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
