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I hope you are doing well.
I’m writing to share important updates from the region, as well as J Street’s statements 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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J STREET RESPONDS TO PROVISIONAL MEASURES ORDERED BY THE INTERNATIONAL COURT OF JUSTICE IN SOUTH AFRICA PETITION AGAINST ISRAEL
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J STREET WELCOMES RENEWED BIDEN ADMINISTRATION EFFORTS TO BROKER HOSTAGE RELEASES, HALT TO GAZA WAR
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What we’re reading
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Israeli Soldiers Clearing Buffer Zone in Gaza Die in Blast
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| The Israeli military suffered the deadliest day of its ground invasion of the Gaza Strip on Monday when 24 soldiers were killed, about 20 of them in an explosion as they were preparing to level buildings to help create a buffer zone with the Palestinian enclave, Israeli officials said. The deaths plunged Israel into a state of mourning as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu faces intensifying domestic divisions over how to proceed in the war as well as growing international condemnation of the civilian death toll in Gaza and the worsening humanitarian conditions there. Israeli leaders expressed heartbreak over the deaths, but declared that the fighting would continue until Hamas was defeated… Israel wants to demolish many of the Palestinian buildings close to the border to create a “security zone,” according to three Israeli officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the operation. Two of the officials said that the goal was to create a buffer about a half-mile wide along the entire length of Israel’s roughly 36-mile border with Gaza. |
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For third day running, protesters block Gaza aid at Kerem Shalom crossing
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| Families of hostages held in Gaza and other protesters demonstrated at the Kerem Shalom border crossing for the third consecutive day on Friday morning, to try and prevent humanitarian aid from entering the Gaza Strip while their loved ones languish in captivity… In a statement, the group of protesters said they had walked a roundabout way to avoid roadblocks set up by security forces to prevent their arrival at the border crossing… It was not immediately clear what impact the previous two days’ protests had on truck movements. On Wednesday the demonstrators held up over 100 trucks, some of which were eventually diverted to an alternative entry point in Egypt. Following the protests in recent days, Biden administration officials were pressing Israel to ensure the Kerem Shalom border crossing with Gaza remains open, the Kan public broadcaster reported Thursday… [The protests] came amid unconfirmed media reports of progress in indirect talks between Israel and Hamas on a ceasefire and second prisoner swap. The government is under considerable pressure, which manifests itself in weekly rallies and other actions, to prioritize the hostages’ release over its military push to dismantle Hamas. |
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Top UN court tells Israel to prevent genocide in Gaza, but doesn’t order ceasefire
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| The International Court of Justice on Friday ordered Israel to take urgent action to prevent genocide in Gaza, but it stopped short of ordering the Israeli military to halt its offensive in the enclave completely. The ICJ, known as the World Court, also ordered Israel to allow more humanitarian aid into Gaza, take effective measures to prevent and punish incitement to genocide and submit a report to the court within a month on what actions it has taken to comply with the order… The U.S. said the court’s “consistent with our view that Israel has the right to take action to ensure the terrorist attacks.” “We have consistently made clear that Israel must take all possible steps to minimize civilian harm, increase the flow of humanitarian assistance, and address dehumanizing rhetoric,” a State Department spokesperson added… It’s unclear if Israel will comply with Friday’s order. The ICJ has no real enforcement powers. Russia ignored the court’s order in 2022 to halt its invasion of Ukraine. |
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U.S. Pauses UNRWA Funding Amid Claims 12 Workers Involved in Oct 7 Attack on Israel
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| The UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) said on Friday it had opened an investigation into 12 employees suspected of involvement in the Oct. 7 attacks in Israel by Hamas and that it had severed ties with those staff members. As a result, the U.S. said it has temporarily paused funding to UNRWA while reviewing the allegations and the steps the UN is taking to address them, according to State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller… Philippe Lazzarini, UNRWA Commissioner-General said earlier that “Israeli authorities have provided UNRWA with information about the alleged involvement of several UNRWA employees in the horrific attacks on Israel on October 7. To protect the agency’s ability to deliver humanitarian assistance, I have taken the decision to immediately terminate the contracts of these staff members and launch an investigation in order to establish the truth without delay.” Lazzarini did not disclose the nature of the employees’ alleged involvement in the attacks. He said, however, that “any UNRWA employee who was involved in acts of terror” would be held accountable, including through criminal prosecution.[Spokesperson of the Secretary-General of the United Nations, Stéphane Dujarric] added that the U.N. chief had asked Lazzarini to conduct a probe to ensure that any UNRWA employee shown to have participated or abetted the Oct. 7 attacks be terminated immediately and referred for potential criminal prosecution. “An urgent and comprehensive independent review of UNRWA will be conducted,” Dujarric added. |
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Gaza: US sets up channel with Israel seeking answers on civilian casualties
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| he United States has created a channel with Israel to discuss concerns over incidents in Gaza in which civilians have been killed or injured by the Israeli military and civilian facilities have been targeted, two U.S. officials with knowledge told Reuters. The channel was set up after a meeting earlier this month between U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Israel’s war cabinet during which Blinken expressed concern about the “constant” reports of Israeli strikes that either hit humanitarian sites or resulted in large numbers of civilian deaths… It also underscores Washington’s frustration with Israel’s failure to alleviate the plight of a civilian population deprived since mid-October of most of the aid that previously flowed into Gaza, and of adequate medical care for the more than 62,000 people who have been wounded… Most recently, the United States used the channel to seek details on what the United Nations said on Wednesday was an attack by Israeli tanks on one of its compounds in Gaza sheltering displaced Palestinians. It was not clear how Israel responded, officials said. |
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New Poll Suggests Israelis Open to Biden Plan Linking Palestinian State to Freeing Hostages, Saudi Normalization
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| Amid discussions about the “day after” the war in the Gaza Strip, the international community is concerned about potential opposition from the Israeli public to a two-state solution, especially given its rightward shift following the Hamas attack on October 7… Politicians have been saying over the past several weeks that the Israeli public has turned further to the right since then, and it would resist any American pressure. According to these estimates, Israelis would see the revival of negotiations on the formation of a Palestinian state, including the Gaza Strip, as another achievement for Hamas… A recent survey, conducted by Mano Geva Institute on behalf of the Geneva Initiative in January, found that a multi-faceted deal that includes the return of the hostages held by Hamas, an agreement on a demilitarized Palestinian state and Israel-Saudi normalization, enjoys relatively broad support… When asked how they would like to see the situation three years from now, 50.5 percent of respondents said they would prefer there were no Israeli troops in Gaza, versus 32 percent who said they would prefer a continued Israeli military presence and 17.5 percent who said they don’t know. The Israel director general of the Geneva Initiative, Gadi Baltiansky, said the results of the survey, which were taken from a representative sample of 500 people, provided clear evidence that a diplomatic move was possible. “In exchange for regional security and the return of the hostages, the Israeli public is ready to accept a demilitarized Palestinian state,” he said. “Israel should say yes to President Biden and no to [far-right] Ministers Smotrich and Ben-Gvir.” |
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Thousands of right-wing activists are getting ready to resettle Gaza after the war
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| For some on the right, conquering the Gaza Strip and reestablishing Israeli settlements there is no longer just a dream: Government ministers, leading Knesset members, public figures and thousands of activists have been vigorously working on the plan since the war with Hamas began on October 7, and have ramped up their efforts in the last few weeks. The activists are allocating tasks and establishing core settlement groups based on a map of the settlements they plan to establish in the Strip. On Sunday, the activists will hold a large conference on “Jewish settlement in Gaza” at Jerusalem’s International Convention Center that is expected to draw over 3,000 people… The occupation of Gaza and the establishment of settlements there is not the Israeli government’s policy for postwar Gaza, and Netanyahu has stated that Israel will not remain in Gaza after the war although it will retain overall security control. At the same time, close to a third of government members and the Knesset do support renewed settlement within the Gaza Strip — including MKs not only in Likud, Religious Zionism and Otzma Yehudit, but also the two ultra-Orthodox parties. Netanyahu will thus be under pressure from within, from members of all parties in his pre-war coalition. |
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EXPLAINER | What to know about Israel’s controversial ‘buffer zone’ in Gaza
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| Israel’s announcement that 21 soldiers died in Gaza this week as they came under attack while rigging two buildings with explosives included an unexpected revelation — that the military was pushing ahead with a controversial plan to create a “buffer zone” along its border with Gaza by demolishing buildings in the area. While officials had floated the idea on numerous occasions, Tuesday’s comments by the Israel Defense Forces were the first public confirmation that the strategy was in motion. “It’s one of the additional efforts or layers of security that are being implemented after Oct. 7,” said Lt. Col. Jonathan Conricus, a senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies and a spokesman for the IDF until earlier this month. The United States has been vocally opposed to the creation of a buffer zone, saying there should be no permanent change to Palestinian territory. Human rights groups say the destruction of civilian homes and farms could amount to war crimes. Here’s what to know. |
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