[Audio] Recognizing Palestine? ‘It May Be a Punishment for Netanyahu, but It’s a Big Prize for Israel’, Haaretz
“[J Street Israel Executive Director Nadav Tamir] says that recognizing a Palestinian state nor limiting arms exports is not a punishment against the Israeli people. ‘Maybe they see it as punishment for [Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu, but as a Zionist Israeli, I see it as a big prize for us,’ Tamir said. ‘I think that a Palestinian state is first and foremost an Israeli interest. There is no way Israel could remain the homeland of the Jewish people and a democracy if there will be no Palestinian state.’”
Israel Steps up Gaza City Bombing After Netanyahu Vow to Expand Offensive, Reuters
“Witnesses said Israeli tanks and planes pounded Sabra, Zeitoun, and Shejaia, three eastern suburbs of Gaza City in the north of the territory, on Monday, pushing many families westwards from their homes. Some Gaza City residents said it was one of the worst nights in weeks, raising fears of military preparations for a deeper offensive into their city, which Hamas says is now sheltering about 1 million people after the displacement of residents from the enclave’s northern edges.”
Israeli Hostage Families Call for Nationwide Walkout, The New York Times
“’Silence enables their sacrifice on the altar of an endless war without purpose or goal,’ said the Hostage Families Forum, an advocacy group. ‘This is the time for everyone to join us, across the entire country.’ The call to shut down the nation’s businesses and schools came after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced that the country intended to expand its operations in Gaza.”
Trump to Axios on Israel’s Offensive: Hamas “Can’t Stay” in Gaza, Axios
“President Trump stopped short of directly endorsing Israel’s plans to attack and occupy Gaza City in a brief phone interview with Axios on Monday, but said he didn’t believe Hamas would release the hostages unless the situation changed.”
UN Condemns Targeted Israeli Attack That Killed Five Al Jazeera Journalists, BBC
The BBC cannot independently verify these documents, and has seen no evidence of Sharif having involvement in the current war or remaining an active member of Hamas. No Israeli explanation has so far been given for the killing of the entire Al Jazeera news crew. […] ‘Israel must respect & protect all civilians, including journalists,’ the UN Human Rights office said in a post on X. ‘We call for immediate, safe and unhindered access to Gaza for all journalists.’”
[Audio] Gaza City Residents React to Israeli Military Plans for Major New Offensive, NPR
“Israel says it will launch a major new ground offensive to take control of all of Gaza. Exhausted residents of Gaza City say they won’t be able to evacuate.”
Norway Sovereign Fund Expects to Sell More Israeli Stocks Over Gaza, West Bank, Reuters
“Norway’s $2 trillion wealth fund, the world’s largest, said on Tuesday it expects to divest from more Israeli companies as part of its ongoing review of investments in the country over the situation in Gaza and the West Bank. The fund announced on Monday it was terminating contracts with all three of its external asset managers who handled some of its Israeli investments and has divested parts of its portfolio in the country over the worsening humanitarian crisis in Gaza.”
The Reasons Israelis Have Closed Their Eyes to Gaza, The New York Times
Shira Efron writes, “While indications are growing that the tragedy is starting to register among Israelis, the willful blindness of much of Israeli society must be discarded for Israel to begin pulling itself out of the quagmire in Gaza and repairing its own tattered image. The first step to resolving a problem is admitting there is one.”
Israel’s Targeting of Palestinian Reporters in Gaza Isn’t Collateral Damage. It’s Strategy, Haaretz
Ahmad Tibi writes, “From the outset of Israel’s war on Gaza, it was clear that the assault was being waged not only against buildings and bodies, but also against facts and the people who bring them to light. Alongside relentless bombing, starvation and mass displacement, Israeli authorities enforced an information blackout, barring foreign journalists from entering Gaza while targeting local Palestinian reporters who remain. This is not collateral damage; it is a strategy.”
The Prophets Would Not Abide by Jewish Silence, The Times of Israel
Joel Laitman writes, “This general view – that Israel being mired in an external conflict with enemies compels the stifling of criticism – cuts against central teachings in the Jewish Tradition. The spiritual and moral force of the Prophets, one of the central parts of the Hebrew Bible, vests not just in the content of their message but in the context. Many of the most famous Prophets are known for railing against the kings and priests of ancient Israel.”