Dear Friend,

It’s been a tense start to 2020. Last week, President Trump brought us to
the brink of all-out war with Iran through his reckless decision to
escalate tensions with the assassination of a senior Iranian general. In
response, Iran launched a volley of missiles at military bases in Iraq,
threatening the lives of the American and Iraqi troops who serve there.

This frightening exchange was the latest in a cycle of escalation that has
followed the president’s unilateral decision to renege on the successful
Iranian nuclear agreement in favor of a “maximum pressure” campaign. This
disastrous policy has placed us on the verge of a catastrophic conflict
that could lead to countless deaths, drain our nation’s strength and
endanger Israel and our other allies in the region.

The situation couldn’t be more serious. That’s why J Street is doing all
that we can to help stop a war and rein in this out-of-control president.

On Thursday, we scored an important success when the House passed a war
powers resolution -- introduced by J Street endorsee Rep. Elissa Slotkin
-- which made clear that President Trump does not have authorization from
the House of Representatives to wage war with Iran and called on the
administration to cease hostilities. In the lead-up to this crucial vote,
our supporters flooded Congress with calls and partnered with progressive
allies to support hundreds of rallies across the country calling for an
end to escalation and a return to diplomacy.

The fact that the House was able to pass this resolution shows the
importance of all that we’ve done to help elect and support a
diplomacy-first majority -- the same majority that voted last month to
affirm support for a two-state solution and opposition to settlement
expansion and annexation. It’s clear that our work in Congress, on the
campaign trail and in our communities has helped to build a real xxxxxx
against the president’s disastrous policies.

In the weeks ahead, we’re going to continue to proudly represent the vast
majority of American Jews who stand against a new war with Iran, stand
against the occupation, and stand in favor of diplomacy, democracy and the
pursuit of a more peaceful world.

Thank you for joining us in this crucial fight.

Logan Bayroff
Communications Director

Around J Street

J Street rallies against war with Iran, backs congressional action

[ [link removed] ]DC Protest
On Thursday, after the most serious and dangerous round of retaliatory
attacks in the ongoing US-Iranian crisis, J Street joined with dozens of
progressive allies across the country to send a clear message to our
leaders: No War With Iran. At a rally of hundreds of people on Capitol
Hill, J Street’s President [ [link removed] ]Jeremy Ben-Ami made clear to the crowd that
the American Jewish community opposes war with Iran, supports the Iran
nuclear agreement and believes in diplomatic solutions to problems across
the Middle East.

Just a few hundred feet away, the House of Representatives took the
historic step of [ [link removed] ]passing a war powers resolution to make it explicit:
President Trump does not have constitutional authorization to lead the
United States into a catastrophic war of choice with Iran. This J
Street-backed resolution only succeeded thanks to the strong,
pro-diplomacy majority J Street supporters like you helped elect in 2018.
Every J Street endorsee, including 13 who face reelection in Trump
districts this year, supported this historic resolution.

Now, as the Senate plans to hold its own war powers vote in the coming
days, we’ll be calling on our supporters to contact the Senate and make
sure they too say no to a catastrophic war of choice with Iran.

Our Israel: Meet the women’s network fighting back against gender segregation in
Israel

[4]Trump, Netanyahu, Friedman, Kushner, Pompeo
J Street is proud this year to officially launch Our Israel, an initiative
to spotlight amazing Israeli organizations and individuals who share our
values and who struggle, as we do in the United States, to build and
preserve a liberal, democratic society underpinned by the principles of
equality, freedom, justice and peace. Over the past few months, we’ve
spoken with inspiring, impactful groups including Hand in Hand, Gisha and
Standing Together.

In our [ [link removed] ]latest profile, we spoke with Michal Gera Margaliot, Executive
Director of the Israel Women’s Network about feminist advocacy in Israel.
“When there is a wave, we want to take it and to make it bigger and to
make sure that we'll have actual influence on reality, on policies,” Gera
Margaliot told us. “We'll work with the decision makers, the Knesset, the
government and within the courts to promote gender equality and make
Israel a better place.”
[ [link removed] ]Read the profiles →

Historic: House of Representatives goes on record against settlements,
annexation

[7]Trump, Netanyahu, Friedman, Kushner
In December, the House of Representatives made history with the passage of
a J Street-backed resolution which -- for the first time ever -- [ [link removed] ]put
the House on record as opposing unilateral Israeli annexation of the West
Bank and affirming longstanding US opposition to settlements. It was a
result which wouldn’t have been possible without J Street’s work in the
halls of Congress, the pro-diplomacy majority our supporters helped elect
in 2018 and the sustained advocacy of our grassroots supporters around the
country.

By passing House Resolution 326, lawmakers sent a powerful message that
they stand against the destructive agenda of the far right here, and in
Israel -- a message which remains timely today. This week, Israeli Defense
Minister Naftali Bennett pledged to boost the number of Israeli settlers
in the West Bank to one million within a decade. At the same event, US
Secretary of State Pompeo appeared via a video message, reaffirming that
the Trump administration no longer considered settlements a violation of
international law.

In response, J Street’s Vice President for Government Affairs Dylan
Williams pointed to Congress’ strong push back on the administration and
[ [link removed] ]made clear that “While the Trump administration continues its
outrageous effort to legitimize the settlement movement and green-light
Israeli annexation of the West Bank, Israeli leaders must understand that
the extreme ‘Pompeo Doctrine’ does not represent the views of Congress or
the long-term positions of the United States.”

We need your vote: J Street joins slate for World Zionist Congress elections

[10]Hatikvah
J Street is thrilled to be joining 11 fellow progressive groups to field
an amazing slate of candidates in the World Zionist Congress elections.
Together, we will be running as ‘HATIVKAH: Progressive Israel Slate’ on a
platform of social justice, democratic rights for all Israeli citizens and
a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

This is the first progressive partnership of its kind, and we need your
support to make a powerful statement in this election. The results of
these elections directly affect the distribution of $1,000,000,000 in
annual funding which has a huge impact on the lives of Israelis of all
religions and backgrounds, as well as Palestinians in the occupied
territories. By coming together and giving voice to the progressive
American Jewish community, we can and will help guide Israel toward our
shared values and away from dangerous, far-right influences.
[ [link removed] ]Learn more and pledge to vote →

Israeli Elections

Amid all the instability in the Middle East right now, Israel’s political
leaders continue to campaign for the unprecedented third round of
election, due to be held March 2. Prime Minister Netanyahu kicked off the
2020 campaign year with a formal request that the Knesset grant him
immunity from his looming trial on corruption charges. Meanwhile, all eyes
are watching to see whether Benny Gantz’s Blue and White party can
finally, on the third try, knock Netanyahu off his perch.
[ [link removed] ]Sign up for election updates →

Must Reads
Washington Post
[13]Trump Trump’s deepening Iran morass all started with one big lie
[ [link removed] ]Read more →
The Atlantic
[15]Soleimani funeral An extraordinarily dangerous moment
[ [link removed] ]Read more →
Haaretz
[17]Netanyahu House resolution on annexation is a wake-up call for Israel
and Netanyahu
[ [link removed] ]Read more →
[19]Trump Haaretz
and White House debating release of Mideast peace plan before third
Kushner Israeli election
[ [link removed] ]Read more →
[ [link removed] ]Donate →

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[2]Street Talk Logo
© 2020 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.



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