[ ]J Street [ ]
Friends --

My son Mattan is living proof that a more just and equal society is
possible.

It was our family’s landmark case in the Israeli High Court over twenty
years ago that helped bring about the official recognition of equal rights
for LGBT+ parents in Israel. It was a proud moment for my family, for our
community, and for Israel.

Fast forward to last week, when Mattan was arrested in the occupied West
Bank by Israeli police.

He and other Jewish Israeli peace advocates have been staying near the
West Bank town of a-Tuwani to learn Arabic and help document and deter a
dangerous spike in settler attacks this year.

Gangs from nearby settlements have been trying to harass and intimidate
Palestinians off their land by burning farmland, slaughtering livestock,
vandalizing property, throwing rocks and firing weapons into towns.
Ongoing attacks this year have left several dead, dozens injured and one
child in the hospital after a rock fractured his skull.

The IDF -- tasked only with protecting Israeli citizens (but not with
protecting vulnerable Palestinian civilians) -- has too often stood idly
by, acted as security guards for the attackers, or even turned on peace
activists to prevent them from filming the violence. Since West Bank
Palestinians aren’t citizens, Israeli authorities almost never bother to
charge settlers or hold anyone accountable for the attacks.

[ [link removed] ]The US government must speak out against settler violence
[ [link removed] ]Add your name if you agree ✍️

Last week, my son and his colleagues were abruptly arrested after
witnessing an altercation between a settler and local Palestinians. They
faced excessive, trumped-up charges which were dropped entirely a day
later, but the message sent by these arrests and recent IDF raids on
Israeli and Palestinian activists is clear: Stop speaking out about the
occupation and settler violence. Stop making noise. Stop pointing cameras
at the injustice that’s happening here.

“I don’t know if they realize this, but it just makes us more determined
to stay and fight back,” Mattan told me. “We’re not going to be
intimidated; we know our rights; we know what we believe in and we know
the people that we’re fighting with.”

That’s where we come in.

Israeli and Palestinian peace activists are on the frontlines fighting for
a better future, and we have to have their backs.

Just this week -- following both public and behind-the-scenes pressure
from the Biden administration, as well as internal pressure from
progressives within the Israeli government -- Israeli authorities
significantly delayed plans for a major new settlement between East
Jerusalem and Ramallah. It shows that when the US government acts with
determination and clarity, it can have a major positive impact.

Now, we must call on the Biden administration to build on this progress
and press for Israeli authorities to confront settler violence, to hold
perpetrators of violence accountable no matter their citizenship, and to
uphold the principles of justice and equality for both Israelis and
Palestinians.

[ [link removed] ]The US government must speak out against settler violence
[ [link removed] ]Add your name if you agree ✍️

Friends -- It might not be the usual response after having your
son released from jail, but let me tell you: I’ve never been prouder.

It makes me swell with pride to see him continue the fight for equality,
dignity and the basic rights of all families to live freely and raise
their children in peace.

I hope it’s also a reminder to those of us in America that we are not
alone in this struggle, and we cannot give up. There are brave and
determined people on the ground working every day to build a better
future. As Israel’s strongest partner and closest friend, America has to
have their backs.

[ [link removed] ]Please take a moment to add your name and call on the Biden
administration to make addressing settler violence a priority in the
US-Israel relationship.

Thank you, sincerely, for your support.

Ruti Kadish
National Director of Communal Relations, J Street


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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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