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.
Israel Told US Hezbollah Will Pay ‘Disproportionate Price’ if Attack Hits Civilians, Axios
Israeli officials say they don’t want an all-out war with Hezbollah in Lebanon and are now trying to draw a clear line to define what would compel Israel to escalate the conflict and risk a war. Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah said in a speech on Tuesday that the organization is going to retaliate for the assassination of Fuad Shukr by Israel in Beirut last week. He said Iran is also going to retaliate for Israel’s assassination of Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran.
Arab States Urge Iran to Show Restraint in Conflict With Israel, The New York Times
In a phone call on Monday, Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, the prime minister of Qatar, told Antony J. Blinken, the U.S. secretary of state, that he had spoken to Ali Bagheri Kani, the Iranian foreign minister, about the need for restraint, according to an official familiar with the matter who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive diplomacy.
Washington and Arab States Scramble to Avert an All-Out Middle East War, The Washington Post
Missy Ryan reports, “An Israeli official confirmed that a call between Biden and Netanyahu last week, after Haniyeh’s death, was “tense.” Still, there are no signs that Biden is willing to exert significant pressure on Israel to try to contain its actions, such as conditioning or limiting military aid, according to several people familiar with internal discussions. The diplomatic blitz led by Blinken in recent days has included American partners that have routine high-level dealings with Tehran, such as Iraq, and — in a sign of exceptional shared concern — those that don’t.”
As Iran Braces for War, Its Citizens Are Kept in the Dark, The New York Times
The government has not issued any directives about what citizens should do if Israel responds with counterstrikes: no temporary shelters; no air raid drills; no warnings to stock up on emergency supplies; and no contingency plans for hospitals in the event of a strike.
With Attention on Gaza, Jewish Settlers Expand in the West Bank, NPR
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government, the most right-wing in Israel’s history, has appropriated about nine square miles of West Bank territory this year as “state land,” which means it can be used for settlements. According to Peace Now, an Israeli group that opposes settlements, this is the largest land seizure for this purpose in more than 30 years.
As War Looms and Flights Dwindle, Lebanese Grapple With Whether to Flee, The Washington Post
For residents of Lebanon, where an estimated 44 percent of the population lives in poverty, according to the World Bank, there is nowhere to go. Lebanon only shares borders with Israel and Syria, whose economy is also in free fall.
World Central Kitchen Says Palestinian Staff Member Killed in Gaza, Reuters
The World Central Kitchen (WCK), a U.S.-based, non-governmental organisation, said on Thursday that a Palestinian staff member had been killed in Gaza. The WCK identified the person as Nadi Sallout and said it believed he was killed while off duty on Wednesday near Deir Al-Balah in central Gaza.
State Dept Calls for Israel to Investigate Allegations of ‘Horrific’ Sexual Abuse of Palestinian Detainees, CNN
The US State Department called allegations of sexual abuse of Palestinian detainees by Israeli soldiers “horrific” and said Israel must investigate “swiftly” and “fully,” according to a State Department spokesperson.
Biden Administration Sued Over Sanctions for Israeli Settlers, Reuters
The complaint filed in Amarillo, Texas, federal court on Tuesday says the executive order that Biden, a Democrat, issued in February violates the plaintiffs’ free-speech rights under the U.S. Constitution and illegally interferes with the exercise of their religious beliefs.
Top Hamas Operative Who Directed West Bank Terror Killed in Recent Gaza Strike, The Times of Israel
According to the military, Nael Sakhel was targeted on July 24, and a few days later, intelligence was received indicating that he had been killed. Sakhel had been a member of Hamas’s so-called West Bank headquarters for more than a decade, the IDF said.
Turkey Formally Asks to Join the Genocide Case against Israel at the UN Court, AP
“We have just submitted our application to the International Court of Justice to intervene in the genocide case filed against Israel,” Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan wrote on the social media platform X. “Emboldened by the impunity for its crimes, Israel is killing more and more innocent Palestinians every day.”
Israel Police Aren’t Investigating Storming of IDF Bases by Far-right Mobs, Senior Officer Says, Haaretz
The police haven’t initiated an investigation on their own, even though according to another source, the police have considerable footage of the break-ins, including video taken by police officers as well as what has been posted on the internet. The vast majority of the intruders were soldiers or members of the IDF reserves, which should prompt an investigation by the military police, Israel Police sources say.
The Radicalization of Israel’s Military, The New Yorker
In an interview with Isaac Chotiner, Yehuda Shaul shares, “As a soldier, the settlers are on our side, and Palestinians are the enemy, so we’re not going to protect the enemy. Because the settlers host us for a Friday-night schnitzel, because they speak our language, because they have political power. But it’s also because they are completely integrated into the system. On Friday night, they host us for schnitzel. On Sunday morning, or on Monday morning, their security officers sit in the briefings at the headquarters and get updates on what’s happening. On Tuesday, they go and use our shooting range to stay in good shape, whatever. And on Thursday, we’re going to arrest them?”
In Detroit, Harris Confronts Divisions Roiling Democrats Over Gaza War, The New York Times
The New York Times reports, “Crucial Democratic voting blocs who oppose the war — including Arab Americans in battleground states — have demanded more action, particularly for the United States to stop supplying Israel with weapons that have been used to kill scores of civilians. In addition to an arms embargo on Israel, the Uncommitted leaders have asked for convention speaking roles for a representative of their group and a Palestinian pediatrician.”
Welcome to Hell: B’Tselem’s Ignored Abuse Report Shows Israel’s True Face, Haaretz
Gideon Levy shares, “When you read the 94 pages of the B’Tselem report, which causes you to lose sleep, you understand that it wasn’t an exceptional incident, it’s the routine of torture, which has become a policy. As opposed to the torture by the Shin Bet, which presumably had a security-minded purpose – to extract information – here it’s solely to satisfy the darkest and sickest sadistic urges.”
The Toll of 10 Months of Simmering Conflict on the Israel-Lebanon Border, The New York Times
Lauren Leatherby and Leanne Abraham share satelite imagery and and analysis of the massive destruction caused by cross-border fighting between Israel and Lebanon. “Many villages near the border on both sides are ghost towns. Roughly 60,000 people in northern Israel and 100,000 in southern Lebanon have been displaced by the fighting along the border since October, with no clear timeline for returning home.”
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