Friends,
This is a dark and painful moment we hoped would never come.
We strongly oppose the decision by Netanyahu to reignite this horrific war. This decision flies in the face of pleas from freed Israeli hostages, families of those still held in Gaza and top Israeli security experts. It will put every remaining hostage’s life at risk while thrusting families in Gaza back into the crossfire of a brutal war which has killed far too many.
Endless war and an endless siege will not be effective in freeing the hostages or making Israel safer. Every day, renewed fighting puts more lives in danger, empowers extremists and isolates Israel further from global support – including among Jews worldwide.
Hamas is a grotesque terror organization that cannot be permitted to retain control of Gaza, and the world must continue to demand the immediate, unconditional release of all hostages. At the same time, we know that the fastest way to achieve these goals is through the ceasefire framework sealed in January, which successfully freed hostages and made clear that Hamas must relinquish control of the Strip.
It is unacceptable that the Netanyahu government has refused to lay out a pragmatic post-war plan for governance in Gaza that would sideline the terror group and establish a path to peace.
We urge the US to work urgently to bring the parties back to negotiations. It is vital that we reach either a proposal to temporarily extend the first phase of the ceasefire through the release of more hostages or a truce as negotiations proceed on Phase II and an end to the war.
Hamas must release all of the hostages immediately. The Netanyahu government must immediately stop blocking humanitarian aid and commit to negotiations to end the war.
We are deeply concerned that this next phase of the conflict may be the darkest yet, with White House rhetoric that is fanning the flames of conflict and seemingly no concern from either US or Israeli leaders for international law, civilian casualties or major escalation risks.
We urge the United States, Qatar and Egypt – and all concerned parties – to immediately double down on using all possible leverage to pressure each side to restore the ceasefire and end the war.
Sincerely,
Jeremy Ben-Ami
J Street President
