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[2]Street Talk: J Street's Monthly Newsletter

Friend,

For those of us who care deeply about the future of Israelis and
Palestinians and about American foreign policy, the past month has been
incredibly tumultuous, filled both with moments of pain and despair and
glimmers of hope.

For two weeks, we saw the region wracked by one of the deadliest, most
horrific escalations in many years. In Jerusalem, Palestinian families
faced down dispossession from their homes and aggressive Israeli police
tactics. In cities throughout Israel, families fled in terror to bomb
shelters in the face of indiscriminate rocket fire, while intercommunal
violence between Jewish and Palestinian citizens reached unprecedented
levels. In Gaza, an already desperate humanitarian situation became even
worse as devastating retaliatory Israeli airstrikes took their toll on
civilians with nowhere to run.

While our movement did everything we could to publicly push for an urgent
ceasefire, we were encouraged to see just how many senior lawmakers,
commentators and average Americans stood with us. Our national political
debate has evolved to create real space for leaders to advocate for bold,
balanced policies that equally value, defend and promote the rights of
both Israelis and Palestinians. We saw how the mainstream media took note
of that shift and our movement’s key role in helping to bring it about.

Now, as J Street pushes for new US policies designed to break out of the
endless cycle of violence and deteriorating status quo, we’re also faced
with an incredible development in Israeli politics -- the imminent advent
of a new “change” government that will replace Benjamin Netanyahu with an
unprecedentedly broad coalition of left, center and right-wing parties.

Thank you,

Logan Bayroff
Vice President of Communications

AROUND J STREET

The Imminent End of the Netanyahu Era

[1]Naftali Bennett and Benjamin Netanyahu 

With Yesh Atid leader Yair Lapid officially informing Israel’s president
that he has the agreements in place to form a new “change” coalition
government, Israel is on the brink of forming the first government in 12
years that will not include Benjamin Netanyahu -- a monumental moment of
change.

In J Street’s initial analysis, we noted that “for all those who care
about Israeli democracy and still believe that a better future is
possible, Netanyahu’s fall from power is a cause for great relief — even
as we recognize that the political defeat of one dangerous man will not
magically bring about all the change we still yearn for, or meaningfully
alter the lives of Palestinians living under occupation.”

[ [link removed] ]Read our full analysis of Netanyahu’s imminent fall, what we can expect
from the new government, and what it all means for the work of our
movement >>

In the days and weeks ahead, as we look to see this complex, ideologically
broad new coalition sworn in and develop a better sense of its structure
and priorities, J Street will provide our supporters with updates and
analysis on the new government and its policies. For now, we’re happy to
share a [ [link removed] ]brief cheat sheet/explainer on how Israel’s government
formation process works, which parties are expected to be in the next
government led by right-wing hardliner Naftali Bennett, and which will
find themselves joining Netanyahu in opposition.

Mobilizing Support for an Urgent Ceasefire

[4]Hamas fires rockets toward Israel while Israel bomb explodes in Gaza 

From the moment violence broke out between Hamas and Israel in the wake of
aggressive Israeli actions in Jerusalem, J Street’s nationwide pro-Israel,
pro-peace movement mobilized to help bring the suffering to an end. In our
[ [link removed] ]statements, we made clear that while Hamas rocket fire is an
unacceptable act of terror and Israel has a need to defend its citizens,
no amount of fighting could ultimately address the root causes of this
conflict or do anything to improve the lives of Israelis and Palestinians.
As both peoples needlessly suffered more than ten days of horrific
violence, we used every tool in our toolbox to urge the Biden
administration to help broker a ceasefire, and we rallied support for a
more engaged and effective US policy.

Our #CeasefireNow campaign push persuaded tens of thousands of people to
sign and share J Street’s petition to the Biden Administration --
including a number of well-known celebrity activists. Our nationwide
advocacy network activated to help ensure that the majority of Democrats
in both the House and the Senate sent a resounding message to the Biden
administration calling for urgent leadership to achieve a ceasefire and
end the cycle of violence. Ultimately, [ [link removed] ]over 60% of the Democratic
Caucus (138 Members) signed on to a letter calling for a ceasefire, while
29 Senators led by freshman Jewish Senator Jon Ossoff signed on to a
statement with the same core message.

We were grateful for the public outcry and diplomatic efforts that brought
this escalation to a close -- while feeling frustrated that the 11 days of
violence could have been avoided, brought a great deal of unnecessary
suffering, and changed nothing.

Media Spotlight on the Democratic Push for a More Even-Handed and Effective US
Israel Policy

[7]Jeremy Ben-Ami on MSNBC 

Amidst the darkness of this period, we were encouraged by the clear
evidence of a significant shift in the American political conversation
around the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. While in previous rounds of
conflict lawmakers were often extremely reluctant to offer even measured
criticism of problematic Israeli government actions or the underlying
realities of occupation, this time we saw a wide range of Democratic
Members of Congress and key commentators calling for more intensive and
even-handed American leadership to end the fighting. Thanks in part to J
Street’s efforts, more and more leaders are echoing the messages and
values of our movement -- and pushing the Biden Administration to do more
to follow their lead.

This shift towards more balanced and responsible support for the rights
and aspirations of both Israelis and Palestinians was heavily documented
in the national mainstream media -- as was J Street’s role in driving this
movement toward a more open, honest and principled debate. Over the
two-week period, J Street was [ [link removed] ]cited in The New York Times no less than
seven times. Our president, Jeremy Ben-Ami, appeared on primetime MSNBC
programs three times, with hosts [ [link removed] ]Mehdi Hasan, [ [link removed] ]Chris Hayes and
[ [link removed] ]Joy Reid. We were extensively featured in the [ [link removed] ]Washington Post,
[ [link removed] ]Wall Street Journal, [ [link removed] ]Politico, [ [link removed] ]CNN, [ [link removed] ]The New Republic,
[ [link removed] ]The Guardian, [ [link removed] ]Financial Times, [ [link removed] ]USA Today, BBC and many more.

Breaking the Endless Cycle: J Street Calls for Fundamental Reset of US Policy

[20]President Biden calls for calm in Israel-Palestine Crisis 

In the wake of all the public discussion and high-profile coverage, our
movement for peace, diplomacy and human rights has tremendous momentum --
and we have to make sure that translates into real, lasting change. If the
underlying, unjust and unstable status quo is allowed to continue and US
policy returns to “business as usual”, we will surely see more and more
suffering and violent escalations in the months and years ahead. That’s
why J Street is calling on the Biden administration to [ [link removed] ]fundamentally
reset US policy towards the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

As we wrote in the wake of the ceasefire, “As the world’s primary
superpower and Israel’s closest ally, the United States has failed to take
meaningful action or to push back on” settlement expansion and de facto
annexation. “The time has come for bold, public American opposition to
destructive Israeli and Palestinian policies and for intensive leadership
to stop the unchecked slide toward one state and permanent occupation.”

We’ve laid out a number of steps that the administration can take to help
secure a better future for both peoples. They include appointing a
senior-level Special Envoy to direct and coordinate US policy related to
the conflict; pushing for an easing of the onerous restrictions on the
people of Gaza; imposing clear transparency requirements and restrictions
on the use of our assistance to Israel to ensure it’s only used for
genuine security needs; and much more. Our goal going forward must be to
end the occupation and secure a future where both Israelis and
Palestinians can live peacefully, safely, and with self-determination.

[ [link removed] ]Sign and share our petition calling for a policy reset >>

Partnering with NIF on the J Street Emergency Action Fund

[23]Physicians for Human Rights 

During the last month, J Street was focused both on ending the violence in
Israel and Gaza and on getting help to those on the ground who needed it.
That’s why we established the J Street Emergency Action Fund. While the
bulk of funds contributed helped support our major ceasefire campaign on
social media and across the country, we gave 25 percent to our partners at
the New Israel Fund to support the work of organizations promoting
Arab-Jewish partnership and helping to defend the human rights of
Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank.

“Thanks to J Street, we’re able to enhance our support for incredible
organizations like Gisha, which works to ensure emergency humanitarian
supplies reach the residents in Gaza, and Physicians for Human Rights,
which at this critical moment is working to speed vaccines to Palestinians
in Gaza,” said Daniel Sokatch, the CEO of the New Israel Fund, in a thank
you to J Street supporters who contributed to the fund. “Within Israel
proper, we’re proud to support Omdim Beyachad (Standing Together), which
is working to rally the solidarity needed to bind the fresh and raw
divisions between Palestinian and Jewish citizens of Israel. In this
moment, I’m deeply thankful to stand alongside you -- and J Street -- as
we again dedicate ourselves to a more just, democratic and equal future
for Palestinians and Israelis.”

Standing with Jewish Partners Against All Forms of Antisemitism

[24]#ActAgainstAntisemitism 

J Street is appalled to see the recent spike in attacks on Jewish people,
institutions and symbols that has occurred both in the United States and
around the world since the escalation of violence in Israel and Gaza. In
our statement, we made clear: “Verbal or violent attacks targeting Jewish
people based on the actions or alleged actions of the Israeli government
are antisemitic and outrageous. It should be obvious that such acts of
hate do nothing to advance Palestinian rights, and in fact only undermine
important, legitimate advocacy and activism on behalf of the Palestinian
people and in support of Israeli-Palestinian peace and equality.”

As part of a national Day of Action, J Street co-sponsored an
#ActAgainstAntiSemitism rally with the Anti-Defamation League, the
Orthodox Union, Reconstructing Judaism, the Union for Reform Judaism, and
the United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism. Top lawmakers including
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi
outlined the policy actions that must be taken to confront anti-Semitism.

[ [link removed] ]Watch the full rally here >>

Our Israel: Intersection of the Gaza Crisis and Workers’ Rights

[ [link removed] ]Kav LaOved, an Israeli workers rights organization 

The violence and instability of the last month has been devastating for
people across the region. This week, as part of J Street's 'Our Israel'
series spotlighting progressive groups on the ground, J Street [ [link removed] ]checked
in with Kav LaOved, a workers’ rights advocacy organization.

Over the last month, they’ve been pressing for safer workplaces and access
to rocket shelters for migrant workers in Israel, three of whom were
killed by Hamas rocket fire in the recent escalation. The group is also
advocating for Palestinian workers who've had their jobs threatened for
striking over the situation in East Jerusalem, or for posting
pro-Palestinian content on social media.

[ [link removed] ]Read and share the full article >>


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© 2021 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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