Frustrated Dems Urge Biden Admin to Rein in Israel as Gaza Deadline Passes, Newsweek
“The administration should heed the call of its party members, its voters and the Jewish American community, which overwhelmingly support getting more aid into Gaza and easing the hellish conditions families continue to endure,” said Jeremy Ben-Ami, the president of the advocacy group J Street.
J Street Welcomes House Letter Demanding Biden Administration Take Further Action on Gaza Humanitarian Crisis, J Street
“Members of Congress are deeply frustrated by the White House’s failure to fully enforce our laws, in particular, humanitarian aid requirements. Backtracking from our own requests is a breach of our laws that makes America look weak, is costing lives in Gaza, and allowing Netanyahu to continue to degrade Israel’s reputation and mock our shared values. Enough is enough,” said J Street President Jeremy Ben-Ami. “As families desperately try to keep their children fed and secure shelter from the cold, President Biden still has an opportunity to show true moral leadership by doing everything in his power to save lives.”
Fighting Against the Clock [Video], J Street
We’re in a fight against the clock to pressure the President to redefine his legacy around Israel, Gaza and the Middle East more broadly. J Street Director of Policy Dr. Debra Shushan was joined by policy expert Dr. Dahlia Scheindlin and Biden Administration alum Andrew Miller to unpack what our movement can do now to push back – and to examine what to expect from Trump and Netanyahu in the months and years ahead.
US Hopes for a Gaza Cease-Fire and Hostage Deal ‘This Month’, The New York Times
Speaking at a news conference in Tel Aviv after meeting with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel and his top security and policy chiefs, Mr. Sullivan added to a renewed sense of momentum toward a deal after a long impasse, saying that “the surround sound of these negotiations is different today than it has been in the past.” After months of stalled negotiations, cease-fire talks for the Gaza Strip are picking up steam. But analysts – and Mr. Sullivan on Thursday – cautioned that a deal was not yet sealed.
Mossad Chief Discusses Hostage Deal With Qatari PM in Secret Doha Visit as Hamas Reportedly Drops Key Demand, Haaretz
Hamas reportedly agreed to a temporary Israeli presence in Gaza’s contested Philadelphi route and Netzarim Corridor as all sides try to reach a deal before Trump enters office on January 20.
Israel Says Its Troops Will Stay in Seized Territory for Now, The New York Times
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel said the sudden collapse of the Assad regime had created a vacuum on Israel’s border with Syria, and that “Israel will not permit jihadi groups to fill that vacuum and threaten Israeli communities.”
Trump, Asked About Chances of War With Iran, Says ‘Anything Can Happen’, Reuters
U.S. President-elect Donald Trump said “anything can happen” when asked about the chances of going to war with Iran during his next term in an interview with Time, coinciding with his being named the magazine’s Person of the Year.
Israeli Strikes in Gaza Kill More Than 50 People, Including Kids, AP
An Israeli airstrike flattened a multistory building in central Gaza, killing at least 25 people and wounding dozens more, according to Palestinian medical officials, after strikes Thursday across the Gaza Strip killed at least 28 others.
Trump Sidesteps His 2020 Israel-Palestine Peace Plan, Axios
Trump’s comments were similar to the position he presented publicly at the beginning of his first term, when he said he had no preference between a two-state solution or a one-state solution and would agree to whatever the Israelis and Palestinians decide.
Judge Orders CIA Analyst Accused of Israel-Iran Leak Held Pending Trial, AP
In court papers, the government said the leak caused Israel to delay its attack plans. Prosecutor Troy Edwards said the volatile nature of the Middle East makes the leak exceptionally dangerous.
Israel Accuses an ‘Unprecedented’ Number of Israelis of Spying for Iran, CNN
In the months before Iranian ballistic missiles struck the Nevatim Airbase in October, Iran dispatched spies to film and photograph the site in southern Israel, according to Israeli authorities.
‘The Bibi Files,’ With Leaked Netanyahu Footage, Can’t Be Seen in Israel. Israelis Are Finding Ways, AP
Reviews in Israeli media for “The Bibi Files” have mostly been positive, while noting that Netanyahu is portrayed in a harsh light. Not surprisingly, public reaction reflects longstanding divisions over the polarizing leader.
How Israel Used a Power Vacuum To Destroy Syria’s Military Assets, The Washington Post
Shira Rubin and Steve Hendrix share, “U.S. officials told The Washington Post that Washington had given its blessing years ago to Israeli freedom of action in Syria, including airstrikes, as a self-defense measure, and that it extended to the present. The officials emphasized that Israel neither needed nor asked for U.S. approval or assistance for its operations in Syria since the rebel takeover.”
Four Palestinians Have Died in Shin Bet Interrogations Since War Started, Haaretz
Hagar Shezaf reports, “Before the statement, news of deaths in these facilities had not been made public. The dates of the reported deaths did not match the information previously made public by the media. Attempts by Haaretz to have the Israel Prison Service clarify the discrepancy yielded no results. Since the war began, 46 detainees from Gaza have died while in military detention.”
‘As Much and as Quickly as Possible’: Israeli Settlers Eye Land in Syria, Lebanon, +972
Illy Pe’ery writes, “Nachala has already mapped out where it plans to build new Jewish settlements across the Gaza Strip, and claims that more than 700 families have committed to move when the opportunity arises (Daniella Weiss herself has already been into Gaza with a military escort to scout out potential locations). And last week, Uri Tsafon, which has bided its time over the past year, made its first attempt at a land grab in southern Lebanon — where Israeli soldiers are still present following the ceasefire deal.”