[ ]J Street [ ]
Friends,

Israel is in the midst of a major political struggle.

On one side, those fighting to protect Israel’s founding ideals of
democracy, equality and justice. On the other, the new hardline Netanyahu
government, bent on centralizing power, circumventing the courts and
cementing permanent occupation in the West Bank.

You may have heard of the government’s plans to allow a simple majority in
Israel’s parliament to easily overrule any Supreme Court decision. You may
have heard of the massive protest movement that's pushing back, with over
100,000 Israelis demonstrating across the country in recent weeks.

But here’s what you probably haven’t heard: The government’s radical plan
was drawn up by the Kohelet Forum, an increasingly powerful right-wing,
pro-settlement think tank that’s funded largely by two right-wing American
billionaires. 

They’ve been called “the brains of the Israeli right wing” and helped
draft the problematic “Nation-State Law” -- which according to Netanyahu
made Israel “the national state, not of all its citizens, but only of the
Jewish people.” They were also behind Donald Trump and Mike Pompeo’s
tenuous legal argument claiming that Israeli settlements in occupied
territory do not violate international law.

The group is funded by two Republican Jewish-American billionaires from
Pennsylvania who have also helped fund the campaigns of MAGA extremists
like Lauren Boebert. They hope that GOP-style policies and values can come
to dominate Israeli society.

As Jewish Americans with a better vision for the future, we cannot afford
to step back from this fight. J Street is proud to push back against
forces like these, and champion our values of democracy, equality and
peace.

We might not have right-wing billionaires backing our work, but we do have
thousands of supporters like you. [ [link removed] ]Can you chip in
$18, $54,
$90 -- or any other amount -- to help us
fight back?

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It’s clear that the far-right here in the US is working hand-in-hand with
the Netanyahu government to undermine liberal democracy, deepen the
occupation, and promote a dangerous vision for the future. But it’s also
clear that their extreme plans are opposed by millions of Israelis -- and
the vast majority of Jewish Americans. 

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 vast movement of Israelis who have been
rallying against them.

That’s what J Street is working toward -- in Washington and across the
country. We’re sounding the alarm about the extreme actions of Netanyahu’s
government, groups like Kohelet, and their Republican megadonors. We’re
mobilizing our community to stand up for the shared democratic values that
should be at the heart of the US-Israel relationship.

[ [link removed] ]Can you chip in $18, $54,
$90 or any other amount today to make
sure that a handful of billionaires can’t dictate Israel’s future -- and
drown out the voice of the pro-Israel, pro-peace, pro-democracy majority?
>>

Thank you for your support,

Adina Vogel Ayalon
Chief of Staff, J Street

P.S. If you’re interested in learning more, J Street’s Director of Policy
Dr. Debra Shushan has just put out a great deep dive on the Kohelet Forum
and its pivotal role in the plan to undermine Israel’s Supreme Court and
radically transform its judicial system. [ [link removed] ]You can view the document
here.


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© 2023 J Street | [ [link removed] ]www.jstreet.org | [email protected]

J Street is the political home for pro-Israel, pro-peace, pro-democracy
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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