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 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. 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.” 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.” 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.
📄 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. 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. 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.” 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, saying: “We managed to prevent this deal from going ahead, time after time.”
- On Their Way Out?: Ben-Gvir says his Jewish Power party will quit Netanyahu’s coalition if the ceasefire deal is approved. Smotrich 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. Watch the full interview here >>
- Nuclear Deal 2.0? 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.
