[ ]J Street [ ]
Friend,

It has now been over ten days since Hamas launched a heinous terrorist
onslaught against Israel, killing over 1,400 Israelis, injuring thousands
more, and taking nearly 200 civilians – including children and the elderly
– hostage inside Gaza.

These attacks have horrified and grieved the Israeli people, the American
people, the Jewish diaspora, and so many others around the world. They
have rightly been described as “crimes against humanity.” They have sent
the J Street community into a period of shock and mourning.

The Israeli military has responded to these attacks with airstrikes inside
Gaza and preparations for a possible ground invasion aimed at dismantling
the terrorist organization’s infrastructure. Thousands of Palestinians –
many of them innocent civilians – have been killed during the escalation
so far. Airstrikes have taken a heavy toll on civilians and civilian
infrastructure. Israeli authorities cut off water, electricity and food to
large portions of the territory. Hundreds of thousands have been forced to
flee their homes. Hamas has reportedly played a significant role in trying
to force Palestinian civilians to remain where they are, threatening and
targeting those trying to flee. The humanitarian situation is calamitous.

It is no exaggeration to say that this has been one of the worst periods
in the entire history of Israeli-Palestinian conflict. And it is hard to
see an end in sight. The conflict appears to be widening, and there is a
real risk of a dangerous regional escalation.

On President Biden’s trip to Israel, he made clear that the US stands
firmly behind Israel’s security and right to defend its citizens and is
deeply concerned about the protection of Palestinian civilians, provision
of humanitarian aid, and the necessity of upholding international law.

Like the Biden Administration, J Street stands with the Israeli people in
their grief, and we support Israel’s right to defend its citizens, disarm
Hamas, and respond to this horror in accordance with international law.

At the same time, we are profoundly worried for the safety of the over 2
million Palestinian civilians in Gaza – half of whom are children – as
this conflict turns their streets and their homes into an active war zone.

Civilian non-combatants cannot and must not be held accountable or made to
pay a price for Hamas’s crimes. Like Israelis, they deserve to be
protected and to live in safety and freedom. J Street condemns the
disturbing number of politicians and pundits who have voiced support for
indiscriminate violence against all Palestinian people – including calls
to “level” Gaza or engage in wanton, retaliatory attacks against
civilians.

J Street agrees with President Biden that “democracies are stronger and
more secure when we act according to the rule of law.” We agree that “it
matters” that the laws of war be upheld, no matter how unspeakable the
acts that came before may be.

We urge the Biden Administration to also make the safety and protection of
Palestinian civilians a priority as it rightly supports the State of
Israel in defending its citizens. Israel’s actions must adhere to
international law. Its response must be guided by a clear, coherent
strategy and achievable goals.

Everything possible must be done to protect non-combatants inside the
warzone and beyond. That includes creation of humanitarian corridors and
safe zones, support for intermediaries negotiating for the release of
hostages and credible guarantees that any Palestinians fleeing their homes
will be allowed to return at the end of active combat.

It means ensuring that Palestinian civilians have access to the
necessities of life, including food, water, medicine, fuel and shelter. We
welcome President Biden’s announcement that, at the request of the US,
Israel will allow humanitarian assistance from Egypt into Gaza – and that
the US will itself provide $100 million worth of assistance to
Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank. We hope that this aid will begin
to flow immediately. Ultimately, we know that much, much more will be
needed, from the US and the international community.

We urge all parties to protect the lives of the hostages now in Gaza and
to do everything possible to secure their immediate safe return. Ensuring
that these innocent hostages can return safely to their families must be a
priority for the United States, Israel, and the international community.

Beyond adhering to international law and basic morality, it is vital for
Israel’s decision makers to understand that support for Israel’s actions,
here in the United States and internationally, will be directly impacted
by the efforts it makes to target and limit its actions to its stated goal
of holding Hamas to account and ending its operational control of Gaza.

Even as we recognize that a significant Israeli military response to Hamas
is warranted in the wake of their hideous attack, we also know beyond a
doubt that there is no military solution to the conflict between the two
peoples.

Successive rounds of ever greater violence over decades have totally
failed to bring meaningful peace and security to the Israeli and
Palestinian peoples. In fact they have tended to reinforce and worsen a
deeply harmful status quo. Even as the violence is ongoing – and sadly
seems a long way from ending – we need to hear from the President and the
international community a clear commitment that there will be a path at
the end of this darkness that leads to freedom, security and
self-determination for both Israelis and Palestinians.

If there’s one thing recent days have proven, there is no way to manage
this conflict. No way to shrink it. No way to detour around it by cutting
deals with other regional powers that leave the core conflict unaddressed.

Just as we support Israel and the right of the Jewish people to a state
that is a national homeland, the United States must make clear it
recognizes the right of the Palestinian people to be free from occupation
and live safely in an independent Palestinian state.

Amid the despair, in one of the worst moments in the long history of this
conflict, our collective voices are needed – not just in support of the
security and well-being of Israelis and Palestinians in a time of war –
but in support of a vision that ultimately can bring this horrific
conflict to an end. 

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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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