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.
Hundreds of US Rabbis Vow To Block Far-Right Israel Lawmakers From Their Communities, The Times of Israel
“More than 330 American rabbis, including some who occupy prominent roles in major cities, are pledging to block far-right members of Benjamin Netanyahu’s incoming government from speaking at their synagogues and will lobby to keep them from speaking in their communities…A number of US Jewish groups spoke out against including the far-right faction in the government while Netanyahu was negotiating with the factions, and more have done so since he announced the government’s formation on Wednesday. They include the Anti-Defamation League, the major non-Orthodox movements, and the liberal Jewish Middle East policy groups Partners for Progressive Israel, J Street and Americans for Peace Now.”
Armed Arab Assailant Rams Car Into Israeli Police, Shot Dead, The Washington Post
Israeli police on Friday shot dead an Arab assailant who they said lured officers into an ambush in which he rammed them with his car after trying to shoot them, an attack that left three policemen wounded in central Israel. The incident took place in the Arab Israeli town of Kfar Qassem, an unusual site for what police suspected was a “nationalistic” militant attack. The Arab community in Israel is also struggling with surging violent crime that residents blame on decades of government neglect.
‘Candid Conversations’ With Israel Will Continue: Blinken Congratulates Netanyahu, The Times of Israel
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken congratulated Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday after the Likud leader announced his successful formation of a new government. Blinken reiterated the Biden administration’s approach to the new government, which will be the most right-wing in Israel’s history, saying that Washington “will engage with and judge our partners in Israel on the basis of the policies they pursue, not the personalities that happen to form the government.”
Jennifer McClellan Is Poised To Make History in Virginia After Winning Democratic Nomination To Succeed Late Rep. Donald McEachin, CNN
Jennifer McClellan has won the Democratic nomination for Virginia’s 4th Congressional District in the special election to succeed the late Rep. Donald McEachin, the commonwealth’s Democratic Party announced early Thursday morning in a news release, putting her in prime position to become the first Black woman to represent the Old Dominion in Congress.
Israel Rallies Opposition as Palestinian Call for Legal Opinion Looks Likely to Pass at UN, Haaretz
The Palestinian request for an International Court of Justice advisory opinion on Israel’s West Bank conduct is expected to receive an automatic majority approval vote at the UN, but Israel is still trying to recruit states to oppose it. An advisory opinion is a procedure in which the UN turns to the court without the consent of the relevant countries regarding a specific matter, and the court then formulates a report detailing its position on that particular issue.
Chile To Open Embassy in Palestinian Territories, Says President, Reuters
Chile plans to open an embassy in the Palestinian territories, President Gabriel Boric said late on Wednesday, which could make the Andean country one of only a handful to have an embassy-level office in the territories that are contested with Israel.
Homophobic Noam Party Reportedly Cataloged Israeli LGBTQ Media Workers, Haaretz
Nadav Eyal of Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper reported on Friday that the homophobic Noam Party had previously compiled a list of LGBTQ individuals who work in Israeli media to demonstrate how the gay community impacts public discourse.
At Berkeley Law, a Debate Over Zionism, Free Speech and Campus Ideals, The New York Times
Vimal Patel reports, “A student group, Law Students for Justice in Palestine, barred supporters of Zionism from speaking at its events. The outrage — and legal misunderstandings — grew from there.”
