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. 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
