[ ]J Street[ ]
Friends,

It’s been a painful week.

A grotesque ceremony from Hamas releasing the bodies of two infant Israeli
hostages – Kfir and Ariel Bibas – as well as the body of 84-year-old
Israeli peace advocate Oded Lifshitz. Adding to our horror was the
misidentification of Shiri Bibas’s body, whose remains are, at the time of
writing, unaccounted for.

Terror has struck near Tel Aviv and we’re seeing the growing threat of
escalation in the West Bank, with settler violence and increased military
operations displacing families from their homes.

Meanwhile, at home, we’re witnessing a direct assault on our democratic
institutions, from the courts to the media to the separation of powers.

For more, find our weekly recap below.

Nate Wolfson
Director of Communications Operations

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🎗️ Bring Them All Home: The pain of Thursday’s release of hostages who
were killed while in captivity – including two young children – is a
reminder of how urgent it is to continue to press for this ceasefire to
hold as we work to get all hostages home.

* Our Response: “The undignified public spectacle of Hamas’ handover
‘ceremony’ was grotesque and enraging. This is a tragic, painful day
for our community. All those who have been fighting for the hostages
are in mourning,” J Street Vice President Adina Vogel Ayalon said.
[ [link removed] ]Read our statement here >>

* Getting to Phase II: With so many lives at stake, J Street Policy
Center Fellow Yael Patir digs into what it will take to reach Phase II
of the deal and get every hostage home. [ [link removed] ]Read the full memo here >>

💰 Trump and Musk Freeze Life-Saving Aid: Warehouses overflowing with
spoiling food. HIV treatment programs shut down worldwide. Anti-extremism
programs halted. Trump and Musk’s decision to put a hold on America’s aid
and security commitments has devastated families across the globe – and
it’s threatening two fragile ceasefires in the Middle East.

* J Street Briefing: Former Gaza and West Bank USAID Mission Director
Larry Garber and Israeli-based peace advocate Dr. Yael Braudo-Bahat
joined J Street to give a ground-level view of the impact of this
chaos – and what it means for Israelis, Palestinians and the broader
Middle East. [ [link removed] ]Watch the briefing here >>

* Palestinian Authority Security Freeze: As part of the Trump/Musk
rampage on foreign assistance, the US has stopped funding the
Palestinian Authority security forces, whose daily coordination with
Israel is essential to combating terror in the West Bank. The move is
a recipe for disaster and a danger for Israelis and Palestinians
alike.

📋 Our Policy Priorities Under Trump: While Trump spent the last month
wreaking havoc at home and abroad, we’ve taken time to map out our plan
for the next four years.

* Our Guiding Principles: 

 1. When Trump violates our values and takes actions opposed to US
interests, we will speak out clearly and firmly.
 2. Where we find areas for cooperation – such as ensuring this
ceasefire holds – we will press the administration to do the
right thing in the most effective way possible.
 3. There will be a “day after” this presidency. We must ensure
pro-Israel, pro-peace, pro-democracy leaders learn the right
lessons and are ready to lead with confidence and compassion
going forward. 

* Digging Deeper: Our top priority is permanently ending the war,
bringing the hostages home and reaching a sustainable day after for
Gaza. We’re also focused on opposing settlements and annexation,
realizing a 23 state solution, preventing a weakened Iran from getting
a nuclear bomb, combating antisemitism, defending Israeli and US
democracy, and more. [ [link removed] ]Read our full policy agenda here >>

🇺🇸 A Presidents' Day Like No Other: This Presidents’ Day, J Street’s own
president Jeremy Ben-Ami wrote of how infuriating it is to see the power
of the presidency being used and abused by billionaires to enrich
themselves and their friends at the expense of those they claim to fight
for.

* Key Quote: “Behind every leader there has been a movement of people
driven by their values who have made it possible – from the
abolitionists to the suffragists, Freedom Riders to Stonewall rioters,
anti-war activists to labor unions,” Jeremy wrote. “We will lock arms
with the broad coalition needed to fight back – inside and outside of
Congress – with urgency and clarity.” [ [link removed] ]Read Jeremy’s piece here >>


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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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