News Roundup for August 28, 2023

August 28, 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.

J Street In the News

Democracy Is Central to Zionism, The Jerusalem Post
J Street Israel Director Nadav Tamir writes, “The current coalition comprises those who have decided to first subvert democracy and then dispose of it. Some mean to escape their personal legal prosecution, others desire to advance their religious and nationalistic agendas, or else to use public funds to grease the wheels of their private or political interests. Common to all of them is an opposition to the very definition of the State of Israel as the national and democratic home of the Jewish people.”

Top News and Analysis

Settlers Killing Palestinians: A History of Impunity, Haaretz
“The killing of 19-year-old Qosai Mi’tan by settlers is one of this summer’s major stories in Israel, but it’s actually the latest in a string of similar shootings and stabbings of West Bank Palestinians where no one has been indicted. Similar to Mi’tan’s death in the village of Burqa on August 4, eight other Palestinians have been killed in the past 15 years, according to a Haaretz investigation with the help of the Israeli human rights groups B’Tselem and Yesh Din.”

US Tells Israel Mega-deal with Saudis Must Include Concessions to Palestinians, Axios
The Biden administration told the Israeli government last week that it would have to make significant concessions to the Palestinians as part of any possible mega-deal with Saudi Arabia that includes normalization between the kingdom and Israel, four US officials and a source briefed on the issue told Axios.

News

US, EU Slam Far-right Israeli Minister’s ‘Racist’ Claim his Rights Outweigh That of Palestinians, CNN
“We strongly condemn Minister Ben Gvir’s racist, destructive comments on the freedom of movement of Palestinian residents of the West Bank,” a US State Department spokesperson said. “Such messages are particularly damaging when amplified by those in leadership positions.”

Fatah Council Calls for ‘Escalation of Unarmed Resistance’ Against Israel, The Times of Israel
The declaration by the West Bank-ruling Palestinian party contrasts with ongoing violence from rival armed groups, which have been eroding its authority.

Palestinian Mother of 12 Expelled to Gaza After Living in Israel for 30 Years, Haaretz
Fifty-one-year-old Agzayeh Karan was deported without a hearing and less than a day after she was arrested during a routine check on her way to her workplace because she did not have a valid residency permit.

Libyan Minister Flees Country Amid Uproar Over Meeting With Israeli, The New York Times
The Libyan foreign minister, Najla el-Mangoush, fled to Turkey after reports emerged that she had met with her Israeli counterpart Eli Cohen, sparking unrest in cities across Libya.

Opinion and Analysis

Sally Abed on Being a Palestinian Activist in Israel [Podcast], Groundwork
Groundwork creator and producer Yoshi Fields sat down with host Sally Abed to talk about her experience as a Palestinian activist in Israel. Sally is a member of the national leadership of Standing Together – the largest Jewish Arab grassroots movement in Israel.

Unsupervised and Unprotected, Gaza Laborers Suffer Under Permit Regime, +972
Mohammed Zaanoun writes, “Workers from the occupied territories have little to no protections in Israel and their working conditions are unsupervised. Palestinian workers, who are often employed in sectors where there is a high risk of accidents, such as construction, have no authority they can turn to unless their employer has an employment permit and pays a regular wage.”

Israel’s Centrists Have Discovered Meir Kahane Park. It’s Better Late Than Never, Haaretz
Noa Landau argues, “If so many Israelis were unaware until now that there was a Goldstein gravesite in a Kahane Park, imagine what else they don’t know. Imagine how they’ll react when they find out what really happens in the West Bank, in their name and at their expense.”