[ ]J Street [ ]
J Street to President Biden:
Act Now to Save Lives, Hostages, Chances for Long-term Peace

Thursday, December 21

Two and a half months after the horrific October 7 attack by Hamas, J
Street’s support for the people and state of Israel remains unwavering.

We continue to affirm Israel’s right and obligation to defend its
territory, provide security for its citizens and bring to justice those
who perpetrated this barbaric attack.

However, as six Members of Congress with significant national security
experience wrote this week to President Biden, the civilian death toll and
humanitarian crisis in Gaza that the Netanyahu government’s military
operation have caused are unacceptable and out of line with American
interests and values.

These Members – each of whom learned bitter lessons about war and
counterterrorism in Iraq and Afghanistan – urged the President to “use all
our leverage to achieve an immediate and significant shift [in Israel’s]
military strategy and tactics in Gaza.”

In recent days, Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin warned Israel that when
you drive the civilian population into the arms of the enemy, you can
“replace a tactical victory with a strategic defeat.”

Former Chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Milley weighed in similarly
on the nature of the war, noting that “military doctrine has evolved...
and the preferred doctrine today in highly dense urban areas is to do
intelligence-led precision strikes with precision munitions, and special
operations forces.”

J Street too opposes the Netanyahu government’s disastrous approach to the
war.

We call on President Biden to heed the advice of this wide array of
national security experts and veterans of counterterrorism operations and
to convey to the Netanyahu government, both publicly and privately, that
the time has come to end the all-out military campaign and massive aerial
bombardment of Gaza and immediately shift to a far more targeted and
limited operation.

In light of the Netanyahu government’s repeated refusal to heed the
Administration’s call and advice, J Street urges the Administration to
take further, firmer steps to bring about this change including:

1) Proposing a renewed pause in the fighting that enables the safe return
of the remaining hostages and a dramatic surge in humanitarian assistance.

The terms of a renewed break in the fighting would include Hamas’ release
of additional hostages in exchange for an extended break in hostilities
and a further release of prisoners. We would also support the
Administration proposing a longer-term end to the fighting were Hamas
required in addition to releasing all the hostages to relinquish its
remaining arsenal and accept passage for its leadership to a third
country.

A renewed pause should bring a dramatic, urgent infusion of humanitarian
aid, inclusive of food, water and medical supplies for families in Gaza.
The civilian population of Gaza – the majority of whom are children and 85
percent or more of whom are displaced from their homes – are living in
unbearable conditions. We commend the Administration’s efforts to reopen
the Kerem Shalom crossing to facilitate movement of more aid into Gaza.
This must be paired with the entry of humanitarian aid organizations to
establish more field hospitals, shelters and distribution mechanisms.

2) Shifting America’s posture at the United Nations.

The United States should stop vetoing Security Council resolutions related
to the conflict that seek to find ways to advance the release of hostages,
the provision of humanitarian assistance and a pathway to diplomatic
resolution of the conflict. Rather, the US should draft and lead
resolutions that accord with our policy and values, possibly outlining
terms for further pauses in the fighting, holding Israel and other actors
accountable when their actions violate international law or contradict US
interests, and renewing the global commitment to a two-state solution,
while articulating parameters to guide negotiations.

3) Outlining a plan for post-war Gaza reconstruction and a pathway to a
viable Palestinian state.

The Administration should provide a detailed public plan for the day after
the present crisis that begins with reconstruction and redevelopment of
the devastation in Gaza and leads to the creation of a viable, independent
state of Palestine alongside a secure Israel. The plan should provide for
a revitalized and reformed Palestinian Authority that unites the West Bank
and Gaza and creates the conditions in which Israel can normalize
relations with all regional neighbors and the broader Arab and Muslim
world.

The President should make clear that any American investment or
involvement in post-war reconstruction – for instance in a multinational
Marshall Plan-style effort – will be accompanied by an American commitment
to recognition of Palestinian statehood – despite Prime Minister
Netanyahu’s opposition. Already in recent days, the UAE has made clear
that financial and other commitments from the Arab world to post-war
development in Palestine will only come when there is an Israeli
commitment to a two-state solution.

4) Instituting strict oversight and scrutiny of arms and materiel
purchased with US assistance to ensure they are used in compliance with
domestic and international law.

Senator Chris Van Hollen’s proposed amendment to the President’s
supplemental assistance request provides a commonsense and universal
approach to oversight of weapons purchased with American assistance. The
President should ask Congress to include such transparency measures in the
supplemental package they are considering and should indicate that the
Administration will use all the tools already at its disposal under
existing law to ensure that the Israeli government – along with all other
countries receiving US assistance – acts within the bounds of domestic and
international law.

The death toll in this conflict is too great and the suffering unbearable
– leading many passionate and committed individuals and organizations to
call on Israel to unilaterally cease fire. J Street does not join in
calling for a ceasefire because we do not see a viable path to a stable,
peaceful future for either Israelis or Palestinians with Hamas in control
of Gaza and still committed in its charter to Israel’s destruction and
publicly pledging to repeat the October 7 attack if given the chance.

Having said this, we also see no viable path to sustainable, long-term
resolution of this conflict if the Netanyahu government continues to add
to the already unacceptable civilian toll and humanitarian crisis in Gaza
and to disregard American recommendations on the conduct of the war.

We urge the Biden administration to take immediate action to ensure that
the Israeli government significantly shifts course before this conflict
costs more lives and wreaks more pain and devastation.

The way the current campaign is being pursued only jeopardizes Israel’s
efforts to defeat Hamas and secure the release of the hostages – while
laying the groundwork for even deeper, long-term security challenges.

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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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