[ ]J Street[ ]
Friends,

It’s been an unrelenting year, with a range of emotions continuing to
course through the J Street community, especially in recent days.

People are, to say the least, overwhelmed, anxious and exhausted by the
endless avalanche of news – culminating in yesterday’s massive ballistic
missile attack by Iran.

History is unfolding at lightning speed, and it feels like the world is
careening downhill without brakes.

At J Street, we continue to believe that stronger US leadership is needed
to find diplomatic offramps, pull the region back from the brink and stop
a terrible situation from becoming even worse.

As we continue to hope for the safety of Israelis and all civilians in the
region, it is precisely now – as we head into the most significant days of
reflection, atonement and renewal in the Jewish calendar – that it also
feels appropriate for all of us to take a moment to reflect on these
intense events and where we go from here.

Monday marks one year since Hamas’ horrific October 7 attacks. The
aftershocks continue to reverberate not just through Israeli society but
through the region and around the world.

Pain and loss are everywhere. Families of hostages held by Hamas are still
haunted by the suffering of their loved ones. More than a million people
in Gaza are homeless, desperate and in danger. Hundreds of thousands of
Israelis and Lebanese are displaced.

And now, following Iran’s unprecedented attack, the chance of a broader
regional war has only increased, with no clear commitment to a diplomatic
pathway to end it.

The violence in the south and north shouldn’t obscure the chaos on the
West Bank either, where extremists continue to throw fuel on a smoldering
fire.

Sadly, another characteristic of the past year has been the failure of
regional and world leaders to find the path, the courage and the strength
to resolve these conflicts through diplomacy and negotiation.

While you won’t find J Street disagreeing that the world is a better place
without terrorists like Haniyeh and Nasrallah, it remains as true today as
it was a year ago that long-term safety and a better future for our
children won’t be secured solely through lethal force.

Ultimately, the political conflicts embroiling the region and challenging
Israel’s long-term security must be resolved through diplomacy.

Endless war serves only extremists. Vengeance unleashes more pain and new
enemies – deepening the cycle of violence.

I head into these days of reflection determined that we will find a way to
advance a comprehensive, regional security agreement that enables both
Israel’s integration into its region as well as Palestinian
self-determination.

The path toward what I’m calling a [ [link removed] ]23-state solution has to start with
ending the fighting in Gaza in a way that brings the hostages home and
lays out a viable post-war plan.

It also requires grappling with the Iranian threat while reducing the risk
of further escalation. Only political agreements will restore calm, return
focus to hostage release negotiations, and allow thousands to return to
their homes.

Finding that path toward lasting security and peace will require doubling
down on the values on which J Street was founded.

Our focus must remain on solutions, empathy and bridge-building, an
approach more important than ever in this deeply polarized world.

Our commitment to equality, justice, democracy, the rule of law and
diplomacy cannot be allowed to falter - precisely because of the global
threats to these core values.

In recent years, our approach has come to be recognized as the mainstream
and thoughtful voice of our community from the White House to Capitol Hill
to college campuses.

I’m immensely proud of that and of this whole community.

Our reflection must then turn to action. The future of our own country is
at stake in 34 days in one of the most consequential elections of our
lifetimes.

That’s why, when these holidays end, J Street will continue doing all we
can to elect Kamala Harris and Tim Walz (and by the way, I hope you share
my pride that we’re the largest institutional fundraiser for the
Harris-Walz ticket in the Jewish community).

On behalf of all our staff, I wish you a safe, peaceful and meaningful
week ahead and join you in praying that Iranian threats and new levels of
violence in southern Lebanon can be swiftly contained.

Thank you, sincerely, for your ongoing support.

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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