Jonathan --
At last night’s Texas Senate debate, Ted Cruz came after J Street, calling us “rabidly anti-Israel.”
And you know what? We honestly don't care if Ted Cruz wants to insult us. If anything, being attacked by Ted Cruz is a badge of honor.
What we care about is that extremists like him -- elected officials who undermined the Iran deal, demonize Palestinians to score political points and believe the only way to be “pro-Israel” is to support every policy of the Netanyahu government -- hold power in Washington right now.
We’re asking for your help to change that.
Stand with J Street today as we work to transform the politics around Israel in this country -- starting with sweeping far-right ideologues like Ted Cruz out of office.
A poll released just today shows that the majority of Americans who identify as pro-Israel oppose the policies of the Israeli government. Opposing a Netanyahu government that expands settlements, threatens to demolish entire Palestinian communities and holds American students in detention for their political beliefs is not “rabidly anti-Israel.”
Joining our progressive Israeli allies to defend Israel’s democracy and work toward peace is the ultimate demonstration of our commitment to a country we care about deeply.
If you agree, we hope you'll stand with us today.
Opposing Trump’s policies isn’t anti-American. Unlike Ted Cruz, the majority of Americans oppose Trump’s policies. And opposing Netanyahu’s policies doesn’t make Jewish Americans anti-Israel. Unlike Ted Cruz, a majority of us oppose those policies.
And today -- thanks in large part to J Street’s work over the past 10 years -- a new generation of candidates have adopted that perspective. They proudly call themselves pro-Israel while speaking out against Israeli settlement expansion, while standing firmly against the demolition of Khan al-Ahmar and while working for policies to improve the lives of Palestinians in the West Bank, Gaza and in refugee camps across the Middle East.
Thanks in part to your work, many of the candidates running for office today understand that being pro-Israel and pro-Palestinian aren't mutually exclusive. Peace requires working for a better future for both.
Maybe that’s why Ted Cruz is lashing out against us. He knows that, slowly, our work is depriving him and the far right of the ability to use Israel as a political weapon.
Americans are pro-Israel. But not in the way Ted Cruz is. They’re pro-Israel like the Israeli generals who are loudly sounding the alarm about the need to end the occupation. Like everyday Israelis who march in the streets to demand the government address the violence around Gaza -- not with another war, but by helping to alleviate the humanitarian crisis there.
Americans are pro-Israel like Ted Cruz’s opponent Beto O’Rourke is. Like you are.
And, if we continue working together, we’ll elect a Congress this November and a president in 2020 who share our pro-Israel, pro-peace values.
Can we count on your support?
Thank you for standing with J Street as we work for better politics in this country and a better future for Israelis and Palestinians.
Aaron Davis
J Street National Political Director
