Israeli AND Palestinian Lives Matter

Palestinian and Israeli lives matter. It’s time for US foreign policy to reflect that. The following advertisement from J Street has been sent to you via Mother Jones' email list. Mother Jones is a nonprofit, and most of our budget comes from readers like you, but revenue from advertisers helps us produce more of the hard-hitting journalism you expect. We never disclose your information to an advertiser. Mother Jones does not endorse any candidate, political organization, commercial product, or service, and the views expressed in this email do not constitute any endorsement or recommendation by Mother Jones. [J Street]( Dear Friends, The cycle of violence and injustice in Israel, Gaza and the West Bank these past few weeks has been nothing short of horrific -- we cannot allow it to continue. A 15-year-old in Gaza has now lived through six major conflicts with Israel, enduring the anguish of friends and family being killed and injured, homes and schools destroyed. A 15-year-old in Israel has lived through thousands of indiscriminate Hamas rocket attacks, sleeping weeks on end in bomb shelters, running in fear whenever rocket sirens pierce the air. Now that this escalation has ended, the United States must commit to pursuing balanced, even-handed policies to end the cycle of injustice, retaliation and violence for good. At J Street, we’re calling for a fundamental reset of the Israel-US relationship, a steadfast commitment to the rights of both Israelis AND Palestinians, and an end to the unrestricted “blank check” to Prime Minister Netanyahu’s far-right government. Israeli and Palestinian lives matter, and there is a systemic injustice of occupation at the heart of this conflict. We need to make clear to this administration that it’s time for US foreign policy to reflect that. Tell President Biden: Israeli AND Palestinian Lives Matter We Must Reset US Policy [ADD YOUR NAME]( ‌ In the immediate term, we must show decisive leadership internationally to help Gazans safely rebuild from this latest round of devastation. The humanitarian situation in Gaza is intolerable, fostering suffering that only empowers Hamas and will only lead to more rounds of violence and devastation. Too often in the past, the United States has enabled this conflict to get worse, not better. Too often we have shielded the Netanyahu government from legitimate international criticism and empowered or excused the far-right settlement movement, all while sidelining the legitimate rights of millions of Palestinians to freedom and self-determination. We cannot allow this to continue, and we need President Biden to commit to a new course. [Add your name to our White House petition today and amplify the call >>]( Together, we must tell President Biden that as Israel’s closest ally, America must do more to hold its government accountable. We must take steps to ensure our aid to Israel can only be used for legitimate defensive purposes -- and not diverted to support demolitions, evictions and de facto annexation. The status quo is catastrophic not just for Palestinians, but for Israelis themselves. With every new Israeli settlement and every demolition of a Palestinian home, the dream of Israel as a proud, peaceful and democratic homeland for the Jewish people slips further from view. J Street’s entire mission is centered on this basic truth: Neither Israelis nor Palestinians can be truly safe or truly free while the other faces oppression and violence. American leaders must recognize this. We must work toward a foreign policy which supports the rights of both Israelis and Palestinians to peace, freedom and self-determination. Together, we can make this issue impossible to ignore -- but only if we stand up and make our voices heard. [If you agree, please add your name to our White House petition now.]( While these past few weeks have been heartbreaking and frustrating, one hopeful sign has been the unprecedented strength of the response from Congress. Many influential voices in the House and Senate echoed our shared call for an immediate ceasefire, and for the president to do far more to finally address the underlying injustices which help drive this conflict forward. For J Street, this true sea change in attitude was in part the culmination of years of dedicated advocacy in the halls of Congress, on campaign trails and in communities across the country. This week delivered real hope that there could be a path forward to much more just and effective American policies in the Middle East -- but only if we continue to push for it. Onward, Jeremy Ben-Ami President, J Street [DONATE]( [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [Mother Jones]( [Donate]( [Subscribe]( Mother Jones and its nonprofit publisher, the Foundation for National Progress, do not endorse any political candidate, political organization, commercial product, process, or service, and the views expressed in this communication do not constitute an endorsement, recommendation, or favoring by Mother Jones. This message was sent to {EMAIL}. To change the messages you receive from us, you can [edit your email preferences]( or [unsubscribe from all mailings.]( For advertising opportunities see our online [media kit.]( Were you forwarded this email? [Sign up for Mother Jones' newsletters today.]( [www.MotherJones.com]( PO Box 8539, Big Sandy, TX 75755