Dear Friend,

Right now, our nation is undergoing a moment of painful and
desperately-needed reckoning.

With the COVID-19 crisis inflicting a devastating and disproportionate
toll on communities of color, and with the horrors of systemic racism and
police violence fully exposed for all to see, this is a moment when we
must recognize -- and work to rectify -- our personal, communal and
societal complicity in the persistence of racism, injustice and inequality
in our country. J Street’s commitment to the democratic values of
equality, tolerance and justice compels us to stand firmly in solidarity
with all those working for real, lasting change to an unacceptable status
quo.

This month, we have asked the members of our movement to donate to our
allies in organizations leading the charge against racism and in defense
of black and brown lives. And as fundamental pillars of our democracy --
including the right to protest -- come under attack, we are dedicated to
doing all in our power to defeat Trump and his allies at the polls this
November. We know that a single election cannot undo centuries of inequity
or significantly alter America’s deeply entrenched system of structural
racism. At the same time, we know that our democracy and our hope for
progress depend on removing this demagogue from office.

For Israelis and Palestinians as well, the struggle for peace, justice and
equality continues. This month, the shooting of a Palestinian man with
special needs by Israeli police again reminded us of the all-too-frequent
instances of violence, arbitrary detention and harassment of Palestinians
by security forces and police in Israel and the occupied territory. For
the sake of Israeli democracy and Palestinian freedom, we must work to end
the occupation -- and to prevent Prime Minister Netanyahu from carrying
out disastrous annexation that seeks to make it permanent.

Over the past few months, J Street has been leading the mobilization of
lawmakers, security experts, and communal leaders to help speak out and
stop annexation from moving forward on or after July 1st -- and to make
clear that if it moves forward, it would have serious and damaging
consequences not only for the future and security of Israel and the rights
and aspirations of Palestinians, but for the US-Israel relationship.

We must continue to rally opposition to annexation. We must continue to
build support for an alternative vision of an American foreign policy that
will act to help end the occupation, secure Israel’s future and usher in
statehood and self-determination for the Palestinians.

The challenges in front of us can feel daunting and overwhelming. But
standing together, confident in the righteousness of our values and the
urgency of our mission, we at J Street can help play a vital part in
creating the change that we need to see for the US, for Israelis and
Palestinians, and for our world.

Logan Bayroff
Director of Communications

Around J Street

J Street stands in solidarity with protesters, against systemic racism

Following the killing of George Floyd by Minneapolis Police and the
outbreak of a widespread protest movement in cities across the country, J
Street [ [link removed] ]issued a statement making clear that we view it as our sacred
obligation to stand in partnership with communities of color demanding
strong action to end systematic racism and police violence. We shared our
anguish for Floyd and the many other victims of this violent system, as
well as our collective commitment to challenging and helping to bring an
end to these injustices.

Anti-racist organizations including [ [link removed] ]Color of Change, [ [link removed] ]Jews for Racial
and Economic Justice and the [ [link removed] ]Southern Poverty Law Center are doing
strong and urgent work to challenge racism in our country, and we
encourage all our supporters to take this moment to support them. On
Friday, we were honored to be joined by Color of Change’s President Rashad
Robinson for a vital conversation about building political power to fight
for racial justice. [ [link removed] ]You can watch that discussion here.

Last week, [ [link removed] ]we also spoke out against the killing of Iyad el-Hallak by
Israeli police and expressed our solidarity with peaceful Israeli and
Palestinian protestors demanding justice, equality and an end to
occupation. “We express our solidarity with non-violent protesters in
Israel and the Palestinian territory who took to the streets to demand
justice for el-Hallak, many carrying 'Palestinian Lives Matter' signs and
drawing parallels to the killing of George Floyd. While the two incidents
are distinct, the connections cannot be ignored.”

Lawmakers’ opposition to annexation grows louder

[7]Stop Annexation
With less than one month until Israel’s coalition agreement allows
Netanyahu to proceed with annexation on July 1, J Street and our
pro-Israel, pro-peace allies have been rallying opposition from across the
US and around the world -- including Congress.

Last month, 19 Democratic senators signed onto a J Street-supported letter
strongly denouncing annexation, led by J Street champions Senators Chris
Murphy, Chris Van Hollen and Tim Kaine. “As friends and supporters of
Israel, we caution you against taking unilateral steps that would fray our
unique bonds, imperil Israel’s future and place out of reach the prospect
of a lasting peace. If you move forward with unilateral annexation, we
would not support that action,” the letter reads ([ [link removed] ]full text here).

In addition to this crucial letter, a number of other senators, have
issued their own statements and letters calling on the Israeli government
not to carry out annexation. They’ve echoed the message of Vice President
Joe Biden, who said last month that “Israel needs to stop the threat of
annexation and stop settlement activity, because it will choke off any
hope for peace….[the US] cannot fully safeguard Israelis without peace.”
They’ve also been joined by Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, who said
this week that “unilateral annexation undermines US national security
interests, our interests.”

Thanks to everyone who has taken action over the past month to encourage
their senators to oppose annexation. [ [link removed] ]You can continue to take action
here. We’ll deliver your signatures to senators who’ve not yet released
statements.
[ [link removed] ]Visit our Stop Annexation resource page →

Letter From Foreign Policy Leaders Reinforces J Street’s Campaign to Update
Democratic Platform

[11]Students at a Change the Platform info session
A new public letter from leading foreign policy professionals was released
last week, urging Democratic leaders to ensure that the party’s 2020
platform includes an explicit commitment to Palestinian rights alongside
Israeli security, as well as explicit opposition to ongoing Israeli
occupation and potential unilateral annexation in the West Bank. The
letter echoes the call of J Street and J Street U’s own campaign to change
the platform, which has garnered widespread support from College Democrat
chapters, local Democratic parties, and over 230 Jewish clergy and
communal leaders.

It was signed by 32 distinguished experts, including former National
Security Advisor Anthony Lake, former Deputy Secretary of State Strobe
Talbott, former Deputy National Security Advisers Avril Haines and Ben
Rhodes, and former US Ambassadors to Israel Martin Indyk and Daniel
Kurtzer. As [ [link removed] ]HuffPost reported in their exclusive story, “The group
wants the party and its presumptive presidential nominee Joe Biden to
loudly oppose unilateral Israeli annexation of land in the West Bank, the
area that would be integral to a full-fledged Palestinian state, as well
as Israel’s military occupation of that region and its policy of building
Israeli settlements there….The right strategy is to be clear about what
Democrats stand for, the former officials say.”

In J Street’s statement welcoming the letter, Jeremy Ben-Ami observed that
“demonstrating strong support for the rights of both Israelis and
Palestinians is both smart policy and politically popular -- that’s why
it’s rapidly becoming a consensus position in the Democratic party.”
[ [link removed] ]You can endorse the campaign here →

Our Israel: J Street marks LGBT+ Pride Month with Profile of Jerusalem Open
House

[14]A Jerusalem Open House event
While this year’s LGBT+ Pride Month won’t be marked by exuberant parades
or powerful rallies, it remains an important moment to celebrate the
progress the LGBT+ community has made toward equality, and to focus on the
distance we all have yet to travel.

In our latest ‘Our Israel’ profile -- released on the International Day
Against Homophobia and Transphobia -- we focused on the important and
ongoing struggle for LGBT+ equality in Jerusalem. “Many people still see
LGBT+ issues as a contradiction to the holiness of Jerusalem, something
that stains the status of the city,” says Alon Shachar, Executive Director
of Jerusalem Open House. “In Jerusalem the parade is more of a protest
than a party,” says Micha, a young trans volunteer at the LGBT+ community
center.

[ [link removed] ]Read and share our profile of Jerusalem Open House and the important
work they do to ensure Jerusalem is a safe and secure home for all its
LGBT+ residents, including both Israelis and Palestinians.

J Street has also added merch celebrating LGBT+ pride to our online store
-- [ [link removed] ]you can check it out here.

Must Reads
Haaretz
[17]barrier and settlement We Cannot Justify Israel’s West Bank Annexation
[ [link removed] ]Read more →
[19]George JTA
Floyd Jewish History Shows the Consequences of Tolerating Police
Protests Brutality
[ [link removed] ]Read more →
Times of Israel
[21]Flags Stopping Israel's Annexation is a US National Security Interest
[ [link removed] ]Read more →
[ [link removed] ]Donate →

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[2]Street Talk Logo
© 2020 J Street | [ [link removed] ]www.jstreet.org | [email protected]

J Street is the political home for pro-Israel, pro-peace 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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