News Roundup for December 4, 2025
[Video] Ben Rhodes on Why Democrats Need to Change How They Talk About Israel, Word on the Street
Ben’s recent New York Times piece has stirred up exactly the kind of debate Democrats need heading into 2026 and 2028, and our discussion dug into the political, moral and strategic stakes in a way that felt unusually direct for this space. In a wide-ranging discussion, we explored: How we got here, where Democrats go from here and the status of the ceasefire.
Will Democrats Face Scrutiny for Their Stance on the Israel–Gaza War?, USA Today
Hannah Adely writes, “Even if it’s not a decisive voting issue, a candidate’s stance on Israel and Gaza can help to define one’s political identity, said Goldenberg, senior vice president and chief policy officer for J Street, a pro-Israel, pro-peace organization.”
[Video] J Street U Northwestern Leader Talia Winiarsky’s Remarks From J Street Chicago’s 2025 Annual Luncheon, J Street
“When I tell people that I believe in a two-state solution, people have laughed and called me naive. I am twenty-two, after all. But I see this as the only way forward. If there is ever a time to be hopeful, it is now, as a new dawn arises in the Middle East. This is why I am working with J Street, whose relentless pragmatic optimism keeps me going.”
Hamas Returns Body of Last Thai Hostage in Gaza, New York Times
“The Thai hostage, Sudthisak Rinthalak, was a farmworker at an orchard when he was taken away to Gaza and killed on Oct. 7, 2023, the Israeli Defense Forces said on social media.”
Bulldozed Corpses and Unmarked Graves, CNN Investigates the Fate of Gaza’s Missing Aid Seekers, CNN
“A CNN investigation now points to the Israeli military bulldozing the bodies of some of those killed near the crossing into shallow, unmarked graves. At other times, their remains were simply left to decompose in the open, unable to be recovered in the militarized area.”
Israel Launches Airstrike in Southern Gaza After Earlier Attack by Militants Wounded 5 Soldiers, Associated Press
“The strike was the latest test for a fragile ceasefire that has mostly held up since early October, despite claims of violations by both Israel and Hamas. Hamas put out a statement condemning the Israeli strike in Khan Younis.”
U.S. Brokers First Direct Israel–Lebanon Talks in Decades, Axios
“Diplomats from Israel and Lebanon met Wednesday under U.S. auspices and discussed cooperation on economic projects to help stabilize the situation in southern Lebanon near their shared border.”
Israel’s Future at Eurovision to Be Debated at Two-Day Meeting Starting Today, Times of Israel
“Countries including Iceland, Ireland, Spain and the Netherlands have threatened in recent months to pull out of the 2026 contest if Israel takes part. Others, including Belgium, Finland and Sweden, have also indicated they were considering a boycott over the situation in Gaza.”
Israel Says Rafah Crossing to Open Soon to Let Palestinians Leave Gaza via Egypt, BBC
“At least 16,500 severely ill or injured Palestinians in need of lifesaving medical treatment abroad are currently waiting to be evacuated from Gaza, according to the World Health Organization. It says only 235 patients, almost all of them children, have been evacuated via crossings with Israel since the ceasefire took effect.”
Netanyahu’s Pardon Request: An Act of Sheer Chutzpah, Utter Disrespect for Democracy, Jerusalem Post
J Street leader Sebastien Levi writes, “One must indeed be incredibly audacious to request a pardon without even acknowledging guilt and without committing to leave public life. In other words, the prime minister is simply asking not to be tried, claiming that a trial would take too much of his time when he must run the country.”
Watched, Tracked, and Targeted. Life in Gaza Under Israel’s All-Encompassing Surveillance Regime, New York Magazine
Mohammed R. Mhawish writes, “Marwan could not stop talking about how the constant awareness of being watched had twisted and narrowed his world. He said he now avoids calling his brother ‘lest he ask whether any rockets were fired from the area or whether the Israelis had arrived in the area,’ and those words be misread or distorted by unseen listeners. He described the collapse of connection itself: the way fear moves into a family, one phone call at a time, until even expressions of love begin to feel dangerous.”
It’s Clear What Defendant Netanyahu Gets Out of a Pardon. But What’s in It for Trump?, Haaretz
Joshua Leifer writes, “While Trump’s first allusion to a pardon for Netanyahu came as part of his push for a cease-fire in Gaza, it seems unlikely that Trump’s price is as low as simply Netanyahu’s agreement to the cease-fire’s terms. As a self-understood practitioner of the ‘art of the deal,’ Trump must presumably expect to receive more than that. But what, exactly, the U.S. president will demand remains to be seen.”
