J STREET GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS NEWS DIGEST | May 4, 2023

May 4, 2023

 

Government Affairs News Digest

I’m writing to share J Street’s statements and news updates.

In top news, the cycle of violence between Israelis and Palestinians continued following the death of Khader Adnan, a prominent Palestinian member of Islamic Jihad, in an Israeli prison following a hunger strike. Hamas retaliated with airstrikes from Gaza and Israel hit back in an all-too-familiar pattern. A ceasefire is holding at present, amid recriminations from hard-right elements within Netanyahu’s government who feel that Israel did not respond with sufficient force. Meanwhile, Israeli protests against the government’s attempted judicial overhaul (currently on a tactical hiatus) continue, with today’s “Day of Disruption to Demand Equality” centering opposition to special privileges for Israel’s ultra-Orthodox community.

In our This Week on J Street section, you’ll find an important new report from the J Street Policy Center entitled “After ‘Maximum Pressure’: Formulating an Effective US Strategy on Iran,” which I highly recommend. You’ll also see a column on “Allyship in Israel’s Democratic Window of Opportunity,” with analysis on what support for Israel should look like during this unprecedented moment of crisis and opportunity for our Israeli allies.

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.

If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to get in touch.

All the best,
Debra


Debra Shushan, PhD
Director of Policy, J Street
mobile: (757) 746-0366 | [email protected] | @DrShushan

This week on j street

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SHUSHAN STREET

ALLYSHIP IN ISRAEL’S DEMOCRATIC WINDOW OF OPPORTUNITY

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RESOURCE

J STREET POLICY CENTER RELEASES NEW REPORT, RECOMMENDATIONS ON US POLICY TOWARD IRAN

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What we’re reading

Israel-Gaza hostilities test Netanyahu’s hard-right government

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Israel and Hamas, the militant group that rules the Gaza Strip, exchanged fire overnight into Wednesday, killing a Palestinian man and posing a daunting security test for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s far-right government after four tumultuous months in power. The government’s new extremist cabinet members have previously called for aggressive responses to rocket fire from Gaza, including assassinating top Hamas leaders — moves that could dramatically escalate the situation. So far, however, the limited airstrikes and cease-fire ending the hostilities have followed the usual pattern governing exchanges of fire… The overnight hostilities ended with a cease-fire brokered by the United States, Egypt and Qatar, according to Israeli media, which went into effect around 4 a.m. local time… But the flare-up with Gaza has set the stage for a potential escalation, Israeli analysts say, as far-right politicians in top security positions push for a more aggressive response… On Wednesday, [Itamar Ben Gvir, the minister of national security] announced that his Jewish Power party would meet in Sderot, on the border with Gaza, and would boycott Knesset votes over what he called Israel’s “weak” response to the rocket fire. In a rare rebuke, Netanyahu’s Likud party issued a statement saying that “the prime minister is the one who decides who is a relevant participant in Knesset discussions. If this is unacceptable to Minister Ben Gvir, he does not have to remain in the government.”
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Israelis call out perks for ultra-Orthodox in latest protests

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Israel’s protest movement, having forced the government to pause its attempt to overhaul the national judiciary system, pivoted to other targets in demonstrations across the country Thursday, including the exemption from military service and other special privileges long granted to the growing ultra-Orthodox community. Thousands marched for a “Day of Disruption to Demand Equality” focused on the unequal burdens of citizenship and status of the ultra-Orthodox, or Haredim as they are known in Israel. Ultra-Orthodox citizens are largely shielded from the country’s mandatory draft and educational standards and their families benefit from heavy public subsidies that allow boys and men to devote years to religious study instead of working and paying taxes in the mainstream economy… Haredi political parties have gained influence under Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who relies on them for his parliamentary majority. But the parties have threatened to pull out of the far-right governing coalition unless Netanyahu fast-tracks new legislation that would formalize the legislation of military exemptions for ultra-Orthodox students in yeshivas. The parties had sought to limit the Supreme Court’s power to rule against the military exemption as part of the judicial overhaul, an “override clause” that would let the parliament ignore some rulings. With the judicial overhaul sidelined, at least for now, they are demanding the prime minister follow through on promises to quickly pass changes in the draft exemption.
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U.S. security coordinator submits new report on Abu Akleh killing

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The U.S. security coordinator for Israel and the Palestinian Authority recently sent the State Department a new report about the death of Palestinian-American journalist Shireen Abu Akleh, according to a senior U.S. official and a letter written by Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) and sent to Secretary of State Blinken. Abu Akleh was killed during an Israeli military raid in the occupied West Bank city of Jenin nearly a year ago. The killing has been a point of tension in the U.S.-Israel relationship and a sensitive political issue within the Democratic Party. The Biden administration has faced pressure from dozens of congressional Democrats and Abu Akleh’s family to do more to ensure accountability for her death. The new report could renew and intensify that pressure. A senior U.S. official confirmed U.S. security coordinator Lt. Gen. Michael Fenzel recently sent a report on the death of Abu Akleh but stressed it didn’t include any new findings or conclusions… Van Hollen in a letter addressed to Blinken called on the State Department to share with lawmakers an unedited version of the report submitted by Fenzel and his team… Van Hollen also stressed in the letter that “no one has been held accountable and no independent, official investigation has been completed” nearly a year after Abu Akleh’s death.
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U.S. Dem lawmakers tell Bibi judicial overhaul makes defending Israel hard

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House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) and other Democratic lawmakers told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu last month that his government’s judicial overhaul plan makes it harder for them to defend Israel in the U.S., two people, including a member of Congress, who attended the meeting tell Axios. Netanyahu suspended the judicial overhaul legislation in March after mass protests and pressure from the U.S., but Jeffries’ message suggests there is still concern among Democrats that the process may resume before Israel has reached a broad consensus on judicial reform. Negotiations in Israel over the plan have been ongoing, but no major breakthrough has been announced. Netanyahu told the group he is ready for a compromise on the judicial overhaul and added that the legislation that will allow the Knesset to override Supreme Court rulings with a simple 61-member majority is off the table, according to one of the sources who attended the meeting. Several days after Jeffries’ visit, House Speaker Kevin McCarthy arrived in Jerusalem with a bipartisan delegation. McCarthy refrained from pressing Netanyahu in public about the judicial overhaul. He told reporters that democracy must include checks and balances, but stressed: “Israel can decide what it wants to do.”
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Smotrich Admits Israel Must Demolish Unrecognized Palestinian Village Due to Its Strategic Location

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At a High Court hearing on Monday on a petition seeking the evacuation of the Bedouin West Bank village of Khan al-Ahmar, justices were critical of the government for not setting a deadline for the village’s relocation… The state’s position is that the High Court of Justice should reject Regavim’s petition demanding the eviction of residents of Khan al-Ahmar, because it would involve “diplomatic and security considerations” that should be made by the Israeli government. The government explained in a brief that it does eventually plan to carry out the demolition orders issued against the village but wants to decide for itself when and how to do so… At a meeting of his far-right Religious Zionism faction on Monday, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who is also minister in the Defense Ministry who holds the settlement policy portfolio, said the villagers had to be relocated not because their village was unrecognized but rather due to its strategic location on Highway 1 from Jerusalem to the Dead Sea at a point where the northern and southern West Bank meet. “It’s the area that will decide if heavens forbid there will be territorial contiguity that will connect Bethlehem with Nablus and Ramallah,” he explained. “That’s the reason we are investing in this area now and therefore Khan al-Ahmar will be evacuated”. Smotrich, who was one of the founders of Regavim, added… Territorial contiguity is important to the Palestinians, who wish to establish an independent state in the West Bank, something that Smotrich and other right-wing Israeli politicians oppose.
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Analysis | Striving for Status Quo, U.S. Keeps Close Tabs on Israel’s Iran Policy

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The U.S. Centcom Commander visited Israel last week. This is the fifth time General Michael Kurilla has landed in Israel since assuming his current post 13 months ago… The American brass are coming to Israel to take a measure of the atmosphere among decision makers here, to try to understand if changes are afoot in Israeli policy – and to make sure that Israel isn’t dragging the U.S. into a new regional quagmire. Alongside the tight operational coordination between the IDF and American armed forces, Washington seeks assurance that Jerusalem isn’t cooking up any surprises, particularly regarding Iran… The Democratic administration chose a strategy of containment. Biden’s main aim is to prevent an escalation by Iran on one hand, and on the other, to block a possible Israeli move to increase military friction with Iran and drag the Americans into the conflict too… The U.S., like other major Western countries, is not currently under the impression that Israel has an immediately operational, fully formed plan to strike at the nuclear sites. These plans have been in deep freeze for many years, and Israel began dusting them off only during the previous government. Lately Netanyahu has allocated the IDF an extra few billions of shekels, mostly earmarked for improving the military response to Iran. And yet, many operational gaps still remain and will require significant time to complete. Furthermore, there is fierce debate within the security establishment as to the benefit of a unilateral Israeli attack. Without American support, which includes delivery of the Air Force’s new refueling craft which has been delayed for several years now, the goal becomes even less realistic.
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Analysis | McCarthy’s High-profile Israel Visit Sets Netanyahu on a Collision Course With Biden

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It didn’t take long for U.S. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy to clarify the real purpose of his visit to Israel on Sunday. If Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu isn’t invited to Washington, “I’ll invite the prime minister to come meet with the House… Under normal circumstances, a visit within a week of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and the speaker of the House of Representatives would have been a cause of celebration for Netanyahu and Israel. Two high-profile visits would have reflected the strength of the “unshakable alliance” between the two countries, projected the political affinity between them, and reaffirmed the U.S.’ commitment… However, these are not normal circumstances and the timing of the visits is uncomfortable. Given his political predicaments and strained relations with the U.S. administration, arguably the last thing Mr. Netanyahu needs right now are photo-ops with DeSantis and McCarthy… What it does is further identify Netanyahu solely with the Republicans in direct confrontation with Biden. How that would benefit Israel’s security and diplomatic relations with the Americans is a mystery… There are cracks in American public support for Israel. The emerging fault line is between increasingly critical Democrats, and supportive and increasingly more right-wing Republicans… Netanyahu desperately wants to go and project a “business as usual” relationship with Washington, on top of trying to change the agenda from his constitutional coup back to Iran. A photo-op with Kevin McCarthy, however important the visit of a House speaker may be, is not getting him closer to the White House.
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