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
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.”
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 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
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 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, 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
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 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 Mehdi Hasan, Chris Hayes and Joy Reid. We were extensively featured in the Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, Politico, CNN, The New Republic, The Guardian, Financial Times, USA Today, BBC and many more.
Breaking the Endless Cycle: J Street Calls for Fundamental Reset of US Policy
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 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.
Sign and share our petition calling for a policy reset >>
Partnering with NIF on the J Street Emergency Action Fund
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
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.
Watch the full rally here >>
Our Israel: Intersection of the Gaza Crisis and Workers’ Rights
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 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.
Read and share the full article >>
