Chop Wood, Carry the World 4/16 🌎

Hi, all,

A couple of things:

First, I’d like to ask that we try to go easy on each other in the comments here. This is not a space for people who think that the “other side” is evil. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: there are bad actors on both sides of this thing, and there are a lot of decent people on both sides, too, who are either trying to fix things or simply getting caught in the crossfire. This is a difficult, sensitive, and endlessly complex subject. I won’t tolerate abusive, Islamophobic, or antisemitic language in the comments. I also won’t keep comments up that normalize rape. So please don’t post them.

With that housekeeping out of the way: J Street is having a webinar this week that sounds good—I can’t make it because I’m double booked then, but hopefully some of you can.

The invite says:

With the world urging restraint as the Israeli government vows to respond [to Iran’s recent strike], more disturbing still is the risk that this conflict slides toward all-out war with Iran. It would be a catastrophic situation for the US, the region and far beyond – including Israel, which continues to battle threats from Hizbullah and Hamas at its borders.

To discuss the risk level, the Biden Administration’s calculations, and how the next weeks and months may play out, I’ll be joined by three renowned experts for a J Street Policy Center discussion this Thursday at 2pm Eastern. 

Eran Etzion is a former Israeli diplomat and strategist with over 20 years of experience and served as deputy head of Israel’s National Security Council. He’s been a fierce critic of the short-term thinking driving Netanyahu’s approach to Iran.

Naysan Rafati is an Iran Senior Analyst with the world renowned International Crisis Group, with expertise regarding Iran’s internal politics and regional policies. His insights into Iran’s domestic considerations and its relationships in the region are invaluable.

Barbara Slavin is a Distinguished Fellow with the Stimson Center and lecturer in international affairs at George Washington University. She’ll help us understand the Biden Administration’s calculations and what she describes as the ‘bitter, twisted’ history of US-Iranian engagement.

I hope you can join us for what promises to be a vital and riveting discussion. As always, audience questions are welcome. Register to join us here >>

Finally, please keep calling your reps and the White House. You can say something like:

My name is _______; I’m a constituent from [zip]. I’m calling to demand the U.S. not send more military aid to the Israeli government until it stops starving and indiscriminately killing Gazan civilians. It’s time for a ceasefire and for the hostages to be freed—both Hamas’s leadership and Netayahu must be pushed to agree to this. More bombs will accomplish nothing. If the U.S. does insist on sending funding or weaponry to the Israeli government it must come with stringent, non-negotiable, and enforceable conditions. Blank checks are not an option. Thanks.

(You can also send this by texting SIGN PVWGIX to 50409)

I know some of you want me to be much harder on the Israeli government, and others feel I’m being much too hard on them. Again, you can feel free to disagree with me, but this is my take on things. Feel free to skip the call. (Also, the unsubscribe button is at the bottom of every newsletter.) 😃

Sending love, all. I know there’s a lot of tension everywhere, so please take care of yourselves.

Thanks!

Jess