Friend --
Last week, while the Jewish community celebrated one of our most sacred holidays with friends and family, the Trump administration was busy continuing its assault on the prospects for Israeli-Palestinian peace.
By announcing that the US will close the Palestinian diplomatic office in Washington, Trump and his team sent yet another clear signal that they are committed to bullying the Palestinians and advancing the agenda of the Israeli far-right -- not to mediating this intractable conflict.
Furthermore, we learned this week the appalling news that the administration has decided to cut funds to coexistence organizations that build people-to-people relationships between Israelis and Palestinians and foster coexistence -- groups like Kids4Peace and the Peres Center for Peace. That’s not just an attack on Palestinians -- it’s an attack on the very concept of peacemaking and reconciliation.
By changing US policy on Jerusalem, slashing humanitarian aid to the Palestinians, and giving the green light to settlement expansion, the administration has made clear that the “peace plan” it's supposedly preparing will be a complete sham.
Instead of moving the ball forward, Trump, Jared Kushner and David Friedman aim to take us backwards, to a time before the signing of the Oslo Accords -- 25 years ago this week. They want to return us to a time before the two-state solution was recognized as a shared common goal; before the US or Israel engaged in meaningful diplomacy with the Palestinians; before the Palestinian people were recognized as possessing legitimate rights and aspirations. Instead of looking to end the destructive conflict and unjust occupation, they are ensuring that both will continue to get worse.
Trump and his allies aren’t just hoping to prevent a two-state solution. They’re trying to break the will of anyone working toward a just and sustainable peace.
You don’t shut down the Palestinian diplomatic mission in the US, on the 25th anniversary of the Oslo Accords, unless you’re trying to send a message that supporters of the two-state solution should give up.
They want to demoralize us. We can’t let them.
In an essay I contributed to The New Republic earlier this month, I wrote about how liberal American Jews are feeling increasingly alienated from Israel -- and how we cannot give in to feelings of frustration and apathy. If we do, the only people who benefit are the anti-democratic and ethno-nationalist forces who threaten liberalism and democracy in the United States, Israel and all across the globe.
Trump and Netanyahu desperately want us to give up -- and hand them victory. They’re hoping that when the administration puts forward its sham proposal, right-wing voices will cheer -- and the rest of us will simply walk away without a fight.
We refuse to let that happen. Instead, we need to step up our battle for peace and democracy.
We need to stand together with our Israeli partners and support the activists and institutions working to create political change, uphold democratic values and oppose occupation.
We need to stand behind the Congressional leaders and candidates who are pushing back against the Trump administration and championing a very different vision of principled American diplomacy and leadership.
In these deeply challenging times, we refuse to lose sight of the importance of what we’re fighting for. We refuse to give in to bullying and cruel demagogues.
Working together, we can -- and we will -- defeat the forces that trade on fear and promote illiberalism. We can -- and we will -- make the pursuit of peace and a two-state solution a top priority for both the US and Israel once again.
Please consider demonstrating your commitment to this fight by chipping in to support J Street today.
Thank you,
Jeremy Ben-Ami
President, J Street
