This Week: Majority of House and Senate Democrats Press on Humanitarian Aid 🏛️ | Netanyahu’s Gaza Re-Occupation Plan ⚠️ | Policy Center Corner 🔍 | This Week’s Must-Reads (And Watches!) 📖 | Our Pro-Democracy To-Do List 🗳️ | And much more.
🏛️ Majority of House and Senate Democrats Press on Humanitarian Aid: This week – days before Donald Trump’s upcoming trip to the Middle East – a majority of Democrats in both the House and Senate signed congressional letters calling for an end to the Netanyahu government’s 68-day unlawful blockade of all humanitarian aid into Gaza.
- Almost 100 Democrats Sign J Street-Backed House Letter: A total of 96 Democrats signed a House letter demanding Netanyahu end his “morally wrong” and “strategically counterproductive” blockade of humanitarian aid to starving civilians in Gaza. Read more >>
- Majority of Senate Dems Sign Letter Opposing Humanitarian Blockade: 25 senators collaborated on a letter calling for Netanyahu to end the blockade and opposing recently announced plans by the Israeli government to fully occupy the Gaza Strip. Senators called on President Trump “to oppose a permanent reoccupation of Gaza and to press for the immediate resumption of neutral and impartial humanitarian assistance.” Read here >>
- 25 House Members Sign Friday Aid Letter: Following the release of Wednesday’s letter, today Congressman Brad Schneider led 25 members calling for the US to press the Netanyahu government to allow more aid into Gaza. “Israel has the right and obligation to defeat Hamas and rescue the hostages,” the letter reads. “At the same time, it is critical that Israel enables entry of lifesaving humanitarian aid into Gaza.” Read here >>
As Jews and as Americans, this humanitarian blockade is a painful violation of our values. It’s meaningful not only that so many members have signed on and are speaking out, but also that the signers include so many prominent Jewish representatives and rising stars in the House and Senate in the Democratic Party.
⚠️ Netanyahu’s Gaza Re-Occupation Plan: 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.
- Choosing Endless War Over the Hostages: As Israel’s Hostage Family Forum has said, this plan amounts to “choosing territory over the hostages.” It’s a recipe for endless war, with no day-after plan for governance and stability. Netanyahu’s right-wing allies are already talking about annexation. Read more >>
- Senate Democrats Oppose Reoccupation Plan: Today’s Senate letter urges President Trump to use his upcoming visit to the region to "oppose a permanent reoccupation of Gaza." Read more >>
🔍 Policy Center Corner: The latest from the J Street Policy Team.
- [Policy Center Briefing] What to Expect from Trump's Middle East Trip: Ilan Goldenberg sat down with Middle East experts Ambassador Michael Ratney and Jen Gavito to discuss President Trump’s trip to the Middle East on Monday and how Trump might respond to the Israeli government’s plans to re-seize large swaths of Gaza.
- Israel’s Forever War: “Israel is currently stuck in a strategic cul de sac similar to the ones that the United States faced for years in Iraq and Afghanistan. Meanwhile, 59 hostages continue to be held in Gaza,” J Street Senior Vice President and Chief Policy Officer Ilan Goldenberg writes. Read the full piece on the Dialogue and Dissonance Substack >>
- Dismantling USAID: Consequences for the West Bank and Gaza: “The impact on populations, like those in Gaza, is immediate and dramatic: the absence of food stocks and medicines will result in many preventable deaths,” J Street Policy Fellow Larry Garber wrote for Haaretz. For his full Policy Center Analysis, read more here >>
📖 This Week’s Must-Reads (And Watches!)
- Why I, an Israeli, Work for J Street: “As an Israeli, it’s not obvious to dedicate your career to influencing American policy. But for me, joining J Street – a pro-Israel, pro-peace, pro-democracy American organization – has been one of the most deeply patriotic things I’ve ever done,” J Street Vice President of Engagement Gal Peleg writes. Read and share >>
- For Israel, Humanitarian Aid to Gaza Should Be an Imperative for Its Own Security: Former IDF spokesperson Peter Lerner writes, “Humanitarian strategy is not a distraction; rather, it is an integral aspect of Israel's national security. Winning the war against Hamas requires more than missiles: it requires vision.” Read and share >>
- Israel and Those Who Love It Are Stuck in a Hopeless Present. Can We Ever Get Back to the Future? "There is only so much loyalty to the present that can be demanded of people without providing them hope for the future, and we have passed that threshold. This insistence on stuckness is then not just a terrible moral and political choice, but also psychologically corrosive for our people," writes the Shalom Hartman Institute's Yehuda Kurtzer. Read and share >>
- Watch the People’s Peace Summit: J Streeters across the country are joining screenings of the Jerusalem People’s Peace Summit today, showing solidarity with Israelis and Palestinains working together to end the conflict. In case you missed it, watch it here👇
🗳️ Our Pro-Democracy To-Do List:
💡 More Resources:
- Watch our Webinars and Listen to our Podcast:
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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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