[ ]J Street[ ]
Friends, 

Israel’s short history is not lacking in pivotal moments of war, peace,
tragedy and triumph.

I’d venture to say that we’re at one of those moments now. A crossroads in
history.

Will Israel and Hamas reach a negotiated ceasefire that ends the fighting,
brings the hostages home and surges relief to Gaza?

Or will the fighting continue endlessly – potentially spiraling into a
full-scale regional war with no winners, only pain and suffering on an
unfathomable scale?

Hostage families, security experts and the tens of thousands of Israelis
taking to the streets every week agree: The time is now for a deal. 

President Biden must tell Prime Minister Netanyahu to cut the BS and seal
the deal – just as Egypt, Qatar and others must send the same message to
Hamas.

We’ve heard infuriating reports about the hardening of Hamas’ positions.
We are hearing – from Israeli security experts and negotiators themselves
– that Prime Minister Netanyahu is also obstructing a deal by shifting the
goalposts and undercutting his own negotiating team.

As we approach another make-or-break moment in the negotiations, President
Biden must make it clear that – if the negotiations fail thanks to the
recalcitrance of Prime Minister Netanyahu – he won’t hesitate to publicly
assign blame where it belongs for the failure to reach a deal.

The President and his team have demonstrated an extraordinary commitment
to Israel’s security, including miraculous work in recent weeks to prevent
the situation in Israel’s north from spiraling. But the White House cannot
continue to carry water for a Prime Minister who seeks to delay a deal
that is in everyone’s interest except his own. 

The current approach of noting “rising frustrations” in the press won’t
cut it. More is needed.

Friends, the stakes at this crossroads could not be higher.

Down one path lies a Gaza ceasefire and hostage deal. An end to the
intolerable suffering this war has inflicted on Israelis and Palestinians.
Hostages reunited with their families. Reconstruction in Gaza and a real
pathway toward longer-term peace that can deliver safety and freedom for
all and historic normalization of Israel’s relations with its neighbors.

Down the other lies endless war and occupation. Thousands more killed in a
war which has killed far too many already. Hostage families condemned to
permanent anguish. The ongoing risk of catastrophic escalation and
regional war. Right-wing fantasies of re-occupying Gaza. Palestinians
denied their right to freedom and self-determination. The corrosion of
Israel's founding ideals. 

History will judge the decisions made in this moment.

Now is the time for leadership grounded in courage and confidence.

No excuses. No blame game. The full force and leverage of Israel’s
greatest ally, the United States, brought to seal a deal and chart a
course toward a better future for all.

Yours in hope,

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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