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

Friends,

Adina here with J Street’s latest newsletter.

For almost 6 months, we’ve experienced an extremely trying time for all of
us in the pro-Isael, pro-peace, pro-democracy community. As an
Israeli-American in the US, believe me, I know.

Hostages remain captive, their families in anguish. Hamas seems intent on
making their own people’s suffering even worse. The threat of famine
spreading across Gaza is painfully concerning and the Netanyahu
government’s indifference to Palestinian suffering remains a violation of
our values.

Here in the United States, our communities are being pulled further and
further apart. Donald Trump continues to poll alarmingly well in key
states. Republicans seem to have adopted “anti-Palestinian” as their new
definition of “pro-Israel.”

At J Street, we continue to fiercely advocate for our pro-Israel,
pro-peace, pro-democracy values: Pressing for unconditional hostage
releases and an urgent bilateral ceasefire. Stressing the importance of
humanitarian aid and stronger US leadership. Rallying our community to
defeat Trump.

You can find out more about that work in the newsletter below.

But first, if our mission is important to you in this moment, please help
us fund it. Your donation of [ [link removed] ]$18, $36 or
$90 – or any other amount – is deeply appreciated (and to
sustain our work, click “make it monthly” to set a monthly gift,
qualifying you for exclusive briefings with 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

President Biden Makes the Right Call on UN Security Council Resolution

[3]President Biden speaking

J Street continues to strongly support the Biden Administration's efforts
to broker an immediate, bilateral ceasefire to release the hostages and
bring the devastation in Gaza to an end.

After months of calling on the White House not to veto diplomatic efforts
aligned with this goal, J Street welcomed the president’s decision to
allow passage of a UN Security Council resolution demanding the
unconditional release of hostages, an immediate ceasefire during the month
of Ramadan, full compliance with international law, and access for
humanitarian aid.

President Biden’s decision to abstain rather than veto the UNSC vote –
which received otherwise unanimous support – came following an
unprecedented threat from Prime Minister Netanyahu to cancel an upcoming
US visit by senior aides, which he then followed through on (and is now in
the process of reversing course on).

“President Biden is right to show he won’t be bullied,” J Street said
following the vote. “It’s deeply unfortunate that Prime Minister Netanyahu
is now blocking consultations with Israel’s closest ally over a
consequential policy disagreement at this critical moment.”

[ [link removed] ]Read J Street’s statement on the UN Security Council Resolution >>

J Street Presses for Further Action as Famine Threatens to Spread

[5]Palestinians receive aid in Gaza

The humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza is unbearable. UN agencies and US
officials warn that over one million people are on the verge of famine,
with mass casualties likely if action isn’t taken swiftly.

Hamas continues to exacerbate suffering, refusing to release hostages. We
strongly support the ongoing efforts to pressure them to agree to a deal.
Their surrender would bring this catastrophe to its swiftest end.

MAGA Republicans, meanwhile, are boasting that they’ve cut support for
Palestinian aid and [ [link removed] ]banned US funding for UNRWA – the only group with
the infrastructure to address the crisis and the hopelessness and
desperation upon which terror groups feed.

The Netanyahu government continues to restrict aid deliveries – a policy
[ [link removed] ]slammed by hundreds of Israel’s own former security officials. The UN
reports that aid convoys have come under IDF fire, been swarmed by
desperate civilians, or commandeered by Hamas or armed gangs.

J Street continues to press President Biden to make this a top priority:
Demand the Netanyahu government allow sufficient humanitarian aid to enter
Gaza. Significantly scale up efforts to deliver supplies by land, air and
sea. Exhaust every avenue to ensure humanitarian groups have what they
need to address the crisis.

[ [link removed] ]Read and share a letter from our friends at Commanders for Israel’s
Security sharply criticizing the Netanyahu government’s efforts to
restrict aid >>

J Street Welcomes Majority Leader Chuck Schumer’s Historic Speech

[9]Senator Schumer speaking on Senate floor

Last month, Chuck Schumer – Senate Majority Leader and the highest-ranking
Jewish elected official in US history – delivered a momentous, heartfelt
pro-Israel speech in the Senate.

The Senator – a bellwether for the Jewish community, who has refrained
from sharp criticism of the Israeli government – reckoned directly with
the “significant course corrections” Israel must make going forward, as
well as the failures of leadership on the Palestinian side.

Senator Schumer included both the settlement extremists and Prime Minister
Netanyahu on a list of “obstacles to peace” – alongside Hamas and
Palestinian leadership. For the first time, he sharply criticized the
Netanyahu government’s “dangerous and inflammatory policies that test
existing standards for assistance.” Significantly, he said that if
Netanyahu remains in power, the US should “play a more active role” by
“using our leverage” to change course.

“Palestinian civilians do not deserve to suffer for the sins of Hamas, and
Israel has a moral obligation to do better,” he said. “The United States
has an obligation to do better.”

This speech was courageous pro-Israel, pro-peace, pro-democracy leadership
at its best.

[ [link removed] ]Read J Street’s full analysis of Senator Schumer’s speech >>

Jewish Community Rallies Around Schumer in Face of Attacks

As President Biden said in response to Chuck Schumer’s speech: “He
expressed a serious concern, shared not only by him but by many
Americans.” But for some right-wing voices, no criticism of the Israeli
government is acceptable – even from an unimpeachably pro-Israel leader
delivered with deeply Jewish humanity.

Right-wing critics made absurd accusations of Schumer “appeasing
antisemites” and “abandoning Israel.” Donald Trump said Jewish Democrats
should be “ashamed” and called Schumer “very anti-Israel.” AIPAC “flips
out” [ [link removed] ]reported The New Republic.

Others stood up for common sense:

* Former Israeli Prime Ministers [ [link removed] ]Ehud Barak and [ [link removed] ]Ehud Olmert
expressed deep appreciation for the Senator’s frank and forthright
concern.
* More than 300 influential Jewish leaders – including a dozen former US
ambassadors and government officials as well as J Street President
Jeremy Ben-Ami – [ [link removed] ]signed a letter welcoming the Majority Leader’s
speech and thanking Senator Schumer and President Biden for their
commitment to the US-Israel relationship and their understanding that
“there is no military solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict —
only a political one.”
* Rabbis John L. Rosove and Elliott Tepperman, chairs of J Street’s
Rabbinic and Cantorial Cabinet, praised Schumer’s “political courage”
and “welcome, straight-talking new direction” in a [ [link removed] ]Haaretz op-ed.
* J Street Israel Director Nadav Tamir praised the speech in [ [link removed] ]The
Jerusalem Post, writing that the Netanyahu government was causing “the
deepening of alienation” of even the greatest supporters of Israel.

With Senator Schumer continuing to face slander from those determined to
shut down any open, honest and fair debate about Israeli policies, we need
to show our support. [ [link removed] ]Join thousands of J Streeters who have thanked
Chuck Schumer for his speech >>

J Street Urges White House to Follow Own Protocols on Military Aid

[18]President Biden speaking

In February, the Biden Administration introduced a regulatory oversight
mechanism to ensure US military aid is used in accordance with our values
and in compliance with international law. This month, it indicated the
Israeli government had provided assurances it was operating within
international law, and fully facilitating humanitarian aid deliveries.

With deep pain and regret, J Street acknowledges that there have been
enough concerning, credible reports to call into question the reliability
of the Netanyahu government’s assurances.

Israeli, American and international monitors have published credible
evidence of international law violations, with the Biden Administration
itself resorting to airdrops and sea deliveries of humanitarian aid to
work around Netanyahu government restrictions on land deliveries.

As 17 senators recently wrote in a [ [link removed] ]joint statement, deeming the
Netanyahu government’s assurances to be “credible and reliable” would be
“inconsistent with the letter and spirit” of the regulations and set “an
unacceptable precedent” in other situations around the world.

J Street calls on the Biden Administration to fully and impartially follow
its own procedures and to initiate immediate steps to evaluate and address
potential violations.

[ [link removed] ]Read our full statement here >>

J Street Urges Further Action to Oppose West Bank Settlement Escalations

[21]Violent settlers in the West Bank

As Secretary of State Antony Blinken landed for talks with Prime Minister
Netanyahu at the end of last month, far-right Finance Minister Bezalel
Smotrich [ [link removed] ]announced the largest land seizure in the West Bank since the
1993 Oslo Accords.

This declaration, alongside a similar seizure in February, marks a
significant acceleration in land settlement, and a direct snub of US
opposition to far-right efforts to cement permanent, undemocratic control
over Palestinian land, and to put more young Israelis on the front lines.

J Street welcomed President Biden’s February announcement of a sanctions
framework for tackling extremism in the West Bank, and welcomed a second
round of sanctions targeted at violent extremists and settlement outposts.
It sends a clear message that the United States will no longer treat the
settlement movement with impunity: There will be consequences.

With some of Israel’s most extremist ministers, including those with
responsibility for the West Bank and Israeli security personnel operating
within it, driving settlement policies, the administration should not shy
away from including such officials in future rounds of sanctions. As
Senator Chuck Schumer said of Israel’s most extreme far-right ministers in
his landmark speech, “as long as they hold their positions of power, no
true progress will be made.”

[ [link removed] ]Read J Street’s full statement welcoming President Biden’s second
round of sanctions >>

J Street Remains Committed to Defeating Trump and Allies Up and Down the
Ballot

[24]Trump and Netanyahu

As unfathomably painful as the situation in Israel, Gaza and the West Bank
is right now – we know it would be unfathomably worse with President Trump
in the White House.

Not a man known for his grasp of nuance, sensitivity and complexity,
President Trump gave a predictably extreme response to Senator Schumer’s
speech and the balancing act the White House continues to struggle with,
describing Democrats as “very anti-Israel.”

"Any Jewish person that votes for Democrats hates their religion, they
hate everything about Israel, and they should be ashamed of themselves,"
he said. “I actually think they hate Israel.”

The former President’s comments would be painful if they weren’t so
absurd. They reflect the most nakedly extreme version of efforts to muddy
a nuanced, necessary debate by smearing opponents as anti-Israel or
antisemitic – even lifelong supporters of Israel.

Israelis and Palestinians cannot afford another Trump term. Neither can
our democracy.

At J Street, we’re committed to doing all we can to defeat Trump in
November: protesting, door-knocking and rallying our community. Through
our political arm – JStreetPAC – our supporters are on track to raise over
$10 million to defeat the MAGA movement and elect pro-Israel, pro-peace,
pro-democracy candidates up and down the ballot.

[ [link removed] ]Joining JStreetPAC makes your political dollars go further and amplify
your impact in Washington. Learn more here >>

Must Reads

* [ [link removed] ]Schumer’s ‘Unprecedented' Speech, J Street

* [ [link removed] ]Violence Has Failed Palestinians, Foreign Policy

* [ [link removed] ]What Schumer and Biden Got Right About Netanyahu, The New York Times

* [ [link removed] ]Gaza’s Risk of Famine Is Accelerating Faster Than Anything We’ve Seen
This Century, Vox


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© 2024 J Street | [ [link removed] ]www.jstreet.org | [email protected]

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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