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.
What To Expect From an Emerging Iran Nuclear Deal, The Forward
“Dylan Williams, J Street’s senior vice president [for Policy and Strategy], said the liberal Jewish group has ramped up its efforts to rally support for the deal, in particular among members who weren’t on the Hill in 2015. “Deal opponents fueled by Trumpist dogma and a ‘facts-don’t-matter’ approach are going to use every tool they can to try to obstruct reimplementation of any agreement,” he warned.”
8 Palestinians Reportedly Wounded by Israeli Army Fire in Jenin, Haaretz
At least eight Palestinians were wounded on Monday, one of them seriously, during an exchange of fire with Israeli forces in the town of Kabatia near Jenin, Palestinian reports say. All of the eight injured were transferred to nearby hospitals. Israel’s military spokesperson’s unit said in a statement that it had arrest nine Palestinians suspected of terror activity in the West Bank throughout the night.
US, Iran Near Nuclear Deal Whose Final Push May Still Take Weeks, Bloomberg
The US and Iran remain at loggerheads over key details of an emerging deal to revive a landmark nuclear agreement and may need several weeks to resolve their differences, according to officials familiar with the talks. Expectations of an imminent breakthrough grew as Washington and Tehran responded to a “final” European Union proposal that would ease sanctions on Iran’s economy, including oil exports, in return for scaling back its advancing atomic program. One senior European official said the sides have never been closer to rebooting their 2015 accord, echoing comments by a top Biden administration adviser.
Palestinian Toll Mounts As Israel Steps Up West Bank Raids, The Washington Post
At least 85 Palestinians have been killed in the West Bank this year as Israeli forces have carried out nightly raids in cities, towns and villages, making it the deadliest in the occupied territory since 2016. The military says the vast majority were militants or stone-throwers who endangered the soldiers. The tally, from the Palestinian Health Ministry, includes Palestinians who carried out deadly attacks inside Israel. But it also includes several civilians, including a veteran journalist and a lawyer who apparently drove unwittingly into a battle zone, as well as local youths who took to the streets in response to the invasion of their neighborhoods.
In Boost to Netanyahu, Israel’s Far-right Parties Agree on Joint Run for Elections, Haaretz
Two of Israel’s far-right parties agreed on a joint run for the Knesset on Friday after weeks of political wrangling, in a move likely shore-up Netanyahu’s camp in the November election. Following a three-way meeting with Netanyahu, Bezalel Smotrich’s Religious Zionism will head the joint ticket with Itamar Ben-Gvir’s Otzma Yehudit.
Mossad Chief To Visit D.C. As Israel Ramps Up Pressure on U.S. Over Iran Deal, Axios
Mossad director David Barnea will visit Washington next week for talks on the emerging deal to restore the Iran nuclear agreement, a senior Israeli official told reporters Sunday. Barnea is the most hawkish official on Iran within the Israeli security establishment and intelligence community. The organization he leads is highly respected in Washington and cooperates closely with the CIA.
Israeli Strike Targeted Missile Depot in Syria, AP
Satellite imagery showed widespread destruction at a giant military facility in western Syria targeted in a recent Israeli airstrike, and the head of a Syrian opposition war monitor said Sunday the strike targeted a depot housing hundreds of middle-range missiles for Iran-backed fighters.
Lessons Learned, Israel’s Unlikely Islamist Kingmaker Looks Ahead, The New York Times
Mansour Abbas, the leader of a small Islamist party called Raam that made history last year by becoming the first independent Arab party to enter an Israeli governing coalition, says he would do so again if asked.
Palestinians Grow Frustrated With Militants in Gaza, and a Rift Could Be Forming, NPR
Fatma Tanis notes, “Most Gazans support resistance against Israel for its treatment of Palestinians, and the militants do have active supporters. But many residents are frustrated at the groups over problems like unemployment and deep poverty. And some analysts see a rift forming between Hamas and Islamic Jihad, even though they project unity.”
Work Permits Are a Lifeline for Gaza, and a Lever for Israel, AP
Fares Akram and Sam McNeil write, “The permits give Israel a form of leverage over the Palestinians who rely on them — and over Hamas. Gaza’s de-facto rulers risk being blamed if the border is closed and the workers are forced to stay home — as they were earlier this month during the latest flare-up in violence…Israel acknowledges the permits are also a powerful tool to help preserve calm or — in the eyes of its critics — control.”
On AIPAC and Its Pro-Israel Mission, Jewish Journal
J Street Rabbinic and Cantorial Cabinet members Rabbi Laura Geller and Rabbi John L. Rosove argue, “We believe that AIPAC has stepped far over the line of acceptability as an Israel-advocacy organization that allegedly supports both Israeli and American democracy with these endorsements. With American democracy facing unprecedented peril from sitting members of Congress, politicians, media organizations, and citizen groups that refuse to respect or uphold free and fair elections, it is critical that we only support and raise funds for candidates who will defend democracy and American democratic institutions. Claims of “bipartisanship” cannot excuse support for candidates who only respect fair election results when their party wins.”