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I hope you are doing well after a busy week back.
I’m writing to share a few significant developments in the region.
This week’s developments highlight the fallout from the killing of US American citizen Aysenur Ezgi Eygi in the West Bank, the IDF’s shifting military considerations, and Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Mustafa’s vision for the future of Gaza.
In addition to these news stories, I’ve also shared J Street’s most recent webinar on the increasing volatility in the West Bank and tools to address key instigators of violence.
As always, please feel free to reach out with any questions.
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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| SHUSHAN STREET |
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SHUSHAN STREET: IT’S TIME TO SANCTION SMOTRICH, BEN-GVIR, AND KEY ENTITIES PERPETUATING SETTLER VIOLENCE AND ANNEXATION
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| ISSUE BRIEF |
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WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW: MINISTERS BEZALEL SMOTRICH AND ITAMAR BEN-GVIR
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| WEBINAR |
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The Spiraling Situation in the West Bank
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What we’re reading
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U.S. demands IDF change West Bank operations after American’s killing
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| In one of the sharpest criticisms the Biden administration has made of Israeli military operations in the West Bank, Blinken said: “We’ve long seen reports of the security forces looking the other way when extremist settlers use violence against Palestinians. We’ve seen reports of excessive force by Israeli security forces against Palestinians.”…“It’s not acceptable,” he said. “It has to change. And we’ll be making that clear to the senior-most members of the Israeli government.” |
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IDF declares Hamas’s Rafah Brigade defeated; no active cross-border tunnels found
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| “There are a total of nine underground sites [tunnels] that cross into Egyptian territory, but they have collapsed, they are not usable, they are not active,” he said. Brig. Gen. Itzik Cohen, the commander of the IDF’s 162nd Division, in southern Gaza’s Rafah. The existence of cross-border tunnels between Egypt and the Strip has long been a matter of public record. Egypt itself has worked for years to thwart the cross-border network, blowing tunnels up, flooding them with water, pumping toxic gas into them, and even razing homes along the border to establish a buffer zone. |
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Palestinian Militants in the West Bank Flex New Capabilities
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| In the shadow of the war in Gaza, conflict in the Israeli-occupied West Bank has intensified with Palestinian attackers carrying out bolder and more sophisticated assaults as the Israeli military increases the scope of its raids on Palestinian cities. A shooting by a Jordanian citizen that killed three Israelis on Sunday at a heavily fortified West Bank border crossing came after three recent attempts by Palestinian militants, including from Hamas, to set off car bombs in the territory…“If you compare what’s been happening in recent weeks to what was happening over the past decade, you can see a more organized effort to carry out attacks,” said Ibrahim Dalalsha, the director of the Horizon Center, a research group based in Ramallah, in the West Bank. |
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Unwilling to Be Human Shields, Some Gazans Turn Gunmen Away From Shelters
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| Residents, already forced to evacuate their homes because of Israel’s intense bombardment, wanted to avoid becoming a target for Israeli forces hunting down Hamas militants. Every few days in recent weeks, Israel has hit a school building turned shelter where it has said militants are hiding, including on Saturday, when it struck two compounds in northern Gaza that it said Hamas was using as a military base. Early in the conflict, Mr. Zaanin said, Hamas had wanted to station police officers at the shelter where he was staying. The group said it would ensure security, but he said the residents had gathered to stop that. |
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2,000-Pound Bombs Likely Used in Al-Mawasi Strike
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| Large craters and a bomb fragment from an Israeli airstrike on a camp for displaced people early Tuesday provide strong evidence that Israel used 2,000-pound bombs, according to three weapons experts. The United States has previously warned Israel that the powerful munitions can cause excessive civilian casualties in the densely populated Gaza Strip, and suspended exporting U.S.-made 2,000-pound bombs to Israel earlier this year. |
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Katz threatens to ‘break and dissolve’ PA if it pushes UN resolution against Israel
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| Foreign Minister Israel Katz has threatened to “break and dissolve” the Palestinian Authority if they move forward with aggressive measures against Israel in the United Nations, his office told The Times of Israel on Sunday. The threat came as the PA submitted a draft resolution to the General Assembly demanding that Israel be forced to implement the decisions of the International Court of Justice in The Hague, the UN’s top court. The measure is set to be voted on next week, Israel’s UN mission said Sunday. |
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Palestinian prime minister: A day-after plan for Gaza
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| Since its formation in April, my government has been working tirelessly to stabilize the deteriorating situation in the West Bank while also preparing for “the day after” in the Gaza Strip. We are committed to the welfare, security and dignity of our people, and to leading recovery and reconstruction efforts once a permanent cease-fire is achieved. This will take place in parallel to continuing the implementation of essential reforms to consolidate the foundations for an independent Palestinian state. |
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