Ilan Goldenberg

Israel Has the Power to End the War in Gaza and It Must Dispelling three myths that stand in the way of ending the war

Dispelling key myths about the war. Bottom line: There is much more Israel can do to get the hostages out and get aid into Gaza. My latest.

open.substack.com/pub/ilangold...

WATCH: American Hostage Family Member Jonathan Dekel-Chen What Jewish and pro-Israel Americans must do to support hostage families and Israelis

Jonathan Dekel-Chen – father of released hostage Sagui Dekel-Chen – joined @jeremybenami.bsky.social and @ilangoldenberg.bsky.social to talk about his efforts to bring his son home and the fight that’s not over yet.

🔴 Watch and share:

Two young Palestinians – including a Palestinian-American – were just killed in an attack by violent settlers.

Tell your member of Congress to support the West Bank Violence Prevent Act by signing and sharing this @jstreetdotorg petition: act.jstreet.org/sign/congres...

How Netanyahu Prolonged the War in Gaza to Stay in Power

🗞️ J Street Chief Policy Officer and Former White House Adviser @ilangoldenberg.bsky.social in today's blockbuster @nytimes.com investigation into Netanyahu's role in prolonging the war: “He was not interested in having a serious day-after conversation.” 1/2

Is this visit a key milestone on the way to wrapping up the war? Or just another play by Netanyahu to kick the can down the road?

J Street Chief Policy Officer @ilangoldenberg.bsky.social on what to watch for next: ilangoldenberg.substack.com/p/bibi-and-d...

Bibi and Donald Eat Dinner at the White House Are we on the verge of a major breakthrough or just more of the same? What to watch for next.

Is Bibi’s visit to Washington the beginning of a breakthrough or just more of the same? I chart the party ahead. open.substack.com/pub/ilangold...

Have you ever heard Trump invoke any literary reference? No, because he doesn’t read or consume art in any meaningful way.

I imagine “Shylock” slipped off the tongue so easily because he’s been around people who’ve said it so casually for so long. Maybe even dad?

And that, friends, is our problem.

Donald Trump just referred to bankers using a centuries-old antisemitic slur & trope.

No wonder 52% of American Jewish voters believe he's antisemitic.

Shylock is among the most quintessential antisemitic stereotypes. This is not an accident. It follows years in which Trump has normalized antisemitic tropes and conspiracy theories — and it’s deeply dangerous.

“What are liberal American Jews to do in this situation where the US government, Israeli government, some progressive allies and some mainstream Jewish organizations are coming up short? There are many good options.”

From @ilangoldenberg.bsky.social:
open.substack.com/pub/ilangold...

10. The reason it’s still going is to keep Bibi’s coalition together. Enough is enough. The war needs to end. And if Trump really wants this ceasefire he needs to push Netanyahu to agree to an end to the war.

9. The IDF and other Israeli security experts are saying at this point the war serves no strategic purpose.

8. There is a better way. 70% of the Israeli public supports a deal for all the hostages and an END TO THE WAR.

7. And when Hamas does reject it, Bibi will just use that rejection to get a green light from Trump to continue perpetuating the conflict.

6. I hope Hamas accepts the deal, but after the experience in January, I doubt they will unless there is a hard commitment to end the war.

5. The problem with this framework is that this is what Hamas agreed to in January. And then Bibi never was willing to seriously negotiate about the end of the war so the ceasefire broke down.

4. Instead it includes a step by step process where at the start Israeli hostages come out, aid goes in, Palestinian prisoners are released. And then Israel and Hamas begin negotiating on a full end to the war.

3. But the offer as described in the press still at its core does not address Hamas’s biggest ask - a clear commitment to end the war.

2. It appears Trump very much wants a deal to end the war, and is putting some heat on Bibi.

Israel said hoping to clinch comprehensive truce, hostage deal before Netanyahu’s US visit next week * * *

1. There has been a lot of reporting about a possible Gaza ceasefire before Bibi’s visit to DC, which would of course be fantastic. Unfortunately I’m skeptical. Let me explain. www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog_ent...

Why Being a Liberal Jew Feels So Lonely and Exhausting Right Now And what do we do about it

I wrote about the failures that liberal Jews are facing rigjt now from multiple institutions. open.substack.com/pub/ilangold...

For over a decade, a driving focus of J Street’s mission has been preventing Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon.

We have some thoughts on where to go from here – now we’ve seen where diplomacy gets us, and where military strikes get us 🧵

IDF soldiers ordered to shoot deliberately at unarmed Gazans waiting for humanitarian aid ***

This is a deeply troubling report, and a painful read for all who care about Israel’s moral standing and Jewish values. These incidents demand thorough and transparent IDF as well as independent investigations into potential war crimes.

There's an absurd and deeply troubling amount of Islamophobia being leveled against Zohran Mamdani.

While we disagree with his positions on Israel, threatening denaturalization and deportation is beyond the pale.

This behavior is shameful, undignified, and dangerous.

VIRTUAL EVENT: FRIDAY, JUNE 20 📅 PWH is hosting a virtual event on the state of the Israel and Iran's conflict in its second week. The panel will discuss the impact of the strikes, how the region has responded, the U.S.'s response, and more. Register: www.eventbrite.com/e/israel-and...

Is the U.S. about to be dragged into a war in the Middle East? Wendy Sherman on the Israel-Iran conflict "No one should underestimate how difficult and, in my view, how profound this decision will be by President Trump"

Is the U.S. about to be dragged into a war in the Middle East? Wendy Sherman on the Israel-Iran conflict - the single most terrifying and important explanation of what it means to go to war vs. Iran. open.substack.com/pub/contrari...

J Street Chief Policy Officer Ilan Goldenberg (@ilangoldenberg.bsky.social) is live now with Jennifer Rubin and Ben Wikler on Substack to talk all things Iran, Israel and the US. Tune in here 👇

Please join us for Friday’s event with @arashtehran.bsky.social @ilangoldenberg.bsky.social @hbanai.bsky.social and yours truly - link below

The decision to go to war with a country of 90 million people cannot be a unilateral decision. The stakes are too high for congressional and executive brashness.

🎥 @ilangoldenberg.bsky.social

J Street Chief Policy Officer @ilangoldenberg.bsky.social spent years at the Pentagon preparing for – and doing everything possible to avoid – an escalation between Iran and Israel like we're seeing today. Below, what Ilan is watching in the region: open.substack.com/pub/ilangold...