[ ]J Street[ ]
Friend,

The scenes in the skies above Israel, Gaza and the West Bank Saturday
night were terrifying.

Hundreds of Iranian drones and missiles were shot down above major cities
as civilians took shelter. I received a flood of texts and calls from
friends and family across Israel. A seven-year-old girl in Israel’s south
was seriously injured. We hope for her full recovery.

The entire pro-Israel community is still grappling with the fallout of
this unprecedented Iranian attack – retaliation for an Israeli strike on a
diplomatic compound in Damascus earlier this month which killed over a
dozen people, including several Iranian military leaders.

We’re deeply thankful for the safety of our staff and partners in the
region, and that US-funded missile defense systems and international
interception efforts prevented a far worse situation.

President Biden’s strategy of deterrence, diplomacy and de-escalation is
the right one – and may well have prevented this retaliatory attack from
being far worse – but at J Street we remain deeply concerned about the
risk of further escalation.

A spiraling conflict which results in an all out war with Iran would be
catastrophic for Israel, the United States and the entire region. It’s a
risk which must be taken seriously.

We must not minimize the Iranian attack on Israel, though we must ensure a
line is drawn under this round of retaliation. Cooler heads must prevail.
Together, we must push back against the hawkish, reactionary voices in
Israel and the United States who even now are pressing for continued
escalation.

It’s more urgent than ever to lower the flames in the region by bringing
the fighting in Gaza to an end. We need to get hostages out and aid relief
in.

Iran’s attack has, of course, also underscored the importance of US
support for Iron Dome and other missile defense systems.

Today, J Street is renewing our call on Republican House Speaker Mike
Johnson to bring a stalled security funding package for an immediate vote.

The legislation includes vital security aid for Israel, Ukraine and Taiwan
as well as additional, urgently needed humanitarian aid to address the
crisis in Gaza. The package passed the Senate with overwhelming bipartisan
support and could be sent to President Biden’s desk for signature tonight.

Speaker Johnson, however, refuses to call a vote. The MAGA movement is
holding him hostage over their opposition to aid to Ukraine and
humanitarian support for civilians in Gaza.

Instead, he is using this moment of crisis to attempt to wedge, divert and
distract Democrats – releasing a congressional calendar this morning
clogged with divisive resolutions and messaging bills which in no way
materially enhance US or Israeli security.

MAGA Republicans are seeking to deepen political divides, project reckless
hawkish bluster, and tie the president’s hands as he pursues urgent
diplomacy to de-escalate this crisis. Democrats should not play along.

At J Street, we’re pushing back against partisan efforts to politicize
national security and splinter support for Israel, Ukraine and urgently
needed humanitarian aid.

We’re calling out those who seek to draw both Israel and the United States
into a catastrophic war with Iran – which would be a disaster for us all.

Your support makes that work possible. If this fight matters to you,
please consider chipping in $18, $36 or
$90 – or any other amount – to help us push back. [ [link removed] ]Make
a donation to strengthen our movement here >>

Thank you, sincerely, for your support.

Adina Vogel Ayalon
Vice President and Chief of Staff, J Street

PS. To read and share our full statements on this issue, you can find
yesterday’s [ [link removed] ]condemnation of the Iranian strike here and today’s call on
the House to pass the [ [link removed] ]bipartisan national security package here. 


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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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