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I hope you are doing well.
I’m happy to share this week’s News Digest, which includes key updates from the region, as well as J Street’s statements and resources from this past week. As a reminder, you can always find our most recent statements on J Street crisis response page.
All the best,
Hannah
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Hannah Morris
She/Her
Director of Government Affairs, J Street
Cell: 832-606-1817
J Street’s Congressional Resource Page
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This week on j street
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| STATEMENT |
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PRESIDENT BIDEN MUST FORCEFULLY OPPOSE NETANYAHU’S RAFAH ESCALATION PLANS, STRESS UNAVOIDABLE CONSEQUENCES
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| WEBINAR |
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J Street’s Statehood Proposal: What You Need to Know
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| ISSUE BRIEF |
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US RECOGNITION OF PALESTINIAN STATEHOOD & A BOLD INITIATIVE FOR COMPREHENSIVE REGIONAL PEACE
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| STATEMENT |
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J STREET WELCOMES SENATE SECURITY PACKAGE, URGES HOUSE PASSAGE
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What we’re reading
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U.S., Arab nations plan for postwar Gaza, timeline for Palestinian state
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| The Biden administration and a small group of Middle East partners are rushing to complete a detailed, comprehensive plan for long-term peace between Israel and Palestinians, including a firm timeline for the establishment of a Palestinian state, that could be announced as early as the next several weeks. The urgency of the effort is tied directly to a proposed pause in the fighting and release of hostages held in Gaza by Hamas that is being negotiated by the United States, Qatar and Egypt. An initial cease-fire, projected to be at least six weeks, would provide time to make the plan public, recruit additional support and take the initial steps toward its implementation, including the formation of an interim Palestinian government, according to U.S. and Arab officials. Planners hope a hostage agreement can be reached before the beginning of Ramadan, the month of Muslim fasting that begins March 10, lest it compound the deprivation and pressure-cooker atmosphere in Gaza. “The key is the hostage deal,” said one U.S. official among several American and Arab diplomats who discussed the subject on the condition of anonymity to avoid derailing the plan before it is completed. |
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Bibi declines to send Israeli delegation to Egypt for more hostage talks
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| Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu did not approve sending an Israeli delegation to Cairo on Thursday for follow-up talks over a possible hostage deal, two Israeli officials said… Egyptian and the Qatari mediators proposed holding follow-up talks on Thursday at a lower level to discuss the humanitarian elements of a possible hostage deal, including the scope of aid that would be allowed to enter Gaza and the possibility of Palestinians returning to their homes in the northern part of the Strip… The heads of the Israeli negotiating team informed Netanyahu upon their return from Cairo Tuesday night and presented him with the proposal for further talks. Mossad director David Barnea and Shin Bet head Ronen Bar tried to convince Netanyahu to send the delegation for the follow-up talks and said they believe progress can be made, but he rejected their recommendation, one Israeli official said. That’s largely because Netanyahu believes there is no point in further talks until Hamas agrees to soften its position on the number of prisoners it demands to be released as part of a deal, the two Israeli officials said… The Israeli delegation on Tuesday was only in Cairo to listen, per Netanyahu’s orders. The Israeli prime minister agreed to send a delegation for Tuesday’s talks after President Biden asked him to do so over the weekend. |
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Israeli Raid in Rafah Rescues 2 Hostages and Kills Dozens, Officials Say
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| Israeli special operations forces raided a building in the southern Gazan city of Rafah early Monday and freed two hostages held by Hamas, the military said, as Israel launched a wave of attacks that killed dozens of Palestinians in the city, according to the Gazan health ministry. The nighttime operation — only the second time Israeli forces said they had rescued captives in Gaza — prompted elation in Israel, where the fate of more than 100 people kidnapped during the Hamas-led attack on Oct. 7 has become one of the country’s highest priorities. But in Rafah, the raid fueled fear, mourning and panic among more than a million Palestinians who have crowded into the city, seeking refuge from Israeli military actions farther north. Palestinians feared that the raid presaged a full-fledged ground invasion into Rafah, and that the high death toll foretold much more mourning ahead. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel has said that Israeli ground forces are preparing to enter Rafah with the goal of eliminating Hamas battalions there. |
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U.S., U.N. and International Criminal Court Intensify Warnings Against Invading Rafah
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| The United States opposes an Israeli ground offensive into Rafah unless Israel provides for the safety of more than a million people now crammed into the city, a State Department spokesman said on Monday, adding to the Biden administration’s repudiations of the expected military action. At the same time, officials of the United Nations and the International Criminal Court took a more absolute stand against the expected Israeli invasion of Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip, warning of catastrophic consequences. So far, however, the escalating international pressure on Israel to restrain its military campaign appears to have had little effect; the Israeli government has said repeatedly that it will send ground forces into Rafah to defeat Hamas. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has called for the military to draft a plan to evacuate civilians from the overcrowded city in order to minimize casualties, but international aid groups have said the evacuation of so many people is unrealistic. |
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Israeli minister blocking flour Bibi promised Biden would be allowed into Gaza
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| Israeli ultranationalist Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich is blocking a U.S.-funded flour shipment to Gaza because its recipient is the UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), two Israeli and U.S. officials told Axios. U.S. officials said this is a violation of a commitment Benjamin Netanyahu personally made to President Biden several weeks ago and another reason the U.S. leader is frustrated with the Israeli prime minister… The Israeli war and security cabinets approved the delivery of the flour from the port of Ashdod in southern Israel to Gaza through the Kerem Shalom crossing, Israeli officials said. Biden and Secretary of State Tony Blinken have already publicly thanked the Israeli government for allowing the flour shipment to go through… State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said in Tuesday’s daily briefing that the flour the U.S. is funding provides food for more than 1.5 million Palestinians in Gaza and stressed it is critical the shipment reaches Gaza. |
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Israeli jets hit Lebanon in heaviest strike since Gaza war began
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| Israel on Wednesday launched its longest and heaviest attack on neighboring Lebanon since the start of the Gaza war, striking several locations in the south, killing at least three Hezbollah fighters and seven civilians, and raising further the specter of war between the two long-standing enemies… The action followed a morning attack launched from Lebanon into the northern Israeli town of Safed that struck a house and an Israel Defense Forces base. One Israeli woman was killed and at least eight people were wounded, said Ilana Stein, a spokesperson for the National Public Diplomacy Directorate… As fighting has intensified and strikes have hit deeper into both countries, diplomats from the United States, Britain, France and the European Union have descended on Lebanon in efforts to head off a full-scale war… Israel warned Washington in late December that if a long-term border agreement weren’t reached soon, Israel would escalate its fight with Hezbollah. Officials familiar with the talks understood at the time that the end of January was a soft deadline for the sides to reach an agreement… But discussions for a cease-fire on the border are “the same as before,” according to a European diplomat, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the sensitive situation. Talks weren’t at a stalemate, he said, “they’re nonexistent” — Hezbollah won’t engage in discussion while the war in Gaza continues. |
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Biden signs order to shield Palestinians in US from deportation
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| Joe Biden has signed an order shielding several thousand Palestinians in the United States who need protection from deportation for the next 18 months, the White House said on Wednesday, citing deteriorating humanitarian conditions in Gaza. The move grants “deferred enforced departure” to an estimated 6,000 Palestinians, a Biden administration official said. In a statement, White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan said that following “the horrific October 7 terrorist attack by Hamas against Israel, and Israel’s ensuing military response, humanitarian conditions in Gaza have significantly deteriorated”… Abed Ayoub, executive director of the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee, said in a statement there “is a desperate need” for measures protecting Palestinians in the US. “We see the situation in Gaza and Palestine is not getting better, and this is something that is welcome, and we are glad to see it implemented,” Ayoub said. |
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Opinion | Biden delivers tough love, takes historic step: Conditioning aid to Israel
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| President Biden, perhaps the most emotionally pro-Zionist president in history, last week used his immense reserve of goodwill and credibility on Israel to do something no other president had: He laid down strong conditions on use of military aid… No one should underestimate the impact of the decision. The Associated Press explained, “Democratic senators on Friday called Biden’s directive — meant to bring breadth, oversight, deadlines and teeth to efforts to ensure foreign governments don’t use U.S. military aid against civilians — historic…” However, unlike the calls to single out Israel, Biden’s directive applies equally to all countries receiving aid. Biden plainly wants no part of the insidious double standard some want to apply to Israel. The White House argued that the executive order simply confirms existing U.S. policy; however, the symbolic value is profound. At a time when his stalwart support of Israel’s right to defend itself comes under fire… Biden maintains the difficult balance between supporting Israel in its existential war against Hamas and focusing on the plight of Palestinian civilians and a two-state solution. |
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