Dear Friend,

November was a turbulent month for both Israeli politics and US foreign
policy -- capped off by yet another dangerous move by the Trump
administration aimed at bolstering Netanyahu and the far-right settlement
movement.

In a radical departure from long-standing, bipartisan US policy, the
administration announced it would no longer consider West Bank settlements
illegal under international law. J Street was one of the first national
organizations to strongly condemn this destructive decision and to call it
out for what it was: A partisan political gift to Netanyahu, a blow to
American credibility that would be viewed as a green light for Israeli
annexation of the West Bank.

In the days following the decision, we were joined by a wave of
presidential candidates and lawmakers speaking out. By Friday, 106 members
of Congress had signed a letter condemning the decision, organized by Rep.
Andy Levin and supported by J Street. It sent a powerful message that
lawmakers are determined to push back against settlements and annexation.

The administration’s decision came just days after a major escalation
between Israel and the forces of Palestinian Islamic Jihad in Gaza, in
which hundreds of rockets were fired at Israeli communities and over a
dozen Palestinian civilians were killed in Israeli airstrikes. It came
just days before Blue and White leader Benny Gantz failed to form a
government -- setting Israel on course for a third round of elections in
just 12 months -- and days before Prime Minister Netanyahu was formally
indicted on multiple counts of corruption.

As we head toward the end of 2019 and the beginning of a pivotal election
year, we continue to face the challenges of this turbulent moment head-on
-- and to battle in defense of our community’s values. Friend,
can you take a moment to chip in to support J Street as we fight to defeat
the Trump-Netanyahu agenda and lay the groundwork for a new era of
principled, diplomacy-first American leadership?

[ [link removed] ]Your donation to our mission will count now more than ever, with all
donations MATCHED from now until the end of Giving Tuesday on December 3
>>

Logan Bayroff
Communications Director

Around J Street

Over 100 Members of Congress Rebuke Trump Settlement Decision

[2]Bibi and Trump
In a powerful rejection of the Trump administration’s attempt to
legitimize Israeli settlements in the West Bank last week, over 106
members of Congress signed a J Street-backed letter penned by
Representative Andy Levin expressing “strong disagreement” with the
decision. The letter warns that the move “has severely damaged prospects
for peace” and “blatantly disregards Article 49 of the Fourth Geneva
Convention” regarding the rules governing the actions of an occupying
power.

“It’s extremely important that leading members of Congress are making
clear that this decision undermines human rights, jeopardizes both US and
Israeli interests and flouts international law,” J Street President Jeremy
Ben-Ami said in a statement. The letter received significant media
attention in both Israel and in the United States, with coverage from
outlets including [ [link removed] ]Politico, [ [link removed] ]Fox News, [ [link removed] ]The Hill, [ [link removed] ]Times of
Israel and [ [link removed] ]Haaretz.

Israel Facing Prospect of Third Election in 12 Months

[8]Israeli ballots
With both Benny Gantz and Benjamin Netanyahu failing to successfully form
a government before their mandates expired, Israel’s long-running and
increasingly dramatic political crisis continues. The country has now
entered uncharted waters in Israeli election law, with the Knesset
currently in the midst of a three-week period in which any member --
including Gantz and Netanyahu -- can attempt to build a parliamentary
majority. Most expect that this period will end in a continued deadlock --
and trigger a third round of elections in just 12 months.

On top of that, Israel’s attorney general last week charged Prime Minister
Netanyahu with multiple counts of fraud, bribery and breach of trust. In
the court of public opinion, Netanyahu is fighting the charges in a
distinctly Trumpian manner, decrying them as an “attempted coup” and
calling for the investigators to be investigated. Rivals within Likud have
sensed weakness, however, with fellow Likud MK Gideon Saar openly calling
for an immediate leadership primary.

J Street has been closely following and keeping our supporters up to date
on all these developments. [ [link removed] ]Watch our online briefing with veteran
Israeli political journalist Tal Schnider here.

[ [link removed] ]Sign up for Israeli Election Updates →

Our Israel: “Standing Together” and the Politics of Shared Interests

[11]Standing Together
J Street is proud to stand with Israeli organizations and individuals who
do amazing work to help create a better future for all of Israel’s
citizens and their Palestinian neighbors. As part of Our Israel, a series
of profiles highlighting the incredible work of these partners, we sat
down with Alon-Lee Green, co-founder of Standing Together.

Born out of Israel’s 2011 cost-of-living protests, Standing Together has
become a nation-wide grassroots advocacy organization focused on
connecting the struggles of all Israelis to fight for social justice and
economic opportunity. “The government is pitting marginalized communities
and groups against each other, they let us fight against each other rather
than looking to those in power,” Green told us. “We are working quite
strongly to be as broad, as diverse, as open as possible.”

Standing Together co-founder Dr. Nisreen Shehada will be joining J
Street’s Israel Director Yael Patir and Executive Director of Israel's
Women's Network Michal Gera Margaliot for a progressive advocate speaking
tour next week with stops in [ [link removed] ]Seattle, WA on Monday, [ [link removed] ]Northampton,
MA on Wednesday and [ [link removed] ]Wilmington, DE on Thursday.

[ [link removed] ]Read and share the full story here →

Jews Against White Nationalism: Stephen Miller Must Resign

[16]Stephen Miller Resign
In November, the Southern Poverty Law Center revealed a cache of leaked
emails from senior White House advisor Stephen Miller which exposed his
concerted efforts to advance a white nationalist agenda through far-right
outlet Breitbart News. Miller’s advocacy for hardline anti-immigrant and
anti-refugee policies has long linked him to the white nationalist
movement, ties which were confirmed by the incredibly disturbing leaks.

J Street has long called for Miller to leave the administration. We were
proud to stand with seven other American Jewish organizations leading a
new push for Miller to resign and challenging the White House’s absurd
attempts to paint his critics as anti-Semitic. “As American Jews, we are
outraged that this administration would use the rising antisemitism for
which it is responsible to deflect away from its embrace of white
nationalists like Miller,” our joint petition reads. “American Jews will
not be spoken for. We speak for ourselves, and our demand is clear:
Stephen Miller must resign.”

[ [link removed] ]Sign the petition here →

Must Reads
Washington Post
[18]Occupation The occupation is tearing Israel apart. We need the United
confrontation States’ help to end it
[ [link removed] ]Read more →
Foreign Policy
[20]Settlement Recognizing Israeli Settlements Marks the Final Collapse of
sign Pax Americana
[ [link removed] ]Read more →
[22]Child Washington Post
in Let’s not pretend Washington ever really tried to stop Israeli
settlement settlements
[ [link removed] ]Read more →
[ [link removed] ]Donate →

[ [link removed] ]View this email as a web page.
[2]Street Talk Logo
© 2019 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.



You can unsubscribe from this mailing list at any time:
[link removed]