Today, J Street President Jeremy Ben-Ami released the following statement in response to the Israeli security cabinet’s decision regarding the Gaza blockade:

J Street welcomes today’s Israeli cabinet decision to “liberalize the system by which civilian goods enter Gaza.”

For some time, we have called for a re-examination of the Israeli policy toward Gaza. We have believed that the closure as implemented was not serving Israel’s best interests, was strengthening Hamas’ capabilities and hold on the Strip, and was imposing an unacceptable level of hardship on the civilian population.

We have maintained that it should be possible to prevent the transfer of weapons through security checkpoints, while allowing humanitarian goods, basic necessities and construction materials into Gaza under proper supervision. We are pleased that the government of Israel now shares our view.

It is important to us as well to note the government’s call on the international community to work toward the immediate release of Gilad Shalit – a goal that we share and believe should receive much more attention and concern from the international community.

We await the details of the implementation of the Security Cabinet’s guidelines and hope that the list of items that will be restricted will be limited in its content and strictly apply to materials with a clear military use.

The new policy announced this morning should also have an impact on the Congressional letters currently circulating in the House and the Senate which offer unquestioning support for policies and actions that even Israel has shown itself willing to re-examine. We urge Members of Congress to amend these letters to articulate a more nuanced approach that takes into account Israel’s legitimate security concerns while recognizing the basic human rights and needs of the people of Gaza and underscoring the urgency of bold American leadership to achieve two states and secure the best interests of the U.S., Israel, the Palestinians, and the broader region.

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J Street sent a letter to House and Senate offices today, expressing concern that the “Dear Colleague” letters currently circulating regarding the Gaza flotilla incident “have been drafted primarily for domestic political consumption rather than to advance the U.S. interest in peace and security in the Middle East.”

Instead of signing the Dear Colleague letters as they currently read, J Street is urging members of Congress to seek changes to the letters or to write their own. In the letter, the organization’s president, Jeremy Ben-Ami encourages members of Congress to express more nuanced views of the situation that emphasize the urgency of American leadership to end to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict through two states.

The full text of the letter follows below:

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Today, J Street President Jeremy Ben-Ami released the following statement upon reports of an IDF clash with the Gaza Flotilla:

J Street is deeply shocked and saddened by reports that at least 10 civilians have been killed and dozens more wounded (including Israeli soldiers) this morning as Israel intercepted a naval convoy bringing humanitarian supplies and construction materials to the Gaza Strip.

We express our condolences to the families of those killed and we wish the injured a full and speedy recovery. We hope that leaders on all sides will take immediate steps to ensure that this incident does not escalate into a broader round of violence – in Israel, in Gaza, or in the region.

There will undoubtedly be calls in the coming days for a UN investigation into today’s events. A credible, independent commission appointed by the Israeli government should provide the world with a full and complete report into the causes and circumstances surrounding the day’s events and establish responsibility for the violence and bloodshed.

This shocking outcome of an effort to bring humanitarian relief to the people of Gaza is in part a consequence of the ongoing, counterproductive Israeli blockade of Gaza. J Street has been and continues to be opposed to the blockade – believing that there are better ways to ensure Israel’s security and to prevent weapons smuggling than a complete closure of the Gaza Strip.

We do not know yet what the impact of today’s incident will be on the just-restarted peace process, on Israel’s relations with the international community, or on the health of Arab-Jewish relations within Israel itself.

We do know, however, that today is one more nail in the coffin for hopes of ending the Israeli-Palestinian conflict peacefully and diplomatically and for preserving Israel’s Jewish and democratic character. We urge President Obama and other international and regional leaders to take today’s terrible news as an opportunity to engage even more forcefully in immediate efforts to end the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

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J Street Director of Policy and Strategy Hadar Susskind released the following statement today upon reports of clashes along the Gaza border:

J Street is greatly saddened to learn of today’s clashes on the Gaza border, resulting in the death of two Israeli soldiers.

We send our deepest condolences to the soldiers’ families – our thoughts and prayers are with you.

We hope and strive for the day when all Israelis and Palestinians can live in true peace and security, without the fear of violence and terror affecting their daily lives.

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Today, J Street Executive Director Jeremy Ben-Ami released the following statement:

The recent escalation of tension between the United States and Israel – sparked by Israel’s announcement regarding 1600 housing units in East Jerusalem – is a matter of serious concern to J Street and Israel’s friends generally.

Preventing provocative actions which undermine the peace process and decisions which weaken U.S. credibility in the region is also a matter of fundamental American national security interest, particularly as the U.S. government works to build a broad international coalition to address the Iranian nuclear program.

The United States is Israel’s closest ally. Their special relationship is rooted in shared interests and values and enjoys broad bipartisan support in Washington and across the country.

That is all the more reason why the Obama administration’s reaction to the treatment of the Vice President last week and to the timing and substance of the Israeli government’s announcement was both understandable and appropriate.

As Vice President Biden said, “Sometimes only a friend can deliver the hardest truth.” That is what he, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, and White House Senior Advisor David Axelrod have done in recent days – and J Street, along with many friends of Israel, stands solidly behind them.

The important question for us is how the present situation can be turned into an opportunity to tackle a core issue at the heart of the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians – the need to establish a border between Israel and the future Palestinian state.

Fixing borders would eliminate the need to deal further with issues related to settlements on the West Bank or building in East Jerusalem.

We urge the United States to take this opportunity to suggest parameters to the parties for resuming negotiations – basing borders on the 1967 lines with mutually agreed land swaps, with the Palestinian state demilitarized and on territory equivalent to 100% of the area encompassed by the pre-1967 Armistice lines.

Too much time has already been lost in getting the two sides into negotiations. We must not lose further time allowing a single development, as objectionable as it may be, to derail progress towards achieving a two-state solution.

Bold American leadership is needed now to turn this crisis into a real opportunity to end the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, which is a fundamental American national security interest.

The Obama administration will find vast support among American Jews and other friends of Israel for a bold new approach that aims to advance that interest and guarantees Israel a secure, democratic and Jewish future.

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