Princeton: A Tale of a Prime Minister, Protesters, Pagers and Presidents, Substack
J Street President Jeremy Ben-Ami writes: “While foreign students fear for their safety and Jewish students fear rising antisemitism, the universities are fearing for their funding. The Trump administration has suspended or cut billions in research funds and other grants to major universities – framing their actions as part of the ‘fight against antisemitism on campus,’ a very real phenomenon that deserves serious attention. […] It should offend the sensibility of every Jewish American to see the critical fight against antisemitism co-opted in the service of goals opposed by the overwhelming majority of our community.”
Jewish Groups and Synagogues Defend Students Detained by ICE, The New York Times
“They are a group of progressive Jewish organizations and congregations, and they are coming to the defense of Rumeysa Ozturk, a Muslim graduate student at Tufts, who faces deportation after she helped write an essay critical of Israel. The coalition includes synagogues in places like West Newton, Mass., San Francisco and the Upper West Side of New York, along with J-Street, a pro-Israel advocacy group. On Thursday, they filed a brief in federal court in Burlington, Vt., objecting to the tactics the government was using against Ms. Ozturk in the name of combating antisemitism.”
A Palestinian Activist Expecting a US Citizenship Interview Is Arrested Instead by ICE in Vermont, AP
“Mohsen Mahdawi, a legal permanent resident who has held a green card since 2015, was detained at the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services office in Colchester by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents, his lawyers said. […] As a student, Mahdawi was an outspoken critic of Israel’s military campaign in Gaza and organized campus protests until March 2024. He co-founded the Palestinian Student Union at Columbia with Mahmoud Khalil, another Palestinian permanent resident of the U.S. and graduate student who recently was detained by ICE.”
Witkoff: U.S. Not Interested in Dismantling Iran’s Nuclear Program, Haaretz
“Witkoff’s comments confirm reports that the U.S. may not be seeking to dismantle the Iranian nuclear program, but rather to allow it to maintain a nuclear program for civilian purposes. The special envoy revealed the U.S. position against the backdrop of Israeli concerns about a nuclear agreement that would not remove the Iranian threat from the deal. Israel would be forced to silently accept it for fear of a harsh U.S. response.”
Thousands of Israeli Reservists Condemn Leadership for Return to War, The Washington Post
“In the past few days, veterans, reservists, ex-spies and military officers, academics and former diplomats have all appealed to Israel’s leadership, penning open letters critical of the war. It began last week when nearly 1,000 air force pilots, some reservists and some retired, urged the military to secure a deal with Hamas to release the remaining hostages, even if it means withdrawing completely from Gaza.”
Israeli Airstrike Hits Hospital Entrance in Gaza, Killing Medic and Wounding 9, AP
“An Israeli airstrike hit the northern gate of a field hospital in the Gaza Strip on Tuesday, killing a medic and wounding nine other people, a spokesman for the hospital said. The strike hit the Kuwaiti Field Hospital in the Muwasi area, where hundreds of thousands have sought shelter in sprawling tent camps. The wounded were all patients and medics, and two of the patients were in critical condition after the strike, said Saber Mohammed, a hospital spokesman.”
UN Human Rights Office Concerned About Israeli Strikes on Civilians in Lebanon, Reuters
“The U.N. human rights office voiced concern on Tuesday about the protection of civilians in Lebanon as Israeli military operations have continued to kill civilians there since a ceasefire in November. ‘Israeli military operations in Lebanon continue to kill and injure civilians, and destroy civilian infrastructure, raising concerns regarding the protection of civilians,’ Thameen Al-Kheetan, spokesperson for the U.N. Office for the High Commissioner of Human Rights, told reporters in Geneva.”
Harvard Defies Trump Call for Changes in Policy on Antisemitism; Risks $9B in Funding, The Times of Israel
“In a letter to Harvard Friday, the administration called for broad government and leadership reforms, a requirement that Harvard institute what it calls ‘merit-based’ admissions and hiring policies as well as conduct an audit of the study body, faculty and leadership on their views about diversity. […] Harvard President Alan Garber, in a letter to the Harvard community Monday, said the demands violated the university’s First Amendment rights and ‘exceeds the statutory limits of the government’s authority under Title VI,’ which prohibits discrimination against students based on their race, color or national origin.”
The U.S. Must Now Reckon With a Hegemon in the Mideast: Israel, The New York Times
Former senior US State Department officials Aaron David Miller and Steven Simon write: “Israel’s form of hegemony has engendered a temporary stability. But it won’t last without converting Israel’s military dominance into arrangements and agreements with its Palestinian and Arab neighbors that reflect a balance of interests rather than the current asymmetry of power, which sooner or later will lead to more confrontation, violence and terror.”