Friends,
I write tonight with hope that today marked a real step toward ending the Israel-Hamas war.
President Biden stood up, put a plan on the table with full White House backing, and began the process of rallying international pressure on Hamas and the Netanyahu government to agree to a comprehensive framework to halt hostilities and hammer out a durable ceasefire.
As we reiterated earlier this week, and as President Biden said today: It's time for this war to end.
The comprehensive ceasefire framework would reunite hostages with their families, end the devastation in Gaza, provide guarantees for Israel’s security, surge humanitarian aid to Palestinians, start the process of reconstruction, and ultimately pave the way for a lasting peace agreement to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. As the President noted, the framework is supported by Israeli officials. Hamas has since said it is examining the plan.
As I said to the press this afternoon, this was a powerful display of presidential leadership.
Now, immense pressure must be brought to bear on Hamas to take the deal and end this nightmare for Israelis and Palestinians alike.
There are a few points that President Biden made which I think bear repeating.
First, the President – a lifelong supporter of Israel and the only president to have visited Israel in wartime – made clear that Israelis can accept this deal with no risk to their own security. “[Israel has] devastated Hamas forces over the past 8 months,” he said. “At this point, Hamas is no longer capable of carrying out another October 7.”
Second, as a veteran of political debates over Iraq and Afghanistan, President Biden made clear that the “forever war” advocated by some is a road to ruin.
“Indefinite war in pursuit of an unidentified notion of ‘total victory’ will only bog down Israel in Gaza, draining economic, military and human resources, and furthering Israel’s isolation in the world,” the President said. “That will not bring hostages home. That will not bring an enduring defeat of Hamas. That will not bring Israel lasting security.”
Third, the President directly addressed the Israeli people, calling out right-wing leaders who now face growing criticism from hostage families, Israeli military veterans and Israel’s own security establishment.
“I know there are those in Israel who will not agree with this plan and will call for the war to continue indefinitely – some are even in the government coalition,” he said. “They’ve made it clear: They want to occupy Gaza, they want to keep fighting for years and the hostages are not a priority. I’ve urged the Israeli government to stand behind this plan, no matter what pressure comes.”
Friends – This is exactly the type of strong, nuanced pro-Israel statecraft that J Street has been calling for and continues to champion. It is our dearest hope that this effort succeeds, and we will support it with every resource at our disposal.
As President Obama has said, no ceasefire can undo the pain and anguish of those whose loved ones were killed or kidnapped on October 7, nor make whole the families whose lives have been torn apart by the ensuing war. But it can save lives, here and now.
It can lay the foundations for a path toward a better future of safety and freedom for all, so that no future generation – Israeli or Palestinian – has to relive such horrors.
That is the path J Street is committed to, and I thank you, sincerely, for joining us in this work.
Yours,
Jeremy Ben-Ami
President, J Street
