Washington DC – Following reports that Prime Minister Netanyahu is pressing to launch operations for an indefinite occupation of the entirety of Gaza, J Street Vice President and Chief of Staff Adina Vogel Ayalon released the following statement:

“The images out of Gaza in recent days – of starving civilians and emaciated hostages – have shocked the conscience of the world. And yet Netanyahu’s response is to escalate and press for an indefinite occupation of all of Gaza.

If Netanyahu’s plan moves forward, it will further endanger the lives of the hostages, exacerbate an already catastrophic humanitarian crisis, and cost more Israeli soldiers their lives in a war that should have ended long ago. All of us who care about the future of Israel, the welfare of the Palestinian people, and who share our most basic values must speak out clearly, urgently, and without equivocation.

Let’s be clear: While far-right extremists see this step as essential to resettling Gaza and expelling its population, the Chief of the IDF – himself a Netanyahu appointee – reportedly sees it as a strategic disaster. He’s not alone. Nearly every living former head of a major Israeli security agency this week went on record to slam Netanyahu’s handling of this war and call for a war-ending hostage deal. Six hundred former Israeli officials last week called on President Trump to pressure Netanyahu into a deal.

President Trump needs to wake up. If he truly wants to end the horror and get hostages home, he must exert real pressure now. Americans know all too well that endless occupation with no post-war plan leads only to more bloodshed, chaos and war. We cannot enable this madness.

The US must show leadership. We are the only party capable of overcoming Netanyahu’s obstructionism, ending the war and pressing for a viable post-war plan to isolate Hamas, stabilize Gaza and lay the groundwork for regional security and peace.”