American Jewish Institutions Have Defied Immoral Israeli Policy Before. They Need to Do It Again, The Forward
J Street National Director of Communal Relations Sam Berkman writes, “If the red lines for the American Jewish establishment have been muddled over the past six years, what’s been clear is the disregard and disdain extremists in the Israeli government have for them. It is time for Jewish organizations to reclaim the Zionist moral courage they had begun to summon prior to Oct. 7. It is time to determine what comes after their words of concern are ignored, and make it known. Because we are sadly seeing that words have not been, and will not be, enough.”
Every Bomb is a Choice, Substack
J Street Chief Policy Officer Ilan Goldenberg writes, “The pattern is clear: two years into this war, Israel continues to weigh the marginal value of killing a Hamas operative against the enormous moral, legal, and strategic costs of striking civilian facilities—and keeps choosing to strike.”
More Than Two Dozen Israeli Citizens File Court Document Backing Columbia Student Mohsen Mahdawi, NBC
“A coalition of American Jewish organizations and congregations, including the Jewish Center for Justice, New York Jewish Agenda and J Street, filed an amicus brief in a separate case to back Tufts University student Rümeysa Öztürk. […] Victor Kovner, an attorney who filed the brief in the Öztürk case, told NBC News that the groups’ message to the Trump administration is to ‘stop using antisemitism as a weapon to attack their critics.’”
[Video] Jeremy and Ilan on Israel’s Breaking Point, Washington’s Turning Point, Substack
This week on Word on the Street Live, J Street President Jeremy Ben-Ami and Ilan Goldenberg took stock of a fast-moving moment in both Israel and Washington: The devastating hospital bombing in Gaza, reports of confirmed famine, and the growing frustration inside Israel itself as hostage families and hundreds of thousands of protesters defy Netanyahu and demand a ceasefire deal.
Israeli Tanks Close In on Gaza City, Trump to Chair Meeting, Reuters
“Tanks late on Tuesday entered into the Ebad-Alrahman neighbourhood on the northern edge of Gaza City and shelled houses, wounding several people and forcing many others, who had been taken by surprise, to move deeper into Gaza’s largest city, residents said.”
US Hosts Talks on Post-War Gaza as Israel Calls Gaza City Evacuation ‘Inevitable’, AP
“’The evacuation of Gaza City is inevitable,’ spokesperson Avichay Adraee wrote in Arabic on X. He said Israeli forces have surveyed vast empty areas south of the city ‘to assist the evacuating residents as much as possible.’ He said the displaced would receive space for tents, and infrastructure would be set up to distribute aid and water.”
Israeli Protesters Push Harder for Hostage Deal as Divide With Netanyahu Deepens, CNN
“The scale of public mobilization and participation is difficult to ignore. On August 17, the hostages’ families spearheaded an unprecedented grassroots strike that organizers say drew nearly 500,000 people. That’s equivalent to 17 million in the United States.”
Israel’s Exhausted Soldiers Complicate Plans for Gaza Assault, The New York Times
“Over the past few months, an increasing number of Israeli reserve soldiers have not been showing up for military service. Some cite exhaustion, as well as the need to save strained marriages or foundering careers. Others say they are increasingly disillusioned with the war.”
Majority of Americans Disapprove of US-Israel Military Alliance, New Poll Shows, CNN
“Americans are less approving of U.S. support for Israel’s military campaign against Hamas than at any point since the Israel-Hamas war began, a new poll released Wednesday shows.”
News Group Stopped Sharing Gaza Locations With Israel After ‘So Many Journalists’ Killed in Idf Strikes, NBC
“’So many journalists were killed in IDF strikes,’ international news agency Reuters has told NBC News, that it stopped sharing the locations of its teams in the Gaza Strip with the Israeli military.”
What Are ‘Snapback Sanctions’ and What Comes Next?, J Street Policy Center
“The ‘snapback’ mechanism allows any participant in the Iran nuclear deal (JCPOA) to reimpose the UN sanctions that the deal had lifted. That mechanism will expire on October 18, 2025. The E3 (France, Germany, and the United Kingdom) intend to trigger snapback to reimpose the sanctions by the end of this week due to Iran’s continued violations of its commitments.”
How Former Biden Officials Defend Their Gaza Policy, The New Yorker
Isaac Chotiner spoke with Jacob Lew, who served as Ambassador to Israel under the Biden Administration, about the impact and legacy of Biden’s Gaza policy.
The Israeli-Palestinian Conflict Is Unique: The Right Words Are Needed, The Times of Israel
Giorgio Gomel writes, “Military action at most acts as a short-term deterrent, but it claims civilian victims, strengthens the appeal of extremists, and isolates Israel from the community of nations because of its excessive violence against civilians, even while exercising its right to self-defense.”