Friends --
Later today, Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett will join President Biden for their first ever official meeting.
It’s a significant and very welcome moment: In both Israel and the United States, new governments are challenging old orthodoxies, navigating new progressive alliances, and addressing long-running issues, problems and threats with fresh eyes.
It will also be the first time in over a decade that Benjamin Netanyahu hasn't been seated in the Israeli Prime Minister’s chair for one of these meetings. Already, we’ve seen that despite some obvious areas of disagreement, this new government is more interested in cooperation than open antagonism. And instead of being dominated solely by right-wing parties (like Bennett’s), it represents a much wider range of the Israeli political spectrum.
If there were ever a time to rebalance the US-Israel relationship, the moment is now.
In our communities and in Congress, we continue to witness a growing groundswell for change. For a new, sustainable relationship which puts our shared values of democracy and equality front and center. For a partnership which is strong enough to meaningfully confront the injustice of the occupation and help end the deadly cycle of ongoing violence.
At the same time, we know that there are still many obstacles to progress.
In an interview in yesterday’s New York Times, Prime Minister Bennett made clear that he has no intention to allow serious changes to the Israeli-Palestinian status quo. While he promised (unlike Netanyahu) not to pursue de jure annexation of the West Bank, he also made clear that he will not accept the creation of a Palestinian state.
If the “status quo” continues, it means more settlement construction and home demolitions in occupied Palestinian territory. It means punishing restrictions on medicine, food and goods to families in Gaza will continue. It means that even President Biden’s plan to reopen the US Consulate for Palestinians in East Jerusalem -- shuttered by the Trump administration -- could be regarded by the Israeli government as a step too far.
Friends -- In this moment, it’s vital that our leaders be both friendly and firm. While the US builds common ground with the new Israeli government in a number of areas, we also must make clear that the “status quo” is too dangerous to accept.
That’s why J Street is urging President Biden to make clear in today’s meeting that a strong, enduring, bipartisan US-Israel relationship demands fidelity to our shared values of democracy, peace and respect for human rights.
That means pushing for an end to harmful settlement expansion. An end to discriminatory evictions in East Jerusalem and demolitions in the West Bank. An end to the policy of perpetual occupation. An end to the twin erosion of Israeli democracy and Palestinian hopes for self-determination.
It means making clear to the prime minister that while Israel should and will continue to receive the full amount of robust US security assistance, it must be used only for Israel’s very real security needs -- and cannot be used to fund actions that entrench occupation and undermine the prospects for a lasting peace.
In standing firm behind this message, President Biden will be speaking for the majority of Americans -- including the vast majority of American Jews and Democratic voters.
He will be speaking for all of us who want to see a bold, principled and persistent effort to resolve the cycle of injustice and violence that continues to destroy lives, fracture support for Israel, and threaten Israel’s future as a democratic homeland for the Jewish people.
President Biden must also make clear that the United States remains absolutely dedicated to tough diplomacy to ensure Iran can never develop a nuclear weapon. As recent events have shown all too clearly, an abandonment of diplomacy and escalation to all out conflict would be catastrophic for the security and stability of Israel, the region, and the United States itself. The last thing anyone needs is another devastating and preventable war in the Middle East.
The consequences of failing to place the US-Israel relationship on a more sustainable footing, and failing to address the 54-year occupation (the elephant in the room) would be significant.
If we don’t push for real changes, support for Israel within the American Jewish community and the country as a whole will continue to fracture. The partisan politicization over Israel/Palestine will only get worse. Our shared vision for Israel as a just, democratic and secure homeland for the Jewish people will slip further and further from reach. Palestinians will continue to suffer unacceptably -- and more and more will lose any hope of peace.
By making these dangers clear to both the Biden administration and the Israeli government, J Street is showing that true pro-Israel leadership means acknowledging the challenges of the current reality -- and putting forward strategies to help change it.
We’re showing that so many of us who love and support the state of Israel and its people also care for the rights and future of Palestinians, and recognize that the well-being of both peoples is firmly intertwined.
We’re insisting that real progress and a different and more effective approach from American leaders is desperately needed -- before the next round of violence and destruction is allowed to begin.
Thank you, sincerely, for supporting our shared movement.
Jeremy Ben-Ami
President, J Street
