Washington, DC – In response to the announcement of a ceasefire agreement between the United States and Iran, J Street President Jeremy Ben-Ami issued the following statement:
“J Street welcomes the ceasefire agreement reached between the United States and Iran. The arrangement is highly fragile and vague, and there is still ongoing fighting with Israeli strikes in Lebanon, Iranian missiles and drones being launched at the Gulf States and continued attacks on Iranian oil facilities. We urge all parties to fully cease hostilities.
This war has been an absolute catastrophe for the United States, Israel, Iran, the Gulf States and Lebanon. It has brought immense civilian suffering and death across the Middle East. Children and families have been forced to spend days on end in shelters under constant attack. It has caused massive economic disruption around the world and dramatically rising oil prices in the United States that will lead to further inflation. And for all that suffering and cost, this illegal war of choice has achieved essentially none of the central American and Israeli objectives outlined at the start of the war.
Iran still retains a stockpile of highly enriched uranium and is likely more determined than ever to continue its nuclear program. Its proxies have not been meaningfully degraded. While its missile program has been set back, Iran still has the capacity through missiles and drones to inflict serious damage on the global economy, threaten Israel and destabilize the region. And in fact, it has demonstrated and achieved increased leverage over shipping through the Strait of Hormuz and the world’s global oil supply.
The United States has undercut relationships with key allies, especially in Europe and the Gulf, while expending years’ worth of munitions and missile defense capabilities at a cost of billions – resources needed for deterrence in more critical theaters, particularly the Indo-Pacific.
On every level, this ill-conceived and illegal war – fought without an imminent threat, congressional approval or a clear plan – has left the United States, Israel, Iran and the broader Middle East worse off.
The only rational path forward for the United States and Israel is to turn away from the two-and-a-half years of continuous conflict since October 7 and pursue a political and diplomatic strategy that can put the region on a better trajectory. That means a serious, realistic approach combining diplomacy and pressure on Iran to constrain its nuclear program, contain the threats posed by its proxies and missiles and ensure freedom of navigation through the Strait of Hormuz, which is critical for the global economy.
It also means ending Israeli operations in Lebanon and working with the Lebanese government to weaken and marginalize Hezbollah, including by empowering the Lebanese military to control territory in southern Lebanon. And it means returning to the 20-point U.S. plan for Gaza agreed to nearly six months ago but now stalled. We need to prioritize and make real progress on humanitarian aid, reconstruction, alternative political and security arrangements and disarming and replacing Hamas rather than perpetuating the status quo.
This approach could ultimately lead toward the 23-state solution J Street has been advocating for: A secure Israel, at peace and integrated with all of its neighbors in the region, alongside a new Palestinian state. The alternative is a continued Israeli and American strategy that leads to a forever war in the region, continued suffering for all and no strategic progress.”