⚠️ A Moral Stain: The latest Integrated Food Security Phase Classification report indicates that 470,000 people in Gaza are now facing catastrophic hunger as the entire population is grappling with acute food insecurity. News reports on the situation are frightening, and time is running out.

The Meaning of Never Again: J Street President Jeremy Ben-Ami’s recent Substack seems to have struck a chord. “What is happening today in Gaza is wrong. It violates the core principle on which I was raised – that precisely because Jewish people have suffered oppression so often at the hands of others, we must never treat others the way we were treated ourselves.” Read and share the full Word on The Street Substack >>
Our History and Values Compel Us: Jeremy writes, “As Jews and as Americans, we know there can be no moral or strategic justification for blocking humanitarian supplies from millions of desperate civilians. Our people’s history and our values compel us to speak out. This cannot be what the Jewish State comes to stand for in the 21st century.” Read our full statement >>

🏠 Israeli-American Hostage Edan Alexander Comes Home: After being held captive by Hamas for 584 harrowing days, Edan Alexander was finally released on Monday.

A Moment of Immense Joy: “We are profoundly relieved to see Edan Alexander free and reunited with his family,” J Street President Jeremy Ben-Ami wrote. “Edan’s release underscores the urgent need for all parties to continue diplomatic talks to secure a comprehensive agreement to bring home all 58 remaining hostages and end the war in Gaza.” Read our full statement >>

✈️ Takeaways from Trump’s Middle East Trip: “Trying to understand Donald Trump’s ever-shifting approach to foreign policy is like nailing jello to a wall,” J Street Senior Vice President and Chief Policy Officer Ilan Goldenberg writes. “But with the president in the Middle East this week, we might be seeing the solidification of a second-term ‘Trump Doctrine.’”

Grappling With The Trump Doctrine: In addition to the flagrant grift and corruption, Trump’s “focus on deals, transactionalism, political wins and MAGA isolationism [...] is reshaping America’s approach to the Middle East in some unpredictable ways – and much of it [is] actually showing daylight with Netanyahu’s policies.” Read more >>
Dig Deeper: J Street Policy Fellow Yael Patir and Policy Intern Liam Hamama share their analysis of the implications of Trump’s trip for Israel. “Trump should work toward forming a strong Arab coalition capable of delivering a transformative impact, building on the Arab League initiative.” Read here >>

📊 Majority of Jewish Americans Think Trump is Antisemitic: In a new poll for the Jewish Voters Resource Center, 52% of Jewish Americans say the word “antisemitic” describes Trump very or somewhat well and almost 70% say the words “fascist” and “racist” describe him very or somewhat well. 92% of Jewish voters think that someone can be critical of Israeli government policies and still be “pro-Israel.” Read more >>

69% of Israelis Support Hostage Deal and End of the War: Another poll this week, conducted for the Coalition for Regional Security, found that the large majority of Israelis support a hostage deal and end to the war, and that 61% of Israelis back normalization with Saudi Arabia. Read more >>

📖 This Week’s Must-Reads:

I’m a Rabbi. Starving Gaza Is Immoral. President of the Union for Reform Judaism, Rabbi Rick Jacobs writes, “Starving Gazan civilians neither will bring Israel the 'total victory' over Hamas it seeks nor can be justified by Jewish values or humanitarian law.”
Multiple Trump White House Officials Have Ties to Antisemitic Extremists: “NPR has identified three Trump officials with close ties to antisemitic extremists, including a man described by federal prosecutors as a ‘Nazi sympathizer,’ and a prominent Holocaust denier.”
Trump’s Visit to the Middle East Represents a Historic Choice for Israel: J Street's Ilan Goldenberg writes, “Left unchecked, the Democratic misalignment with Israel on the Palestinian issue combined with Republican misalignment on regional security will transform the special relationship between the United States and Israel into an increasingly ordinary one.”
It’s Time for Israel to Reframe Victory Over Hamas: Former IDF spokesperson Peter Lerner writes, "Without a credible plan for the day after, we are not defeating Hamas, we are replacing it with chaos. Or worse, creating the conditions for its return under a new name."

🗳️ Our Pro-Democracy To-Do List:

Host a vigil for immigrants, refugees and asylum seekers with HIAS >>

Join the NO KINGS National Day of Action on June 14 >>

Wear your J Street swag! >>

Find pro-Israel, pro-democracy, pro-peace candidates at JStreetPAC.org >>

Sign up for J Street’s 2026 National Convention >>

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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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