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.
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The Risk of Regional War, J Street
J Street President Jeremy Ben-Ami writes, “With the risk of miscalculation growing with every strike and counterstrike, J Street is urging the Biden Administration to move at lightning speed to stop the spiral. The US must play a key role in pulling the region back from the brink. In America, Israel, Iran, Lebanon and the tunnels underneath Gaza, the most hawkish voices didn’t waste a moment this week in dusting off their calls for all-out war.”
Iran and Allies Mourn Losses of Militant Leaders, Vow Revenge Against Israel, The Washington Post
Mourners in Iran and Lebanon commemorated slain militant leaders Thursday, as they vowed retribution against common enemy Israel and signaled that the most recent paroxysm of violence gripping the Middle East may be far from over. Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, prayed over Haniyeh’s coffin in a ceremony that — in another sign of the weight Tehran has given to the Palestinian cause and the constellation of anti-Israeli militant groups it backs across the region — was also joined by the country’s president and parliament speaker.
US Prepares to Counter Iranian Attack on Israel Within Days, US Officials Say, Axios
The Biden administration is convinced Iran is going to attack Israel in retaliation for the assassination of Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran earlier this week and is preparing to counter it, three U.S. officials told Axios. U.S. officials say they expect any Iranian retaliation to be from the same playbook as their Apr. 13 attack on Israel — but potentially larger in scope — and it could also involve the Lebanese Hezbollah.
Israel-Hamas War Latest: International Calls for Cease-Fire Grow After Assassinations in the Mideast, AP
United States President Joe Biden says he’s “very concerned” that the violence in the Middle East could escalate, adding that the killing of a top Hamas leader in Iran has “not helped” efforts to negotiate a cease-fire in the Israel-Hamas war. Biden said he’d had a “very direct” conversation with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday. “We have the basis for a cease-fire. He should move on it and they should move on it now.”
Haniyeh’s Assassination Made It Clear: Israeli Hostages Are Not at Top of Netanyahu’s Agenda, Haaretz
Amos Harel writes, “Regarding the hostage deal, it’s evident that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has his own agenda, and bringing the hostages home is not at the top of it. The prime minister is interested in continuing to pursue the war in Gaza without any change in the allocation of forces operating there against Hamas and without pulling troops from Netzarim or Philadelphi, the two corridors in the enclave now occupied by the IDF.”
Biden and Netanyahu Discuss ‘New Military Deployments’ to Protect Israel From Iran, Axios
“The President discussed efforts to support Israel’s defense against threats, including against ballistic missiles and drones, to include new defensive U.S. military deployments,” the White House said. Biden also stressed the need for de-escalation in the region, per the statement.
Hezbollah Leader Says War With Israel Has Entered ‘New Phase’ After Killings of Top Militant Figures, AP
In a speech via video link to mourners gathered with Shukur’s coffin at an auditorium in a Beirut suburb, Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah said, “We … have entered a new phase that is different from the previous period.”
Bomb Smuggled Into Tehran Guesthouse Months Ago Killed Hamas Leader, The New York Times
An explosive device hidden in a heavily guarded complex where Ismail Haniyeh was known to stay in Iran was what killed him, according to a Times investigation.
Thousands Rally across Israel, Urge Hostage Deal to Mark 300 Days since October 7, The Times of Israel
Protesters and hostage families gathered in Tel Aviv, Jerusalem and elsewhere calling on the government to seal a hostage and ceasefire deal. One captive’s brother said the contract between citizens and the state had been “breached,” and only a deal can restore it.
Series of Assassinations Leaves Yahya Sinwar de Facto Hamas Leader and Top Israeli Target: Experts, ABC
The assassinations of the Hamas senior leaders have apparently left Sinwar calling the shots for Hamas, Ganyard said, at a time when negotiations involving the White House have been underway for a cease-fire in Gaza and the release of the remaining Israeli hostages.
Trump Calls Schumer ‘Proud Member of Hamas’ for Not Shaking Hands With Israeli PM Netanyahu, Haaretz
Trump is lambasting prominent Jews who he believes are not strong enough advocates of Netanyahu’s Israel, including Doug Emhoff, Kamala Harris’ husband, whom the former president seemed to agree when he was called a “crappy Jew.”
Iran, Its Proxies Will Meet to Discuss Retaliation Against Israel, Say Sources, Reuters
Representatives of Iran’s Palestinian allies Hamas and the Islamic Jihad, as well as Yemen’s Tehran-backed Houthi movement, Lebanon’s Hezbollah and Iraqi resistance groups will attend the meeting in Tehran, said the sources, who declined to be named due to the sensitivity of the issue.
Australian Inquiry Blames Israeli Military Failings for Fatal Drone Attack, ABC
Australia initiated the investigation to examine Tel Aviv’s response to the widely condemned IDF drone strikes on three World Central Kitchen vehicles on April 1. Former Australian Defense Force Chief Mark Binskin blamed the fatal strikes on “serious failures to follow IDF procedures, mistaken identification and errors in decision-making.”
America May Soon Face a Fateful Choice About Iran, The New York Times
Thomas Friedman argues, “President Biden could face the most fateful decision of his presidency: whether to go to war with Iran, alongside Israel, and take out Tehran’s nuclear program, which is the keystone of Iran’s strategic network in the region. […] But America must always be wary about what Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is up to. As a former Israeli diplomat, Alon Pinkas, observed in Haaretz on Thursday, one has to wonder why Netanyahu chose now to assassinate the Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran — in the middle of delicate hostage talks.”
The Middle East Is Inching Toward Another War, Time
Trita Parsi writes, “Though Israel itself would pay a high price in a region-wide war, it would serve Netanyahu’s interests in numerous ways. Firstly, Haniyeh’s assassination kills the prospect of an imminent ceasefire deal. Netanyahu has consistently opposed a deal that would end the war. The Israeli daily Haaretz revealed that, in prior rounds of negotiations, he strategically leaked sensitive information to the media at crucial moments to sabotage talks.”
Israel’s New Powder Keg, Axios
Barak Ravid and Zachary Basu report, “The dangerous spiral of escalation could drag the U.S. deeper into the regional crisis and lead to mass suffering well beyond Gaza, where hopes for a ceasefire and hostage deal are slipping away after months of careful negotiations. For President Biden, who has vowed to use his remaining months in office to end the Israel-Hamas war and bring home the hostages, the stakes are legacy-defining.”
Israel Just Killed Two of Its Longtime Ememies, But Will It Matter?, The Forward
Ron Kampeas shares, “The United States has also carried out targeted assassinations — notably of Al Qaeda founder Osama bin Laden in 2011 and top Iranian general Qasem Soleimani in 2020 — but for Israel, they have become a commonplace tool. It has killed at least 13 enemy officials outside the borders of Israel, Gaza and the West Bank in the last year, and dozens over the decades. Exactly what such killings — which Israel’s top court ruled in 2006 are legal — accomplish isn’t clear cut, analysts say.”