JStreetPAC is proud to announce that we have raised over $35,000 for Congressman Steve Cohen’s reelection campaign from over 300 JStreetPAC supporters, as he faces a tough reelection fight in his Memphis, TN district.

Congressman Cohen has consistently demonstrated his pro-Israel, pro-peace credentials in Congress. As a lead signatory on a key letter backing President Obama’s balanced approach to resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Cohen consistently advocates for strong American leadership to achieve a two-state solution.

American leadership, from both President Obama and Congress, is sorely needed if we are to finally realize the dream of a safe, secure, Jewish, democratic Israel. We will continue to stand with members of Congress who share JStreetPAC’s commitment to secure Israel’s future through strong American leadership in pursuit of a two-state solution.

J Street launched a new television advertisement in response to recent right-wing attacks on pro-Israel, pro-peace Members of Congress – in particular Congressman Joe Sestak of Pennsylvania. The ad highlights Rep. Sestak’s support for Israel and his commitment to ensuring its long-term peace and security through diplomacy.

In response to distortions of Sestak’s record on Israel in an advertisement by an ad hoc group fronted by Bill Kristol and Gary Bauer among other right-wing activists, J Street’s 30-second ad highlights both Sestak’s military experience – including his collaborative work with the Israel Defense Forces—and his Congressional record to underscore his experience advancing Israeli and American security interests in the region. 

[View the Ad on YouTube]
[Ad Script]
[Read the Press Release]

Have you been itching to send a message to Alan Dershowitz?

Dershowitz is in Chicago to headline a fundraiser for Rep. Jan Schakowsky's Republican opponent, who is making vicious, unfair attacks on her pro-Israel credentials.

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."

Huge news for our movement - Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) just started circulating a sign on letter in the Senate supporting recently launched Israeli-Palestinian proximity talks and the Administration's bold leadership towards a two-state solution.

With Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu coming to Washington on Tuesday to meet President Obama and the Administration approaching a critical decision in the coming months about how strongly they'll pursuepeace, this is EXACTLY the right time for our movement to stand up strong in support of Feinstein's pro-Israel, pro-peace letter.

[Clickhere to urge your Senators to sign.]

[Click here to read the letter.]

Congress is already a key political battleground on Israel and the Middle East. Far too often, the pro-Israel, pro-peace perspective gets drowned out by a well-organized, well-funded, vocal minority. Not this time.

A letter circulating right now for signatories on Capitol Hill, led by Reps. Ron Kind (WI-3), Bill Delahunt (MA-10), David Price (NC-4), and Vic Snyder (AR-2), supports the President in his efforts to achieve a two-state solution because it is in the vital national security interests of both the United States and Israel.

[Email your member of Congress, asking them to sign on to this letter.]
[Call your member of Congress.]
[Read the full text of the letter.]

Last week, a delegation of J Street Education Fund leaders visited Israel, the West Bank and Jordan on a trip aimed at providing a more complex and nuanced understanding of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

The delegation's packed itinerary included meetings in Jerusalem and Ramallah, trips to Sderot, Tel Aviv and Hebron, and a visit to Jordan.

In Israel, the delegation met with President Shimon Peres and Israeli government officials, among them Deputy Defense Minister Matan Vilnai and Netanyahu Senior Advisor Ron Dermer.  The group also met with a range of members of Knesset, including Opposition Leader Tzipi Livni. In Jerusalem, the delegation sat down with civil society leaders, including human rights activists and members of the settlement movement.

In Ramallah, the group met with Prime Minister Salam Fayyad and a number of businessmen and civil society representatives. The delegation also traveled to Jordan, where they held several meetings with His Highness King Abdullah and other high-ranking officials.

A moving article in Haaretz this week by Carlo Strenger, entitled "Israel's leaders have forgotten Herzl's dream," challenged the "silent majority of liberal U.S. Jewry not to be afraid any longer to speak its mind."

Amen. We are not afraid.

And we won't be afraid even when enforcers like Harvard Law Professor Alan Dershowitz try to intimidate our movement by attacking J Street in an article brimming with distortions and name-calling.

Dershowitz's article is a perfect example of what is wrong with the conversation in our community on Israel. Far too often J Street's opponents spend more time manufacturing what they wish J Street has said, rather than checking the facts and actually challenging the merits of our arguments.

Jeremy Ben-Ami, J Street's Executive Director, fired back in The Huffington Post, calling out Dershowitz for his inability to mount any serious fact-based case to challenge J Street's assertions that resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is in the interests of Israel, the Palestinians, and the United States.

For a full wrap-up of the Ben-Ami - Dershowitz debate in The Huffington Post, click here.

Partisan attacks on President Obama over Israel hit a new low last week.

Republican Minority Whip Eric Cantor smeared President Obama for acknowledging the basic fact that the status quo of the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian conflict poses a serious challenge not only to Israel's future as a Jewish, democratic home but for American interests as well.

Two JStreetPAC endorsees - Congresswoman Lois Capps (D-CA) and Congressman Chris Murphy (D-CT) - are fighting back with strong statements today, directly confronting Cantor for turning support for Israel into a partisan political football.

Let's join Capps and Murphy in fighting back by showing the political world that speaking out strongly for a two-state solution means serious financial support for their reelection campaigns from people like us. Click here to donate to these two real leaders in Congress now.

J Street Executive Director Jeremy Ben-Ami wrote the following blog post to mark the second anniversary of J Street's founding:

J Street turned two this week.

As ever, there wasn’t a quiet moment. With fury to our right over President Obama’s more focused attention to resolving the conflict and fury to our left over divestment at Berkeley, J Street’s thesis that a powerful political movement can be built with its feet planted in the progressive mainstream of our community is being put to the test.

We at J Street remain convinced - as we were at our launch two years ago - that a large number of Americans - Jewish and not - are pro-Israel and pro-peace: uncomfortable with either extreme and supportive of a rational but urgent effort to end the occupation and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict through a two-state solution.

Our polling tells us that the largest number of Jewish Americans and other friends of Israel believe that Israel’s future and security depend on achieving a negotiated resolution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict that leads to two states living side by side in peace and security.

Yet, just in the past few weeks, the right wing has gone on the attack against President Obama for staking out a clear position on America’s interest in resolving the conflict and for demanding that both Israel and the Palestinians demonstrate seriousness of purpose in ending the conflict.

Click here to read the rest of this post.