[ ]J Street[ ]
Friends,

After months and months of anguish, Israel and Hamas have finally
negotiated a ceasefire and hostage deal. If everything goes to plan, the
first phase of the deal will start on Sunday with a ceasefire, a surge of
humanitarian aid into Gaza and the release of 33 hostages over the
following [ [link removed] ]six weeks.

We are hopeful. But we also know that extremists will do everything in
their power to derail this deal and reignite conflict. The incoming Trump
Administration, Netanyahu and every stakeholder involved must continue at
full speed to ensure that a permanent end to the war and the release of
all hostages are realized.

So much more needs to be done to ensure that every phase of the deal comes
to fruition, and to lay the groundwork for a secure future and lasting
peace for the Israeli and Palestinian people, and the region as a whole.

You can learn more about what we are doing to meet this moment and what
our priorities are going forward – especially in light of this week’s
consequential developments – in our weekly recap below.

I’m grateful to have you with us as we hopefully turn the page on the
horrors of these past months and enter the next chapter.

– Adina Vogel Ayalon, J Street Vice President and Chief of Staff

The Latest 👇

🎗️ A Ceasefire at Long Last: After more than 15 months, we finally have a
ceasefire deal and a path to bringing home the hostages and ending the
devastation in Gaza. As we breathe a deep sigh of relief, we also know
there’s plenty of work ahead of us.

* Fresh off the Press: Writing for the J Street Policy Center, Frank
Lowenstein, former US Special Envoy for Middle East Peace, shares his
analysis of what needs to happen in the next six weeks to ensure the
ceasefire and hostage deal holds. [ [link removed] ]Read here >>

* In our statement, we wrote, “To ensure we don’t go backward, it’s
critical that all parties remain committed to the difficult
negotiations ahead to implement the next phases of the agreement so
that all the remaining hostages are released and a permanent ceasefire
deal is reached, signed and enforced.” [ [link removed] ]Read here >>

* In a blog post, Jeremy wrote, “To ensure we never return to the
horrors of October 7 and the ensuing war, it’s also essential that the
United States, Israel, Palestinian leadership and pro-peace partners
across the region hammer out a post-war plan.” [ [link removed] ]Read here >>

* What We Know: Extremists from both sides will do everything in their
power to derail this deal. We must be vigilant and ensure there is a
clear roadmap for a return of the hostages, the governance and
rebuilding of Gaza, and ultimately a regional peace deal to normalize
Israel’s relationship with its neighbors and recognize a Palestinian
state.

* [ [link removed] ]Watch our latest webinar with in-depth analysis of the ceasefire
and hostage deal here >>

📄 Blinken’s Plan for the Day After: Secretary Blinken gave a speech on
Tuesday, laying out the Biden Administration's vision for a ‘day after’
for Gaza and the region. J Street has been pushing for a day-after plan,
like the plan Blinken outlined, for over a year. [ [link removed] ]Read the full speech
here >>

* Blinken laid out crucial post-war parameters:

* A red line against the return of Hamas or other terror groups.
* Palestinian governance of Gaza and the West Bank. No permanent
occupation.
* No reduction in territory. No civilian displacement. No siege or
blockade.

* This plan has taken far too long: In a recent Times of Israel piece,
Nadav Tamir writes that while the Biden Administration’s goals have
been spot on, they “consistently failed to realize them” because they
were afraid to use their leverage. [ [link removed] ]Read here >>

🌍 Jimmy Carter and My Father: It's hard to believe that Jimmy Carter’s
funeral was just one week ago. While he did not live to see peace – or the
agreement that was announced this week – he continues to influence and
inspire those who are propelling it forward.

* This Sunday, Jeremy wrote his weekly Word on the Street Substack on
the complex relationship between President Carter and his father – an
early leader in the Irgun. While the two men had very different
politics, Jeremy believes they held the same core belief: “That being
a patriot for any country does not require agreeing with that
country’s government.” [ [link removed] ]Read, subscribe and share here >>

🏛 Confirmation Hearings Heating Up: With Pete Hegseth, Marco Rubio and
other Trump nominees in front of the Senate for questioning this week, we
got an early – and often concerning – look at what’s to come from the
incoming administration.

* Secretary of Defense Nominee Pete Hegseth was grilled by Democratic
Senators and embraced by the GOP in a truly unconventional hearing.
While Israel-Palestine barely made the cut, Hegseth’s character was
rightly on full display as he dodged questions about assault
allegations and prior claims that women shouldn’t serve in combat
roles in the military. As many of our Senate champions made clear, he
is not fit to serve in this critical role.

* Meanwhile, Secretary of State Nominee Marco Rubio did touch on our
core issues. In fact, he declined to say whether Israel annexing
Palestinian territory would be harmful to peace and security in the
Middle East, calling it “a very complex issue.” As we’ve said before,
we’re committed to working with those in Trump’s cabinet who are
taking productive steps towards peace and diplomacy, but we will stand
in firm opposition to policies and actions that contradict our
principles and values.

Eyes on the Region 👁️

🔴 Ben-Gvir and Smotrich Attack the Hostage Deal: Far-right Israeli
ministers have been working overtime to sabotage the ceasefire and release
of the hostages. Ben-Gvir admitted to successfully torpedoing past deals
with Smotrich, [ [link removed] ]saying: “We managed to prevent this deal from going
ahead, time after time.”

* On Their Way Out?: Ben-Gvir [ [link removed] ]says his Jewish Power party will quit
Netanyahu’s coalition if the ceasefire deal is approved. Smotrich
[ [link removed] ]says that if Israel does not return to Gaza after the ceasefire,
he will quit as well.

* Neither Ben-Gvir nor Smotrich could stop this deal: But they’re doing
everything they can to undermine it and extract concessions from
Netanyahu. We’re keeping a close eye on how they’ll try to exploit
this moment to further their dangerous messianic visions – and
continuing to outline why they’re a danger to Israel’s security and
democracy.

🇮🇷 Myth-Busting the Iranian Regime: With Trump entering the White House in
a few short days, the President-elect promises to shake up US relations
with its primary Middle East adversary. To offer some clarity on what we
might expect, Jeremy sat down with Iranian historian and author Arash
Azizi in a live Word on the Street interview.

* Born in Tehran, Arash has dedicated much of his career to
understanding and writing about Iranian geopolitics, but it’s Arash’s
pragmatic and lucid analysis that left much to take away from this
discussion. [ [link removed] ]Watch the full interview here >>

* Nuclear Deal 2.0? [ [link removed] ]Renewed negotiations in Europe indicate that
there may be a path to a second nuclear deal to prevent Iran from
developing a bomb. With the Trump Administration vowing ‘maximum
pressure’ on Iran it remains to be seen how they’ll respond to the
prospect of a deal.


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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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