News Roundup for August 21, 2023

August 21, 2023
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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

Two Israelis Killed in Suspected Palestinian Shooting at West Bank Car Wash, The Guardian
Two Israelis, a father and son, have been killed in a suspected Palestinian shooting attack on a car wash in a volatile stretch of the occupied West Bank, the latest outburst of violence in the region. The Israeli military said it was searching for suspects and setting up roadblocks near the town of Huwara, a flashpoint area in the northern West Bank, which has been the scene of repeated shootings and a rampage by Jewish settlers.

Woman Killed in West Bank Shooting, 2 Days after Israeli Father and Son Shot to Death, JTA
An Israeli woman was killed and her driver injured in a shooting attack outside Hebron on Monday, the latest in a string of deadly attacks in the West Bank that included the killing on Saturday of a father and son in Huwara. The victim of today’s shooting was identified as Batsheva Nigri, 40, a resident of the West Bank settlement of Beit Hagai.

News

Court Releases Palestinian Who Claims Israeli Cops Imprinted Star of David on His Face, Haaretz
Ynet News reported on Friday that a 22-year-old resident of the Shoafat refugee camp was arrested last week during a police operation in the camp in the Jerusalem outskirts, on suspicion of drug possession. There is no body camera footage of his arrest, even though 16 police and Border Police officers took part in the operation.

After Deadly West Bank Terror Shooting, Smotrich Urges IDF to ‘Go On the Offensive’, The Times of Israel
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich urged the military to “go on the offensive” and called for more settlement construction on Saturday after a terror attack killed two Israelis in the West Bank.

After Israeli Raids, Palestinian Police Struggle in Militant Hotbed, Reflecting Region on the Brink, AP
Seeking to regain trust during a lull in Israeli military raids, Palestinian police have stepped up a campaign to restore order in the city of Jenin, long a bastion of crime adjacent to the militarized refugee camp. But the force’s efforts to seize cars, cash and drugs have also revealed their limits.

Israeli Military Opens Investigation Into Video of Soldier Shooting Unarmed Palestinian, Haaretz
The shooting wounded the 22-year-old Palestinian in the leg. He appeared unarmed in the video of the incident, which took place south of Qalqilyah. The Palestinian man has special needs and clearly posed no danger, his uncle says.

Opinion and Analysis

Diaspora Jews: Time to Take a Stand, The Times of Israel
Matti Friedman, Yossi Klein-Halevi, and Daniel Gordis write, “With Israelis on the streets fighting for the liberal values they share with so many Jews around the world, this is no time for Diaspora silence or alienation. To the contrary: when someone you love is in danger, you draw closer. After many years during which the divide between Israel and the Diaspora has grown, this is a moment for Diaspora Jews to find common ground with Israelis fighting for a country of which we can all be proud.”

Is Biden’s Reset on Iran Paying Off?, Al-Monitor
Andrew Parasiliti notes, “After spending his first two years trying to reconstruct the JCPOA, Biden has since shifted course to a robust mix of diplomacy, pressure and deterrence, as US Secretary of State Antony Blinken recently explained. The new approach depends on assertive and nimble diplomacy, including via trusted intermediaries, such as Qatar and Oman, as well as a ramped-up regional military deterrent in the Persian Gulf.”

Getting Israeli-Saudi Rapprochement Right, Foreign Affairs
Daniel Kurtzer and Aaron David Miller argue, “On its face, an Israeli-Saudi normalization deal would be a significant achievement. But Washington’s partners in this prospective arrangement are a repressive Saudi regime that seems increasingly to be working at cross purposes with the United States and an Israeli governing coalition composed of the most extreme right-wing parties and politicians in the country’s history.”