J Street

It finally happened.

For the first time in the 2020 race, moderators at last night’s debate asked the candidates about US policy toward Israel and the Palestinians. And the candidates’ answers were the latest example of just how far we’ve helped to shift the politics on these issues.

Vice President Joe Biden said the US must remain committed to Israeli security and, at the same time, “put pressure constantly on the Israelis to move to a two-state solution.”

Mayor Pete Buttigieg made it clear that Trump’s policies are about pandering to his far-right base, dismissing the notion that his reckless actions make him pro-Israel or pro-Jewish -- particularly as he welcomes white nationalists into the White House.

And Senator Bernie Sanders declared that “what US foreign policy must be about is not just being pro-Israel. We must be pro-Palestinian as well.”

The days when presidential candidates feared speaking openly and honestly about these issues are over. And now, in the year ahead, we have the opportunity to fundamentally transform the politics on these issues and usher in a new era of US foreign policy.

Can you chip in to ensure we can continue to move the debate -- and ultimately US foreign policy -- forward in 2020?

Over the past ten years, we have helped create the political space for candidates to criticize the policies of the Israeli government and speak about Israeli security AND Palestinian rights in the same breath.

Now we need to make sure these ideas make their way from the debate stage to the 2020 Democratic platform. We need to make sure they are adopted by the party’s nominee. And we need to do everything within our power to make sure that nominee defeats President Trump next November.

I hope that what was said at last night’s debate makes you feel proud of what we’ve accomplished. And I hope it inspires you to recommit to the important work we have to do in the year ahead.

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Thanks so much for your support,

Ben Shnider
Vice President for Political Affairs and Strategy, 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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