Press Releases and Statements

AJC Statement on the Death of Hamas Head Yahya Sinwar

American Jewish Committee (AJC) strongly believes that it is harmful for disagreements between the United States and Israel, two close allies, to be discussed in the public eye, and is engaging with high-level officials in both governments regarding the humanitarian aid situation in the Gaza Strip. It is clear that Israel is facilitating humanitarian aid into Gaza. Ensuring that aid continues to reach Palestinian civilians is critical.

AJC Statement on UNIFIL and Current Situation in Lebanon

American Jewish Committee today expressed outrage at the irresponsible and profoundly biased report published by an independent UN panel that uncritically endorses defamatory claims that Israel’s military campaign in Gaza aims to deliberately harm the Palestinian people and largely ignores Hamas’ policy of recklessly and intentionally endangering civilians.

American Jewish Committee (AJC) CEO Ted Deutch issued the following statement in response to today’s Iranian missile barrage against Israel:

American Jewish Committee CEO Ted Deutch today met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, alongside other organizations representing the American Jewish community, following the Prime Minister’s speech to the UN General Assembly.

AJC is under no illusions that a definitive resolution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict will be simple - or is close at hand. However, with pragmatism and visionary leadership, AJC continues to imagine, and strive for, a more hopeful future in which Israelis’ security requirements and Palestinians’ political aspirations can be fulfilled.

In his first address to the United Nations as Iran's President, President Pezeshkian sought to portray himself – and the regime he represents – as a thoughtful partner on the world stage. It is important to remember that his is a regime that is single-handedly responsible for undermining regional stability in the Middle East and around the world, pouring funding and weapons into terror groups that are committed to death and destruction, including Hamas in Gaza, Hezbollah in Lebanon, and the Houthis in Yemen, all while building nuclear weapons in violation of international law and the JCPOA.

President Biden has long been a stalwart defender of Israel and his stirring address to the UN General Assembly sent an unequivocal message to the world that his support and that of the United States for Israel remains ironclad.

Like all Americans, some Jews will vote for President Trump and some will vote for Vice President Harris. None of us, by supporting the candidate we choose, is “voting for the enemy.” Divisive rhetoric like this has no place in politics, especially at a time of rising threats of political violence and two assassination attempts on the former president.

As the world commemorates the fourth anniversary of the Abraham Accords, American Jewish Committee (AJC) honors the sentiments of that day and remains committed to the pursuit of a more peaceful Middle East.

AJC CEO Ted Deutch’s Statement and Call to Action After Hamas’ Murder of Six Hostages

As Iran and its proxies threaten an imminent attack against Israel, American Jewish Committee (AJC) this week urged the U.S. administration, America's G7 allies, and key strategic partners to take a firm and unified stance to counter the Islamic Republic of Iran’s conventional, terror, and nuclear threats. This ask follows escalating actions not only from Tehran but also the regime’s many proxies throughout the Middle East, including Hamas in Gaza, Hezbollah in Lebanon, the Houthis in Yemen, and Shiite militias in Iraq and Syria.

American Jewish Committee (AJC) and the Jewish Federations of North America (JFNA) today issued an open letter to media organizations, calling on them to “do better and report on all developments with clarity and accuracy” following inadequate coverage of the July 27 Hezbollah rocket attack on a Druze village in northern Israel that murdered 12 kids and teens.

American Jewish Committee (AJC) strongly criticized the non-binding advisory opinion released today by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) regarding the legal consequences of Israel’s policies and practices in the West Bank, East Jerusalem, and the Gaza Strip. The opinion was issued at the request of the UN General Assembly. The ICJ advisory opinion is not only factually and legally problematic; it jeopardizes the prospects for peace and could remove the basis for the existence of the Palestinian Authority.

Yesterday’s passing of a symbolic resolution opposing Palestinian statehood in the Israeli Knesset – with more than a third of the body absent – reflects the Israeli people’s understandable fear and deep skepticism of a Palestinian state in the aftermath of October 7, the deadliest attack on the Jewish people since the Holocaust in which more than 1,200 people were murdered and over 250 taken hostage, 120 of whom remain in Hamas captivity. Israelis are rightly concerned that Hamas or another terrorist movement could at some point take over the Palestinian Authority, and that the realities of October 7 could repeat. The resolution should not be misinterpreted as the Israeli people’s rejection of peace with their Palestinian neighbors. It must be understood in the context of this moment.

American Jewish Committee (AJC) is deeply concerned by The Lancet's publication of a letter, "Counting the Dead in Gaza: difficult but essential," which makes the unsubstantiated and outrageous claim, “in the coming months and years…it is not implausible to estimate that up to 186,000 or even more deaths could be attributable to the current conflict in Gaza.”

In response to a June 23 vote at the Washington State Democratic Party convention to approve resolutions calling for an Israeli ceasefire in the war against Hamas and for the U.S. to end aid to Israel, American Jewish Committee Seattle Director Regina Sassoon Friedland issued this statement: "The Washington State Democratic Party must remember that resolutions like those passed can serve as a dog whistle to those who demonize Jews in Washington and around the world."

American Jewish Committee (AJC), the global advocacy organization for the Jewish people, today categorically rejected an appalling report by an independent UN panel that baselessly asserts Israel’s defensive military campaign in Gaza against the perpetrators of the October 7 terror attacks violates international law and turns a blind eye to Hamas’ continued flouting of that law and disregard for civilian lives.

After more than 30 years of active engagement in the Arab world, American Jewish Committee (AJC) today announced the establishment of AJC’s Center for a New Middle East, an initiative that will bolster the organization’s decades of work to build trust, understanding, and interconnectedness throughout the Middle East.