News Roundup for December 1, 2021

December 1, 2021

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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.

Celebrate Hanukkah with J Street! Every night of the holiday, we’re sharing with you something to ponder, something to enjoy, and something to do. The first night’s offerings are already up at jstreet.org/8Nights. Check back each night as you light the candles to help guide your evening discussion with family and friends.

J Street in the News

Top Israeli Security Experts Agree — Withdrawing From the JCPOA Nuclear Agreement Has Been a Total Failure, J Street
In a series of recent interviews, prominent Israeli security leaders have made clear that the US withdrawal from the JCPOA has been a failure, empowering Iran to move closer towards a nuclear weapon and leaving both Israel and the US in a far more difficult and dangerous situation than before.

Top News and Analysis

UN agency for Palestinian refugees faces funding crisis, AP News
The head of the U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees said Tuesday it was unable to pay its 28,000 employees on time this month because of a major funding crisis, warning of potential cuts in vital services to millions of people amid a global pandemic.

He led IDF intel gathering on Iran, was ignored and fears Israel is now paying price, Times of Israel
In an interview with The Times of Israel, Citrinowicz characterized Jerusalem’s policy on Iran as a “failure,” and lamented his government’s decision to ignore the shift taking place in the Islamic Republic that he and his colleagues had identified. By encouraging the Trump administration to withdraw from the deal and to impose “maximum pressure” sanctions against Tehran, Israel helped dramatically weaken a more moderate force and blunt the impact of that shift, the retired major argued.

News

Abbas meets Qatari emir amid Hamas tensions, PA financial crisis, The Jerusalem Post
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas met in Doha on Tuesday with the emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani.

As Vienna talks open, Israel pleads for firmness with Iran, Al-Monitor
Israel’s leadership has ramped up diplomatic efforts to convince world powers to keep the sanctions on Iran in place and not give an inch during the renewed talks.

First Signs of a Palestinian #MeToo Moment Spark Cautious Hope Among Activists, Haaretz
Women are slowly beginning to speak up, but activists say that the #MeToo movement fails to address the unique concerns of Arab women.

Wielding saws, shears and shovels, Israeli settlers ramp up attacks on Palestinians during olive harvest, The Independent
Soaring violence has raised concerns among activists of a concerted campaign against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank.

Opinion and Analysis

Peace, Innovation and the Synergy Between Them, Times of Israel
J Street’s Nadav Tamir writes, “”Until his last day, Peres was completely certain that we could, we should, and we would one day achieve peace with the Palestinians, and I share that belief.””

Israel uses new surveillance technology to distance itself from the occupation. It’s not working, Forward
Amir Ziv writes, “Up until a few months ago, Israeli Jews were convinced I was lying to them when I told them soldiers go into Palestinian homes to “map” the house and the people living in it. Every night, soldiers entered the homes of “uninvolved civilians” —meaning people who are suspected of nothing other than being Palestinian —not to arrest or seize weapons. Instead they woke everyone up, children and adults alike. Sometimes the soldiers took pictures of them, sometimes they just wrote down their names and then went off into the night.”

This Israeli leftist wants his camp to break the Tel Aviv bubble, 972 Mag
Noam Sheizaf interviews Activist and former Meretz member Avi Dabush to discuss “what the Israeli left gets wrong about towns like Sderot, their Mizrahim, and their views on Gaza.”

Ultra-Orthodox Aliyah to Israel Is Breaking Records. Here’s Why, Haaretz
“For decades, Haredim in the Diaspora rejected the notion of immigrating to Israel. No more. Now, ultra-Orthodox American Jews see themselves as ‘the next great frontier in aliyah’ and are moving to Israel in increasing numbers.”

Trump’s Iran Policy Has Become a Disaster for the U.S. and Israel, The New York Timess
Up until Trump walked out of the Iran deal negotiated by President Barack Obama — even though international inspectors said Iran was still adhering to it — Iran’s breakout time to produce enough fissile material for a nuclear weapon was one year, and Iran had agreed to maintain that buffer for 15 years. Now it’s a matter of weeks. It would still take Iran a year and half or two years to manufacture a deliverable warhead, U.S. officials believe. But that is cold comfort.