News Roundup for December 24, 2025
ICYMI: Ben Cohen of Ben & Jerry’s on How Ice Cream Meets Activism, Word on the Street
Ben Cohen of Ben & Jerry’s joined J Street President Jeremy Ben-Ami on this week’s Word on the Street to discuss ice cream, activism and the ways personal values can guide public action.
Progressive Jewish Organisations Slam Trump’s Palestinian Travel Ban, Caution Against ‘Collective Exclusion’, Haaretz
“The letter was sent by eight prominent liberal and progressive Jewish organizations, including J Street, New Jewish Narrative, New York Jewish Agenda (NYJA), Partners for Progressive Israel, and T’ruah: The Rabbinic Call for Human Rights.”
US Leaning Toward Setting Up Palestinian-run Regime for Gaza Before International Forces, Haaretz
“The words ‘international stabilization force’ were notably absent from Witkoff’s statement. And Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s recent statements on the issue make it clear that Washington now understands that any such force can only be established at a later stage.”
A Blast in Gaza Wounds a Soldier and Israel Accuses Hamas of Ceasefire Violation, AP
“Hamas accuses Israel of violating the ceasefire by not allowing enough aid into the territory and continuing to strike civilians. Palestinian health officials say over 370 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli fire since the truce.”
The Truce Is 2 Months Old. So Why Have Hundreds of Gazans Been Killed?, New York Times
“Death can come from straying across the Yellow Line, the poorly demarcated border between eastern Gaza, where the Israeli military has entrenched itself, and the western half, where Hamas is seeking to reestablish control over Gaza’s two million-plus residents.”
Insight: How Israel’s Hilltop Settlers Coordinate Attacks to Expel Palestinians, Reuters
“This year was one of the most violent on record for Israeli civilian attacks against Palestinians in the West Bank, according to United Nations data that shows more than 750 injuries and the rapid spread of outposts throughout land Palestinians hope will form the heart of a future state.”
Gaza’s Christians, Battered by War, Celebrate First Christmas in 3 Years, Reuters
“A ceasefire has brought the enclave a measure of calm, and over the past few weeks, Christians there have embraced the holiday spirit, lighting up trees and passing out sweets.”
Double Temptation of Exodus: Diaspora Jews Mull Aliyah as Israelis Consider Leaving, Jerusalem Post
Sebastian Levi writes, “[I]t is a democratic failure that now weighs on Jews in Israel. Western democracies no longer know how to protect their Jews, and the Jewish state no longer knows how to protect its democratic rights.”
An Israeli Media Mainstay Is Crumbling. Will Liberal Democracy Go With It?, The Forward
“[T]he move to shut it down cannot be understood in isolation. It fits neatly into the broader campaign led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to weaken, intimidate or take over every independent institution capable of producing criticism, accountability, or resistance.”
