The Fire 6000 Miles Away, Substack
J Street President Jeremy Ben-Ami interviews New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof about Kristof’s recent travels to Israel and the West Bank. Reflecting on the situation in Gaza, Ben-Ami writes: “Large areas of Gaza are being literally bulldozed to create a buffer zone. Hundreds of thousands of people are being pushed into smaller and smaller areas. And in those areas, Israeli military operations purportedly aimed at militants become ever more likely to catch civilians in the crossfire. And through it all, dozens of Israeli hostages remain trapped in tunnels – suffering inhuman abuse and deprivation for eighteen months now. Their – and their families’ – only hope continues to be a negotiated deal to end the fighting, bring them home and restart aid. Yet this is precisely the deal their Prime Minister has to avoid to stay in power.”
Israeli Minister Says Freeing Hostages Not ‘Most Important’ Aim of the War, The New York Times
“[Bezalel Smotrich] said [today] that saving the hostages held by Hamas in Gaza was not ‘the most important goal’ in its war with the militant group, adding fuel to a tense debate in Israel over the price it should pay to bring home the dozens of remaining captives. […] Mr. Smotrich’s remarks touched a nerve in Israel, where a no-one-left-behind ethos has long prompted the country to make difficult deals in exchange for the release of its captives.”
Hostage Deal Talks Appear in Crisis as Holiday Deadlines Pass With No Results, Haaretz
“The gap between each side’s key conditions has not been bridged. Israel rejects the idea of continued Hamas rule in Gaza or for it to continue possessing weapons after the hostages are released; Hamas, on the other hand, refuses to release the hostages until it receives clear guarantees for an end to the war. A senior Israeli official said Sunday that despite the pessimism, talks with Hamas continue ‘all the time’ and haven’t collapsed. Omer Dostri, a spokesman for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, said over the weekend that there was no agreement in sight by which all the hostages would be released at once.”
After Second Round, Iran Says Nuclear Talks With U.S. ‘Moving Forward’, The Washington Post
“’We negotiated for nearly four hours today. Following the previous session, I can say this sitting was also a good one,’ Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told Iranian state television. ‘I can say the talks are moving forward. We succeeded to reach a better agreement this time about principles and targets.’ President Donald Trump has said he will prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons through diplomacy if possible but by force if necessary. Iran wants relief from sanctions.”
Israeli Probe Into Killing of 15 Palestinian Medics Finds ‘Professional Failures’, NPR
“An Israeli investigation into the killings of 15 Palestinian medics last month in Gaza by Israeli forces said Sunday it found ‘professional failures’ and a deputy commander will be fired. Israel at first claimed that the medics’ vehicles did not have emergency signals on when troops opened fire but later backtracked. Cellphone video recovered from one of the medics contradicted Israel’s initial account. […] Israeli strikes have killed more than 150 emergency responders from the Red Crescent and Civil Defense, most of them while on duty, as well as over 1,000 health workers during the war, according to the U.N. The Israeli military rarely investigates such incidents.”
Israeli Attacks Kill Dozens in Gaza, Health Ministry Says, The New York Times
“The latest round of Israeli attacks in a renewed military offensive in Gaza has killed dozens of Palestinians, the territory’s health ministry said on Saturday. The ministry said that 92 dead and 219 wounded people had arrived at hospitals over the past 48 hours. Gaza health officials do not differentiate between civilians and combatants in casualty counts. On Saturday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel indicated talks to free hostages and stop the war in Gaza were still at an impasse. He insisted the Israeli government would not end the war until Israel destroys Hamas in Gaza, ensures the territory will no longer pose a threat to Israelis and returns all the hostages.”
Israeli President Herzog: Pope Francis Was a Man of Deep Faith, Peace and Compassion, Reuters
“‘A man of deep faith and boundless compassion, he dedicated his life to uplifting the poor and calling for peace in a troubled world,’ Herzog said of [Pope] Francis. ‘I truly hope that his prayers for peace in the Middle East and for the safe return of the hostages (in Gaza) will soon be answered,’ Herzog said.”
Israeli Army No Longer Designates Humanitarian Zones in Gaza Since Fighting Resumed, Haaretz
Nir Hasson writes: “Since resuming fighting last month, the Israeli military has stopped designating humanitarian zones in Gaza and has struck the Muwasi area – previously defined as a safe zone – 23 times. […] The last time the army released a map showing the humanitarian zone was on January 12. On January 15, four days before the cease-fire between Israel and Hamas was due to go into force, the army printed a map with evacuation orders and no longer included a humanitarian zone. The maps have stayed the same since the IDF started issuing them again after it ended the cease-fire.”
Trump’s War on Higher Ed Doesn’t End at Columbia. Take a Look at Iowa. | Opinion, Des Moines Register
J Street U Leader Alliyah Kazan writes: “I have personally seen professors unwilling to post lecture slides for students to review outside of class, even on subjects like the Holocaust, out of fear of retaliation from the university. Some urge students to frontload courses now before they vanish from the catalog. Across campuses, students carry proof of visa or citizenship status, bracing for the next crackdown. It’s real dystopian stuff.”
Israel’s Anti-War Protests Avoid Gaza. These Women Are Changing That., The Washington Post
“When Israel broke its ceasefire with Hamas last month, launching strikes that killed hundreds of children in Gaza, a small group of Israeli women decided to act. They printed photos of the victims, gathered candles used for Jewish mourning and, nervous about how the crowd might respond, set off for a weekly anti-war protest in central Tel Aviv.The women, who had connected online and at protests, knew their demonstration would mark a quiet revolution: For months, Israelis had called for an end to the war to bring their hostages home, but the human cost of the conflict in Gaza — where at least 51,000 people have been killed — was largely absent from the debate”