[ ]J Street [ ]
AS HUMANITARIAN PAUSE NEARS END, US MUST DEMAND CHANGE IN ISRAELI TACTICS AND
MUST NOT PROVIDE A BLANK CHECK FOR NETANYAHU

November 30, 2023

[ [link removed] ]Read the statement on our website here

J Street is deeply grateful that the humanitarian pause in place for the
past week has brought the release of over 100 hostages, a break in
fighting between Israel and Hamas, and a significant influx of
humanitarian aid to Gaza.

We’ve shared in the joy of watching Israeli families reunite with loved
ones, and we’ve shared in the horror of hearing stories of their
captivity. And we’ve experienced profound concern and despair as we
continue to learn more about the devastation and growing humanitarian
crisis in Gaza.

We hope that the pause in fighting will be extended for days to come – as
called for in the existing agreement or under new terms – with more
hostages released and the delivery of substantially more humanitarian aid
to meet the urgent needs of civilians in Gaza.

And let us be clear: We demand the immediate release of all hostages in
Gaza and an end to indiscriminate rocket fire and terror attacks against
Israel.

Sadly, we know that the halt in fighting is temporary, which is why it’s
so important to articulate our views about what should happen next.

While J Street supports Israel’s right to take military action in
accordance with international law to bring Hamas terrorists to justice and
protect Israeli citizens, we echo the Biden Administration’s clear
admonition to the Netanyahu government: “Be surgical, be targeted, be
precise, try to minimize civilian casualties wherever possible.”

We are extremely concerned about the fate of Gazan civilians, including
those displaced from the north, as the fighting moves south. We appreciate
and agree with the White House spokesperson’s recent public statement: “We
don’t support southern operations until the Israelis can show that they
have accounted for all the internally displaced people of Gaza.”

At the same time, we are alarmed by Israeli actions in the West Bank – by
both settlers and the Israeli army – that are leading to high civilian
casualties and the displacement of families and entire communities. Every
day, the Israeli government and extremist Israeli settlers are taking
actions aimed at cementing permanent, undemocratic control over the West
Bank and pushing the only viable path out of this crisis – the creation of
an independent demilitarized Palestinian state – further out of reach.

These actions run totally counter to the long-term goals and interests
that should be at the center of both Israeli and American policy:
Long-lasting peace and security achieved through diplomacy and a political
resolution to the Israeli-Palestinian and broader Israeli-Arab conflicts.

America’s continued support for Israel as fighting may soon resume should
be grounded in two principles: (1) There must be guardrails around
Israel’s conduct of the war (2) There can be no blank check for the
Netanyahu government in the upcoming aid package.

We support the administration’s work with Israel to press for calculated,
targeted operations, tailored to the threat Hamas presents and with a
focus on special operations, anti-terror tactics and anti-tunnel
operations.

The administration should make very clear that a resumption of widespread
high-intensity bombing – and the resulting high civilian casualties – is
unacceptable.

The greater the destruction inflicted on innocent Palestinian families,
the higher the likelihood of mass forcible displacement; the harder it
will be for anyone to govern post-war Gaza; the greater the risk this
operation leads to retaliatory violence and terror; the deeper the
fracturing of global support for Israel; and the greater the risk of
regional escalation.

As Senator Chris Van Hollen has said, an absence of red lines in the
conduct of this war “cannot be consistent with American interests and
American values.” President Biden must make clear that the US will not
provide unbounded support for a war led by Prime Minister Netanyahu if it
has no limits and no exit strategy.

If Netanyahu cannot or will not adopt the restrained, strategic approach
urged by the US and other key allies, this war will tragically lead only
to more bloodshed, suffering and instability – without truly defeating
Hamas, breaking the cycle of conflict or creating a path to a better
future.

Regarding the Biden Administration’s request for supplemental assistance,
the Senate is likely to consider – as early as next week – the President’s
comprehensive request. This is a crucial opportunity for Congress to
ensure that this next round of military aid is not a ‘blank check’ for
Prime Minister Netanyahu.

Security assistance must genuinely advance American interests and Israeli
security – which is not to be confused with supporting the agenda of
Israel’s current far-right government.

Congress and the president should ensure – as security assistance is
provided – that:

* All necessary mechanisms are in place and enforced to ensure US
security assistance is delivered and used in compliance with both
domestic and international law.
* No aid is diverted to enable settler violence or further steps that
permanently deepen the occupation of the West Bank.
* Plans for the next phase of military operations will be highly
targeted and provide maximum protections for civilians from potential
harm.
* The delivery of humanitarian aid to Gaza will be greatly increased and
expedited.
* They are insisting on an Israeli commitment to ending the occupation
of Palestinian territory in a defined and reasonable time following
the end of hostilities.

There is no path to resolution of this conflict if Hamas retains the
operational control of Gaza that made its brutal October 7 attack
possible. But the path to a better future will also be out of reach if the
US sets no guardrails for the Israeli government's military campaign and
provides its assistance in the form of a blank check.

Our goal at J Street is clear – safety and peace for Israelis and
Palestinians in states of their own. How these next weeks proceed will
determine just how possible that goal will be when the fighting is done.


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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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