Friend,
This week, an Israeli media outlet reported that, ahead of the Israeli elections in September, Prime Minister Netanyahu is seeking a public declaration from President Trump backing Israel’s right to annex part of the West Bank.
The prime minister’s office denied the report -- but when it comes to the Israeli right’s push for annexation, where there’s smoke there’s usually fire. If Netanyahu could secure that kind of public commitment from Trump, it would help him to boost his standing with right-wing voters, secure re-election and pave the way for annexation in the months ahead.
A blessing from Trump would cause a diplomatic and political earthquake -- handing a massive victory to the settlement movement, flouting international law and pushing Israelis and Palestinians down the road to a “one-state nightmare” of permanent occupation and conflict.
Can you chip in today to help us fight Trump and Netanyahu’s annexation plans?
At J Street, we’re doing everything we can to sound the alarm about the very real threat of annexation -- and leading the efforts to push back. In Congress, we’re urging House leadership to pass H.Res.326, a resolution which defends the two-state solution and strongly rejects any efforts by Trump and Netanyahu to annex the West Bank.
This new report is far from the only reason for concern. Over the last two years, we’ve seen the White House hand gift after gift to Netanyahu. Led by Ambassador David Friedman -- a long-time fundraiser and cheerleader for the settlement movement -- the administration has refused to rebuke settlement expansion, to support the two-state solution or to even acknowledge the existence of the occupation -- stripping the word from official State Department usage.
Over the past few weeks, with the green light from Friedman and Trump, the Israeli government has stepped up evictions, demolitions and settlement expansion in the West Bank and in Palestinian neighborhoods of East Jerusalem.
They’ve made absolutely clear that they will never accept a two-state solution -- and they’re doing all they can to obstruct any future attempts to achieve peace.
Thanks to outspoken advocacy from the pro-Israel, pro-peace movement, over two-thirds of the House Democratic caucus now publicly support H.Res.326. While Netanyahu tries to make the occupation permanent and bury hopes for peace, J Street is fighting to make sure that Congress speaks out and pushes back.
Can you contribute right now to help us oppose annexation and defend Israel’s long-term future?
These are the kinds of fights that J Street was built for. And we appreciate your energy, investment and support.
Jessica Smith,
Chief Operating Officer
