J Street President Jeremy Ben-Ami released the following statement in response to the demolition of the Shepherd’s Hotel in East Jerusalem, aimed at clearing land for the construction of new Jewish housing in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood:
The demolition of the Shepherd’s Hotel in East Jerusalem is a deeply provocative action, and we urge the Israeli government to find a way to stop such provocations and refrain from unilateral actions that undermine peace efforts. We applaud Secretary of State Clinton’s strong words on the matter, emphasizing that “this move contradicts the logic of a reasonable and necessary agreement between the parties on the status of Jerusalem.” The viability of a two-state solution hangs by a thread. Actions such as this make the prospects of peace – and therefore Israel’s security and survival as the democratic homeland of the Jewish people – all the more unlikely. We renew our call on the Obama Administration to step forward with its own “Borders and Security” approach that urgently and assertively works to achieve a two-state resolution of the conflict before it is too late.