News Roundup for February 25, 2020

February 25, 2020

Receive the roundup in your inbox every morning!

J Street in the News

J Street Deeply Concerned by Barrage of Rocket Fire from Islamic Jihad in Gaza, J Street
“We fear that PIJ’s efforts to incite clashes and further destabilize the region could lead to another major escalation in violence, with disastrous consequences for civilians on both sides.”

J Street Alarmed by Bomb Threats Targeting JCCs, J Street
“J Street stands in solidarity with the JCCs and with the entire Jewish community against fear, hate and terror. We will continue to do all that we can to combat antisemitism, xenophobia and bigotry in all its forms.”

Top News and Analysis

Islamic Jihad announces ceasefire, but Gaza attacks, Israeli strikes persist, Times of Israel
The exchange came after a Palestinian news agency posted graphic footage of an Israeli army bulldozer dragging the body of a Palestinian man who Israel said was part of a “terror squad,” killed as he placed an explosive device along the border fence.

More than 50 JCCs nationwide receive emailed bomb threats, JTA
None of the threats have been found to be credible, though local law enforcement agencies have been notified. Officials do not know who sent the threats.

News

Netanyahu: No Need to Postpone Election Over Coronavirus, Haaretz
Amid the global outbreak of the coronavirus, Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has instructed the government to open a national situation room. The forum will convene daily and will be headed by National Security Adviser Meir Ben-Shabbat.

IDF chief warns Gaza clash may not be over, could spiral into greater conflict, Times of Israel
Amid reports of ceasefire in Strip, Kohavi says ‘unclear if the incident is at its peak or its end,’ states that situation is fragile.

UN Reiterates Support for 2-State Israel-Palestine Solution, New York Times
This was the first Security Council press statement on the issue since President Donald Trump unveiled a plan three weeks ago to resolve the decades-old conflict.

Netanyahu banks on Trump plan to drive up pro-settler votes, AP
In a bid to move the needle in his favor, Netanyahu has spent the final weeks of the campaign handing out political gifts to different constituents. The Trump plan has been the centerpiece of that strategy.

Opinion and Analysis

Amid Sanders’s rise, candidate battles AIPAC and a pundit comparing campaign’s momentum to Nazi invasion, Washington Post
Katie Shepherd writes, “Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) has never attended an American Israel Public Affairs Committee conference, according to the lobbying group. In fact, his public refusal to attend last year’s conference early in his bid for the 2020 Democratic nomination spurred a petition that urged other presidential candidates to steer clear of the pro-Israel lobbying group’s event.”

7 Days to Election: Netanyahu Prays Gaza Won’t Shoot Down His Skyrocketing Polls, Haaretz
Chemi Shalev writes, “Islamic Jihad reminds Israelis that Netanyahu has no solution to Gaza rocket attacks – and might not even want one.”

Meet the foreign policy teams shaping the Democratic Party’s views on Israel, +972 Magazine
Alex Kane writes, “The advisers of the Democratic candidates offer a deeper look into what their policies on Israel-Palestine would be once they enter the White House.”