[ ]J Street[ ]
Friends,

As the details of Netanyahu’s “total victory” plan for Gaza come into
sharper focus, it’s looking more and more like a catastrophic plan for
permanent occupation – a goal long championed by the most extreme members
of his government.

Netanyahu took another dramatic step in that direction yesterday – and we
should be very clear about what that means for the hostages, Palestinian
civilians and Israel itself.

Netanyahu’s war cabinet has now approved plans to “capture” and
potentially fully re-occupy the entire Gaza Strip.

It’s a plan the Hostage and Missing Families Forum has condemned as
“choosing territory over the hostages” and which right-wing ministers have
championed as a step toward depopulation, settlement and annexation.
Netanyahu and his extremist ministers have repeatedly said that the
hostages are not their only priority.

“Once we occupy and remain in the Gaza Strip, we can start talking about
sovereignty,” Bezalel Smotrich told his allies today. “The only aid that
ought to enter Gaza should be for voluntary migration,” Itamar Ben-Gvir
said.

While details are still emerging, it appears that Netanyahu’s plan is to
force the entire Palestinian population into smaller and smaller areas of
territory. After more than two months of a blockade on all medicine and
food from every entry point into Gaza, the plan includes limited food
distribution points in Gaza’s south.

Meanwhile, the government is now calling up tens of thousands of
reservists – many weary from multiple deployments already – in order to
operationalize the plan in the coming months.

Let’s not beat around the bush: This is a plan for endless war and a
strategic quagmire.

It will be a human catastrophe first and foremost for families trapped in
Gaza – already suffering through bombing, starvation and repeated
displacement – but it’s a disaster for Israelis as well.

A government explicitly putting territorial control ahead of the lives of
the hostages. No day-after plan to actually ensure the defeat of Hamas.
Thousands more Israelis sent back to the frontlines of a war that just
months ago had been halted by a ceasefire and hostage deal framework.

Meanwhile, as Netanyahu drags Israel further and further into a strategic
and moral abyss, the Jewish homeland is alienating itself from the next
generation of diaspora Jews and finding itself increasingly isolated
internationally.

All of this in service of leaders more concerned with holding their
right-wing coalition together and pursuing a vision of ‘Greater Israel’
than for the will and welfare of their own people.

Right now, we are still at a crossroads: Restoring the hostage deal and
ceasefire framework is still possible – but it will take strong and broad
outcry both in Israel and the United States, and a far tougher response
from Trump, who will soon visit the region.

We’re working with hostage families and pro-peace allies in Israel to
support and amplify their efforts, and will be pressing for action here as
well.

Together, we have to ensure our community, our country and our leaders
understand what’s at stake. That this ‘plan’ is a short-sighted and
politically driven path to disaster. That the risks are immense not only
to our vision and values for a better future, but for Israelis themselves.

Here’s how you can take action now:

📩 Forward this email to your networks – or share the blog post version on
our website. [ [link removed] ]Here’s the link.
💙 Consider setting a monthly contribution to J Street to help us build our
movement and strengthen our advocacy both in our communities and on
Capitol Hill. [ [link removed] ]Set a monthly contribution here.
📚 For more on the realities of this next phase of the war, and the
alternatives that still exist, I want to share this piece from J Street
Policy Fellow and former US Special Envoy Frank Lowenstein. [ [link removed] ]You can
read, share and subscribe here.
📖 And finally, read and share deeper analysis of Netanyahu’s plan on my
Substack, including a closer political comparison to the military
quagmires America faced in Iraq and Afghanistan. [ [link removed] ]You can read, share
and subscribe here.

Thank you, sincerely, for standing with us in this critical moment.

Ilan Goldenberg
Senior Vice President and Chief Policy Officer


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