[ ]J Street[ ]
Friends,

The next two weeks could not be more critical for all of us at J Street.
We’re preparing for the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee next
week and Netanyahu’s visit to Washington the week after. Simultaneously,
we continue to press for an urgent ceasefire agreement and rally voters to
protect our democracy in November.

With so much happening, I wanted to make sure some recent developments
didn’t get lost in the shuffle. Below you can find a brief recap of our
work over the past few weeks.

With gratitude for all you do,

Nate Wolfson
Director of Communications Operations, J Street

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J Street Urges Deal to Free Hostages, End the War

Advocating for a lasting negotiated ceasefire continues to be our top
policy priority.

Our advocacy teams in Washington are urging Congress and the
administration to press both Hamas and Netanyahu to seal a deal and save
lives as urgently as possible. The US must firmly push our partners in the
region to keep Hamas at the negotiating table and ensure a deal that
releases all of the remaining hostages.

In Israel, J Street Executive Director Nadav Tamir, who plays a central
leading role in the Hostages and Missing Families Forum, echoed
frustration from diplomats and hostage families that Netanyahu is
undermining his own negotiating team. “Netanyahu gave one order to the
negotiators and a different message to his constituency. Then he speaks
over the head of negotiators by telling Sinwar he won’t stop the war,”
[ [link removed] ]Nadav told i24 News.

Help build our movement and keep this a top priority amid this chaotic
news environment. [ [link removed] ]Sign, share and circulate our petition to President
Biden here >>

J Street’s Commitment to Defeating Trump

The threats of a second Trump presidency are severe. Our rights and
freedoms at home are at risk and the safety and freedoms of people in
Israel and across the Middle East hang in the balance. We’ll have more to
say on this on Sunday ahead of the RNC.

We were particularly alarmed by this month’s Supreme Court decision which
– by creating an entirely new concept of presidential immunity – not only
made a second Trump presidency more likely, but much more terrifying. If
attempts to tamper with election results and incite a coup now lie beyond
accountability, there is no telling how unbound, untethered and
undemocratic a second Trump administration would be ([ [link removed] ]see our full
statement here).

J Street is committed to raising over $11 million for the Biden-Harris
campaign and pro-democracy candidates up and down the ballot. Within our
communities, on college campuses, and in battleground states across the
country, we’re partnering with allies to rally the broadest possible
coalition of voters to defend our democracy, defeat Trump and fix the
ongoing damage the MAGA movement has wrought.

[ [link removed] ]Learn more about supporting our political work by visiting the
JStreetPAC website here.

J Street Policy Center Sounds Alarm over Hezbollah Escalation Risks

With tensions high on the Israel-Lebanon border, J Street is sounding the
alarm over the catastrophic risk of all-out war in the north. A full-scale
Israel-Hezbollah conflict would be disastrous, with the potential to
swiftly overwhelm Israel’s missile defense systems.

We continue to fully support President Biden's efforts to secure
de-escalation through intensive diplomatic efforts, deterring Iran and its
regional proxies, building a better future for Lebanon and – perhaps most
important – facilitating a negotiated ceasefire in Gaza. It’s vital that
commentators and policymakers understand the stakes and what the US
government can do. We’ve worked to make that clear with the J Street
Policy Center’s recent [ [link removed] ]issue brief and an urgent, [ [link removed] ]widely attended
online briefing.

J Street Responds to Netanyuahu’s Stealth Annexation Efforts

In the shadow of the Gaza war, Netanyahu's far-right government has
continued its work to advance West Bank annexation – a core part of the
government’s coalition agreement.

A recent [ [link removed] ]New York Times article exposed a “secret government bid to
cement control of the West Bank,” which we asserted “demands a response.”
You can read our [ [link removed] ]full response here, which our advocacy teams have been
working to reinforce with the administration and on Capitol Hill. You can
also find the [ [link removed] ]J Street Policy Center’s latest brief here, which focused
on these West Bank annexation efforts and the risks they pose to
Palestinian freedoms and Israeli security – while providing cogent policy
recommendations for US lawmakers.

Preparing for Netanyahu’s Speech to Congress

In a few weeks, when Prime Minister Netanyahu takes the podium in
Congress, we can expect him to do what he has done before: Use the
platform to bolster his political standing in Israel while driving a wedge
into his political opponents in the United States.

It’s vital that commentators and Members of Congress understand the
dynamics at play.

“Netanyahu comes to Washington attempting to salvage his shattered status
in Israel,” warned J Street Israel Director Nadav Tamir [ [link removed] ]in The Hill.
“He’s seeking to use the theater of a congressional address as a backdrop
for his political survival campaign – not to enhance and strengthen the
US-Israel relationship.”

“I would encourage Members – whether they attend or not – to find ways to
show they care about Israel and the US-Israel relationship other than
providing a standing ovation to a Prime Minister who let down Israel’s
guard and sought to dismantle its democracy,” J Street President Jeremy
Ben-Ami wrote in an [ [link removed] ]email shared on Capitol Hill.

Empowering Progressive Pro-Israel Students

On college campuses across the country, J Street U works to show Jewish
and pro-Israel students that there is a home for those who reject the
right-wing, anti-Palestinian version of "pro-Israel" – and that there is a
proud, inclusive, welcoming political space for Jewish students. A space
committed to unapologetically fighting antisemitism. A space that models
the civil discourse and constructive dialogue needed to lower the
temperature on campus and foster the safe, secure and creative environment
students deserve.

To meet this challenging moment, in the coming school year, we will
leverage a major donation match from a generous J Street supporter to
greatly expand our staffing and resources to reach more students on more
campuses. These funds will enable J Street U to hire new organizers,
expand its supportive presence on campus, and both enhance and increase
the pro-Israel, pro-peace, pro-democracy educational programming J Street
U implements on college campuses nationwide.

[ [link removed] ]Please consider a tax-deductible contribution to help us expand J
Street U and foster the next generation of pro-Israel, pro-peace,
pro-democracy leaders.

Ground Eye View: Ensuring Our Constituencies Understand the Stakes

One of the best ways to help leaders understand the situation on the
ground and the change necessary to chart a better course is to let them
see what’s at stake with their own eyes.

Our Len Hill Education Program delegations to the region continue to be
one of the most impactful, important parts of our work, and the summer is
a particularly busy time.

* A J Street delegation of US policy and political professionals spent a
week in the region meeting with counterparts, touring the Gaza
envelope in the aftermath of October 7, and meeting with peace
advocates and Palestinians in the occupied West Bank.
* In partnership with T’ruah, J Street organized two recent trips to
Israel and the West Bank with a total of over 40 American rabbis,
empowering these communal leaders to guide their communities at home.
* This week, we’re kicking off the first of two congressional staff
delegations to the region. Our J Street itinerary provides an
intensive course on the reality in Israel and Palestine with a special
focus on how American foreign policy impacts the situation on the
ground.

We continue to hear tremendous feedback from participants, who often
return as energized, committed ambassadors not only for J Street, but for
the hard work necessary to support Israeli-Palestinian peace. Our work in
the United States to sustain this advocacy is equally important –
[ [link removed] ]please consider a contribution to sustain that work here.

Must Read

* [ [link removed] ]We Are Israelis Calling on Congress to Disinvite Netanyahu, The
New York Times
* [ [link removed] ]‘The Time Is Now’: Historic Rally Calls for a Hostage Deal and End
to the War, J Street
* [ [link removed] ]Israel's Top Officer in the West Bank Knows the Settlers Best.
Listen to His Warning of Imminent Disaster, Haaretz

Must Watch

* [ [link removed] ]Israelis and Palestinians Standing Together for Change, J Street
* [ [link removed] ]Israel, Hezbollah and Potential for Full Scale War, J Street
Policy Center


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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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