Washington, DC – In response to President Trump’s plan to end the Gaza war, get hostages home and chart a course to peace and reconstruction in Gaza, J Street Policy Chief Ilan Goldenberg issued the following statement:
“This moment holds both real promise and tremendous peril. We welcome Trump’s plan, which reflects principles long championed by J Street and the international community – hostages released, an end to the war, aid into Gaza, no displacement or permanent occupation, and Hamas disarmed and removed from power. Within this plan lies the promise of a lasting regional peace. Hamas must now be pressed to accept the deal and free the hostages.
At the same time, it is alarming that Prime Minister Netanyahu is already undermining the plan through his public comments. By insisting that the IDF would remain in most of the Strip and casting doubt on the commitment that the Palestinian Authority would eventually govern, he is directly contradicting the text of the proposal and undermining its credibility.
Even more concerning is Trump’s statement that if the deal fails, he will give Netanyahu a green light to ‘finish the job’ – likely amounting to the destruction of Gaza and even more devastation for the two million civilians in Gaza. We cannot allow a workable plan to be twisted into justification for an endless war of destruction.
Trump has shown he can make both Netanyahu’s government and Hamas move. If he is serious about the proposal being more than another white paper, he must use his power to secure an immediate ceasefire, get the hostages home, surge aid, and ensure all parties adhere to every step of the plan.”