[ [link removed] ]View this email as a web page.

[2]Street Talk: J Street's Monthly Newsletter

Friends,

Adina Vogel Ayalon here, J Street’s Vice President and Chief of Staff,
with our monthly Street Talk newsletter on our work and the situation in
Israel, Gaza and the West Bank.

But first, a quick request: If this work matters to you and if we’re
giving voice to your values, please consider helping fund our mission with
a donation of $18, $36 or $90 – or any other amount.

You can make a one-off donation, or click “make it monthly” to set a
recurring gift to sustain our work – qualifying you for exclusive
briefings with our leadership and special guests.

[ [link removed] ]Select a contribution to fuel our work here >>

Thank you, sincerely, for your support.

Adina Vogel Ayalon
Chief of Staff, J Street

AROUND J STREET

Glimmers of Hope for Hostage Deal, Temporary Ceasefire

[2]Photo of a protest for the release of the remaining hostages in Gaza

After nearly five months of anguish and horror, there are signs of hope
for a hostage release deal – and a reprieve to the devastation in Gaza –
in large part due to the work of the Biden Administration.

It comes as tensions between hostage families and the Netanyahu government
reach a boiling point. In recent weeks, it’s become increasingly clear
that a hostage deal could fracture the political coalition the Prime
Minister relies upon for support – and that internal politics may be
getting in the way of negotiations toward a release, which most Israelis
view as a key national priority.

Prime Minister Netanyahu recently indicated that continuing the war was
[ [link removed] ]more important than a deal. And Israel’s extremist right-wing Finance
Minister Bezalel Smotrich has said this is [ [link removed] ]not a top priority: “Why is
it so important at the moment?”

J Street Israel Director Nadav Tamir – who has been working with hostage
families as part of a crisis response group since October 7 – gave voice
to the feelings of many in a [ [link removed] ]Times of Israel op-ed: “Netanyahu, in his
attempts to save his own skin, sacrifices the country’s interests for his
own.”

J Street continues to stress to the White House the importance of US
leadership in this context – urging the President to do everything in his
power to grind out a deal to end the devastation in Gaza and secure the
release of hostages.

Humanitarian Catastrophe Engulfs Gaza

[6]Photo of an injured child in Gaza with small wound on forehead and
crying

The Netanyahu government’s explicit policy of restricting humanitarian aid
has led to unfathomable suffering and a mounting death toll from hunger,
dehydration and treatable illnesses.

The majority of Gaza’s families – almost 1.2 million people – are
sheltering in the southernmost city of Rafah, pressed up against the
Egyptian border. Most hospitals in Gaza are no longer functioning, and
doctors are forced to proceed with amputations, cesarean sections and
other major surgeries without appropriate equipment, anesthetics or
antibiotics.

Meanwhile, urgently needed aid has slowed to a trickle, mostly as a result
of limits by Israeli authorities and the life-threatening danger of
delivering aid amid intense military operations.

The Netanyahu government’s continued rejection of US appeals to change
course is a deep and painful violation of our shared Jewish, democratic
values – one which continues to deal real and lasting damage to Israel’s
reputation across generations and around the world.

In Washington, J Street continues to make clear that there are no winners
from this humanitarian catastrophe. Continued, more effective pressure on
the Israeli government to comply with their responsibilities is vital to
save lives, prevent suffering, facilitate aid and bring major combat to a
long-overdue close.

J Street Urges Biden to ‘Forcefully Oppose’ Ramadan Rafah Invasion

[7]Photo of a Palestinian family outside their tent in Rafah, Gaza

Prime Minister Netanyahu has called on the IDF to advance plans for an
intensive, imminent operation in Rafah, which J Street has warned would
have “clear and dire” consequences for both Israelis and Palestinians.

President Biden has warned that an operation “should not proceed” in Rafah
without a credible plan for protecting over one million people, many of
whom have been “displaced multiple times fleeing the violence to the north
and now they are packed into Rafah, exposed and vulnerable.”

As Israeli and international security experts have warned, a Rafah
operation at this time risks catastrophic consequences for hostages, an
intolerable increase in civilian casualties, new regional escalation
risks, and the crumbling of diplomatic efforts to secure hostage releases
and long-term peace.

J Street is calling on President Biden to bring [ [link removed] ]“immediate and
effective US pressure to bear” to deter Prime Minister Netanyahu from this
catastrophic course for Israelis and Palestinians, as well as for US
interests.

J Street Backs US Recognition of Palestinian State as Centerpiece of Regional
Peace and Security Agreement

[9]Photo of Israeli and Palestinian flags waving on a pole

This month, J Street called on President Biden to outline a clear pathway
toward US recognition of a demilitarized Palestinian state as the
centerpiece of a comprehensive regional peace initiative.

While the first and foremost priority must be securing a deal to release
the remaining hostages and halt the war, we believe it is vital that the
United States also chart a path toward a better future and provide hope
amid mounting despair.

By outlining a comprehensive, peaceful path to recognition, the US can
help empower moderate leadership, disempower Hamas, and combat the
disenfranchisement and hopelessness upon which terror thrives.

While engaging regional partners, a US-led diplomatic initiative should
aim to secure Israel’s future as a safe, democratic homeland for the
Jewish people and deliver on the promise of freedom, peace and
self-determination for Palestinians.

For more, read and share J Street’s latest blog post – [ [link removed] ]What You Need
to Know about J Street’s Statehood Proposal.

J Street Welcomes New Biden Military Aid Oversight Measures

[11]Photo of President Biden speaking against dark background

For years, J Street has called for greater oversight of US military
assistance. This month, the Biden Administration announced an important
new National Security Memorandum – NSM-20 – which is a significant step
toward that goal.

These robust new reporting requirements – developed in partnership with J
Street champion Senator Chris Van Hollen – will help Congress and the
White House ensure that US military aid is used in accordance with our
values and in compliance with international and domestic laws.

“The White House is sending a clear message to the Netanyahu government
that US support will no longer come in the form of a blank check,” said J
Street President Jeremy Ben-Ami in our [ [link removed] ]statement welcoming the move.

As numerous Senators have made clear, it is vital that the White House now
work to deliver thorough, credible reports to Congress under NSM-20. “It
only matters if there's real oversight, and this is something I commit to,
and there are others I know for certain in the Senate that are committed
to this,” J Street endorsee Senator Elizabeth Warren told [ [link removed] ]Pod Save
America.

[ [link removed] ]Read our full statement welcoming the new National Security Memorandum
>>

J Street Welcomes Significant Reaffirmation of American Policy on Settlements:
‘Inconsistent with International Law’

[15]Photo of Secretary of State Blinken speaking at the UN

J Street last week welcomed Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s statement
affirming that “new settlements are counterproductive to reaching an
enduring peace,” are “inconsistent with international law” and their
continued expansion “only weakens, doesn’t strengthen” Israel’s security.

This move marks an explicit rejection of the Trump-era ‘Pompeo Doctrine’ –
restoring US acknowledgement that settlement construction on occupied
territory is a violation of international law. This has been a clear,
consistent request by J Street over the last several years.

"The administration must make clear that there must be no further
expansion of the settlement enterprise,” J Street President Jeremy Ben-Ami
said in the [ [link removed] ]New York Times. “Biden should show it will take further
steps to enforce its view that the creeping annexation of the West Bank
must stop.”

[ [link removed] ]Read and share J Street’s full response >>

Republicans Continue Recklessness With National Security

[18]Photo of Speaker of the House Mike Johnson speaking at the Republican
Jewish Coalition

Republican Speaker Mike Johnson continues to play politics with our
national interest and the security of both the US and our partners –
refusing to bring a bipartisan national security package that recently
passed in the Senate.

The package includes $14.1 billion in additional security assistance for
Israel along with urgent funding for Ukraine’s battle against Vladamir
Putin; vital humanitarian aid to be delivered globally, including in Gaza;
support for US Central Command’s operations in the Red Sea; and a range of
other pressing priorities.

The package – which J Street strongly supports – would likely earn the
backing of a strong bipartisan majority in the House, but is being held
back by MAGA-movement demands that continue to shift by the day. We
continue to call for an immediate vote on the legislation.

This continued farce is yet another reminder – as if one was needed – of
the urgent need to defeat the MAGA movement and elect representatives who
put country over party. Together, J Street aims to raise over $10 million
in the 2024 cycle through JStreetPAC to elect champions for our values and
defeat MAGA candidates up and down the ballot.

Learn more about how JStreetPAC is rallying our community and amplifying
our collective impact, or consider helping us reach our goal with a
contribution today. [ [link removed] ]Visit the JStreetPAC website >>

Must Reads

* [ [link removed] ]Myth and Reality in Israel’s Hostage Negotiations, The New York Times

* [ [link removed] ]How Israel’s War Went Wrong, Vox

* [ [link removed] ]Hope Amid the Pain, J Street

Must Watch

* [ [link removed] ]Webinar: J Street’s Statehood Proposal – What You Need to Know

Must Listen

* [ [link removed] ]Stranded in Rafah as Israeli Invasion Looms, The Daily


[ [link removed] ]DONATE

[ [link removed] ]Threads [ [link removed] ]Facebook [ [link removed] ]Instagram [ [link removed] ]Twitter
© 2024 J Street | [ [link removed] ]www.jstreet.org | [email protected]

J Street is the political home for pro-Israel, pro-peace 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.



You can unsubscribe from this mailing list at any time:
[link removed]