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.
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Adina Vogel Ayalon
Chief of Staff, J Street
AROUND J STREET
Glimmers of Hope for Hostage Deal, Temporary Ceasefire
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 more important than a deal. And Israel’s extremist right-wing Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich has said this is 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 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
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
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 “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
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 – What You Need to Know about J Street’s Statehood Proposal.
J Street Welcomes New Biden Military Aid Oversight Measures
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 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 Pod Save America.
Read our full statement welcoming the new National Security Memorandum >>
J Street Welcomes Significant Reaffirmation of American Policy on Settlements: ‘Inconsistent with International Law’
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 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.”
Read and share J Street’s full response >>
Republicans Continue Recklessness With National Security
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. Visit the JStreetPAC website >>
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