Progressive US Jewish Orgs: Military Takeover of Gaza ‘Morally Indefensible’, Haaretz
“Several progressive US Jewish organizations issued a joint letter on Thursday condemning the Israeli security cabinet’s decision to expand the military operation in Gaza. Signed by prominent groups such as J Street, the New Israel Fund, and UnXeptable, the letter said that the Israeli security cabinet’s decision to occupy Gaza ‘without a feasible exit strategy or a concrete plan for alternative governance, is reckless, dangerous, and morally indefensible.’”
Witnesses to Gaza’s Aid Crisis Speak Out [Video], J Street
J Street President Jeremy Ben-Ami sat down with courageous Gaza Humanitarian Foundation whistleblower Tony Aguilar and Israeli advocate Tania Hary of Gisha, who’s working to get aid into Gaza, for an unfiltered reality check. Be sure to watch the powerful conversation with insiders who’ve witnessed the challenges and obstruction of Gaza’s humanitarian system from two very unique vantage points.
Minister Smotrich’s Efforts to ‘Bury’ A Palestinian State are Doomed to Failure, J Street
“E-1 has always been understood for what it is: An extremist bid to split the West Bank in two, change facts on the ground and block the path to a Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital. Smotrich is now saying the quiet part out loud.”
Jewish Organizations Demand End to War, No Reoccupation of Gaza, J Street
“We call on the Israeli government to immediately change course, and on the United States – Israel’s most important ally – to show the leadership this moment demands: To save as many lives as possible and bring this conflict to an end. We urge the entire Jewish community to join in this call.”
UN: 13,000 Gazan Kids Hospitalized for Malnutrition in July; Almost No Aid Trucks Reached Their Destination, The Times of Israel
“The report also states that the World Food Programme collected 1,012 trucks carrying 13,000 metric tons of food from Gaza’s border crossings during July. However, only 10 of these trucks reached their intended warehouses inside the Strip, while the rest were ‘offloaded en route.’”
Settlers Reportedly Attack Palestinian Villages as Major West Bank Settlement Expansion Set to be Approved, The Guardian
“Several Palestinian people are reported to have been injured in an overnight attack by Israeli settlers in the southern West Bank village of Susya, south of Hebron.”
With Arson and Land Grabs, Israeli Settler Attacks in West Bank Hit Record High, New York Times
“Settlers carried out more than 750 attacks on Palestinians and their property during the first half of this year, an average of nearly 130 assaults a month, according to records compiled by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. That is the highest monthly average since the U.N. started compiling such records in 2006.”
Video of Far-Right Israeli Minister Taunting Imprisoned Palestinian Leader Sparks Outrage, CNN
“Israel’s far-right security minister posted video footage of himself taunting the most high-profile Palestinian prisoner while visiting him in jail this week, in an encounter that has prompted outrage from supporters.”
Heat and Thirst Drive Families in Gaza to Drink Water that Makes them Sick, AP
“After waking early to stand in line for an hour under the August heat, Rana Odeh returns to her tent with her jug of murky water. She wipes the sweat from her brow and strategizes how much to portion out to her two small children. From its color alone, she knows full well it’s likely contaminated.”
UN Rights Office Says Israeli Settlement Plan Breaks International Law, Reuters
“The UN rights office spokesperson said the plan would break the West Bank into isolated enclaves and that it was ‘a war crime for an occupying power to transfer its own civilian population into the territory it occupies.’”
Israel’s Smotrich Is Sabotaging Trump’s Dream of Saudi Normalization, Haaretz
Amir Tibon writes, “Israel’s impending approval to build in the E1 area of the West Bank will kill the two-state solution – and threatens Donald Trump’s coveted Nobel Peace Prize, since Saudi-Israel normalization is contingent on a Palestinian state.”
Consequences, The Times of Israel
Robi Damelin writes, “What will these young men and women bring back to their communities when it ends. They have been part of the massacre of innocent women and children. Nothing, absolutely nothing, can expiate their crimes. Can we not see what is happening in our society? The violence in the streets, the domestic abuse, the anger and fear. Try to imagine how this will affect the moral fiber of Israel.”
Only Trump Can Save Israel from Its Own Government, Foreign Policy
Former National Security Advisor to the Vice President of the United States Philip Gordon writes, “At this point, the only real hope seems to be an intervention from the United States […] Netanyahu’s decision take all of Gaza could still be reversed with a deal, and it will take time to call up and prepare additional troops, so Trump has days—and even weeks—to act if he so chooses.”
Meanwhile in the West Bank, Every Israeli Soldier ‘Does Whatever He Wants’, Haaretz
Amira Hass writes, “In July alone, the Israeli army conducted over 1,300 raids on Palestinian neighborhoods. Residents endure constant harassments, knowing every soldier acts with impunity, and no one will intervene.”