Netanyahu Will Never Have a Better Moment to Claim Victory, Bloomberg
Marc Champion writes, “On Monday, I spoke about the trip with the heads of two prominent organizations that represent very different strands of American Jewish thought. Both say this could prove a turning point for Israel. Morton Klein, president of the Zionist Organization of America, worries Trump might be able to press Netanyahu to change course. Jeremy Ben-Ami, who heads the more moderate J Street, worries that he won’t. Because if they agree on anything, it’s that the 47th American president is the only person on earth with the leverage to do it. Both men are due to meet with Netanyahu on Wednesday.”
Israeli Defence Minister Plans to Move Gaza’s Population to Camp in Rafah, BBC
“Israel’s defence minister says he has instructed its military to prepare a plan to move all Palestinians in Gaza into a camp in the south of the territory, Israeli media reports say. Israel Katz told journalists on Monday he wanted to establish a ‘humanitarian city’ on the ruins of the city of Rafah to initially house about 600,000 Palestinians – and eventually the whole 2.1 million population.”
Proposal Outlines Large-Scale ‘Humanitarian Transit Areas’ for Palestinians in Gaza, Reuters
“A proposal seen by Reuters and bearing the name of a controversial U.S.-backed aid group described a plan to build large-scale camps called ‘Humanitarian Transit Areas’ inside – and possibly outside – Gaza to house the Palestinian population, outlining a vision of ‘replacing Hamas’ control over the population in Gaza.’”
Gaza Ceasefire Can Be Reached but May Take More Time, Israeli Officials Say, Reuters
“Gaps in Gaza ceasefire talks under way in Qatar between Israel and Palestinian militant group Hamas can be bridged but it may take more than a few days to reach a deal, Israeli officials said on Tuesday.”
Militants Kill 5 Israeli Soldiers in Gaza and Israeli Strikes Kill 51 Palestinians, AP
“Five Israeli soldiers were killed in an attack in the northern Gaza Strip, Israel’s military said Tuesday, while health officials in the Palestinian territory said 51 people were killed in Israeli strikes.”
Netanyahu Backs Trump’s Vision for Redeveloping Gaza, Says Palestinians Can Leave, Time
“Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday backed a proposal by President Donald Trump to relocate Palestinians from Gaza and turn the war-ravaged coastal enclave into a luxury waterfront development—a plan that has drawn international condemnation and could further complicate fragile cease-fire talks between Israel and Hamas. ‘It’s called free choice,’ Netanyahu told reporters before a private dinner with the President in the White House. ‘If people want to stay, they can stay. But if they want to leave, they should be able to leave.’”
Trump and Netanyahu Take a Victory Lap to Mark Strikes on Iran Nuclear Facilities, AP
“Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told President Donald Trump he was nominating the U.S. leader for a Nobel Peace Prize as the two took a victory lap Monday to hail their recent joint strikes on Iran ‘s nuclear facilities as an unmitigated success.”
Top Right-Wing Opposition MK: Israeli Soldiers Dying in Gaza to Preserve Netanyahu’s Coalition, Haaretz
“Yisrael Beiteinu party chairman Avigdor Lieberman said that Israeli soldiers ‘are dying in Gaza on the altar of preserving the coalition,’ during a party meeting at Israel’s Knesset on Monday. Lieberman sharply criticized the emerging hostage deal, under which ten living hostages and the bodies of 18 others would be returned in stages over 60 days. ‘All the hostages could’ve been released at once,’ he said, adding, ‘because of coalition considerations, the government insists on continuing the fighting.’”
Knives, Bullets and Thieves: The Quest for Food in Gaza, NPR
Anas Baba writes, “What does it take to get food today in Gaza? It involves a perilous journey that I took myself. I faced Israeli military fire, private U.S. contractors pointing laser beams at my forehead, crowds with knives fighting for rations, and masked thieves — to get food from a group supported by the U.S. and Israel called the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, or GHF.”
The Danger of Identity Politics and Cancel Culture, The Times of Israel
J Street Israel Executive Director Nadav Tamir writes, “The irony is that, in the populist right, identity politics, extreme rhetoric, and ‘cancel culture’ are not about the margins but at the very heart of the Republican and Likud parties. In the US, it’s Republicans advocating for people to be deported based on their political opinions, for schools to lose funding if they don’t teach from the MAGA gospel, and using the most extreme and hateful rhetoric. And in Israel, it’s the extreme right calling to unleash nuclear weapons in Gaza, to force millions from their homeland, and to starve a civilian population.”