News Roundup for August 1, 2024

August 1, 2024
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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.

J Street In the News

The Israeli Far-Right Just Committed Their Own Jan. 6, The Forward
J Street Chief of Staff Adina Vogel Ayalon shares, “The continued impunity, not just for guards in military prisons but for violent settlers and soldiers on the West Bank, government ministers spewing incitement and leaders alleged to have violated the laws of war in Gaza, is absolutely caustic to Israel’s democracy, its security and to its core liberal democratic and Jewish values. Unless Israelis publicly and forcefully reckon with this internal rot, the Jewish state will descend into sectarian chaos.”

J Street Urges Swift International Action to Prevent All-Out Mideast War as Iran’s Supreme Leader Orders Attack on Israel, J Street
“While we shed no tears for these Hamas and Hezbollah leaders, whose stated goals were the destruction of Israel and death of its civilians, these assassinations – and that of Haniyeh in particular – are likely to further inflame an already explosive situation. The only way to defuse the situation is to hammer out a ceasefire agreement now, before it’s too late,” said J Street President Jeremy Ben-Ami.”

Top News and Analysis

US Concerned Hamas Leader’s Assassination Could Derail Gaza Hostage-Ceasefire Talks, Axios
Haniyeh’s assassination created a much more dangerous situation with a higher potential for escalation, a U.S. official said, adding he was “bewildered” by the Israeli assassination of Haniyeh in Tehran and the timing of it. U.S. officials are concerned that the killing of Hezbollah’s top military adviser in Beirut together with the Haniyeh assassination in Tehran could create a critical mass of pressure on Iran, Hezbollah and other proxies to respond in a much harsher way than they originally planned.

Iran’s Leader Orders Attack on Israel for Haniyeh Killing, Officials Say, The New York Times
Mr. Khamenei, who has the last word on all state matters and is also the commander in chief of the armed forces, instructed military commanders from the Revolutionary Guards and the army to prepare plans for both an attack and a defense in the event that the war expands and Israel or the United States strike Iran, the officials said.

News

Hamas Military Chief Was Killed in July Strike, Israel Says, BBC
Gaza’s Hamas-run health authorities said at the time that the air strike had killed more than 90 people, but denied that Deif was among the dead. Deif was widely seen as the second-ranking Hamas official in Gaza, behind Yahya Sinwar, the group’s leader in the territory. Israel’s Defence Minister, Yoav Gallant, said the death of Deif is “a significant milestone” in the dismantling of Hamas.

Two Al Jazeera Journalists Were Killed in Israeli Airstrike on Gaza, The New York Times
The Qatar-based network said the reporter Ismail al-Ghoul and his cameraman, Rami al-Rifee, were killed in Shati camp in northern Gaza after reporting from or near the house of the deceased Hamas political chief, Ismail Haniyeh, who was assassinated in Tehran on Wednesday. The network accused the Israeli military of targeting the journalists with a “direct hit,” and reported that “their car was clearly marked as a press vehicle.”

Netanyahu: ‘Challenging Days Ahead,’ Israel Will Exact Heavy Price for Any Attack, The Times of Israel
Speaking from military headquarters in Tel Aviv at the end of a three-hour-long security cabinet meeting, Netanyahu said Israel was facing threats from across the region following the killing of Fuad Shukr, whom he called “Hezbollah’s chief of staff,” in Beirut on Tuesday night. “We are ready for every scenario,” he promised, “and will stand united and determined against every threat.” He added: “Israel will exact a very heavy price for any aggression against us.”

UN Report Says Palestinians Detained by Israeli Authorities Since Oct. 7 Faced Torture, Mistreatment, AP
The report said Israel’s prison service held more than 9,400 “security detainees” as of the end of June, and some have been held in secret without access to lawyers or respect for their legal rights. A summary of the report, based on interviews with former detainees and other sources, decried a “staggering” number of detainees — including men, women, children, journalists and human rights defenders — and said such practices raise concerns about arbitrary detention.

Israel’s Top Court: IDF Must Protect Palestinians From West Bank Settlers, Even During War, Haaretz
The High Court of Justice issued its ruling in response to petitions filed by Palestinian residents of the West Bank, who claimed they aren’t receiving security protection from violent Jewish settlers.

New Precautions Ordered for Netanyahu, Ministers as Iran Attack Looms, The Times of Israel
The Shin Bet chief was said to insist on approving all travel plans, with the Prime Minister and ministers only allowed to attend events near shelters. Israeli representatives abroad were told to lower their profile.

United, Delta cancel flights to Israel amid fears of attacks, The Times of Israel
US airlines Delta and United on Wednesday announced the cancellation of planned flights to Israel for several days amid spiraling tensions with Hezbollah and Iran and an anticipation of potential large-scale attacks on the Jewish state in the coming days.

Opinion and Analysis

Pressure on Israel From International Bodies Has an Effect. High Court Judges Listen to Us Now, Haaretz
Twenty-one Israeli NGOs recently released the second ‘State of the Occupation’ report – a harrowing read that ties together war in Gaza, settler violence in the West Bank, and the deterioration of civil liberties in Israel. Physicians for Human Rights’ Guy Shalev says the Hamas massacre, also in the report, should not be used to silence criticism of Israeli abuses.

The Killing of a Hamas Leader Is Part of a Larger War, The New York Times
Matthew Duss and Nancy Okail argue, “Some in the U.S. foreign policy establishment argue that since neither the United States nor Iran desires full-scale war, cooler heads will prevail. But once uncorked, this kind of violence usually cannot be controlled. It’s important to understand that even if we are able to step back from the brink now, as we all must hope, this policy is both a moral and strategic failure, with consequences and costs in human lives, to U.S. credibility and to the so-called ‘rules-based order’ we haven’t begun to comprehend.”

One Israeli Hostage’s Unusual Experience in Gaza, The Atlantic
Hanna Rosin interviews Liat Beinin Atzili, who was kidnapped and held in Gaza for more than 50 days.

War Gives Palestinian Olympians a Wider Role: Athlete-Diplomats, The New York Times
Tariq Panja reports from the Paris Olympics, “The Palestinian team is living at one end of the Olympic Village, opposite from the tightly guarded one housing Israel’s athletes. But that has not stopped the athletes from crossing paths in common areas. For some Palestinians, that can be difficult. ‘I feel grief and anger at the same time,’ Dwedar said.”