[ ]J Street [ ]
Friends,

When you’re attacking human rights advocates, something’s going wrong.

For years, right-wing forces have worked to harass and delegitimize
Israeli and Palestinian human rights groups, and even some security
groups, for sounding the alarm about the threat of expanding settlements
and indefinite occupation -- for speaking out for the everyday people who
suffer from endless conflict and injustice.

Last week, that campaign escalated once again. Israeli authorities raided
the offices of several non-profits in the West Bank, confiscating
materials, welding doors shut and issuing orders to cease operations.

They’re justifying the raids by claiming -- without substantive evidence
-- that the human rights groups have engaged in ‘terrorism’.

In Israel, J Street has joined with dozens of pro-democracy Israeli human
rights groups and several Israeli security groups in an open letter
condemning this provocative violation of free speech, free assembly and
due process:

[ [link removed] ]J Street Ad in Israeli newspaper: Human Rights are not Terrorsim

[ [link removed] ]Friends – Click to Add Your Name >>

As an Israeli who’s worked in the peace movement and served as both a
diplomat and IDF Officer, I share the outrage of many of my fellow
advocates who fear this marks a significant backward step for Israeli
democracy.

Crackdowns on peaceful protest and the right to organize will do nothing
to enhance security and stability, and only serve to inflame tensions
further at a moment of particular volatility.

The move has rightly provoked criticism from human rights groups,
progressive Israeli leaders and more than a dozen US Members of Congress.

For the sake of Israel’s democracy, Palestinian rights and everyone’s
freedom and security, we must speak out.

[ [link removed] ]Join the Call for President Biden to Speak Out >>
[ [link removed] ]Add your name ✍️

The United States, the European Union and many others have called on the
Israeli government for months to present substantive evidence that would
justify the allegations they’ve made -- so far they have failed to do so.

The groups include a Women’s collective, legal aid organizations and a
widely respected children’s rights group.

We cannot stand silent. We cannot ignore the damage this does to Israel’s
democratic character. And we have seen the deadly escalations such rights
violations can spark.

We must encourage the Biden administration to continue to press the
Israeli government to present evidence that would justify its actions, or
to immediately reverse course.

[ [link removed] ]Please read and share the petition, and add your name today >>

Thank you, sincerely, for your support.

Yours,

Nadav Tamir
Executive Director, J Street Israel


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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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