I’m writing as a J Street advocacy leader to share important updates from the region as well as J Street’s statements and resources from the past week.

This week marked 30 years since the assassination of Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin — remembered as both a warrior and a peacemaker who believed that only peace could bring true security. The bodies of the final American hostages, Itay Chen and Omer Neutra, were returned, leaving six deceased hostages yet to be recovered. As Gaza remains divided between Hamas and IDF control, the Administration circulated a draft UN Security Council resolution to establish an International Security Force, and proposed a plan for rebuilding in Gaza in IDF-controlled areas. In the West Bank, demolition orders in Umm al-Kheir drew opposition from over 100 US Members of Congress. And regionally, Israel struck Hezbollah targets in Lebanon, Kazakhstan joined the Abraham Accords, and the U.S. military established a new presence in Damascus ahead of the Syrian president’s visit to Washington.

You can find more on each of these developments and others below, along with our most recent statements here.

I invite you to reach out to your J Street Public Affairs staff with any questions.

All the best,
Lily

—
Lily Adelstein
She/Her
Deputy Director of Government Affairs, J Street
Cell: 202-699-2701
J Street’s Congressional Resource Page

This week on j street

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U.S. seeks UN approval for Gaza security force with broad two-year mandate

The U.S. sent several UN Security Council members a draft resolution on Monday for the establishment of an international force in Gaza for a duration of at least two years, according to a copy obtained by Axios. Why it matters: The draft resolution, which was designated “SENSITIVE BUT UNCLASSIFIED,” would give the U.S. and other participating countries a broad mandate to govern Gaza and provide security through the end of 2027, with the possibility of extensions after that. The U.S. official stressed that the International Security Force (ISF) will be an “enforcement force and not a peacekeeping force.” The force would involve troops from several participating countries and be established in consultation with the Gaza “Board of Peace,” which President Trump has said he will chair. The draft also calls for the Board of Peace to remain in place at least through the end of 2027.

Not enough tents, food reaching Gaza as winter comes, aid agencies say

Far too little aid is reaching Gaza nearly four weeks after a ceasefire, humanitarian agencies said on Tuesday, as hunger persists with winter approaching and old tents start to fray following Israel’s devastating two-year offensive. The truce was meant to unleash a torrent of aid across the tiny, crowded enclave where famine was confirmed in August and where almost all the 2.3 million inhabitants have lost their homes to Israeli bombardment. However, only half the needed amount of food is coming in, according to the World Food Programme, while an umbrella group of Palestinian agencies said overall aid volumes were between a quarter and a third of the expected amount.

Remains of the Last American Hostage Held in Gaza Returned to Israel

The body of the last and youngest of the American hostages held in Gaza was returned to Israel on Tuesday. “The remains of Itay Chen, a young American taken hostage by Hamas at just 19 years old, have finally returned home,” Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Tuesday. “We honor his life, mourn his loss and stand with his family.” Mr. Chen, a dual citizen who was born and raised in Israel and was serving in the military on Oct. 7, 2023, was initially presumed to have been taken alive to Gaza. Last year, the Israeli military told his parents that its intelligence indicated he had apparently been killed that day while defending civilians near the Gaza border, during the Hamas-led attack that set off the devastating war in the enclave… “There is no joy in laying your child to rest, but there is relief and there is peace for the soul,” Hagit Chen, Itay’s mother, said in a statement on Wednesday from the Hostages and Missing Families Forum, a group representing relatives of some of the captives.

Trump says he’ll “be involved” in Netanyahu’s corruption trial “to help him out”

Why it matters: Trump has repeatedly intervened into Israel’s judicial system and domestic politics over Netanyahu’s ongoing trial. What he is saying: Trump told interviewer Norah O’Donnell that Netanyahu is a “very talented guy” and the kind of leader Israel needed in wartime. “I don’t think they treat him very well. He’s under trial for some things, and I don’t think they treat him very well,” he said, adding: “We’ll be involved in that to help him out a little bit, because I think it’s very unfair.”

Trump sees central role for Turkey in Gaza peace, but Israel is crying foul

For almost two decades, Turkey has cultivated a relationship with Hamas — to the chagrin of some other countries in the region — but it won effusive praise from President Donald Trump in recent weeks for using those connections to help pressure the Palestinian militant group into reaching a Gaza ceasefire deal with Israel. The central role that the Americans see for Turkey in advancing Trump’s peace plan, however, has left Israeli officials aghast. They consider Turkey to be too closely aligned with Islamist groups hostile to Israel and see it as a main competitor for influence across the Middle East.

Senior IDF officer: Strikes in Lebanon ‘preview’ of what to come if Beirut doesn’t disarm Hezbollah

Israel’s threats against Hezbollah and the Lebanese state continue to grow, as a senior military official tells Channel 12 news that Israeli strikes in Lebanon today are “just a preview” of what is to come if the terror group is not disarmed. “If the Lebanese army does not disarm Hezbollah and fails to meet the demands of the ceasefire,” says the IDF officer, “Israel, with US backing, will attack Hezbollah targets across Lebanon, including in Beirut.” Israel has given Beirut an ultimatum that it will carry out a broad operation if the Lebanese Armed Forces don’t step up their efforts, according to the outlet.

Exclusive: US military to establish presence at Damascus airbase, sources say

The United States is preparing to establish a military presence at an airbase in Damascus to help enable a security pact that Washington is brokering between Syria and Israel, six sources familiar with the matter told Reuters. The U.S. plans for the presence in the Syrian capital, which have not previously been reported, would be a sign of Syria’s strategic realignment with the U.S. following the fall last year of longtime leader Bashar al-Assad, an ally of Iran. The base sits at the gateway to parts of southern Syria that are expected to make up a demilitarised zone as part of a non-aggression pact between Israel and Syria. That deal is being mediated by U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration.

IDF Kills 15-year-old Palestinian in Northern West Bank, Local Health Officials Say

A 15-year-old Palestinian was killed by IDF fire in the town of al-Yamun in the West Bank, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry. The ministry said that Murad Abu Seifin’s body is being held by Israel. The IDF said in response to the incident that Abu Seifin threw an explosive device at military forces that were operating in the town. Local sources said that IDF forces raided the town overnight into Thursday and fired at Abu Seifin while he was on the street. He was hit by four bullets, and the soldiers prevented emergency services from reaching him. Therefore, he bled to death without receiving medical treatment.

Opinion | In Israel, an Unfamiliar Word Is Heard: Peace

“The crowd that filled Rabin Square in Tel Aviv on Saturday night to remember Yitzhak Rabin, the Israeli prime minister gunned down there by a right-wing extremist 30 years ago, was not particularly impressive. There were maybe 50,000 people, many of them middle-aged or older. What stood out was not the turnout, but the frequent uttering of a word that has seldom been heard in large political gatherings in Israel in recent years. “Yes to peace, no to violence!” people chanted. “Pursuing peace is a Jewish act,” declared Yair Lapid, the leader of the opposition and head of the centrist Yesh Atid party. Mr. Rabin “knew that peace is not weakness, but strength and power,” said Yair Golan, a former general who leads the left-wing Democrats party.”