What Does It Really Mean To Be Pro-Israel?, Substack
J Street President Jeremy Ben-Ami writes, “Today, the debate over whether one group or another deserves the label ‘pro-Israel’ seems desperately out of touch with the debate Jews who care about Israel actually need to be having over two radically differing paths being offered for Israel and the Jewish people.”
Food Charity Pauses Gaza Work After Staff Killed in Israeli Strike, BBC
The charity World Central Kitchen (WCK) has said it is pausing its operations in Gaza after a vehicle carrying its staff members was hit by an Israeli air strike. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said the target of the strike had taken part in the 7 October attacks on Israel, and was currently employed by the WCK.
New Hamas Video: U.S. Hostage Held in Gaza Calls on Trump To Push a Deal, Axios
This is the first time a video of Alexander has emerged since he was taken hostage during the Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas attacks on Israel. Alexander says in the video he has been held captive for more than 420 days, which raises the possibility the video was taken in the last 24 hours.
Israel Builds Bases in Central Gaza, a Sign It May Be There to Stay, The New York Times
The buildup suggests a shift for Israel, which had largely avoided holding Gazan territory, creating a vacuum that has allowed Hamas to reassert control in some parts of Gaza. The military said that the expansion was for operational reasons.
UN Halts Aid Shipments Through Gaza’s Main Crossing After Looting. It Blames the Crisis on Israel, AP
Yesterday we had assurances aid would be fine. We tried to move five trucks and they were all taken,” Scott Anderson, director of UNRWA affairs in Gaza, told The Associated Press. “So we’ve kind of reached a point where it makes no sense to continue to try to move aid if it’s just gonna be looted.
After 14 Months, IDF Announces US-Israeli Hostage Cpt. Omer Neutra Killed on Oct. 7, The Times of Israel
Fourteen months after Hamas’s terror onslaught on October 7, 2023, the Israel Defense Forces on Monday said it had confirmed that Cpt. Omer Maxim Neutra, 21, was killed amid the attack and his body was being held hostage in the Gaza Strip.
Former Defense Minister Accuses Israel of Committing War Crimes in Gaza, The New York Times
“The path they’re dragging us down is to occupy, annex, and ethnically cleanse — look at the northern strip,” he said. He also said Israel was being pulled in the direction of building settlements in Gaza, a notion that is supported by far-right politicians in Mr. Netanyahu’s government.
IDF Strikes Hezbollah Amid Truce Violations; France Said Accusing Israel of Transgressions, The Times of Israel
As Netanyahu vows to continue ‘intense reaction’ to terror group’s entrenchment in south Lebanon, Paris reportedly says Israel isn’t using agreed mechanisms to enforce ceasefire.
Ben Gvir Instructs Police To Prevent Mosques From Using Loudspeakers To Broadcast Call to Prayer, The Times of Israel
According to the report, the new policy would allow the police to enter mosques and confiscate loudspeaker equipment if found to be in use. The mosques found to be broadcasting the call to prayer would also be fined.
Israel Planning to Relocate Thousands of Bedouins to Mobile Home Parks, Haaretz
The level of infrastructure planned for these”transitional neighborhoods” – including electricity, water and sewage – will be lower than required for structures in regulated communities. While the caravan parks are planned to last for five years, there is nothing in the plan that mandates local authorities to develop during that time the permanent infrastructure required.
For American Jews Like Me, Supporting Israel Now Means Telling the Truth About Its Government, The Jewish Telegraphic Agency
Rabbi Jill Jacobs writes, “Mourning and fear must not distract us from the reality that the biggest existential threat to Israel, and indeed to Judaism itself, is coming from Israel’s governing coalition. Israel is not an object of worship or vehicle for Jewish identity. It is a real country with an increasingly authoritarian government committed to perpetual war and settlement. This is both a moral travesty and a danger to the state and to Judaism.”
Biden Must Enforce Us Law on Military Aid to Israel, J Street
J Street Policy Associate Avraham Spraragen writes, “To uphold US law and send a clear message of disapproval to the Netanyahu government, the Biden Administration should abide by NSM-20 and withhold certain offensive weapons transfers to Israel.”
A Soldier’s Warning: What I Saw in Gaza Will Define Our Future, Haaretz
An anonymous IDF Soldier who participated in ground operations in Gaza shares, “To all of us, from those in the control room to the last of the fighters, it’s clear that the government doesn’t know a damn thing about how to proceed from here. There are no goals to advance to, no political ability to retreat. Except for in Jabalya, there’s hardly any fighting. Only at the edges of the camps. And even this is partial, for fear that hostages might be there. The problem is diplomatic, not military and not tactical. And therefore it’s clear to everyone that we will be called up for yet another round, for the exact same missions.”
Grappling With Jewish Fears in a Just Palestinian Struggle, +972
Haggai Matar shares, “What is needed instead is to reimagine a collective Jewish existence in Israel-Palestine that is not based on relations of supremacy over Palestinians. Accepting that Israeli Jews will stay in this land in the long run is essential, and has actually been a central part of the platform of the Palestinian liberation movement for decades.”
Jewish Sen. Ossoff in Community Crosshairs After Voting Against Arms Sales to Israel, Haaretz
Ben Samuels shares, “Ossoff’s vote last week, therefore, was all the more significant given his own personal stakes. Out of all 19 senators, he is far and away facing the most competitive reelection battle in 2026. Furthermore, he is running in a state carried by President-elect Donald Trump, potentially against a popular state GOP candidate in the current governor, Brian Kemp.”