Israelis Prefer Trump Over Harris. In the Face of Uncertainty, Netanyahu Is Hedging His Bets., The Jewish News of Northern California
“There were statements back in the spring already about how the war would take at least until January,” said Ben-Ami, whose group has endorsed Harris for president. “What a surprising date to pick, you know, months and months and months ahead. Is it going to be the case that Netanyahu waits for Tuesday, sees a decision here to his liking, and then announces Wednesday, ‘Thanks to the newly elected administration, we’re going to have a ceasefire’?”

As Spending by Jewish PACs Soar, Two Billionaires Give GOP Group Major Fundraising Advantage, The Forward
Two other Jewish groups that donate to Democrats, J Street and Democratic Majority for Israel, have raised more than $20 million combined this cycle, while AIPAC — which supports Congressional candidates from both parties, has raised more than $80 million, with most of its spending going to defeat progressive Democrats in primary contests.

U.S. Ramps Up Pressure on Israel To Address Gaza Crisis Ahead of Deadline, Axios
If Israel fails to fully implement the U.S. demands by Nov. 13, the U.S. could suspend its military assistance to Israel — a step the Biden administration has avoided so far but is gaining more support inside the State Department, according to a U.S. official.

Iran Preparing Major Retaliatory Strike From Iraq Within Days, Israeli Intel Suggests, Axios
Israeli intelligence suggests Iran is preparing to attack Israel from Iraqi territory in the coming days, possibly before the U.S. presidential election, two Israeli sources tell Axios.

Israel Has Damaged or Destroyed Nearly a Quarter of Buildings in Lebanon’s South, The Washington Post
Across the borderlands, at least 5,868 buildings have been damaged or destroyed, including nearly half of structures in the two hardest-hit areas, Ayta al-Shab and Kfar Kila. The vast majority of the damage — almost 80 percent — has occurred since Oct. 2, the day after Israel launched its ground invasion.

First Gaza, Now Lebanon: How Support for Israel’s War Is Influencing Michigan Voting, NPR
Despite Alawieh’s pain over the deaths of his own family members in Lebanon and his displaced loved ones, he is still choosing Harris. “I’m looking at Trump’s plans, and I know it could get worse,” he said. “Trump is actively accepting contributions from people who want the full annexation of the West Bank. Trump, very importantly, has very specific plans for how he will criminalize our anti-war organizing here in this country. And that is a clear difference from Vice President Harris.”

Biblical Blueprint: West Bank Annexation Under a Second Trump Administration – Review of David Friedman’s One Jewish State, J Street
J Street Policy Associate Avraham Spraragen writes, “David Friedman is out with a new book, One Jewish State, which outlines his plan for dealing a final blow to the two-state solution. In his ‘Author’s Note,’ Friedman makes clear that this 281-page screed is intended as a ‘handbook’ in the event that Trump is reelected in November.”

Iranian Officials Threaten Retaliation for Israeli Strikes, The New York Times
General Fadavi’s remarks, made to Lebanon’s Al Mayadeen television station, were the first statement from an Iranian official indicating that Iran intended to retaliate to Israel’s Oct. 26 strikes on its soil.

United States Government’s Response to Israel’s Cabinet Decision on Extending the Indemnification for Correspondent Banking between Israel and the West Bank, U.S. Department of State
To date, the U.S. Government’s sustained engagement with both the public and private sector in Israel and the West Bank gives us confidence that Palestinian banks are adequately managing terrorist financing risks. The U.S. Government calls for the Government of Israel to swiftly extend the indemnification for these essential banking relationships for at least one year. We also call for future renewals to be transparent, predictable, and de-politicized.

Israeli Strikes Kill 47 Palestinians in Central Gaza, Palestinian News Agency Says, Reuters
Forty seven Palestinians were killed and dozens injured, most of them children and women, in overnight Israeli bombardment of the the central Gaza Strip, the Palestinian news agency WAFA reported on Friday.

Rocket Fire From Lebanon Kills 7 in Israel as US Officials Try To Push for Cease-Fires, AP
Rocket barrages from Lebanon into northern Israel killed four foreign workers and three Israelis on Thursday, Israeli medics said, the deadliest cross-border strikes in Israel since it invaded Lebanon. Israel kept up airstrikes it says targeted Hezbollah militants across Lebanon, where health authorities on Thursday reported 24 people killed.

Destructive Israeli Raid in West Bank Kills 5, Palestinians Say, The New York Times
Wafa, the official news agency of the Palestinian Authority, which administers parts of the West Bank under Israeli occupation, said Israeli forces had killed at least five people in the area. It said more than two dozen others had been detained in raids elsewhere in the West Bank, including in the cities of Ramallah, Nablus and Qalqilya.

Israel Strikes Lebanon’s Ancient City of Baalbek, as Tens of Thousands of People Flee, NPR
As Israel intensified attacks in the eastern Lebanese city of Baalbek this week, residents with nowhere else to go fled to the ancient Roman temples, hoping the archaeological site’s internationally protected status might save them. The governor of Baalbek-Hermel province, Bachir Khodr, told them even that was no longer safe.

Weapons Rationing Leading to More Deaths of Israeli Soldiers by Explosive Devices in Gaza, Haaretz
The Israeli army has seen an increase over the past month in the number of attacks in which soldiers in the Gaza Strip are killed by explosive devices rather than by anti-tank missiles and firefights with Hamas operatives. Commanders and combat troops serving in the Strip believe that this increase is connected with the Israel Defense Forces’ tightening supplies of armaments, which it therefore is using more sparingly.

‘I Couldn’t Cry Over My Children Like Everyone Else’: The Tragedy of Palestinian Journalist Wael Al-Dahdouh, The Guardian
Nesrine Malik speaks with Al Jazeera journalist Wael al-Dahdouh who became famous after his decision to keep reporting after his wife and two children were killed in Gaza, “A few hours later, after several attempts by his editors to dissuade him, Dahdouh was back on the air. On screen, he received condolences from the anchor in the Doha studios and then he began to speak, clearly and calmly, about his role as a journalist. It was a ‘duty’, he said, ‘in such historic and exceptional circumstances to continue our coverage with professionalism and transparency, despite everything’. Then he launched into a report on the latest developments in Gaza.”

Israel Brings Its Gaza Strategy to Lebanon, Foreign Affairs
Mohanad Hage Ali reports, “Israel’s tactical accomplishments in Lebanon have been widely acknowledged. Yet many observers have been puzzled by the absence of any practical Israeli plan for ending the conflict, particularly one that might lead to a lasting political settlement. The apparent disjunction between means and ends is especially notable given the steep toll that Israel’s recent military successes have exacted on Lebanon’s Shiite communities. Much as Israel’s efforts to eliminate Hamas have been ruinous for Palestinian civilians in Gaza, Israel appears to be conducting its operations in Lebanon with little concern for the harm to civilian populations or infrastructure.”

‘The Police Had Their Eye on Me’: How Law-Abiding Israelis Calling for the Hostages’ Release End Up in Jail, Haaretz
Rachel Fink writes, “Over 800 people have been detained at protests calling for the release of the hostages since the October 7 attack, with some spending hours or days in detention. Five of the arrestees detail their treatment at the hands of the police, and whether it has deterred them from attending further demonstrations.”

A Journey Toward Understanding – Reflecting on Our J Street Clergy Trips, J Street
J Street Deputy Director of Jewish Communal Engagement Emily Kaiman writes, “This past year, I had the privilege of organizing two J Street Clergy Trips to Israel and the West Bank, in partnership with T’ruah. Over two trips in May and July, nearly 45 clergy from across the U.S. joined our version of a Solidarity Mission; together we stood in unity with Israelis and Palestinians who have been deeply traumatized by a conflict which has lasted over 75 years, but which boiled over in horrific ways starting with Hamas attack of October 7, 2023.”

I’m a Pennsylvania Jewish Voter. My Tiny Demographic Group Could Decide the Election, The Forward
Dan Perry shares, “There are two ironies here. The first is that the very electoral system that sidelines most Jewish votes — concentrated as they are in reliably blue or red states — may now hinge on a swing state where they could be the deciding factor. The second is more brutal: A minor Jewish shift in the direction of Trump in the most critical of swing states could hand the White House to a boorish bigot who shares nothing with the Jewish traditions of scholarship, introspection and probity.”