Following the announcement that Israel and Hamas have reached an agreement on the first phase of a US-brokered ceasefire framework, J Street President Jeremy Ben-Ami issued the following statement:
“After two years of heartbreaking bloodshed, we are deeply relieved that the remaining Israeli hostages will soon return home and that this devastating war may finally be drawing to a close. Today marks the beginning of the relief that an overwhelming majority of Israelis have long demanded and that the Palestinian people in Gaza so desperately need.
This agreement is a vital first step toward lasting peace, but immense work remains to turn this fragile beginning into a durable resolution of this conflict.
We commend the American, Qatari, Egyptian and Turkish mediators whose tireless diplomacy made this breakthrough possible.
Now, the parties must implement this agreement in good faith and take bold, sustained steps toward realizing the full US-backed 20-point plan – one that ensures Israel’s security, ends Hamas’s reign of terror, delivers a massive surge of humanitarian aid and sets the region on a path toward a comprehensive and permanent peace.
We urge all parties to seize this moment of hope with courage, accountability and commitment to steadfast diplomacy to ensure that this ceasefire becomes not just an end to the war but a beginning of peace.”