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.
Live from Chicago and against the backdrop of the Democratic National Convention, join J Street and the Forward for a conversation diving deep into the challenges facing Democrats amid the Israel-Hamas war. J Street President Jeremy Ben-Ami will moderate the discussion featuring pollster Jim Gerstein, the Forward’s editor-in-chief Jodi Rudoren and a Member of Congress to be announced soon. Register here to join us on Tuesday, August 20 at 9am Pacific / 11am Central / 12pm Eastern >>
J Street Now Endorses 60 Percent of Senate and House Democrats, J Street
“Our balanced and nuanced message on a polarized and difficult set of issues clearly resonates with a wide swath of the Democratic Party today. We are now the mainstream voice in the party on Israel and the Middle East,” said J Street President Jeremy Ben-Ami. “J Street’s balanced approach, promoting peace, security and self-determination for both Israelis and Palestinians, has been heard in Washington, and the breadth of our reach proves it.”
Pressure Grows as ‘Last Chance’ Negotiations for Gaza Deal Resume, Axios
The summit in Doha, which Israeli officials have said is “the last chance” to get a deal, comes amid intense regional tensions and threats by Iran and Hezbollah to attack Israel in retaliation for the recent assassinations of Hamas and Hezbollah leaders in Tehran and Beirut. President Biden sees a hostage and ceasefire deal in Gaza as the key to de-escalation in the Middle East and preventing a regional war.
In Gaza, Israel’s Military Has Reached the End of the Line, US Officials Say, The New York Times
Israel has achieved all that it can militarily in Gaza, according to senior American officials, who say continued bombings are only increasing risks to civilians while the possibility of further weakening Hamas has diminished. With the Biden administration racing to get cease-fire negotiations back on track, a growing number of national security officials across the government said that the Israeli military had severely set back Hamas but would never be able to completely eliminate the group.
A Top Hamas Official Says the Group Is Losing Faith in the US as a Mediator in Gaza Cease-Fire Talks, AP
Hamdan said that CIA Director William Burns told Hamas via mediators at the time that Israel would agree to the deal. But, he said, “the Americans were unable to convince the Israelis. I think they did not pressure the Israelis.” Asked about Hamas’ concern about the U.S. role, State Department spokesperson Vedant Patel said: “Well, the United States does not think that Hamas is an honest broker.”
Bennett Calls for ‘All the Senior Leadership, Political and Military, to Be Replaced’, The Times of Israel
Former prime minister Naftali Bennett on Wednesday called for Israel’s political and military leadership to be replaced, saying the government had failed Israelis by not preventing Hamas’s October 7 attack while slamming Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for his handling of the war in Gaza and calling for a change in strategy vis-a-vis Iran.
Hamas to Stay out of Gaza Truce Talks but May Meet Mediators Afterwards, AP
A source familiar with the matter said Hamas wants the mediators to come back with a “serious response” from Israel. If that happens, the group says, it will meet with mediators after the Thursday session. An official briefed on the talks process said mediators expected to consult with Hamas.
Israel Advances Building of New West Bank Settlement, Haaretz
Following unilateral recognition by some of a Palestinian state, Israel designated new land for settlement construction. “No anti-Israel or anti-Zionist decision will stop the development of the settlement,” said Israel’s Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich.
US Envoy Hochstein Says He Thinks Israel and Lebanon’s Hezbollah Can Avoid War, Reuters
“We continue to believe that a diplomatic resolution is achievable because we continue to believe that no one truly wants a full-scale war between Lebanon and Israel,” Hochstein said after talks with parliament speaker Nabih Berri, a strong Hezbollah ally.
Columbia President Resigns in Fallout From Israel-Hamas War Protests, Politico
Minouche Shafik, the first woman and first person of color to lead Columbia, announced her resignation amid lingering bitterness among students and faculty over the school’s forced removal of protesters from an encampment and a building they had taken over on the campus in Upper Manhattan.
Pro-Palestinian Groups Are Mobilizing Thousands to Chicago to Demonstrate Outside DNC, NBC News
Abudayyeh said he held a virtual meeting with members across the country to gauge interest in changing direction after Biden stepped aside from seeking the nomination. There was quick consensus, he said. “We’re not going to do anything different. We’re going to mobilize,” Abudayyeh said.
Defense Officials Warn Ben-Gvir’s Temple Mount Visit Could Empower Hamas, Incite Riots in Israel’s Arab Society, Haaretz
Israel Police’s failure to enforce the status quo at the Temple Mount/Al Aqsa complex during Ben-Gvir’s visit could lead Arab citizens in Israel to heed calls by Hamas and Hezbollah to clash with Israelis, defense officials warn.
Israeli Media Must Stop Portraying Criticism as Antisemitism, The Jerusalem Post
J Street Israel Executive Director Nadav Tamir argues, “Netanyahu and his extremist ministers are interested in painting justified criticism of their policies and actions in anti-Israeli colors but this is not the reality. Most of the Western governments that criticize Netanyahu or his government are supporters of Israel and its citizens. Netanyahu and his partners seek to portray any criticism of them and any policy that seeks to prevent them from realizing their war as anti-Israel or antisemitic doctrine. The Israeli media must stop cooperating with this right-wing narrative and instead must describe only facts.”
Biden and Khamenei Are Cooking Up a Deal. Israel Missed the Early Signs, Haaretz
Aluf Benn writes, “The Biden administration has been promoting a dual process in the past two weeks: pressuring Khamenei and Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah not to rush to attack Israel, and to give a cease-fire in Gaza a chance, which would position them as saviors of the Palestinians; and at the same time, sending a large U.S. force to the region and approving a huge arms deal with the Israel Defense Forces, which will be implemented by the next administration.”
Elon Musk and Donald Trump Want Us to Live in Conspiracy Land – You Can Guess Who the Scapegoats Will Be, The Forward
Emily Tamkin shares, “It isn’t only bad for Jews, of course, to live in a distrustful and conspiratorial society. But it is uniquely bad for Jews, in that we tend to end up the scapegoats in such a situation, with predictably grim results. (Trump evidently does not recognize or care about this danger, as he once again reiterated that Jews who plan to vote for Harris need to have our heads examined — which is to say, if she wins, we Jews who voted for her, crazy and disloyal, will be in no small part to blame.)”
Stemming the Rising Tide of Palestinian Extremism in the West Bank, J Street
J Street Policy Associate Avraham Spraragen shares analysis of how the Biden Administration should respond to rising Palestinian extremism in the West Bank.
Know someone who may be interested in receiving this newsletter? Did a friend forward you this email and you want to subscribe? Sign up for the J Street News Roundup here.