It shouldn’t take a leak to condemn this level of hate. Racism, antisemitism and misogyny have no place in American discourse – public or private, seen or unseen.
It took far too long – and far too many lives – to reach this ceasefire.
Now comes the real test: Keeping it. Extremists are already attacking the deal. The US must hold firm, and we must show there’s broad support for peace.
In The Forward, J Street’s National Director of Communal Relations Sam Berkman writes powerfully that this is a moment for both celebration and resolve – to ensure there are no more massacres, no more hostages and no more bloodshed.
“This story will be in the history books – people who never gave up,” said Braun Kamin, J Street’s regional director and @unxeptable.bsky.social organizer.
“For two years, through despair, fear, and heartbreak, people kept marching, shouting and believing that this day would come.”
“We must ensure that the murders of October 7, the suffering of the hostages, and the killing of thousands of Gazan civilians are the last great tragedies of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.”
– Disarming and sidelining Hamas – Stabilizing and rebuilding Gaza – Establishing safe, peaceful governance in the Strip – Preventing extremists in Israel from reigniting war or pursuing annexation
Over the next few days, we’ll see a complex picture:
Israelis embracing those they thought lost. Families still waiting for remains of loved ones. Palestinians returning to rubble, reckoning with unfathomable loss.
I am thrilled for the families who will be able to hug their loved ones for the first time in more than 2 years, but my heart also goes out to so many others who, in the terrible wake of 10/7, will never see theirs again--including the family of Hersh Goldberg-Polin.
It is extraordinary and heart-rending to see hostages returned to their families in Israel after their two-year ordeal in captivity. It is all so long overdue, and the world prays for sustained peace-building and continued healing in the region.
