News Roundup for April 19, 2023

April 19, 2023

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J Street works to promote an open, honest and rigorous conversation about Israel. The opinions reflected in articles posted in the News Roundup do not necessarily reflect J Street’s positions, and their posting does not constitute an endorsement from J Street.

Top News and Analysis

Anti-judicial Overhaul Leaders Plan ‘Largest Independence Day Rally in Israel’s History’, Haaretz
Leaders of the protest movement against the government’s judicial overhaul plan have called on the public to attend a mass Independence Day demonstration in Tel Aviv next week, promising “the largest independence [day] event in the history of Israel.”

McCarthy to Become 2nd House Speaker to Address Israeli Knesset, Axios
House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) said on Tuesday he will give a speech in front of a full session of the Israeli Knesset during his upcoming trip to Israel. McCarthy will be the first U.S. House speaker to address the Knesset in 25 years. Newt Gingrich was the first and last to do so in 1998. McCarthy is expected to arrive in Israel on April 30 with a bipartisan delegation of 20 Republican and Democratic members of Congress as part of Israel’s 75th independence day celebrations.

China Offers to Facilitate Israeli-Palestinian Peace Talks, Fox News
China’s foreign minister told his Israeli and Palestinian counterparts that his country is ready to help facilitate peace talks between the two sides, in its latest effort at mediation in the region. In separate phone calls to the two officials on Monday, Qin Gang expressed China’s concern over intensifying tensions between Israel and Palestinians and its support for a resumption of peace talks, the Foreign Ministry said in statements issued late Monday.

News

Suspected Shooting Attack in Jerusalem Wounds 2 Israeli Men, ABC News
A Palestinian gunman shot and wounded two Israelis in Jerusalem on Tuesday, police said, the latest bloodshed in a year-long cycle of violence that shows no sign of abating. Meanwhile, in the northern occupied West Bank, a focus of fighting for the past year, the Israeli military conducted an arrest raid in the Jenin refugee camp, prompting Palestinian militants to open fire. At least six Palestinians were wounded in the firefight, Palestinian health officials said, including a paramedic struck by shrapnel. Residents of the refugee camp reported that three Palestinians were arrested.

IDF Troops Carry Out Raid in Jenin, Clash with Palestinian Gunmen, The Times of Israel
Israeli troops clashed with Palestinian gunmen in the northern West Bank city of Jenin on Tuesday afternoon, according to the military and Palestinian media reports. The Israel Defense Forces said troops were operating in the Jenin refugee camp, but did not immediately provide further details.

Opinion and Analysis

A Holocaust Survivor’s Plea: Don’t Let the Government Destroy the Israel We Built, Haaretz
Avraham Roth, a 95-year-old Holocaust survivor, writes, “Until a few months ago, we believed that we had achieved our goals and could rest, leaving behind us pride, hope and a country that is a great light, even to non-Jews. But then, falling on us like a bolt of lightning out of a clear blue sky, came the attempt to destroy all the values on which we were raised and raised our children.”

Israel Is Turning 75. For American Jews, Planning The Birthday Party Has Gotten Complicated., JTA
Andrew Lapin discusses how American Jews are approaching Israel’s upcoming anniversary at a time of political and cultural turmoil in the country.