Live from Jerusalem [Video], Substack
In this week’s Word on the Street Live, Jeremy Ben-Ami and Ilan Goldenberg report from the ground in Israel and Palestine, where they were joined early on by special guest Casey Redmon, a former Biden Administration official who was part of the J Street delegation they brought, to discuss the policy choices the US faces – and the real human consequences those choices have here on the ground.
Huckabee Says US-Backed Aid Sites in Gaza Will ‘Scale Up’, New York Times
“The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation will soon operate 16 distribution sites instead of four, said Mike Huckabee, the United States ambassador to Israel. […] Since the group began distributing food in the war-torn enclave in late May, hundreds of Palestinians have been killed near GHF sites, according to Gazan health workers and local officials.”
Cabinet Reportedly Weighing Military Plan That Would Begin with Conquering Gaza City, Ramping up Aid, The Times of Israel
“A reported plan for the full occupation of the Gaza Strip, expected to be presented for cabinet approval by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu tomorrow (now today), focuses initially on seizing Gaza City and expanding aid distribution centers in coordination with the United States, according to Hebrew media reports.”
Netanyahu Pushing for Months-Long Campaign Against Remaining Hamas Strongholds, Official Says, Ynet
“Offensive on Gaza City and central Gaza refugee camps would target areas where hostages are believed held, increasing risk to their safety.”
Do Not ‘Sacrifice Our Loved Ones’: Hostage Families Sail to Gaza Border in Protest of Occupation, Jerusalem Post
“In a powerful demonstration, the Hostages and Missing Families Forum sailed as close as possible to the Gaza shore today, demanding immediate government action to secure the release of the 50 remaining hostages held by Hamas for 22 months.”
Jordan Says ‘Israeli Settlers’ Attacked Gaza-Bound Aid Convoy, Jerusalem Post
“Activists reportedly slashed the tires of two humanitarian aid trucks leaving Jordan for Gaza at the Allenby Bridge on Sunday night, Israeli media reported.”
Trump Doesn’t Oppose Netanyahu Plan for Full Gaza Occupation: US Officials, Axios
“One US official said Trump was moved by the video released by Hamas of an Israeli hostage digging his own grave. ‘It influenced the president, and he is going to let the Israelis do what they need to do,’ the official said.”
Man Accused of Killing Israeli Embassy Staffers Indicted on Federal Hate Crimes Charges, ABC News
“The indictment, filed in federal court in Washington, charges Elias Rodriguez with nine counts, including a hate crime resulting in death. The indictment also includes notice of special findings, which would allow the Justice Department to potentially pursue the death penalty.”
As Hunger Spread in Gaza, Israeli Media Began to Focus on Palestinians, The Washington Post
“Mainstream Israeli news outlets began showing footage of civilians in Gaza for the first time, including men on foot hauling sacks of food from aid distribution sites and children screaming as they crowded around the few remaining soup kitchens — results, the reports said, of Israel’s months-long blockade of the Strip.”
Netanyahu Has Decided the Hostages and Their Families Won’t Hold Back Israel Any Longer, Haaretz
Zvi Bar’el writes, “But it’s still not too late. If we don’t want to be partners in the crime of eliminating the hostages and tailspin into a costly war that has no end, we can and must stop this madness.”
Alone in the Storm, The Times of Israel
Andrew Lewis writes, “To support the idea of Israel – a safe, democratic Jewish homeland – should not mean blind allegiance to a government that seems more interested in punishment than peace. And to love America should not mean silence in the face of rising authoritarianism cloaked in patriotism. This is the unbearable tension of being a Jewish American today.”
The Secret System Hamas Uses to Pay Government Salaries, BBC
Rushdi Abualouf writes, “Nisreen Khaled, a widow left caring for three children after her husband died of cancer five years ago, told the BBC: ‘When the hunger worsened, my children were crying not only from pain but also from watching our Hamas-affiliated neighbours receive food parcels and sacks of flour. ‘Are they not the reason for our suffering? Why didn’t they secure food, water, and medicine before launching their 7 October adventure?’”
What Does it Mean to Be a Liberal American Zionist?, The Times of Israel
Rabbi John L. Rosove writes, “As a liberal American Zionist I believe that Israel, in fighting this just war has not always fought the war justly. It ought to be clear that Israel has crossed many red-lines despite all the challenges and difficulties in fighting a war against a non-state actor that deliberately hides behind and uses its own people as human shields. Israel’s massive killing of tens of thousands of Palestinian civilians and its use of humanitarian aid as a weapon of war are immoral and un-Jewish.”