Friend,
It’s official: President Biden will make his first official visit to Israel and the occupied Palestinian Territory next month, along with a stop in Saudi Arabia.
It’s exciting to see the administration give some much-needed attention to Israelis and Palestinians, as well as the broader region. At the same time, we know that to truly help stop the deterioration of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and help secure a better future for both peoples, US policy will need to be much more proactive and forthright than it has been during the president’s tenure so far.
In announcing the trip, the White House confirmed that the president would “reiterate his strong support for a two-state solution, with equal measures of security, freedom, and opportunity for the Palestinian people.”
That’s an important commitment. But it must go beyond mere rhetoric -- into real action.
At J Street, we’re urging the administration to use this trip as an opportunity to confront the systemic injustices and harmful actions that trap Israelis and Palestinians in a cycle of violence. We’re calling on them to stand up to deepening occupation, creeping annexation and other actions that undercut Palestinian rights, hopes for peace and Israel’s future as a secure, democratic homeland for the Jewish people.
Can you chip in $36 today to help us deliver a powerful message to the White House? We work every day to make the case for bold, principled US leadership -- and we rely on your support to do it. >>
Donations processed immediately for Express Lane users.
Friends, we’re not alone in pushing the Biden administration to step up. Earlier this month, thanks in part to the determined advocacy of J Street supporters during our Advocacy Week meetings, 80 Members of Congress signed a letter urging the White House to take “concrete steps” to deter harmful actions like settler violence and settlement expansion, the Israeli government’s displacement and demolition of Palestinian communities, and the Palestinian Authority’s prisoner payments program.
Over 80 MOCs -- including twenty senators -- also signed a letter calling on the Biden administration to help prevent the ongoing demolition and eviction of Palestinian communities from the West Bank’s Masafer Yatta area, which could be the largest act of mass displacement in decades.
These messages from Congress, fully backed by the pro-Israel, pro-peace movement, send a critical signal that the US can and should do much more to push for peace and defend human rights.
We’ve seen what can happen when the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is “left on the back burner” and the US stays on the sidelines -- it gets worse, and oftentimes explodes. Just over a year ago, simmering tensions over settlement expansion and displacement in East Jerusalem helped spark a devastating escalation between Israel and Hamas, with frightening intra-communal violence breaking out in Israeli cities.
Increases in settler violence, terror attacks against Israelis, and mass evictions in the West Bank show us that tensions are again on the rise. The Biden administration can’t wait for events to spiral further out of control -- it needs to act.
J Street is the most prominent voice in Washington pushing for strong, principled American leadership towards peace and justice. Can you make a contribution of $36 today to help us make sure US policy goes beyond “business as usual” and takes the kind of strong steps that are needed? >>
Donations processed immediately for Express Lane users.
Thank you for your support,
Hannah Morris
Director of Government Affairs
