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I’m writing to share J Street’s statements and news updates.
As I’m sure you know, we are in the midst of another tragic escalation between Israel and militants – specifically, Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) – in Gaza. You’ll find statements, reporting, and analysis below on these developments. There are also articles and resources on the fifth anniversary of the Trump Administration’s disastrous abrogation of the Iran nuclear deal, the first anniversary of the killing of Palestinian-American journalist Shireen Abu Akleh, Israel’s demolition of a Palestinian elementary school in the occupied West Bank, and more.
I hope you’ll check out, or continue making use of, our regularly updated dossier on the Netanyahu government. As always, you can find our Congressional briefing book, background information on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, recordings of previous briefings and more at J Street’s Congressional Resource Page.
Feel free to reach out with any questions.
All the best,
Debra
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Debra Shushan, PhD
Director of Policy, J Street
mobile: (757) 746-0366 | [email protected] | @DrShushan
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This week on j street
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J STREET ALARMED BY LATEST ISRAELI-PALESTINIAN ESCALATION, CONDEMNS ONGOING ROCKET FIRE
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FIVE YEARS AFTER IRAN DEAL ABANDONMENT, IT’S TIME TO RECOGNIZE MAXIMUM PRESSURE FAILED
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J STREET CONDEMNS DEMOLITION OF JUBBET ADH-DHIB SCHOOL, URGES US RESPONSE
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What we’re reading
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Rocket kills man in Israel as strikes target Gaza militant commanders
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| The Israeli military has killed two Palestinian Islamic Jihad commanders in air strikes in Gaza during a third day of fighting with militants there. A pre-dawn attack on an apartment in Khan Younis killed the head of PIJ’s rocket-launching force and two others, who the military said were militants… Later, one man was killed when a rocket fired from Gaza hit a building in the central Israeli city of Rehovot. It was the first fatality in Israel since it began an operation against PIJ on Tuesday morning with a series of air strikes that killed another three of the group’s commanders. Twenty-eight people have been killed and 93 injured in Gaza over the same period, health officials there say. At least 10 civilians are also among the dead, which the United Nations has called unacceptable… Militants have launched at least 803 rockets since Wednesday, 620 of which have crossed into Israeli territory, the Israeli military says. Some have hit buildings, but most have landed in open areas or been intercepted… “Anyone who comes to harm us – blood on his head, and also blood on the head of his replacement,” warned Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during a visit to a military base. “We are in the middle of the campaign, both in attack and defence.” Earlier, a spokeswoman for UN Secretary General António Guterres said he condemned “the civilian loss of life, including that of children and women, which he views as unacceptable”. “The secretary general urges all parties concerned to exercise maximum restraint and to work to stop hostilities immediately,” she added. Egypt is working to try to secure a ceasefire between the two sides. |
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U.S. Signals to Israel to End Gaza Operation, Reach Ceasefire
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| The Biden administration is signaling to Israel to reach a ceasefire and end its ongoing operation in the Gaza Strip, as talks between Israel and the Palestinians, mediated by Egypt, Qatar and the UN, continue… Two senior American officials spoke with their Israeli counterparts on Thursday night and called to prevent an escalation. The White House statement said that the conversation between U.S. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan and his Israeli counterpart Tzachi Hanegbi included the standard claims of Israel’s right to defend itself, and stressed the need for “continued regional efforts to broker a ceasefire,” to “deescalate tensions” and “prevent further loss of life.”The Biden administration is concerned that the fighting in Gaza will expand into a multi-front conflict including missiles being launched at Israel from Lebanon or Syria, as happened last month. The White House is also worried that with a weakened Palestinian Authority, an escalation might occur in the West Bank or Jerusalem. On Wednesday, the U.S. prevented the publication of a critical statement against Israel’s bombing of the Gaza Strip and civilian casualties on behalf of the UN Security Council, which was held at the request of France, China and the UAE. Most council members supported publishing the statement. Israeli officials believe that if the current operation continues, such pressure from the U.S. could begin at an earlier stage – yet they emphasize that Israel intends to respond to any rocket fire from the Islamic Jihad. A political source told Haaretz that any rocket fire resulting in casualties, whether Israeli or Palestinian, could escalate the situation or lead Hamas to join the campaign. |
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EXPLAINER | What Is Palestinian Islamic Jihad, and How Is It Different From Hamas
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| Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu launched a new Israeli offensive in Gaza in the wee hours of Tuesday morning. As Operation Shield and Arrow continues, here are your key questions answered about the Palestinian militia the Israel Defense Forces says it is targeting following a barrage of rocket launches into Israel by the group last week – What is Palestinian Islamic Jihad? What is its relationship to Hamas? Who were the PIJ commanders killed in the current operation? And is the current operation affecting the West Bank? |
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ANALYSIS | With Gaza Assault, Netanyahu Caves in to Far-right Ben-Gvir and His Gang
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| Twice in the past Netanyahu gave the orders to assassinate a senior Palestinian figure in Gaza as the opening move for a Gaza operation… But while the three Palestinian Islamic Jihad commanders killed Tuesday morning in what the IDF is now calling Operation Shield and Arrow are of similar rank… they were working within the ground rules of Gazan conflicts. A week ago they had directed the salvoes of short-range rockets and mortars fired at Israel following the death of hunger-striking activist Khader Adnan, but accepted an Egyptian-brokered cease-fire after 24 hours. No one in Israel is pretending they were “ticking bombs” about to launch another imminent attack. Netanyahu has done here what he preferred not to do in the past and broke a cease-fire in order to assassinate mid-level jihadist commanders, along with at least 10 civilians, for carrying out rocket attacks in which no Israelis died… Launching an operation right now has two immediate political benefits. First, it has assuaged Ben-Gvir and his gang. They are already taking credit for having pushed Netanyahu to direct action and are promising to return immediately to full participation in coalition business. Second, it has shifted the public attention away – at least momentarily – from the protests, the rapacious budgetary demands of his coalition partners and the cost-of-living crisis. This is an alarmingly short-term strategy, however…. This is why Netanyahu usually refrained from such operations when they were proposed in the past. But this is a different Netanyahu. Under pressure from the most radical and irresponsible partners he has ever had, and totally dependent upon them for his majority in the Knesset, he is increasingly abandoning the caution that was once his trademark and allowing politics to influence his military decision-making. |
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A year after Shireen Abu Akleh’s killing, her family pushes for justice
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| One year after the killing of Palestinian American journalist Shireen Abu Akleh, the FBI agents investigating the shooting have still not spoken to key witnesses in the case, raising questions about the progress of the international probe… Israel initially blamed Palestinian gunmen but later admitted that it was most likely an Israeli soldier who accidentally fired the fatal shot during a raid on a refugee camp in the occupied West Bank. No one in the Israeli army has been prosecuted and the military has not announced any disciplinary action… Abu Akleh was an American citizen, and her family and some Democrats in Congress say they don’t believe it is credible for Israel’s military to investigate itself — leaving their hopes for accountability largely pinned on the FBI. But a year after the May 11, 2022, shooting, the FBI has still not contacted Shatha Hanaysha, a Palestinian journalist who was walking alongside Abu Akleh when she was shot and struggled to help in her dying moments. “There is no serious investigation,” Hanaysha said in an interview. “It was just talking in the air to kill the story.” The Biden administration had initially stopped short of a full investigation despite pressure from the United Nations and some Democratic lawmakers. When that changed, the Israeli government announced in November that it would not cooperate with the FBI investigation. Al Jazeera has also submitted a formal request to the International Criminal Court to investigate Abu Akleh’s killing. The Israeli government said it would not allow its soldiers to be questioned as part of any external investigation. |
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ANALYSIS | The Path to a New Iran Deal
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| It has been exactly five years since former U.S. President Donald Trump withdrew from the 2015 nuclear agreement with Iran and more than two years since current U.S. President Joe Biden launched his drive to restore it. But despite high hopes, Biden has been unable to resurrect the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, or the JCPOA.In part, this is the administration’s failure; in early negotiations, Biden was hesitant to push Congress to back a controversial foreign policy initiative when he needed its support for his domestic agenda.The failure is also a consequence of Iranian obstinacy. As talks dragged on,Tehran threw up roadblocks and made multiple demands—including a guarantee that the next U.S. administration will not again withdraw from the deal—that Washington simply could not meet. As a result, there has been virtually no progress in negotiations since September 2022.The two sides are far from an agreement… As a result, thanks to Trump’s strategic blunder, Iran is a de facto nuclear state: one screwdriver and one political decision away from weaponizing its nuclear capabilities. Even if the negotiations resume, it is unlikely that the JCPOA can be saved. Iran’s program is too advanced to be contained by that deal, and the political climate in the West is not conducive to meaningful negotiations… If the United States and Europe do not want Iran to become a nuclear-weapons state, and if they do not want to attack Iran and hazard war to set back the program, they need a new diplomatic approach. Thankfully, recent events in the Middle East have created an opening for one. A U.S.-Iranian deal may not be feasible, but as Arab monarchies of the Persian Gulf forge better ties with Tehran, what was once impossible—a regional agreement that simultaneously tackles Iran’s meddling in the Arabian Peninsula and its nuclear program—is now entirely conceivable. |
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