[ ]J Street[ ]
Dear Friend,

For eight months, we have watched in abject horror the catastrophic war
that has followed Hamas’ barbaric October 7 attack.

Without question, Hamas’ leaders and those who carried out the murders,
the rapes, the hostage-taking and the devastation that day deserve to be
brought to justice, and Israel has the right, within the bounds of
international law, to defend its citizens and pursue accountability.

But, to our great regret, the response of Prime Minister Netanyahu’s
government has too often crossed the line from legitimate self-defense and
pursuit of justice to itself becoming the source of horrific suffering and
destruction.

In the wake of what we see as Netanyahu crossing President Biden’s red
line regarding Rafah in the tragedy of this weekend, we reiterate our call
of many months now: It is time for this war to end.

It is time for a negotiated ceasefire that brings home the hostages and
halts the fighting.

It is time for a deal that allows for a surge of humanitarian assistance
into Gaza to meet the massive needs of the civilian population. If there
is an offer on the table judged by the United States to be reasonable, the
Israeli government must be pressed to accept it, just as maximum pressure
must also be exerted on Hamas through Egypt, Qatar and other interlocutors
to ensure Hamas accepts it.

Our view of the war today does not erase the horror of October 7 or
obscure our memory of the people we lost – many of them friends and family
of people in our movement, dedicated to peace and coexistence with their
neighbors in Gaza.

The Netanyahu government not only failed the country on and before October
7, but has failed the hostages, their families and the Israeli public
since. This government has prioritized its pursuit of the impossible
concept of “total victory” and “destroying” Hamas above all else.

The United States, President Biden, and many of us who support Israel’s
right of self-defense, must also own responsibility for failing to use all
available leverage to change the way Prime Minister Netanyahu has
conducted this war.

We have urged the President to withhold shipments of offensive weapons to
press Netanyahu and his allies to adhere to the rules of war, to American
law and to the moral standards we expect from a democratic ally. We
supported the recent withholding of a shipment of munitions. But more
leverage must be exerted and more offensive weapons should at this point
be withheld.

The United States must also mean it when we say that we believe in the
rules-based international order. The United Nations, the International
Court of Justice and the International Criminal Court may be imperfect
institutions, but they represent the core of the international order that
the United States has helped build and that has been central to global
stability for decades.

The US should be at the forefront of ensuring that the courts and the
international law they uphold remain strong, and that the law applies
equally to our friends as well as our enemies. Substantive disagreements
may be argued through appropriate channels and processes, but the
President should not be protecting the Israeli government or Prime
Minister Netanyahu himself from accountability – either by consistently
using its veto at the Security Council or by threatening court officials
with sanctions.

We oppose any effort by Congress to impose sanctions on international
courts or their personnel over disagreements about the steps they are
taking. That is behavior more fitting for President Biden’s opponent (who
did sanction ICC officials) and his MAGA supporters who consistently
attack the rule of law.

Finally, it is not defensible that the US has allowed the war to go on for
nearly eight months without demanding a clear commitment from Netanyahu
regarding the endgame for the broader conflict.

The President and his team – along with the entirety of the rest of the
world – understand that there is only one way for this war and the
underlying Israeli-Palestinian conflict to end, and that is with a
credible pathway for Palestinians toward self-determination and a state of
their own. Withholding certain arms until Netanyahu agrees to a plan that
would lead to a Palestinian state must also be on the table for the Biden
Administration.

Alongside the nightmare of this present conflict, there remains a
once-in-a-generation opportunity for a comprehensive, regional agreement
that results in normalization of Israel’s relations with its neighbors;
the establishment of a meaningful regional security architecture providing
a buffer against Iran’s malfeasance; and the creation of a viable,
demilitarized Palestinian state.

The biggest obstacle standing in the way is the extremist Netanyahu
government that refuses to articulate its vision of the ‘day after’ this
conflict ends. To the extent that it has such a vision, it is at odds with
that of the Biden Administration and the rest of the world.

It is time for President Biden to lay out his vision and the detailed
steps that can implement it ([ [link removed] ]J Street has outlined one way to get
there, but there are others). The United States should lead a United
Nations Security Council Resolution enshrining this vision, uniting the
world around a pathway to a secure and peaceful future.

The President must demand that Israel’s leaders choose: Either follow the
path of Prime Minister Netanyahu and his extremist allies to a future of
never-ending conflict, bloodshed and pain – or choose the path that leads
to regional stability and global acceptance of the states of Israel and
Palestine within a regional security framework.

Hamas and the terrorists who attacked Israel on October 7 can and must be
defeated. But that will only happen through a political resolution of the
underlying Israeli-Palestinian conflict – one that rallies international
support to deprive Hamas of financial, political and popular support and
charts a clear, alternate, peaceful path toward Palestinian liberation.
The path which President Biden is being led down by Prime Minister
Netanyahu will bring only more death and destruction, a more radicalized
and angry Palestinian population, and greater enemies for not just Israel
but the United States as well.

And – let’s be clear – the political damage the President is suffering by
going down this path is so deep that it could cost him the November
election and all of us our democracy.

So we say to President Biden: Demand an end to this war now and lay out
the choice clearly for Prime Minister Netanyahu. Either resolve this war
and the underlying conflict the right way – in a manner that brings
lasting peace, security and freedom to both peoples – or go it alone on
the path of never-ending violence and bloodshed. 

Mr. President, enough is enough.

Jeremy Ben-Ami 
President, J Street


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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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