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.
Today, join J Street and the Forward live from Chicago 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 and American Jewish public opinion expert Jim Gerstein, the Forward’s editor-in-chief Jodi Rudoren and Representative Susan Wild. Register here to join us today at 9am Pacific / 11am Central / 12pm Eastern >>
A Fierce Debate on Israel-Palestine Has Gripped Chicago Long Before the Democratic Convention, Haaretz
“Like in most places in the U.S. there’s a diversity of opinion in Chicago,” said Richard Goldwasser, a Chicago native and chair of J Street Chicago. “Obviously the legacy organizations are backing the Netanyahu government even at the risk to the remaining hostages. But the newer organizations like J Street are calling for a cease-fire and a hostage deal which has become the mainstream view” among Chicago Jews, he said.
How The Siege of Gaza Split America: ‘A Battle for the Political System’s Soul’, The Guardian
“Rarely has a head of state received a more hostile welcome than that which met the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, when he arrived in Washington DC to speak before a joint session of Congress last month. […] Perhaps more telling was the decision of roughly half of congressional Democrats to boycott the address altogether. ‘A dozen years ago, that would have been unthinkable,’ noted Peter Frey, board chair of J Street, a Jewish lobbying group that supports Israeli security as well as a Palestinian state.”
Israel Says It Recovered Bodies of 6 Hostages in Gaza, The New York Times
The military named the hostages whose bodies were returned to Israel as Yagev Buchshtab, Alexander Dancyg, Avraham Munder, Yoram Metzger, Nadav Popplewell and Haim Peri. All but Mr. Munder were already known to have lost their lives in captivity. Israeli forces have so far rescued only seven hostages alive. Scores more, mostly women and children, were returned to Israel during a weeklong cease-fire last November. More than 100 captives still remain in Gaza, at least 30 of whom are believed to be dead.
Blinken Says Israel Accepts Gaza Proposal, Urges Hamas to Do Same, Reuters
“In a very constructive meeting with Prime Minister Netanyahu today, he confirmed to me that Israel accepts the bridging proposal – that he supports it,” Blinken told reporters in Tel Aviv. “It’s now incumbent on Hamas to do the same, and then the parties, with the help of the mediators – the United States, Egypt and Qatar – have to come together and complete the process of reaching clear understandings about how they’ll implement the commitments that they’ve made under this agreement.”
Netanyahu’s Ceasefire Doublespeak: Dovish With US, Hawkish with Negotiators, Axios
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told Secretary of State Tony Blinken on Monday that he’s committed to getting a Gaza hostage and ceasefire agreement, but Israeli officials say he has refused to give his own negotiators enough space to make a deal. Netanyahu’s negotiating team briefed him on Sunday that if he gave them more wiggle room, a deal might be possible. Netanyahu refused to budge and reprimanded them for “caving,” two senior Israeli officials tell Axios.
Israeli Army Officer Killed, Six Soldiers Wounded From IDF Missile in Gaza’s Khan Yunis, Haaretz
The IDF said that an aircraft launched a missile that missed its intended target and struck a building near where the troops were located, causing the soldiers’ building to collapse.
Mother and 6 Children Are Killed in Israeli Strike in Gaza, Family Says, The New York Times
Early on Sunday, an Israeli airstrike demolished the family’s second-floor apartment, killing Ms. Khattab, a 36-year-old teacher, and all her children, her family said. Their father, Ashraf Attar, narrowly escaped with his life.
Hezbollah Fires 75 Rockets at Israel after IDF Hits Weapons Depots in Eastern Lebanon, The Times of Israel
Hezbollah fired some 75 rockets from Lebanon at northern Israel on Tuesday in barrages in the morning and early afternoon, according to the Israel Defense Forces, which said that some of the launches were intercepted while the rest hit open areas.
Pro-Palestinian Protesters March Near United Center as DNC Begins, CBS News
Before the march started, protesters in Union Park rallied for rights for immigrants, minorities, and women across the U.S. Ultimately, they want the U.S. to stop sending weapons to Israel, and they want an end to the war in Gaza and self-determination for Palestine.
DNC Delegates Endorse Platform With Declaration of ‘Ironclad’ Backing for Israel’s Security, The Times of Israel
There were no “no’s” heard during a voice vote that was just held on the floor of the United Center where the Democratic National Convention is being held.
Hamas Says Biden Remark about Group Backing away from Gaza Truce Deal ‘Misleading’, Reuters
“The proposal recently presented to us goes against what the parties had agreed on July 2, this is considered an American response and acquiescence to the terrorist Netanyahu’s new conditions and his criminal plans towards the Gaza Strip”, Hamas added, referring to Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu.
Democratic Party Platform Features Extensive Section on US Support for Israel, The Forward
The Democratic National Convention’s 2024 platform references Israel 29 times, highlighting the Biden-Harris administration’s response to the Oct. 7 Hamas attack and reaffirming the party’s commitment to providing military assistance to Israel.
At DNC, Pro-Israel Jews Embrace Kamala Harris amid Pro-Palestinian, GOP Efforts to Shift Narrative, Haaretz
At a Jewish Democratic Council of America sideline event focusing on what the 2024 election means for Israel, former U.S. Ambassador to Israel Tom Nides strenuously defended Harris and insisted that different orientation to Israel than Biden could actually serve to Israel’s advantage.
Israeli Settlers Have a Masterplan to Cleanse the Land of Palestinians, Haaretz
Nehemia Shtrasler writes, “They are not weeds, or a minority or a fringe. They are the Nachshon sent before the camp to prepare the area for the settlers’ grand master plan for cleansing the land of Palestinians. They realize that they will never be able to live quietly in their villa on the hill, as long as they are surrounded by 2.8 million poor, unemployed and desperate Palestinians under occupation. For that reason, they know the shootings on the roads and the raids on villages must continue. Therefore they want the wars in Gaza and Lebanon to continue, even escalate into a regional conflict, Gog and Magog, which will solve all their problems.”
In This West Bank Village Committed to Nonviolence, Attacks by Israeli Settlers Are the New Daily Norm, The Forward
Robin Podolsky shares, “I visited [Umm al-Khair] at a time when the lovingly constructed village school had just been demolished. The children of Umm al-Khair had to walk on dirt roads over hills to get to the next village in order to learn. I asked a teenage girl about her favorite subjects. She said science and math. And Arabic. And English. And all Israel had done for this bright, eager, peaceful young woman was make it close to impossible for her to thrive in a way that would allow true peaceful coexistence to flourish.”
These Ceasefire Talks Have Been Doomed to Fail – Netanyahu and Hamas Have Tied Negotiators’ Hands, The Guardian
Gershon Baskin argues, “The US could say that it would have Israel’s back if it were attacked by Iran or by Hezbollah, but it would no longer provide bombs for Israel to drop on Gaza. Egypt and Qatar each have significant leverage over Hamas: parts of the Hamas leadership are based in Doha, while the Rafah crossing has acted as a lifeline to the Gaza Strip. There are reported to be 160,000 Palestinians who escaped the horrors of the war in Gaza and who are overstaying their visas in Egypt. This is another point of leverage on Hamas, or on the Palestinian people.”
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