Top pro-Israeli advocate calls 'Israel’s' Gaza conduct ‘indefensible’
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J Street President Jeremy Ben-Ami says he can no longer defend "Israel’s" actions in Gaza, citing evidence of atrocities and predicting international prosecutions.
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A Palestinian mother mourns over the body of her young son, Mohammed al-Matouq, who was killed while trying to reach aid trucks entering the northern Gaza Strip through the Zikim crossing, at Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City, Monday, Aug. 4, 2025 (AP)
In a striking and deeply personal admission, Jeremy Ben-Ami, president of J Street, a major US-based pro-"Israel" advocacy group, stated that “Israel” has likely violated the International Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide through its ongoing war on Gaza.
The statement marks a significant departure from J Street’s previous positions, reflecting a growing internal reckoning even within pro-"Israel" circles amid mounting global outrage over the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza.
In a blog post, Ben-Ami wrote, “I have … been persuaded rationally by legal and scholarly arguments that international courts will one day find that Israel has broken the international genocide convention.”
The statement, unprecedented from the head of a leading Zionist-aligned organization, comes amid rising evidence of atrocities, including the mass killing of Palestinians, the destruction of Gaza’s infrastructure, and the weaponization of starvation.
Ben-Ami acknowledged the emotional weight of the realization, particularly for Jewish communities.
“How can it be that Israel, the state founded by a people who experienced genocide, could itself be committing this most heinous of crimes?” he asked.
He described the internal struggle many Jewish Americans face in confronting these realities, admitting that “even raising the question of genocide” is considered by many to be deeply offensive. “It is often met with outrage,” he said.
'I won’t defend the indefensible'
Ben-Ami, who has long advocated for a "two-state" solution while defending what he considered "Israel’s democratic foundations," said the turning point came as he could no longer ignore or excuse the evidence.
He cited multiple actions by the Israeli occupation forces that, in his view, are "indefensible" both legally and morally. These include the deliberate withholding of food and essential supplies from Palestinians, the targeting and shooting of starved Palestinians attempting to access humanitarian aid, the systematic destruction of Gaza’s vital infrastructure, and the forced displacement of Palestinians into increasingly confined and perilous areas, an act he described as “mass displacement".
“Until now, I have tried to deflect and defend when challenged to call this genocide,” Ben-Ami wrote. “I simply won’t defend the indefensible.”
Ben-Ami predicted that Netanyahu and members of his war cabinet will eventually face prosecution in international courts. He emphasized that legal decisions will be grounded in international law, not in ideology or emotion, but warned that some in the Jewish community may still perceive such rulings as politically motivated or antisemitic.
“This government and these leaders will be remembered with revulsion for the horrors they’ve overseen,” he concluded.
Fractured consensus
Ben-Ami’s statement represents a seismic shift in American pro-"Israel" discourse. For years, J Street positioned itself as a “moderate” counterweight to more hardline pro-"Israel" organizations like AIPAC, defending "Israel’s right to exist” while expressing criticism of its occupation policies.
Now, even that position appears to be collapsing under the weight of overwhelming evidence and growing legal scrutiny. His admission underscores a broader rupture within Jewish-American political life, as more voices, both religious and secular, begin to reckon with “Israel’s” actions not just as policy missteps, but as potential crimes against humanity.
Read next: Pro-'Israel' Democrats breaking with Netanyahu amid Gaza war
