Friends,
I hope you’ll take a moment to read this email. It’s an important one.
Over the last two months, Netanyahu and his far-right government have pushed an intolerable situation in Gaza from bad to worse.
So much so that it prompted the US Secretary of Defense and the Secretary of State to issue a stark warning to the Israeli government in an October 13 letter. Humanitarian aid had fallen to its lowest point ever and “essential survival needs” were not being met, they warned.
Among the reasons noted: The Netanyahu government’s decision to halt all commercial imports; block almost all aid to northern Gaza; and further stymie access for trucks and aid workers.
Parents in Gaza are going days without food in order to feed their children. Doctors are operating without anesthetics or antibiotics. It’s a painful violation of our Jewish values.
Setting a 30-day deadline, the administration demanded a tenfold increase in aid trucks; that aid crossings be kept consistently open; and outlined a series of steps to get aid workers in, ensure they are safe and allow families to return to their homes where possible.
Since then, there has been distressingly little progress. Last week, the US said Netanyahu had earned a “fail” grade on the targets. This week, the world’s leading aid agencies reported that not a single benchmark had been met. Israel’s own figures bear it out.
Infuriatingly and bewilderingly, however, the Biden Administration has said it cannot see any violation of our laws. They say sufficient progress has been made in addressing their concerns – despite all evidence to the contrary – and do not currently intend to make any determination that would have any consequences for the Netanyahu government.
It’s a gravely disturbing decision.
US law is clear: Unrestricted American arms cannot be provided to countries that block humanitarian assistance. It’s long past time to stop the spin and dodges and take action.
Backtracking from these requests is not only a breach of our laws that makes America look weak, but it will cost more lives in Gaza, damage US influence, and allow Netanyahu to continue to trash Israel’s reputation and mock our shared values.
Pro-Israel Americans like us understand that Israel has real enemies and real security concerns. It’s not something we take lightly. We must be crystal clear: What we are advocating for – the withholding of certain offensive weapons – will not harm Israel or the Israeli people.
In fact, this demand is the most level-headed, sane choice we can make. As hundreds of former Israeli security officials have warned, starving Palestinian civilians doesn’t bring a single hostage closer to freedom – it only makes things worse.
I’m also deeply, darkly worried about what this means come January when even the Biden Administration’s pressure for aid access and a hostage deal will end – replaced instead with a green light from Trump and Huckabee for annexation, settlements and horrific violations of international law.
While we expect Trump to break our laws, we expect Democratic administrations to uphold them.
So what now? Well, the fight isn’t over yet.
Joe Biden is still President, and for as long as he is, J Street will continue to ramp up the pressure. We’ll join with partners to amplify our impact. We’ll call on allies in Congress to ratchet up the pressure too.
You can be a part of this as well. Please sign our petition to Congress and then check your inbox right after for next steps.
Together, we’re pushing for action on our full list of transition recommendations – from UN Security Council action to sanctioning extremist ministers – to blunt the impact of the Trump-Netanyahu agenda and set the bar higher going forward.
To be clear, J Street is not calling for any new legislation or conditions specific to Israel – we’re only asking for current laws to be applied fairly and consistently. Nothing more, nothing less.
President Biden has all the necessary flexibility under current legislation to exempt certain weapons transfers from such pauses – such as resupplies of Iron Dome interceptors and other defensive weapons systems – and we urge him to do so.
We cannot fail to meet this moment.
Yours,
Jeremy Ben-Ami
President, J Street
