J Street announced today that it has formally endorsed Vice President Joe Biden to serve as the next president of the United States.

“At a time when the threats to our core values both at home and abroad have never been more serious, all of us in the pro-Israel, pro-peace community know that the path to a better future begins with defeating Donald Trump at the polls,” said J Street’s president, Jeremy Ben-Ami. “To help achieve that pivotal goal, we’re thrilled to endorse Vice President Biden — a long-time friend of J Street who truly understands the need for a bold new era of American foreign policy rooted in principled, proactive diplomacy.”

Biden welcomed the endorsement, saying ““I’m honored to have earned J Street’s first-ever presidential endorsement,” Biden said in a statement sent to The Daily Beast. “J Street has been a powerful voice to advance social justice here at home, and to advocate for a two-state solution that advances Middle East Peace.”

This is the first time in its history in which J Street has formally endorsed a candidate for president. In January of 2020, JStreetPAC, the largest pro-Israel PAC in the country, announced it would begin raising funds for the eventual Democratic nominee. To date, the group has committed $240,000 to the campaign through pledges from its leaders and contributions to a nominee fund, which will now be transferred to the Biden campaign. It intends to raise over $1 million for the campaign by Election Day. JStreetPAC also intends to raise over $5 million for more than 175 congressional endorsees — who make up over half of the House and Senate Democratic Caucuses — in the 2020 cycle.

Biden has long championed many of J Street’s most important priorities, including a just and peaceful resolution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. He helped spearhead overwhelming support for Israel’s security alongside clear opposition to settlement expansion, creeping annexation and other measures that undermined the prospects for Israeli-Palestinian peace. The vice president also promoted strong diplomacy to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon without launching a disastrous new war of choice in the Middle East. He played an important role in the Obama administration’s negotiation of the JCPOA nuclear agreement and in securing its passage through congressional review.

Vice President Biden gave a keynote address at J Street’s National Conference in 2013 and at the J Street National Gala in 2016, during the latter of which he thanked the organization for its role in supporting the Iran nuclear agreement. “Your organization played a critical role in mustering the support at home to get that deal through the United States Congress. You all stood up and your voices were heard throughout the community and beyond….Thank you, thank you for your effort.” During the presidential primary campaign, Biden also sent a video message to J Street’s 2019 National Conference.