the threat of further attacks
on additional fronts.

As a community, our priority right now is to lend whatever support and
assistance we can to the medical workers, first responders and other
critical organizations and activists doing the vital work of assisting
victims on the ground. Here at home, we are focused on supporting and
caring for one another as we struggle to process our grief over what has
happened and our fear over what may be yet to come.

We are compiling on our website a non-comprehensive list of organizations
doing critical work on the ground. [ [link removed] ]You can find more information about
these organizations and how to donate directly to them on this page.

As this crisis unfolds, as we support the struggle to confront and defeat
Hamas, we will continue to do all we can to promote our long-term vision
for a peaceful resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, a
negotiated end to the occupation of Palestinian Territory, and a future of
genuine security, self-determination and equality for both the Israeli and
Palestinian peoples.

The events of the past two days have made this brighter future feel
farther away and more difficult to pursue than any of us could have feared
or imagined. And yet, they have also reminded us that the ongoing
nightmare of violence and conflict facing millions of innocent Israelis
and Palestinians cannot and must not be tolerated, accepted or managed.

We must never give up hope even in the face of evil and suffering, and
must do everything in our power to help find another way forward.

Yours

Jeremy Ben-Ami
President, J Street


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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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