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

Friends,

The fall Jewish holiday season is always a busy time in our community --
and frequently a very busy time for Congress as well. Over the past few
weeks, while so much of our country has been understandably focused on the
negotiations over infrastructure, reconciliation and the debt ceiling, we
also saw the introduction of one of the most exciting and comprehensive
pieces of legislation ever put forward to help resolve the
Israeli-Palestinian conflict and oppose the occupation.

The Two-State Solution Act, introduced in late September by Rep. Andy
Levin and already co-sponsored by a wide range of influential lawmakers,
seeks to ensure that US support for Israeli-Palestinian peace goes beyond
lip service and focuses on real action. It includes a number of key
measures and policies designed to fully roll back the harmful policies of
Donald Trump, to reinvigorate diplomacy and peacebuilding, and to make
clear that endless occupation is unjust, unacceptable and harmful to both
peoples.

At J Street we’ve already been hard at work building support and
visibility for this bill, and with your help, we’re set to step up those
efforts in the months ahead. Below, in this month’s Street Talk, you’ll
find more details on this landmark effort, an exciting invitation to
register for our upcoming 2022 National Conference, and other important
updates and analyses.

Thank you,

Logan Bayroff
Vice President of Communications

AROUND J STREET

J Street Stands Alongside Lawmakers to Welcome Two-State Solution Act

[ [link removed] ]J Street Stands Alongside Lawmakers to Welcome Two-State Solution Act

On Thursday, September 23rd, Congressman Andy Levin introduced the
Two-State Solution Act into the House of Representatives. First featured
in a prominent [ [link removed] ]Politico report, the bill, co-sponsored by more than two
dozen influential House lawmakers including Reps. Barbara Lee, Rosa
DeLauro and Joaquin Castro, embraces a number of key actions that the US
government can and must take in order to truly support a peaceful
two-state solution, an end to the occupation and to secure Israel’s future
as a democratic homeland for the Jewish people. Here at J Street, we are
extremely excited about the bill, and see it as a major vehicle to help
advance our advocacy agenda and mission.

“This is the most significant and meaningful piece of legislation in over
a decade when it comes to supporting Israel’s security, supporting
Palestinian rights, and supporting Israel’s future as a just and truly
democratic homeland for the Jewish people,” said J Street President Jeremy
Ben-Ami, speaking at an introductory press conference for the bill on
Capitol Hill alongside Rep. Levin and other congressional co-sponsors.

To hear more from Rep. Levin himself about why he introduced this bill,
you can watch [ [link removed] ]this video or read this [ [link removed] ]blog post.

The bill empowers the US government to take responsible measures to push
back against actions that deepen the occupation and entrench the unjust
status quo in the region by declaring settlements illegal, rolling back a
number of disastrous pro-settlement Trump administration policies, and
ensuring that American security assistance funds cannot be used to help
deepen occupation or violate Palestinian rights. It also includes key
provisions to promote successful diplomacy and peacebuilding efforts to
help lay the groundwork for a two-state solution, like reopening the US
consulate in Jerusalem and the PLO mission in Washington, DC.

[ [link removed] ]To learn more about the comprehensive measures this bill takes to
meaningfully promote a two-state solution, read more here >>

TAKE ACTION: Help Build Support for the Two-State Solution Act

[6]Two-State Solution Act Press Conference

The introduction of this bill is a critical moment for J Street. It
provides us with one of the most significant opportunities we’ve ever had
to demonstrate that our policy goals are popular with a wide range of
Members of Congress. Building strong support for the legislation will also
send a clear message to the Biden Administration that they have the
political space needed to take bolder, more forceful action to address the
root causes of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Given the number of prominent, right-leaning groups that oppose strong
American diplomacy and deny that the occupation exists, we know we can
expect strong pushback. If we’re going to succeed, the entirety of our
pro-Israel, pro-peace movement has to get in the fight. We need your help.
That starts by contacting your Member of Congress to urge them to
co-sponsor the Two-State Solution Act or to thank them for already doing
so.

[ [link removed] ]Add your name to our petition calling on Congress to urgently pass the
Two-State Solution Act >>

Our Israel: The Struggle Against Home Demolitions and Evictions

[8]Home Demolition

“Our Israel” is a J Street initiative to spotlight amazing Israeli
organizations and individuals who share our values and who struggle, as we
do in the United States, to build and preserve a liberal, democratic
society underpinned by the principles of equality, freedom, justice and
peace.

This month we spoke with Ir Amim, a Jerusalem-based non-profit that
focuses on safeguarding the rights of both Israelis and Palestinians to
live in Jerusalem, and on fostering conditions for a peaceful resolution
to the conflict. It uses a combination of public and legal advocacy,
painstaking field research and reporting, and collaborative
coalition-building to push back on the forces seeking to entrench Israeli
settler control of East Jerusalem -- and to help promote a just and
peaceful future in the city for both peoples.

[ [link removed] ]Read the full profile of Ir Amim and the great work it is doing here >>

Fresh Analysis and Must-Reads from J Street

Over the past month, J Street staffers have worked to keep our supporters
well-informed with timely analysis, personal reflections and helpful
resources. Here are some of the “must-reads” we hope you’ll read and
share:

* J Street’s Work and the Legacy of 9/11: “20 years on, the debate
continues between those of us who champion diplomacy, multilateralism
and human rights and those very same people who led us into
devastating, fruitless wars over the past two decades.” [ [link removed] ]Read J
Street President Jeremy Ben-Ami’s full personal reflection on the 20th
anniversary of 9/11 >>
* Urgent Action Needed Ahead of Looming Climate Catastrophe For
Palestinians and Israelis: “Israelis and Palestinians will not be
spared — and the profound changes may have a significant impact on the
conflict itself, and more broadly across the region.” [ [link removed] ]Read our
analysis of the impact climate change will have on the
Israeli-Palestinian conflict >>
* Biden’s Decision On Egypt Shows the Important Distinction Between
Conditioning and Restricting Security Aid: “End-use restrictions are
an important accountability mechanism that allows us to ensure our aid
is not undermining human rights and running counter to our security
interests.” [ [link removed] ]Read our examination of what the Biden
administration’s recent decisions about security aid to Egypt tell us
about how oversight over security aid to Israel can work >>
* Reflections on the High Holidays: In the spirit of the Jewish High
Holidays last month, J Street released a number of reflections from
members of our Rabbinic and Cantorial Cabinet on [ [link removed] ]Rosh Hashanah,
[ [link removed] ]Yom Kippur, [ [link removed] ]Sukkot and [ [link removed] ]Simchat Torah.
* Every Discriminatory Home Demolition Bulldozes Israel’s Future As
Well: ‘It does nothing to enhance our security,” wrote J Street
Israel’s Eve Lifson. “It does nothing to uphold our values. It only
destroys Palestinians lives, degrades our commitment to justice and
puts young Israelis in harm’s way to defend an indefensible status
quo.” [ [link removed] ]Read Eve’s full, moving blog post about the damage that home
demolitions are doing not just to Palestinians, but to Israel's future
as well >>

Register Now for Our 2022 Conference!

[18]Register Now for Our 2022 Conference!

J Street has recently announced that our next National Conference in April
of 2022 will take place...in person! The J Street National Conference is
the year’s largest gathering of pro-peace, pro-Israel activists -- and one
of the most important, talked-about annual events in the worlds of foreign
policy and progressive politics. This year promises to be as jam-packed
and exciting as ever, with a lineup of star speakers, a critical focus on
the 2022 midterm elections and an important, empowering Advocacy Day on
Capitol Hill. The conference will take place from April 2-5, 2022. The
safety of the attendees will be our top priority -- and the conference
will include a virtual option for those unable to join us in person.

[ [link removed] ]Register for early bird tickets now >>


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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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