End the War, Free the Hostages, Surge Aid

Today, hundreds of thousands of Israelis are walking off the job to protest the Netanyahu government’s failure to end the Gaza war and bring the hostages home.

I stand with my friends, colleagues, and family who are part of a mass mobilization in Israel today in support of ending the war. To show my support, I’m posting the following image on my social media accounts:

If you’d like to join me and thousands of J Street allies in this call for action, visit this webpage where you can download the image and post our message – End the War, Free the Hostages, Surge Aid – and download the image for your own use.

I’m not striking today, but I will keep today’s post to a few short reflections on topics I’ve recently discussed here on Word on the Street and other J Street platforms.

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Genocide

A few weeks ago, I wrote about the use of the word “genocide.” It’s become the most-read Word on the Street post of the past year – a sign of how deeply this debate resonates.

I’m still grappling with the issue, as I know many of you are. I highly recommend Ezra Klein’s conversation with international law expert Philippe Sands on The Ezra Klein Show. It’s the best, clearest hour I’ve heard on the subject.

The episode offers a crash course in the history of international law and the extraordinary contributions of two Jewish refugees – both giants in the field – whose roots trace back to the same city in Eastern Europe. Sands draws a thoughtful distinction between the political and cultural debate over the term, and the complex legal questions it raises.

I’d love to hear your reactions in the comments.

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Whistleblower on the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation

On a recent J Street webinar, I spoke with Lt. Col. (ret.) Anthony Aguilar, who worked in May and June for a security contractor with the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) – an Israeli government creation intended to replace the long-standing international humanitarian network in Gaza.

The GHF has been a disaster, contributing to the ongoing catastrophe, including scores of deaths and injuries at the aid distribution sites it operates.

Watch this short clip in which Aguilar lays out the scope of the failure:

The full interview is on J Street’s YouTube channel.

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Brought to You by AIPAC

Last week, I wrote about the stark difference between what officials see on trips sponsored by J Street versus those run by AIPAC and other non-critical pro-Israel groups.

Given what we know about the devastation in Gaza – tens of thousands of civilians killed, multiples of that number wounded, most infrastructure destroyed, and a population starving – and the role of the Israeli government in creating this disaster, I think this video from a Congressional leader on AIPAC’s most recent trip speaks for itself.

Again, I’ll be interested to hear your thoughts and reactions in the comments.