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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. 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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J STREET ON NSM-20 REPORT: BIDEN ADMINISTRATION FALLS SHORT
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| WEBINAR |
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76TH YOM HA’ATZMAUT CELEBRATION: FINDING PROMISE IN THE PRESENT
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JOINT ISRAELI-PALESTINIAN MEMORIAL DAY CEREMONY WITH COMBATANTS FOR PEACE AND THE PARENTS CIRCLE-FAMILIES FORUM
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What we’re reading
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Israel defense chief says he would oppose ‘Israeli military rule’ in Gaza
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| Gallant has previously said he opposes Israeli control over post-war Gaza, but his remarks Wednesday were his most direct on the topic as he warned of the consequences of a long-term Israeli military presence in Gaza and called out Netanyahu directly. “I will not agree to the establishment of Israeli military rule in Gaza. Israel must not establish civilian rule in Gaza,” he said, warning that a military occupation of the Palestinian territory would take a heavy toll in “bloodshed and victims, as well as a heavy economic price,” he warned. |
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Gaza aid gains may be lost as fighting rages in Rafah, the U.S. secretary of state says
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| Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken warned on Wednesday that recent gains in getting desperately needed humanitarian aid to people in the Gaza Strip risked being undone by the fighting in southern Gaza. For over a week, since Israel began what it describes as a limited military operation against Hamas in the southern city of Rafah, one border crossing vital to the transit of the aid has been closed, and another severely restricted. “At the very time when Israel was taking important and much needed steps to improve the provision of humanitarian assistance,” Mr. Blinken said, “we’ve seen a negative impact on the fact that we have this active, very active conflict in the Rafah area.” |
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US looking to sanction extremist Israelis for attacks on Gaza aid convoys
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| The Biden administration is looking into sanctioning the extremist Israelis involved in the recent spate of attacks targeting humanitarian aid convoys for Gaza civilians, two US officials tell The Times of Israel. The sanctions would be levied through the executive order signed by US President Joe Biden in February, which allowed the Treasury Department to designate Israelis involved in violent activity in the West Bank, the officials say. The attacks in the West Bank largely started last month when Israel agreed to expand the aid route from Jordan to ensure that more assistance gets into Gaza. |
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Israel’s return to areas of Gaza it said were clear of Hamas raises doubts about its military strategy
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| Blinken said any initial success in Israel’s invasion of the southern Gaza city of Rafah – which Washington has strongly opposed – is “not sustainable.” The top diplomat criticized Israel for neither having a “credible plan to protect civilians,” nor a post-war plan for Gaza. “We’re seeing parts of Gaza that Israel has cleared of Hamas, where Hamas is coming back, including in the north, including in Khan Younis,” Blinken said. |
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Israel proposes Palestinian Authority unofficially operate Rafah crossing
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| Israel proposed the Palestinian Authority send representatives to the Rafah crossing last week to take part in operating it, though not in an official capacity, four senior American, Israeli and Palestinian officials told Axios…The proposal is the first time since Hamas’ October 7th attack that Israel has agreed to discuss any involvement by the Palestinian Authority in the governance of the Gaza Strip. |
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First aid shipments arrive in Gaza via new pier, U.S. military says
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| The first trucks carrying critical deliveries of humanitarian aid began flowing into Gaza Friday via a newly finished temporary pier, the U.S. military announced Friday. Why it matters: The U.S.-built pier provides a desperately needed aid route into the enclave, where the Israel-Hamas war has exacerbated an already dire humanitarian situation. USAID director Samantha Power warned that famine had begun in northern Gaza. Aid deliveries to southern Gaza have been pinched for more than a week, AP reports. |
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Analysis | The Unpunished: How Extremists Took Over Israel
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| This story is told in three parts. The first documents the unequal system of justice that grew around Jewish settlements in Gaza and the West Bank. The second shows how extremists targeted not only Palestinians but also Israeli officials trying to make peace. The third explores how this movement gained control of the state itself. Taken together, they tell the story of how a radical ideology moved from the fringes to the heart of Israeli political power. |
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Explainer | A Brief History of the 2,000-Pound Bombs Central to U.S.-Israeli Tensions
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| The president has already delayed a shipment to Israel of 3,500 bombs in the Mark 80 series that he feared could be used in a major assault on Rafah, where more than one million Palestinians have taken refuge. A New York Times investigation in December found that American 2,000-pound bombs were responsible for some of the worst attacks on Palestinian civilians since the war in Gaza began after Hamas attacked Israel on Oct. 7. According to a U.S. Army office that manages ammunition for the Pentagon, the ideal targets for weapons of that size are “buildings, rail yards and lines of communication.” |
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