In response to today’s meeting between Prime Minister Netanyahu and President Trump, J Street president Jeremy Ben-Ami issued the following statement:
“When they met today, President Trump and Prime Minister Netanyahu once again made clear just how much they are dedicated to advancing their own political interests and far-right policy agenda — not the long-term interests of the US and Israel. J Street has made clear that their joint embrace of demagogic ethno-nationalism stands in direct contradiction to the shared democratic values that have long been at the heart of the US-Israel relationship.
By signing an executive order recognizing Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights, Trump is obviously seeking to hand Netanyahu an electoral boost and to pander to his own right-wing base. Like the move of the US embassy to Jerusalem and the near-complete cutoff of humanitarian assistance to the Palestinian people, this unilateral action only undermines the prospects for diplomatic progress and harms American credibility in the region and around the world.
While there’s no question that maintaining control of the Golan Heights is currently of strategic and security importance to the state of Israel, the final status of the territory will ultimately have to be determined by a negotiated agreement. Until then, premature US recognition of Israeli sovereignty over the Golan is a needlessly provocative move that violates international law and does not enhance Israeli security.”