[ [link removed] ] [ [link removed] ]J Street [ [link removed] ]
Friend --

Four years ago today, President Trump announced his nominee for US
Ambassador to Israel: a settlement-funding bankruptcy lawyer who’d openly
disparaged J Street supporters as "worse than kapos."

Our staff holiday party was wrapping up when we got the news. We gathered
around a table and drafted a statement to the press vowing to oppose David
Friedman with everything we had. Our office was nearly full the next
morning before the sun was up, all of us ready to begin the fight.

Over the next few weeks, we -- you, us, allies we didn’t know we had --
put up an incredible fight to block Friedman’s confirmation. And though we
mustered unprecedented opposition, the hearings provided an early preview
of just how obsequious many Senate Republicans would be to the new
president. All of them voted yes to an obviously unfit nominee, and some
even used the camera time to attack J Street (see you in 2022, Marco
Rubio).

We were not successful in blocking the confirmation. But together, we
fought back against Friedman’s push for annexation and permanent
occupation. Together, we defeated Trump and put an end to Friedman's
tenure as ambassador. 

So many of you stood with us through these battles. [ [link removed] ]Now I'm asking you
to stand with us again as we fight to reverse Friedman's destructive
policies and usher in a new era of US engagement with Israel and the
Palestinians.

If you've saved your payment information with ActBlue Express, your
donation will go through immediately:

ALL GIFTS MATCHED

[ [link removed] ]Chip in $9 [ [link removed] ]Chip in $36
[ [link removed] ]Chip in $100 [ [link removed] ]Chip in $250
[ [link removed] ]Chip in $500 [ [link removed] ]Chip in another amount

Over the past four years, all of our warnings about Friedman have been
borne out. Even in this lame-duck period, he’s continued to push for more
giveaways to the settlement movement. But early on in Biden’s
administration, we believe we can successfully reverse many, if not most,
of his initiatives. With your help, we’ll advocate for the Biden
administration to:

* Withdraw Trump’s annexation plan and reaffirm US opposition to
annexation and support for a two-state solution;
* Reopen the US diplomatic mission in Jerusalem serving Palestinians
(Friedman pushed for it to be closed, and refused to investigate or
push back on human rights abuses in the West Bank);
* Reaffirm the longstanding US position that settlements are illegal
under international law;
* Accordingly, revert to the pre-Trump policy of excluding settlements
from grants and joint projects with Israel;
* Correctly refer to the West Bank and Gaza as ‘occupied’ in relevant
documents;
* And reverse the new labeling policy which incorrectly refers to goods
produced in settlements as ‘made in Israel.’

Friedman may have had his chance to boost the settlement movement, but
together, we can block his legacy from carrying on into future
administrations. We can repair relations with the Palestinians, re-empower
Israeli supporters of a two-state solution and reset US policy.

[ [link removed] ]Will you stand with us again on this anniversary and in the months
ahead to ensure we’re successful? Our Hanukkah matching funds haven't been
exhausted yet, so anything you can give will be doubled.

If you've saved your payment information with ActBlue Express, your
donation will go through immediately:

[ [link removed] ]Chip in $9 [ [link removed] ]Chip in $36
[ [link removed] ]Chip in $100 [ [link removed] ]Chip in $250
[ [link removed] ]Chip in $500 [ [link removed] ]Chip in another amount

Thanks so much for continuing to stand with J Street.

- Ben Silverstein
Digital Director, J Street


[ [link removed] ]DONATE
[ [link removed] ]Facebook [ [link removed] ]Twitter
© 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.



You can unsubscribe from this mailing list at any time:
[link removed]