Friends,
We knew the new extreme-right, Netanyahu-led government in Israel would be a disaster for Israeli democracy, Palestinian freedoms and our hope for a better future.
But still, it’s stunning to see just how quickly they’ve moved to undermine Israel’s democratic safeguards and supercharge demolitions and settlement growth in the West Bank. In just a few weeks since taking power, the new Netanyahu government has:
- Advanced a plan to destroy the independence of Israel’s Supreme Court and allow the government to override any court decision.
- Threatened to unlawfully evict over 1,000 Palestinians from the West Bank community of Masafer Yatta and demolish eight entire communities.
- Announced plans to “legalize” extremist hilltop settlements that were previously considered illegal even under Israeli law.
The Biden Administration has rightly criticized some of the new government’s moves, but as Israel’s closest ally and a champion of democracy at home and abroad, it cannot treat this as “business as usual.”
The US must meaningfully stand up to the dangerous plans of this extreme government -- and stand behind the thousands of Israelis who have been rallying against them.
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Esther Hayut, the president of Israel’s Supreme Court, has said that the right-wing government plans to “deal a fatal blow to the independence of the judiciary and silence it.”
In the occupied West Bank, human rights advocates warn that the government aims to make the occupation permanent -- pushing Israeli-Palestinian peace further out of reach.
To truly safeguard Israel’s democratic future, Palestinian freedoms and US interests, the Biden Administration must meaningfully push back and make clear there will be consequences for acting against our shared values and international law.
The US should not provide automatic diplomatic protection for the Israeli government from accountability in international institutions, and should ensure that US-origin material is not used to carry out demolitions and evictions.
Netanyahu and his extremist partners need to face clear red lines -- not green lights.
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As the political home for pro-Israel, pro-peace, pro-democracy Americans, J Street is proud to stand up for the shared democratic values at the heart of the US-Israel relationship -- and we’re urging our elected leaders to do the same.
Thank you,
Dylan Williams
Senior Vice President for Policy and Strategy
