What does it mean to be ‘Pro-Israel’

If you follow arguments over Israel on social media – and, frankly, I recommend avoiding them – you’ll know there’s an Israel advocacy group obsessed with repeating that J Street is “many things, but not pro-Israel.”

It’s not just the insult of that phrase to you, to my team and to all of J Street’s supporters that bothers me, it’s that simplistic social media campaigns like these distract from the deeply meaningful debate over Israel’s path that’s urgently needed right now.

What we actually need is to debate what it means to be pro-Israel – in American politics, in American policy, in the Jewish community – when large numbers of Americans who are deeply connected to Israel disagree, strongly, with the current government.

This debate is essential in the year ahead because Israel – and by extension, Americans who care about the country – are reaching a critical fork in the road.

Down one road – I’ll call it the Netanyahu/Smotrich/Ben Gvir path (and we can throw in Trump’s ambassador pick Mike Huckabee too) – lies an Israel condemned to forever live and die by the sword. Down this road lies unlimited settlement expansion, annexation of the West Bank, and Gaza and permanent denial of rights to Palestinians.

It’s a path that even some far to J Street’s right, like former IDF Chief and Netanyahu Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon, can see is one of “conquest, annexation and ethnic cleansing.”

It is a path that condemns all of our children and grandchildren – Israeli and Palestinian alike – to endless violence and bloodshed.

Down this path, Israel risks, as Tom Friedman recently wrote, becoming a “pariah state”, faced with more adverse findings in international courts, growing boycotts and isolation. Jews around the world too will face protests in the streets, encampments on college campuses and more.

Is it “pro-Israel” to close our eyes to this and call those who are sounding the alarms names? Do we think the US-Israel relationship – let alone our own children’s relationship with Israel – will survive this path?

We created J Street to have this debate in the US and win it. To fix broken political incentives. To adjust American policy. To open our community’s eyes and minds.

As we enter 2025 – ready to battle for the future and the soul of both Israel and the United States – having you with us in the fight for a better future is more important than ever. I’m deeply grateful for your support.

Thankfully, there is another path at this fork in the road.

Down this other path lies an Israel that lives up to its founding promise as a proud, just, peaceful democratic homeland not just for the Jewish people, but for all who live there.

It is a path that – yes – promises security for its citizens through strength and deterrence, but recognizes the value of diplomacy and cooperation.

Down this path, Israel can end its 75-year conflict with its Arab neighbors and reach what I’m calling a “23-state solution” – a comprehensive, regional agreement leading to unprecedented economic and security cooperation.

This is also the path that allows Israel to remain true to its founding values of pluralism, equality, freedom and justice, and a commitment to liberal democracy. And the only way to get there is to work toward creation of a viable, successful and free Palestinian state as part of this regional plan.

There is no need down this path to be “anti” anything in order to be pro-Israel. Not anti-human rights groups, not anti-international law and certainly not anti-Palestinian.

No, being “pro-Israel” does not mean marching in lock-step with this Israeli government. Quite the opposite. As 90 percent of Jewish Americans acknowledge, one can support the state of Israel and criticize the actions and policies of this extreme government.

If you want to see an articulation of this alternate path by an Israeli politician, search for Leader of the Opposition Yair Lapid’s recent speech to the annual conference of the Israeli think tank Mitvim.

Our first priority in the days and weeks ahead is getting to the end of the horrific fighting in Gaza and bringing the hostages home.

Then will come the time for a serious debate about the future.

The path ahead isn’t easy. We have enormous challenges at home and abroad.

To meet those challenges, the American Jewish community needs a strong and powerful political voice to stand up for our values and vision – both here and in Israel.