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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 and resources from this past week. I also want to highlight a recent issue brief published by J Street’s Policy Center, “Frequently Asked Questions: Israel, Palestine and the International Criminal Court.” You can find the full brief here. As a reminder, you can always find our most recent statements on J Street’s 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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J STREET STATEMENT ON UN GENERAL ASSEMBLY VOTE ON PALESTINIAN STATUS
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J STREET SUPPORTS BIDEN ADMINISTRATION’S “MEASURED STEP” OF HALTING THE TRANSFER OF CERTAIN MUNITIONS TO ISRAEL
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| WEBINAR |
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WHAT’S HAPPENING ON COLLEGE CAMPUSES: HEAR DIRECTLY FROM STUDENTS
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DECISIONS LOOM IN CRITICAL DAYS FOR ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR
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| ISSUE BRIEF |
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FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS: ISRAEL, PALESTINE, AND THE INTERNATIONAL CRIMINAL COURT
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What we’re reading
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Israeli war cabinet votes to expand Rafah operation area, amid growing U.S. concerns
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| The Israeli cabinet decision comes as concern grows in the Biden administration about the deteriorating humanitarian situation in the Rafah area since Israel took control of the Palestinian side of the Rafah crossing earlier this week, two U.S. officials said. The officials said Israel didn’t coordinate the capturing of the crossing well enough with the Egyptians who got “extremely upset.” As a result, the Egyptians refused to send aid trucks, including fuel trucks, through the Kerem Shalom crossing between Israel and Gaza, the officials said. |
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Cease-Fire Talks Stall as Anger Flares Over Israel’s Incursion Into Rafah
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| High-level hostage negotiations in Cairo were put on hold Thursday, according to officials briefed on the negotiations and Egyptian state media, with one official saying that anger had flared among participants over Israel’s incursion into the southern Gazan city Rafah… Egyptian and Hamas negotiators have been enraged by Israel’s military operations in Rafah. And the United States has argued that the military operation is threatening the hostage talks. The Biden administration announced it would withhold 3,500 bombs from Israel until it ended military operations in Rafah. |
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World Food Programme Director Cindy McCain: Northern Gaza is in a ‘full-blown famine’
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| McCain said that while there has not yet been an official declaration of famine, based on what her organization has seen and experienced on the ground, she believes there is a “full-blown” issue in Gaza. “It’s horror. It’s – You know, it’s so hard to look at and it’s so hard to hear, also,” McCain said in her interview. |
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Israel says it reopened a key Gaza crossing after a rocket attack but the UN says no aid has entered
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| U.N. agencies and aid groups have ramped up humanitarian assistance in recent weeks as Israel has lifted some restrictions and opened an additional crossing in the north under pressure from the United States, its closest ally. But aid workers say the closure of Rafah, which is the only gateway for the entry of fuel for trucks and generators, could have severe repercussions, and the U.N. says northern Gaza is already in a state of “full-blown famine.” |
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US says it’s not abandoning Israel, asserts Rafah offensive would embolden Hamas
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| For their part, administration spokespeople indicated that Biden took the far-reaching step of threatening to withhold aid from Israel at this stage in the war because the US now feels that Hamas has been significantly depleted.“We believe that [Israel has] put an enormous amount of pressure on Hamas and that there are better ways to go after what is left of Hamas in Rafah than a major ground operation,” Kirby said. |
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Former IDF Chief: Israel Must Halt Gaza War to Secure Release of Hostages
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| “If we want – and we [do] want – the hostages back, I don’t see any complete victory without bringing back the hostages,” he said in what was described as an appearance in New York City. “Up until two or three months [ago], these two goals [of eliminating Hamas and rescuing the hostages] were not contradictory. Nowadays, I’m afraid that they are.” |
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Opinion | Israel’s Rafah Incursion Helps No One Except Netanyahu
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| [E]ven if the limited military campaign in Rafah is successful in destroying Hamas, without a strategy and realistic vision for postwar Gaza that supports a revitalized Palestinian Authority and links Gaza with the West Bank, any achievements will be short-lived. Hamas has resurged in the northern part of the Strip after the I.D.F. withdrew, precisely because Israel failed to connect its military campaign to a political and diplomatic plan. Without such a plan, the Rafah operation risks becoming yet another tactical failure in the war. |
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Opinion | Senators Need to Stop the Antisemitism Awareness Act
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| Even if you agree that all these things are signs of anti-Jewish animus, there are serious First Amendment problems with trying to classify them that way legally. That’s why, as I’ve written before, one of the lead drafters behind the IHRA definition of antisemitism, Ken Stern, has consistently opposed the Antisemitism Awareness Act. |
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