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.
Liberal Jewish Orgs Slam Kevin McCarthy for Vowing to Remove Ilhan Omar From House Committee, Haaretz
“Eight liberal Jewish organizations on Monday sharply criticized House Republican leader Kevin McCarthy’s vow to remove Rep. Ilhan Omar from her seat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee over her previous criticisms of Israel, should he become House speaker. Ameinu, Americans for Peace Now, Bend the Arc: Jewish Action, Habonim Dror North America, J Street, New Israel Fund, the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism and T’ruah said in a joint statement: “We may not agree with some of Congresswoman Omar’s opinions, but we categorically reject the suggestion that any of her policy positions or statements merit disqualification from her role on the committee.””
Jewish American Groups Oppose Kevin McCarthy’s Threats To Strip Democratic Lawmakers of Committee Assignments, J Street
“As Jewish American organizations, we oppose Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy’s pledge to strip Representative Ilhan Omar of her House Foreign Affairs Committee seat based on false accusations that she is antisemitic or anti-Israel. We may not agree with some of Congresswoman Omar’s opinions, but we categorically reject the suggestion that any of her policy positions or statements merit disqualification from her role on the committee.”
Israeli Military Admits Shooting 16-Year-Old Palestinian Girl, Calls It ‘Unintentional’, CNN
The Israeli military admitted Monday that its troops shot Jana Zakarneh, a 16-year-old Palestinian girl who died during a raid in the occupied West Bank on Sunday night, saying she was killed by “unintentional” Israeli fire “aimed at armed gunmen.” “Following an initial inquiry, it was determined that the girl who was killed was hit by unintentional fire aimed at armed gunmen on a roof in the area from which the force was fired upon,” the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) statement said.
Netanyahu Inches Closer To Power With New Parliament Speaker, The Washington Post
Israel’s parliament on Tuesday elected a new speaker closely allied to the country’s likely next prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, setting the stage for a flurry of contentious new legislation to appease the former leader’s expected coalition partners.
UN Agency Says Israel Is Delaying New Visas for Its Staff, CNN
A United Nations agency that operates in the West Bank and Gaza says Israel is not processing visas for its newly recruited staff, while Israeli officials accuse the agency of “ignoring Israeli victims of terror” in East Jerusalem and the occupied West Bank, a charge the agency denies.
U.S. Presses UN Not To Update List of Companies Operating in Israeli Settlements, Axios
The Biden administration is pressing UN human rights chief Volker Türk not to expand the list of companies that operate in the Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, according to Israeli officials and an Israeli Foreign Ministry cable.
Ben-Gvir Demands End to anti-Jewish ‘Apartheid’ on Temple Mount, Haaretz
Otzma Yehudit chairman Itamar Ben-Gvir complained about discrimination against Jews on the Temple Mount on Monday, decrying what he described as Israel’s “apartheid” regime at the Jerusalem holy site. Addressing reporters at his party’s weekly faction meeting in the Knesset, the incoming National Security Minister stated that coalition negotiations had kept him too busy to visit the mount recently but indicated that a trip is in the works.
Iran Plans To Limit Range of Missiles Sent to Russia, Israeli Officials Say, Axios
Fearing international backlash, Iran wants to limit the range of the missiles it plans to provide Russia for the war in Ukraine, four senior Israeli officials told Axios, citing intelligence reports. Iranian ballistic missile deliveries to Russia could violate a UN Security Council resolution and trigger a “snapback” mechanism, which would reimpose UN sanctions on Iran.
Israelis Have Put Benjamin Netanyahu Back in Power. Palestinians Will Likely Pay the Price., The New York Times
Diana Buttu writes, “As the prime minister-designate Benjamin Netanyahu finalizes the formation of Israel’s most extreme right-wing government to date, I, along with other Palestinians in Israel and in the occupied territories, am filled with dread about what the next few years will bring. Every day since the elections, Palestinians wake up with a what-now apprehension, and more often than not, there’s yet another bit of news that adds to our anxiety. The atmosphere of racism is so acute that I hesitate to speak or read Arabic on public transportation. Palestinian rights have been pushed to the back burner.”
An Hour with a Diverse Group of Israelis in Los Angeles, The Times of Israel
J Street Rabbinic and Cantorial Cabinet Co-Chair Rabbi John Rosove reflects on a meeting with the “Gesher” program — writing about his experience having met with a group of 20 Israelis visiting Jewish communities around the country. The group’s mission is to create a bridge between the two largest Jewish communities in the world — Israel with 6.5 million Jews and the United States with 7.5 million Jews.
We Are Not One Review: Assured History of Israel’s Place in US Politics, The Guardian
Lloyd Green reviews Eric Alterman’s new book “We Are Not One: A History of America’s Fight Over Israel.”