News Roundup for August 15, 2022

August 15, 2022
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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

Palestinian Gunman Wounds 8 in Late-Night Jerusalem Shooting, AP
A Palestinian gunman opened fire at a bus near Jerusalem’s Old City early Sunday, wounding eight Israelis in an attack that came a week after violence flared up between Israel and militants in Gaza, police and medics said. Two of the victims were in serious condition, including a pregnant woman with abdominal injuries and a man with gunshot wounds to the head and neck, according to Israeli hospitals treating them. The U.S. Ambassador to Israel, Tom Nides, tweeted that there were American citizens among the wounded. An embassy spokesperson disclosed no other information or details.

Tensions Flare Between Israel and Hezbollah Over Disputed Gas Fields, The Washington Post
From this sunbaked ridge, the small outpost is clearly visible: a trailer that appeared one morning in April, quickly followed by a two-story observation tower, just feet from the hotly contested “Blue Line” that separates Lebanon and Israel. Lebanon says the structures are used by an environmental group. But Israeli officials say the tower belongs to Hezbollah, the Iranian-backed Lebanese militia group, and is one of 22 outposts that have appeared along the U.N.-monitored Blue Line in the past three months — part of a sudden and worrying escalation that has led Israel to put its northern forces on high alert.

News

Former Army Chief Gadi Eisenkot Joins Three-way Alliance With Benny Gantz and Gideon Sa’ar, Haaretz
Former Israeli army chief Gadi Eisenkot announced Sunday he is joining a three-way alliance with Benny Gantz and Gideon Sa’ar ahead of November elections, dubbed the National Unity Party, following months of speculation over whether the household name would enter the political arena.

Syria Says Israeli Strikes Kill 3 Soldiers, Wounds Others, ABC News
Israel launched a missile attack on western and central Syria Sunday night, killing three soldiers and wounding three others, the Syrian military said in a statement.

IDF Official Says Gaza Exports Have Shot Up, as Israel Seeks to Incentivize Calm, The Times of Israel
The military’s liaison to the Palestinians on Sunday touted steps Israel has taken to strengthen the economy in the Gaza Strip while also foiling military buildup by terror groups there.

Israel’s Army Looks to Expand Gaza Work Permits to Keep Pressure on Hamas, Haaretz
Israel should continue its civilian policy toward the Gaza Strip, a military source said on Sunday, arguing it gave Hamas an incentive not to join the latest round of fighting with Islamic Jihad militants in the Strip.

Opinion and Analysis

After the Latest Clash With Israel, Gazans’ Struggle Continues, Vox
Ellen Ioanes reports, “While attacks and retaliation from Gaza certainly affect Israeli civilians — forcing them into shelter, destroying property, and sometimes killing innocent people — there is a notable asymmetry not only in the kinds of weapons both sides use, but also in the effect they have on civilian areas, for a number of reasons. In Gaza, it’s incredibly difficult for people to rebuild their homes, not only due to military operations but because they cannot get the supplies to do so, as Diana Buttu, a Canadian-Palestinian attorney and former advisor to Palestinian Authority President and Palestine Liberation Organization Chairman Mahmoud Abbas, told Vox.”

Holocaust Comparisons, Soros Conspiracies Dominate U.S. Republican Messaging, Haaretz
Ben Samuels notes, ” Republican officials have increasingly used the name of Jewish billionaire George Soros and invoked Nazi imagery in recent political statements, despite consistent warnings by leading U.S. Jewish organizations that such tropes reflect antisemitic messages.”

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