J Street Statement on Gaza Conflict

[KamaAina]

For those of you playing along at home, J Street is basically the opposite of AIPAC.

http://jstreet.org/blog/post/j-street-statement-on-gaza-conflict_1

For more than three weeks now, fierce violence has raged between Israel and Hamas, taking an enormous toll in human life and suffering. J Street is deeply shocked and saddened by the losses suffered in this round of violence, from dozens of Israeli soldiers and civilians to the more than a thousand Gaza residents dead, and thousands more wounded.

Our hearts go out to the families of all those who have died or been injured, in particular the children whose lives have been cut short by this deadly conflict. The devastation and homelessness in Gaza must be addressed immediately or the suffering there will only continue to lay the seeds for further and deeper violence....

Every effort should be made to establish arrangements that minimize the chances that another round of violence erupts again in two years. A real solution for Gaza must (a) address Israel's legitimate security concerns from both rockets and tunnels, (b) establish a structure that brings the West Bank and Gaza together politically and allows Palestinian differences to be settled politically, and (c) address the serious humanitarian issues that face the civilian population in Gaza including greater freedom of movement for people and goods for non-military purposes. J Street supports those suggesting that cease-fire negotiations be used to advance prospects for a Palestinian unity government committed to early elections and demilitarization in Gaza. Allowing the previously-signed reconciliation agreement between Palestinian factions to move forward as part of the cease-fire deal might pave the way for a Palestinian government with a broad mandate and committed to a long-term cease-fire.

The ongoing conflict between Israelis and Palestinians and the violence it spawns cannot be addressed without looking at the deeper issues that are at stake. This conflict didn’t start when the latest rockets began flying three weeks ago or with the terrible kidnapping and murder of three teenagers or Israel’s response to that incident. The roots of this conflict remain the tragic fight between two peoples over one land and the unresolved status of territory won by Israel in the 1967 war that has been occupied since and on which the Palestinian people will one day build their state. Failure to address and resolve these underlying issues through a two-state solution condemns both peoples to a never-ending spiral of violence that will only deepen as technology improves and hatred festers.

[elleng]

1. 'roots of this conflict remain the tragic fight between two peoples over one land and unresolved

status of territory won by Israel in the 1967 war that has been occupied since and on which the Palestinian people will one day build their state.'

[regnaD kciN]

2. Not quite accurate...

J Street is basically the opposite of AIPAC.

JStreet is one of several Jewish organizations (Jewish Voice for Peace is another) which advocate an end to the occupation and the establishment of a two-state solution.

If there was an "opposite of AIPAC," it would be a lobbying group that spent enormous resources and exerted tremendous pressure to make sure that the U.S. government always followed a policy of lavishly funding the Palestinians and supporting the Palestinian side on everything, while squelching opposition by insisting that deviating from a pro-Palestinian policy in even the slightest regard rendered the one doing so totally evil and worthy of being shunned by all civilized people.

Such a group, needless to say, has never existed.

[Duppers]

3. Thank you! Well done!

You beat me to a correction.


- long-term proud member of J Street here.