[ ]J Street[ ]
Friends,

Benjamin Netanyahu will step up to the podium in Congress on Wednesday.

As he has done before, I expect he’ll use the platform to bolster his
political standing in Israel, wedge his political rivals here, and spin
himself as a champion of peace and democracy – even as many Israelis,
who’ve flown to DC on their own dime, protest him outside.

He’ll no doubt use Israelis, Jews and Palestinians as political props. He
may claim to speak for Jews everywhere. He’ll likely put himself forward
as the face of Israel, and paint even legitimate political criticism of
his decisions as antisemitic.

He might even cut a campaign ad out of the footage, as he has done before.

But like the speeches from Netanyahu’s political allies at the Republican
National Convention this week, his words will be heavy on spin and saber
rattling, light on hope and leadership.

J Street has made it no secret: We agree with liberal Israelis and
pro-democracy protest leaders that Netanyahu should never have been
invited to Congress or the White House.

It’s deplorable that Speaker Johnson is trying to use a divisive figure to
wedge Democrats on support for Israel – and trying to boost Netanyahu’s
flagging poll numbers by handing him the Congressional stage. Johnson’s
bizarre comment this week that he’s “going to have extra
sergeants-at-arms” on the floor to potentially arrest Democratic members
is appalling.

But since Netanyahu will be here, J Street is partnering with Israeli
pro-democracy leaders and the families of hostages to ensure their voices
are also heard.

We’re making sure everyone in Washington understands the dynamics of this
moment, and the motivations of Prime Minister Netanyahu and his Republican
allies.

And we’re urging our leaders in Congress and the White House to use the
moment to deliver a message not only to Netanyahu, but to Israelis and
Palestinians abroad:

* From President Biden down, our leaders must stress the urgency of a
swift and lasting end to the catastrophic war in Gaza – one which
frees all hostages, ends civilian suffering and charts a course toward
long-term peace.
* Our leaders should join with the families of hostages and insist that
Netanyahu stop issuing highly-politicized missives which undercut his
own ceasefire negotiating team.
* They should join with the majority of Democrats and Jewish Americans
in demanding greater respect for Palestinian lives, humanitarian aid
groups and international law.
* They should join with peace advocates and demand Netanyahu constrain
extreme-right members of his own government, who are actively
advocating for settlements in Gaza and West Bank annexation.
* And they should join with Israeli and US security experts in demanding
a concrete “day after” plan for governance, stability and
reconstruction in Gaza – and a clear, achievable pathway to sidelining
Hamas by resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict once and for all.

And yes: For those Members of Congress who’ve made the understandable
decision to take a pass on attending Netanyahu’s speech, we’ve urged them
to make crystal clear that their objection is to Prime Minister Netanyahu
and the politics he represents – not a reflection of their commitment to
supporting the US-Israel relationship, Israel’s security, or Israelis
themselves.

We’ll have more to say in the days ahead as we work with partners on
Capitol Hill and our pro-peace, pro-democracy Israeli allies.

If you’ll be in Washington DC or live nearby, we also hope you’ll be able
to join one of several events we’re supporting next week. [ [link removed] ]You can learn
more and register here >>

In the meantime, I want to thank you, once again, for your ongoing
support, and for sharing our message within your community.

Yours in difficult times,

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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