Letter of support from prominent Israelis
- Yossi Alpher
bitterlemons; former Senior Member of Mossad; former Director of the Jaffe Center for Strategic Studies - Col (Ret) Shaul Arieli
Council on Peace and Security; former Commander Gaza Brigade; former head of the 'Peace Negotiations Administration' under PM Ehud Barak - Uzi Baram
Former Minister of Internal Affairs and Tourism; former Secretary General of the Labor Party - Shlomo Ben Ami
Former Foreign Minister and Public Security Minister - Daniel Ben Simon
Journalist and commentator for Ha'aretz Newspaper - Brig Gen (Ret) Shlomo Brom
Former deputy head of IDF Strategic Planning and Deputy National Security Advisor - Avrum Burg
Former Speaker of the Knesset and Chairman of the Jewish Agency - Professor Naomi Chazan
Former Deputy Speaker of Knesset; founder, Israel Women's Network - Professor Galia Golan
Interdisciplinary Center, Herzlia - Tamar Hermann
Dean of Academic Studies, The Open University of Israel; Senior Fellow, Israel Democracy Institute
- Anat Hoffman
Executive Director of Israel Religious Action Center - Dave Kimche
Former Director General of the Foreign Ministry - Maj Gen (Ret) Amos Lapidot
Former Commander of Israel Air Force; former President of the Technion University, Haifa - Alon Liel
Former Director General of the Foreign Ministry - Maj Gen (Ret) Amnon Lipkin-Shahak
Former Chief of the General Staff of the IDF; former Minister of Transport & Tourism. - Maj Gen (Ret) Amram Mitzna
Former Chairman of the Israel Labor Party and Knesset Member; former Commander of the IDF Central Command and Planning Branch; former Mayor of Haifa - Nimrod Novik
Former senior advisor to the Prime Minister; businessman; Chairman of the Economic Cooperation Foundation - Brig Gen (Ret) Israela Oron
Former deputy National Security Council's adviser; former Chief of the Women's Corp - Brig Gen (Ret) Ilan Paz
Former Head of the Civil Administration in the West Bank - Avi Primor
Former Israeli Ambassador to the EU and Germany; Director of European Studies at the IDC in Herzeliya - Ron Pundak
Director General of the Peres Center for Peace - Dalia Rabin
Chair of the Rabin Center; former Member of Knesset and Deputy Minister of Defense - Rabbi Andrew Sacks
Director General of the Rabbinical Assembly in Israel - Talia Sasson
Former Special Adviser to Prime Minister Sharon; authored the Sasson report on illegal settlements - Uri Savir
President of the Glocal Forum; former Member of Knesset and Director General of the Foreign Ministry - Professor Alice Shalvi
Recipient of the Israel Prize for Lifetime Achievement; former Rector of Jewish Studies Seminary, Jerusalem, founding chair of the Israel Women’s Network - Rabbi Levi Weiman-Kelman
Kehilat Kol HaNeshama, Jerusalem - Joanne Yaron Chair, Democrats Abroad-Israel
To the supporters of J Street,
As Israelis dedicated to our country, its future, security and progress, we are pleased to learn of the creation of J Street, a new American movement to support strong U.S. leadership in achieving immediate, peaceful resolution of Israel 's conflicts with its neighbors.
Ending the Israeli-Palestinian and the broader Israeli-Arab conflict quickly and diplomatically is an essential national and security interest of the State of Israel – as well as of the United States, the Palestinians and the region as a whole. Only a negotiated, political resolution to these conflicts will ensure Israel's lasting security and viability as a democratic, prosperous home for the Jewish people.
Now more than ever, true friendship requires strong American leadership and engagement to move the sides toward a comprehensive two-state solution. With time running out, business-as-usual will not do.
To achieve these goals, all parties – including the United States – will be called on to demonstrate political will and courage. The emergence of a movement in the United States which understands and is willing to provide political support for difficult compromises is essential to fostering that political will. In our opinion, such a movement is in Israel's best interests.
We deeply value the historic role of the United States as a staunch ally and irreplaceable friend of Israel's. We also value the role the American Jewish community and other American friends have played in strengthening and deepening that bond.
Being a friend and ally – being "pro-Israel" – means caring enough to get involved, express views and concerns, and provide advice. It does not require rigid agreement with every decision ever made or every policy pursued by the government of Israel or of the United States. Debate and discussion are essential to democracy and should be part of the relationship between Israel and Jewish people elsewhere in the world.
The ideas that J Street is promoting (a viable two-state solution, regional peace based on withdrawal to recognized borders with strict security arrangements, and normal relations between Israel and the broader Arab world along the lines of the Arab-Saudi Peace Initiative) have become consensus positions among Israelis. Yet, within that consensus, there is always vigorous and open discussion in Israel over how best to promote our security and interests. Our country is stronger for the robustness of this debate.
There is every reason to believe that a similarly open discussion in the United States will also be in Israel's best interests. We see in the creation of J Street, an expression of support for and commitment to the State of Israel and to a strong and enduring U.S.- Israel relationship. Hopefully, your efforts will help us achieve our country's greatest hope: peace with our neighbors and permanent, recognized and secure borders through a diplomatic end to the conflicts that have plagued our people and inflamed the region for far too long.
