Friends,
Fresh off our emergency briefing on Israel’s strikes on Iran, I’m now seeing frightening reports about retaliatory Iranian missile strikes on Israel.
I’m filled with dread for our staff, family and friends – and for the millions of civilians in Israel, Iran and across the region caught in the crossfire of yet more conflict as events threaten to spiral further out of control.
Much is uncertain in these first hours. Every expert I speak to has their own take on what could happen from here, and I just spent an hour in our briefing chatting with four leading analysts about the day’s events. If you’re interested in watching, I’ve included a link below. I’ve also included links to some early writing from our J Street Policy Center fellows and top policy experts.
But first, I wanted to share how J Street is responding.
J Street’s starting point is keen awareness of the threat posed by Iran’s hardline regime. We know the track record of the government and its proxies, and we understand the risk that a nuclear-armed Iran would pose to Israel, the US and the region.
We also know this: There is no military solution to this or to the many other challenges Israel faces.
It’s a fundamental premise of J Street that the problems Israel and the US face in the Middle East are primarily political, and – as such – they require negotiated, political solutions.
Whether it’s the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Israel’s need to once and for all normalize its relations with neighboring Arab states or the threat of Iran’s nuclear program – the country’s greatest strategic challenges can only be addressed through diplomacy and not through military force alone.
We are deeply concerned about the immediate damage and devastation that a cycle of escalating violence would inflict on civilians, not to mention the incentive it may provide for Iranian hardliners to double down in the longer term on nuclear weapons development in response to today’s attacks.
The US and leaders in the region and around the world must quickly find an offramp for Israel and Iran to end the strikes and counterstrikes before this conflict spirals into a catastrophic regional war.
We urge the Trump Administration – and other international actors – to pursue diplomacy, even as it commits to defending Israelis and US troops.
Watch Our Emergency Expert Briefing >>
Read and Share Analysis from the J Street Policy Center and Top Policy Experts >>
Thank you for your support during yet another incredibly uncertain moment. I’m sure we’ll have more to share soon.
In this together,
Jeremy Ben-Ami
J Street President
