I’m writing to share important 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 here.

I invite you to reach out to your J Street Public Affairs staff with any questions.

All the best,
Lily

—
Lily Adelstein
She/Her
Deputy Director of Government Affairs, J Street
Cell: 202-699-2701

This week on j street

Substack

A Rupture, Not a Transition: Rethinking the US-Israel Relationship

Word on the Street Live

ICYMI: The Rabbis Taking on ICE

Watch now →

Substack

When Comparisons Hurt — And Why We Still Have to Make Them

Expert Analysis

Qatargate: Explaining Israel’s Wartime Foreign Influence Scandal

U.S.-Iran Talks in Oman End With Tehran Warning of ‘Wall of Mistrust’

Iran and the United States held high-stakes negotiations in Oman on Friday in an effort to overcome sharp differences over Tehran’s nuclear program, but a dispute over widening the agenda risks derailing diplomacy and triggering another Middle East conflict. After some five hours, Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson said the talks were over “for now,” with no clear timeline for resumption… Iranian sources also stressed that the negotiations were serious and that both sides would reconvene after assessing the results of this round. Iran emphasized it will not stop enrichment or transfer its enriched uranium abroad, but remains willing to continue diplomatic efforts to avoid a U.S. military strike.

A Lifeline for Gaza

The border crossing between Gaza and Egypt opened a crack yesterday, a potential starting point in improving conditions for Palestinians in Gaza… When the attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, ignited the war with Hamas, Rafah became the only potential escape route from Gaza, and tens of thousands flocked to the south in hopes of fleeing the conflict. That lifeline was severed when Israel captured the city of Rafah in May 2024 and shut down the crossing. It became impossible for most Palestinians to leave Gaza. It also stranded many Palestinians outside the territory. Some were able to seek medical treatment abroad when the crossing reopened during a short-lived cease-fire in early 2025. But United Nations officials say that around 18,500 people — 4,000 of them children — still need to leave to get treatment for war wounds or serious illnesses. For the injured, Rafah is a literal lifeline, and its reopening represents the difference between hope and despair.

Israeli airstrikes kill 32 in Gaza, Palestinian officials say

Airstrikes killed at least 32 people in the Gaza Strip late Friday into Saturday, according to hospital and emergency response officials in the enclave, as Israel launched what it said were extensive strikes targeting Hamas militants and weapons sites. It was one of the bloodiest nights in Gaza since the Israel-Hamas ceasefire brokered by President Donald Trump in October, as the peace process enters its precarious second phase… Egypt, a mediator in the conflict, condemned the strikes as the latest of Israel’s “repeated violations” of the ceasefire. An Israeli security official said Hamas had provoked Israel with “blatant violations” of the ceasefire by sending eight militants out of a tunnel in Rafah the previous night.

Mamdani Chooses a Liberal Jewish Leader to Run Antisemitism Office

When Mayor Zohran Mamdani entered City Hall in New York, his plans for the Office to Combat Antisemitism prompted curiosity and some suspicion, given his stance as a fervent defender of Palestinian rights. As the mayor navigated the complex world of Jewish politics in the city, he committed to keeping the office, which was created by his predecessor, Eric Adams. Now he is preparing to announce its leader: Phylisa Wisdom, a fixture in Jewish political circles who runs the New York Jewish Agenda, a liberal organization that has criticized Israel’s conduct in Gaza. But unlike Mr. Mamdani, Ms. Wisdom believes in Israel’s right to exist as a Jewish state — part of a worldview that several people who know her describe as liberal Zionism.

Arab, Jewish protesters turn out in record numbers for Tel Aviv anti-crime demonstration

Tens of thousands of Arab and Jewish protesters turned out in Tel Aviv Saturday night for a massive rally, accusing the government of neglecting its Arab citizens and allowing violence to run rampant in the community. The unprecedented demonstration in Habima Square briefly united Israel’s overwhelmingly Jewish anti-government protest movement with the country’s Arab citizens, who have become increasingly vocal in the face of pervasive crime. The crowd was a highly unusual mix of Arab families and regular protesters against the right-wing government. Organizers estimated that some 40,000 Jewish and Arab protesters were in attendance.

In Four Minutes, Israeli Settlers Descended From the Hills and Burned Down an Entire West Bank Bedouin Community

The Bedouin community of Mukhmas in the central West Bank has been beleaguered by settler violence for months. Three times now, settlers have arrived at night and set the community on fire, but the people there have clung on. Evidence from videos, satellite images and eyewitness accounts show how one of the most ruthless attacks on this small community took place last month as part of a recent wave of Jewish terrorism in the West Bank…Footage of the onslaught from several angles shows assailants moving from structure to structure and systematically setting them on fire. Two additional structures on the other side of the community were also set alight. At one burning structure, a man and a woman were prevented by the attackers from escaping the fire. When they managed to get out, they were beaten by the attackers.

‘We Are Going to Live With Scars’: Yair Golan’s Battle for a Two-State Solution

As the leader of a newly formed left-wing party alliance called the Democrats, Golan is the only Jewish party leader trying to keep the idea of the two-state solution alive. His support for a future Palestinian state is borne of pure pragmatism, he says, a “cruel truth” learned through four decades of military experience: that “peace is the ultimate security.” … Today one-quarter of Israelis back a two-state solution, according to a 2025 poll by Gallup. That’s less than half the number that favored it in 2012, but it remains a solid faction in a divided country. Golan appeals to this electorate, many of whom have grown weary of politicians from the center-left barely differentiating their agenda from Netanyahu’s. According to a 2025 report by the Israel Democracy Institute, Israelis who say they will vote for Golan’s Democrats tend to exhibit “critical Zionism”: high levels of support for the rule of law and the Israel Defense Forces (I.D.F.) leadership on one hand, and on the other a deep criticism of the government, a belief in a political settlement with the Palestinians over “military solutions” and even doubts “about their own future in Israel.”

Opinion | America’s Best Chance to Transform Iran

“When U.S. President Donald Trump returned to office for a second term, he inherited a historic opportunity to reshape the standoff between the United States and the Islamic Republic of Iran, then in its 46th year. Tehran entered 2025 weaker than at any point since the 1979 revolution. Its economy continued to suffer under the weight of U.S. sanctions and mismanagement. Its regional proxy network was significantly weakened by the fall of Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad and by Israel’s decisive campaign against Hezbollah and Hamas. Public resentment of the government was mounting. Washington, as a result, had real leverage; it could negotiate a new agreement to relax sanctions in exchange for limitations on Iran’s nuclear program, pursue regime change through sustained pressure and force, or simply keep Tehran constrained while prioritizing other challenges. Instead, in a dizzying first year, Trump pursued all three strategies at once.”

J STREET GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS NEWS DIGEST | February 6, 2026