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Friend --

We’d just gotten to our J Street staff holiday party.

The month since Trump’s election had been a daily confirmation of all our
greatest fears. The Israeli right was hailing his victory as an
opportunity to pursue annexation, Steve Bannon had been tapped as Trump’s
top advisor and (now convicted felon) Mike Flynn had been appointed NSA.

We were all looking forward to a break and a much needed drink, when our
phones started buzzing. Trump had announced his pick for US ambassador to
Israel: David Friedman.

We typed out our statement right there at the bar. We vowed to fight the
nomination with everything we had. The next morning, we all got into the
office while it was still dark to start the fight.

That was three years ago today.

Over the next few weeks, we -- you, us, allies we didn’t know we had --
put up an incredible fight to block Friedman’s nomination. We got nearly
half the Senate to vote no. But that vote also gave us a preview of how
obsequious Trump’s loyalists in the Senate would be. Not a single
Republican voted to block a man who funded illegal settlements and called
liberal Jews ‘worse than kapos.’

We weren’t successful that day. But over the next year, we have another
chance to stop Friedman. And Trump. And Stephen Miller. And, for that
matter, their enablers in the Senate. We can defeat them next November.

[ [link removed] ]So many of you stood with us in 2016 for that first battle. Now I’m
asking you to stand with us again to finish this fight.

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[ [link removed] ]ANOTHER AMOUNT

Over the past three years, all of our warnings about David Friedman have
been borne out. He’s politicized his position, declaring that Republicans
support Israel more than Democrats. He’s led a campaign of occupation
denial that’s succeeded in getting the word removed from State Department
reports. He was behind Trump's reversal of US policy on the illegality of
settlements.

Friedman even said that the settlements “are part of Israel” -- one of
many statements he’s made that all but endorse Israel’s partial or full
annexation of the West Bank.

Much of the damage he’s done is reversible. We can repair relations with
the Palestinians, re-empower Israeli supporters of a two-state solution
and reset US policy to make it absolutely clear that the settlements are
illegal and harmful to peace.

But that means standing up over the next year to prevent further damage.
And ultimately, it means electing leaders -- in the Senate and White House
-- who share our values; leaders who won’t just return to the pre-Trump
status quo, but who will actively work to end the occupation and achieve
the peace and security Israelis and Palestinian deserve.

Let’s do this.

If you've saved your payment information with ActBlue Express, your
donation will go through immediately:

[ [link removed] ]CHIP IN $9 NOW

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[ [link removed] ]CHIP IN $100 NOW

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[ [link removed] ]ANOTHER AMOUNT

-Benjamin Silverstein
Digital Director, 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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