[ ]J Street[ ]
Friend,

It’s been an extremely dark and difficult week.

Horror here at home echoed the horror in the region with the tragic
shooting of Israeli Embassy staff Sarah Milgrim and Yaron Lischinsky. Our
hearts break for their families, friends and colleagues as they grapple
with this senseless act of terror.

The news continues to be bleak and political leadership lacking – which
makes the work we do to find a pathway out of perpetual violence, terror
and bloodshed that much more important.

Rededicating ourselves to the cause of peace is the only way to give
meaning to the new wave of horror and loss we feel this week, and have
been grappling with for far too many years now.

Our weekly recap is below. Thank you for your ongoing support.

Jeremy Ben-Ami
President, J Street

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J Street Condemns Horrific Anti-Israel, Antisemitic Attack in Washington
DC, Mourns Two Young Victims: Thursday morning brought devastating news
that a gunman had shot and killed two young Israeli Embassy staff at the
Capital Jewish Museum. The perpetrator shouted “free Palestine” as he was
taken into custody.

* This is a horrific and painful personal tragedy, and we recognize that
it is also an act of political terror and antisemitic violence that
strikes fear into a deeply shaken community.
* “There can be legitimate opposition to the government of Israel and
deep anguish over the suffering of innocents in Gaza – indeed most in
our community share these views – but nothing can justify the
targeting of Jews, Israelis or Jewish institutions in the United
States, nor can such acts possibly hope to further the pro-Palestinian
cause,” we wrote.
* “Fears of anti-Israel political violence on the left are real, and
last night that threat became deadly. We urge all those in the
pro-Palestine movement to take stock of this moment and recognize the
danger of extreme rhetoric as it hits the ears of unhinged
individuals.” [ [link removed] ]Read and share our full response here >>

Gaza War Crosses Dark Threshold as Netanyahu Escalates Further: This week
brought fresh horrors as Netanyahu moved forward with his plan to fully
re-occupy Gaza while his government continues to obstruct adequate aid
from reaching desperate civilians.

* The footage coming out of Gaza is agonizing. Children killed by
airstrikes, families running in panic, whole communities forced to
flee once again. The Trump Administration must use its leverage to end
this madness, not just [ [link removed] ]gripe in the press.
* In a message to supporters, we shared the words of Arbel Yehoud, a
freed 29-year-old hostage, pleading with political leaders to
immediately seek a hostage deal for the sake of her partner, his
brother and all hostages still in captivity: “Your hands will be
covered in their blood and the blood of the soldiers if you do not
stop this war.”

Retired Israeli Major General Yair Golan Delivers Hard Truths in Israel:
"What began as a just campaign to achieve security and free the hostages,
has now been turned by this failed government into a war without a
security or national purpose," leader of the Israeli political party, the
Democrats, Yair Golan, said in a widely covered speech in Israel.

* "It is not a maneuver to release hostages, because it was possible
long ago to release the hostages in a comprehensive deal. [...] It’s
also not a campaign to topple Hamas, because that was possible long
ago by starting to build a political alternative to Hamas.”
* Golan’s remarks followed controversy over earlier comments in which he
warned that Israel risked becoming a “pariah state” and that “a sane
country does not fight against civilians, does not kill babies as a
hobby, and does not give itself the aim of expelling populations.”
[ [link removed] ]Watch and share his full speech here >>

UK Extends Sanctions on Violent Settlers: One of Trump’s first acts in
office was to revoke J Street-backed, Biden-era sanctions on violent
settlers – but the Western allies that followed suit under Biden have kept
their sanctions in place.

* This week, the UK [ [link removed] ]extended its sanctions to the 'godmother' of
Israel's settler movement Daniella Weiss and several other
individuals, outposts and groups.
* J Street continues to rally support for [ [link removed] ]Congressman Jerry Nadler’s
House bill to restore and codify the framework to deliver a measure of
accountability and deterrence to those who trample our values and
threaten a peaceful, democratic future.

J Street Mourns Gerry Connolly, A Champion of Justice: This week, we
mourned the passing of Congressman Gerry Connolly, a fierce champion for
fairness, equality and justice.

* “He was one of J Street’s closest supporters since our founding,
offering advice and encouragement that meant the world to a young, new
and ambitious advocacy team. We are profoundly grateful for his years
of friendship, guidance and support,” Jeremy said in a tribute to
Congressman Connolly. [ [link removed] ]Read and share the full tribute here.

📖 This Week’s Must-Reads:

* [ [link removed] ]We are Jewish students from universities Trump is targeting. He’s
not protecting us: “Each of us is a Jewish student at one of the
universities the administration named in its announcement, including
Ivy League schools like Harvard University and Columbia University,
and flagship public institutions like University of California,
Berkeley and the University of Minnesota. While it is true that each
school has been rocked by antisemitic incidents, Trump’s plans offer
us no comfort.”
* [ [link removed] ]As Israel starves and destroys Gaza, it’s turning into a global
pariah: “After more than 19 months of brutal war, the patience of some
of Israel’s Western allies appears to be running out amid a renewed
Israeli offensive on the Gaza Strip,” writes the Washington Post’s
Ishaan Tharoor.
* [ [link removed] ]The Group Behind Project 2025 Has a Plan to Crush the
Pro-Palestinian Movement [🎁 Gift Link]: “Since the inauguration, the
White House and other Republicans have called for actions that appear
to mirror more than half of Project Esther’s proposals, a New York
Times analysis shows, including threats to withhold billions in
federal funding at universities and attempts to deport legal
residents,” Katie Baker reports.
* [ [link removed] ]Iran Nuclear Talks Are Running Into Red Lines: "Although US
President Donald Trump suggested last week that a nuclear deal with
Iran was 'close,' that doesn’t actually seem to be the case as both
sides are digging in on their respective red lines and appearing to
rule out the early possibility of a negotiated solution to the future
of Iran’s nuclear program,” writes Keith Johnson.

🗳️ Our Pro-Democracy To-Do List:

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JStreetPAC.org >>

[17][ ] [ [link removed] ]Sign up for J Street’s 2026 National Convention >>



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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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