J Street Government Affairs News Digest | September 9, 2022

 

Government Affairs News Digest
I’m writing to share J Street’s statements and news updates. Four months after her death, an internal IDF investigation has concluded that Shireen Abu Akleh was likely killed by Israeli fire during a firefight with Palestinians in Jenin. This shift came after pressure from the administration, Congress, and various independent investigations finding that the Palestinian-American was likely killed by an Israeli soldier. The IDF has identified the soldier who “likely fired the shot,” and has shared that “It was a mistake and he is sorry for it.” In the meantime, the US government is engaged in a dialogue with Israel about altering its rules of engagement in the West Bank.

We continue to be concerned with increasing reports of the Palestinian Authority’s loss of control in major Palestinian cities in Area A of the West Bank. This is a result of Palestinians’ growing frustration with the PA’s corruption, lack of political deliverables as Israel deepens the occupation, and an unclear succession plan for President Abbas. Assistant Secretary Barbara Leaf traveled to the region last week and held meetings with Israeli and Palestinian leadership focused on this issue. We held a public briefing on this issue yesterday, and you can find the recording and learn more here.

Finally, we were heartened to see that the Israeli government has once again postponed the final hearing for the controversial settlement of E1. The postponement came after significant administration and congressional engagement. On the other hand, news of the retroactive legalization of two dozen settlement outposts deep in the West Bank, as well as the advancement of a plan for a new settlement in East Jerusalem which would sever Palestinian neighborhoods from Bethlehem are deeply concerning.

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.

Let me know if you have any questions or would like further information.

All the best,
Hannah


Hannah Morris
Director of Government Affairs, J Street
mobile: 832-606-1817 | [email protected] | @morhannah

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What we’re reading

U.S. urges Israel to take steps to stabilize Palestinian Authority

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Barbara Leaf, the State Department’s most senior diplomat for the Middle East, visited Israel and the Palestinian Authority late last week and met with senior Israeli and Palestinian officials… “The situation on the ground is worse than it seems,” Bar told Leaf, according to the Israeli sources. He claimed that Israel doesn’t want to send the military for incursions into Palestinian cities, but has no choice due to increased violence. The Israeli sources added that Bar told Leaf the Shin Bet supports strengthening the PA, but it’s harder to make decisions at this time because of November’s election in Israel.
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Hearing on controversial E1 settlement plan postponed again

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A hearing in a key settlement planning forum regarding the highly controversial E1 construction project has been postponed for the third time without a future date being set… The hearing had been scheduled for Monday in the Subcommittee for Objections of the Higher Planning Committee, and would have been the third and final time the subcommittee convened on the project. The Prime Minister’s Office, the Defense Ministry and a spokesman for Defense Minister Benny Gantz declined to comment on why the hearing was postponed again. Diplomatic pressure over the last year from the US has been the cause of previous delays.
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Israel advances plans for another east Jerusalem settlement

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Israeli authorities on Monday advanced a plan to build nearly 500 homes in a new Jewish settlement in Jerusalem that rights groups say will further sever it from the nearby Palestinian city of Bethlehem and the southern West Bank. The planned Givat HaShaked settlement is part of a cluster of settlements on the southern edge of east Jerusalem, many of which have already been built up into full-fledged residential neighborhoods. Critics say they further undermine any hopes for a two-state solution.
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Israel Moves to Legalize Dozens of West Bank Farm Outposts

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Israel’s Civil Administration is pushing forward with a plan that would allow the legalization of dozens of “farm outposts” across the West Bank using a new regulation. According to estimates, about 30 to 35 of the existing illegal farm outposts in the West Bank would meet the basic criteria: being located on state land. The procedure requires the approval of the defense minister and the Justice Ministry.
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US pressing Israel over IDF rules of engagement after Abu Akleh killing

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The United States is pushing Israel to review the army’s rules of engagement in the aftermath of the shooting death of Palestinian-American journalist Shireen Abu Akleh, State Department deputy spokesman deputy State Department spokesperson Vedant Patel said on Tuesday. “We’re going to continue to press our Israeli partners to closely review its policies and practices on rules of engagement and consider additional steps to mitigate the risk of civilian harm, protect journalists and prevent similar tragedies in the future,” Patel told reporters in Washington. He spoke out one day after the IDF concluded it was highly probable that one of its soldiers had shot her accidentally while she covered violent clashes between Israeli soldiers and Palestinian gunmen in Jenin on the morning of May 11 for the Al Jazeera network.
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Israel’s PM Lapid to Host Meretz, Labor Leaders to Discuss Joint Run

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Prime Minister Yair Lapid invited Thursday the heads of the left-wing parties Labor and Meretz, Merav Michaeli and Zehava Galon, to a joint meeting at the end of the week in a bid to persuade them to run together in Israel’s upcoming election. Both Michaeli and Galon confirmed that they will attend the meeting. “I will come with an open heart to discuss this matter,” Michaeli said at the beginning of the weekly meeting of Labor’s Knesset faction. “My main goal is to prevent the return of a right-wing government. The issue we are discussing is what is the best way to do it,” she added.
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Analysis: The West Bank Is About to Erupt, and Israel Is Doing Little to Stop It

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Everything described here is well known to Israel’s political leadership. But the constant looking to the right, to what opposition leader Benjamin Netanyahu will say, makes it difficult for the caretaker government to take steps aimed at bolstering the PA, much less to renew peace negotiations. It also appears that the competition and rivalry between Prime Minister Yair Lapid and Defense Minister Benny Gantz (the only politician who still maintains direct, regular contact with the PA leadership) also affect the situation. The fear of being seen as overly left-wing paralyzes the members of the so-called government of change. And it must be admitted that even the professionals in the various government ministries, who present their concerns in closed discussions, do not go out of their way to sound the alarm publicly. The red lights are on. It is likely that at some point they will be translated into an explosion.
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