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Progressive Jewish leaders tell Biden to take ‘decisive action’ against Netanyahu

The letter was organized by Americans for Peace Now.

Judicial Reform Protests
Supporters of judicial reform demonstrate in Tel Aviv on July 23, 2023. Photo by Batya Sharabi/TPS.

Alex Soros, son of George Soros. The actor Mandy Patinkin. Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers Union. Rabbi Jill Jacobs, who runs T’ruah: The Rabbinic Call for Human Rights.

These and other progressive Jews are among those who signed a letter, under the aegis of Americans for Peace Now, urging U.S. President Joe Biden to “go beyond words and to take decisive action to demonstrate the seriousness of the situation.”

By the situation, the signatories mean judicial reform in Israel, in response to which they think “further actions are necessary to safeguard the democratic values the U.S.-Israel relationship is founded upon.”

“Going beyond words will make clear to Netanyahu’s government that its actions come with a price,” the signatories wrote.

Among their recommendations are appointing a new U.S. ambassador to Israel “immediately"; opening a “separate” U.S. consulate in Jerusalem to serve Palestinians; differentiating between Israel and “settlements"; and refraining from “automatically” defending Israel at the United Nations.

“We will work with you to guarantee the American people full transparency about how their tax dollars are being funneled to—and spent by—this organization,” Reps. Gregory Meeks and Jamie Raskin wrote to Washington’s top diplomat.
The armed officers allegedly entered an area under Israeli security responsibility, seized the soldier’s weapon and drove him into Area A near Ramallah.
“I’m an immigrant from the former Soviet Union, so antisemitism is why I’m here in the first place,” the mother told JNS. “To see it out in full effect in the daylight is awful.”
“We were extremely proud to see this work come to fruition,” Shay Salamon, executive director of Latin American affairs at Combat Antisemitism Movement, told JNS.