We cannot know what the coming days, weeks and months will bring.
Hostages are still held captive in Gaza, their families suffering unbearable pain. Thousands of Israelis bear both physical and psychological scars from October 7, and are still displaced from their communities. A whole country grieves for friends and loved ones killed in cold blood.
And in Gaza, almost an entire population has been forced to flee their homes. Families continue to endure the unbearable daily terror of a truly devastating war. They too mourn loved ones ripped away far too soon. The lost ambitions of a daughter. The vanished smile of a father. The unreachable embrace of a grandmother.
And still, in both Gaza and the West Bank, Prime Minister Netanyahu seems intent on pursuing a catastrophic course.
We cannot know what lies ahead, but we do know this: Our voice, our values and the strength of our advocacy will be more important than ever.
We know that even as we are overwhelmed by grief and pain, we cannot become numb to it – nor can we allow others to be blind to the pain of innocents on both sides of this unbearable conflict.
We know that in the United States, the politics on Israel-Palestine remains broken. That an approach of ‘managing’ or ‘shrinking’ the conflict with the hope of ‘keeping it off the president’s desk’ has failed to catastrophic effect. That those on the fringes still seem intent on using this tragic conflict as a political football as they pursue their own ideological battles.
We know that real change is necessary if we are to have any hope of a better future. We know we must ask hard questions and take bold action if we are to prevent the situation from becoming more wrenching still.
We know that in a moment of grief, anguish, anger and division, we need leaders who are sober in judgment, grounded in principle, and willing to use all levers of power to change course and chart a better future.
This will be our focus in the year ahead, and your support makes it possible.
These past weeks have been among the most difficult in my life, certainly the most difficult for J Street and all that we care about. I’m sure they’ve been unbearably challenging for you too.
I wish I could say things will be easier going forward. But with an uncertain future in the region, and the potential prospect of a second Trump presidency looming here at home, we know yet more challenges lie ahead.
Still, this weekend, as we prepare to ring in the new year, I want to take this moment to say how deeply thankful I am for your support, and how grateful I am to have you by our side.