J Street organizes pro-Israel, pro-peace Americans to promote US policies that embody our deeply held Jewish and democratic values and that help secure the State of Israel as a democratic homeland for the Jewish people. We believe that only a negotiated resolution agreed to by Israelis and Palestinians can meet the legitimate needs and national aspirations of both peoples.
Working in the American political system, in the Jewish community and with others with whom we share core values, we advocate for diplomacy-first American leadership and policies that advance justice, equality, peace, and democracy in Israel, in the wider region and in the United States as well.
In a moment of crisis and war for Israelis and Palestinians, and with events on the ground and in Washington moving fast, it is extremely important for J Street to be clear about where we stand, what we are advocating for, and what we are encouraging the Biden Administration and Members of Congress to do.
Watch our introductory video to learn more about our values and our pro-Israel, pro-peace, pro-democracy work in pursuit of a future of peace and justice for Israelis and Palestinians.
Our Israel is a J Street initiative to spotlight amazing Israeli organizations and individuals who share our values and who struggle, as we do in the United States, to build and preserve a liberal, democratic society underpinned by the principles of equality, freedom, justice and peace.
Watch and listen to our conversations with subject matter experts exploring different perspectives, building bridges, and fostering dialogue.
We want to take our country forward, protect our democratic freedoms and model smart, pro-Israel, pro-peace, diplomacy-first leadership abroad. We’re not going back.
We urge senators to continue to make the safe return of the hostages a high-priority issue in all meetings with the Biden administration and other interlocutors, and to strongly consider the impact that any US policies and actions may have on the safety of hostages.
NYU J Street U student leader Joseph Hillyard writes, “As I prepare for a week of memorials and reflections upon this very difficult year, I have one single thought: Mourn the dead, fight like hell for the living.”
Rabbi Shalom Bochner of Petaluma, California shares two personal reflections, one from immediately after October 7 and from one year later, “I know that I’m an optimist, and I’ve been called unrealistic, naïve, self-hating, and lots of other things. One thing that I know, one promise that I made to myself, one truth that I always come back to: I’m not going to give up hope. I may cling to it with only a finger, but I truly see the good in most people.”
Peace activist and son of the late Vivian Silver, Yonatan Zeigen, writes, “It is an undeniable truth that Israelis will only be secure if Palestinians are free.”
Dr. Yasmeen Abu Fraiha, a peace advocate and physician, shares, “No one will be safe as long as we are not all safe, free and equal to each other – from the river to the sea.”
Biden Envoy Told Aid Groups Israel Too Close an Ally for US to Suspend Arms, Politico
“She was saying that the rules don’t apply to Israel,” one person who attended the meeting said. Multiple attendees described Grande’s words as alarmingly blunt and forthcoming, surprising many in the room.
Israeli Siege Plan for Gaza Under Scrutiny as US Demands Urgent Change, The Washington Post
For the first two weeks of October, no food reached the 400,000 people in war-battered northern Gaza. Rescue workers said Israeli forces fired at families as they tried to heed evacuation orders; hospitals ran desperately short on supplies as they struggled to treat the wounded and evacuate the critically ill. What has played out in this stretch of the enclave mirrors, at least in part, a controversial siege plan conceived by a former Israeli general to gain full control of northern Gaza and then larger swaths of the enclave.