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.
J Street Head Says Harris Could Move Pro-Palestinian Protesters to More Nuanced View of War, The Times of Israel
“Ben Ami indicates that Harris is well-equipped to move these protesters toward more nuanced positions, branding the vice president as ‘an incredible messenger of empathy.’ He recalls how after meeting with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu last month, Harris gave a press statement talking about the importance of ‘getting beyond a binary’ regarding the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.”
Jewish Democrats Have Party Loyalties Tested in 2024 Election, USA Today
“So many young activists on the left of the Democratic Party, on the progressive side, use words and terms without understanding what the meaning is of what they are saying,” said Jeremy Ben-Ami, president and founder of J Street, a left-leaning Jewish advocacy group that pushes for a ”two-state” solution to the Israel-Palestinian conflict. “What they are is not knowledgeable about the history and the facts,” Ben-Ami said. ”And our approach to this has to be one of education, not of punishment.”
Addressing DNC Sidelines Event, Hostage’s Father Urges Holding Hamas, Israeli Government Equally Accountable, The Times of Israel
At a J Street event on the sidelines of the Democratic National Convention, the father of American-Israeli hostage Sagui Dekel-Chen said, “We should push the Israeli government as far as we possibly can to do the right thing, to lay aside the cheap politics… but at the same time, in the communities that you inhabit, there has to be accountability on the other side as well.”
Update From the DNC, J Street
In an update from the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, J Street President Jeremy Ben-Ami shares, “It’s clear from the reception we’re getting here at the DNC that J Street is sought out as the mainstream voice of the party and our community on our issues. Together, we’re thrilled to be playing a leading role in defeating Donald Trump, electing Kamala Harris and Tim Walz, and shaping stronger, smarter US leadership toward a better future for all.”
Biden to Push Netanyahu to Be More Flexible on Gaza-Egypt Border, Axios
Israeli negotiators and U.S. officials say Netanyahu’s new demand about the corridor has turned into a significant hurdle for a possible deal. Biden wants Netanyahu to soften his position on the issue. The White House said Biden spoke with Netanyahu to “discuss the ceasefire and hostage release deal and diplomatic efforts to de-escalate regional tensions.” Vice President Harris also joined the call.
What’s in the Latest US Proposal for a Gaza Cease-Fire?, The New York Times
Matthew Mpoke Bigg reports, “Other areas of dispute have emerged publicly. Since the start of the war, Israeli forces have established what it calls a security buffer inside Gaza along its eastern border with Israel, demolishing Palestinian homes in the process, and it intends to keep a presence there after the war. Israel also wants to retain the option to return to fighting after the first phase of a cease-fire.”
Parents of American-Israeli Hostage Make Somber Plea for Middle East Peace, The New York Times
The crowd chanted, “Bring them home,” and Ms. Goldberg doubled over in tears. “This is a political convention,” Mr. Polin said, “but needing our only son and all of the cherished hostages home is not a political issue.”
Key Mediator Egypt Expresses Skepticism About the Gaza Cease-Fire Proposal as More Details Emerge, AP
Officials in Egypt, in its unique role as both a mediator and affected party since it borders Gaza, told The Associated Press that Hamas won’t agree to the bridging proposal for a number of reasons — ones in addition to the long-held wariness over whether a deal would truly remove Israeli forces from Gaza and end the war.
‘Uncommitted’ Holds Sit-in Protest After DNC Refuses to Give Time to Palestinian-American Speaker, Haaretz
“Vice President Harris, unfortunately, has made the decision that the child in me, the American child in me, who was certain my own government was going to kill me, is not going to get to be heard at this convention,” said Uncommitted co-founder Abbas Alawieh, vowing they would remain until a Palestinian is granted speaking time.
Israeli Military Said It Had Hit Weapons Facilities, Prompting Hezbollah to Target an Israeli Base, The New York Times
The Israeli military and Hezbollah traded cross-border strikes on Wednesday, leaving at least one person dead deep inside eastern Lebanon, as the conflict on Israel’s northern border continued to fuel concerns about a wider regional conflagration.
Israeli Military Intelligence Head Leaves Post, Takes Responsibility for Oct. 7 Failure, Reuters
“The failure of the intelligence corps was my fault,” Haliva said at the ceremony on Wednesday, and he called for a national investigation “in order to study” and “understand deeply” the reasons that led to the war between Israel and Hamas.
Families of Israeli Hostages, Kibbutzim Near Gaza to Boycott State-run October 7 Vigil, Haaretz
“The resounding failure of the government to return the hostages does not allow it to keep trying to close the circle, all while the situation has not changed since October 7 and its consequences are still felt by the families of the displaced [residents] every day, whose communities and homes were destroyed,” The Hostages and Missing Families Forum said in a statement.
‘There Are No Longer Places to Go’: Thousands in Gaza Forced to Flee Again after Israeli Evacuation Orders, CNN
Evacuees leaving Deir al-Balah on Wednesday described the overwhelming sense of fear, sorrow and uncertainty. “There is bombardment, shooting, and quadcopters since this morning in the east of Deir al-Balah, so we are forced to flee. People go to the unknown. They have no idea,” said one evacuee, Muhammad Awad.
Delta and American Airlines Extend the Suspension of Flights to Israel as the War in Gaza Grinds On, AP
“Delta is continuously monitoring the evolving security environment and assessing our operations based on security guidance and intelligence reports,” the airline said in a travel advisory. The announcement by Delta came after American Airlines extended its halt of flights between the United States and Tel Aviv through March 29 of next year.
The Real Story of Israel Advocacy on Campus, J Street
J Street U president Daniel Wittenberg writes, “I joined J Street U because it acknowledges the very real pain, humanity, and aspirations of both Israelis and Palestinians. When I first joined, the initial reaction of many people to our mission was confusion. So many of us have internalized that its impossible to be both pro-Israel and pro-Palestine — but this is changing.”
I Was a Captive of Hamas. After I Was Freed, I Was Imprisoned by Online Trolls, The Washington Post
Agam Goldstein-Almog shares, “I have watched as the movement in the West for a Gaza cease-fire sometimes devolves into full-throated support for Hamas and the hounding of Jews in public spaces. I’m sure my kidnappers still hate me, but when American students call for ‘intifada’ or chant in praise of Hamas terrorists ‘Al-Qassam, you make us proud,’ I’m reminded that many other people do, too. Now a dangerous escalation in the war that began on Oct. 7 may loom, involving an Iranian regime that has long promised to wipe Israel off the map. Theirs is the same hatred that killed my father and sister. The same hatred that poisons too many campuses and too much of social media.”
‘Smash Hamas’ vs. ‘Bring Them Home’: How Israeli Hostages Became Pawns in an Ugly Political Game, Haaretz
Dahlia Scheindlin argues, “‘Bring them home’ has replaced ‘we don’t negotiate with terrorists.’ It sounds tough in theory, but isn’t it a luxury to prioritize hypothetical future hostages over the current living and breathing people? No, says Fleisher; it’s rectifying mistakes, from past prisoner releases to the 2005 disengagement from Gaza.”
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