Genocide, Substack
J Street President Jeremy Ben-Ami writes, “Based on the law as I read it, the Prime Minister and others in his government will have to answer for what they have done and will be held accountable. I know Jewish organizations and leaders will charge the courts with antisemitism. But the courts will simply be applying the law. I believe the judgment of history will be more consequential than that of the courts.”
‘On the Precipice of Defeat’: 19 Former Defense Chiefs Demand End to Gaza War, The Times of Israel
“More than a dozen former senior Israeli security officials issued a joint video message Sunday with a call to end the war in Gaza, arguing that Israel has racked up more losses than victories and that the fighting has dragged on for political reasons rather than strategic military need.”
Netanyahu Pushing ‘Military Solution’ to Free Hostages:, ABC
“Netanyahu has suggested expanding the Israeli military operation in Gaza and using military force to extract the final hostages who have been in captivity since being kidnapped in the Oct. 7, 2023, surprise attack on Israel by Hamas terrorists.”
Attack on Palestine Red Crescent Society’s Gaza HQ Condemned by Global Health Organizations, NBC
“Accusing Israeli forces of ‘deliberately’ targeting its headquarters in the southern city of Khan Younis in the early hours of Sunday morning, the PRCS — which provides emergency medical services in the besieged enclave — said in a statement that artillery struck the upper floors of its building, which it said was clearly marked with its emblem.”
Israeli Forces Kill at Least 27 at Food Site While Minister’s Al-Aqsa Visit Causes Outrage, The Guardian
“At least 27 people were killed by Israeli forces while trying to get food and six others died from starvation or malnutrition in Gaza on Sunday, Palestinian officials said, amid a regional outcry over the visit by Israel’s far-right national security minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir, to Jerusalem’s most sensitive holy site.”
Tens of Thousands of Israelis Rally After Gaza Militants Release Videos Showing Emaciated Captives, CNN
“Videos released by militant groups Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad this week showed Israeli hostages Evyatar David and Rom Braslavski in a visibly fragile state. In one video, David – looking extremely thin – is shown digging a hole for what he says is his own grave. Attendees of the rally – some holding placards reading ‘Stop the war’ and ‘Leave no one behind’ – watched part of the video featuring David, which had been projected onto a large screen after his family granted permission for it to be viewed.”
Inside Democrats’ Growing Push for Palestinian Statehood, Axios
“More than a dozen House Democrats have now signed onto a letter urging the Trump administration to recognize a Palestinian state, and at least one plans to introduce a pro-statehood resolution, Axios has learned.”
U.S. and Israeli Officials Float Idea of ‘All or Nothing’ Gaza Deal, The New York Times
“With the talks now at an impasse, American and Israeli officials appear to be sharply changing their tone by signaling that they will push for a comprehensive deal. But Israel and Hamas remain far apart, and analysts said this new approach would also face steep challenges.”
Hamas Says It Will Allow Aid for Hostages if Israel Halts Airstrikes, Opens Permanent Humanitarian Corridors, Reuters
“Hamas said on Sunday it was prepared to coordinate with the Red Cross to deliver aid to hostages it holds in Gaza, if Israel meets certain conditions, after a video it released showing an emaciated captive drew sharp criticism from Western powers.”
Speaker Johnson Visits Israeli Settlement in Occupied West Bank, Axios
“Marc Zell, an American-Israeli Republican activist, said Johnson was the highest-ranking U.S. official to visit the West Bank settlements. He also quoted Johnson as saying the territory was the rightful property of the Jewish people.”
A Beloved Peace Activist Was Killed in the West Bank. Can His Death Finally Teach Us Empathy?, The Forward
David J. Cooper writes, “I met Awdah on a visit to Umm al-Khair in 2017, 50 years after the onset of Israel’s occupation of the West Bank, and 50 years after my own first visit to the region. Like many international peace activists now mourning Awdah, I found that my relationship with him deepened consistently as the years went by. He was hard-wired for companionship, and his friendship circle is substantial. This is part of why Awdah’s death has created such a shockwave. He wasn’t just a well-known activist, especially after his central role in the Oscar-winning documentary No Other Land. He was a well-loved one. For the first time, many American Jews now know one person in immediate grief for a Palestinian friend, killed by a Jew.”
From Lamentation to a New Jewish Vision, Ayin Press
Rabbi Tirzah Firestone, a member of J Street’s Rabbinic and Cantorial Cabinet, writes, “Perhaps today the Jewish community finds itself in a moment just as pivotal as Rav Yochanan’s. We too sit on the brink of a paradigm shift of mythic proportions, in which the State of Israel and the cause of Jewish nationalism have supplanted ethical Judaism as a way of life. It has been clear for some time that Israel’s far-right government is no longer in the business of self-defense; rather, it has taken up an agenda of aggrandizement.”
Firing the Attorney General Will Remove the Last Barrier to Netanyahu’s Power Grab, Haaretz
The Haaretz Editorial Board writes, “With no independent attorney general, the boundaries of the law will become indefensible. Any aberration will become permissible, while it will become possible to bury the Netanyahu trial under some plea bargain without attainder.”