Trump-Netanyahu Meeting a High-Stakes Test for ‘Peacemaker’ and ‘Dealmaker’ in Chief, J Street
Ahead of President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Netanyahu’s White House meeting, J Street President Jeremy Ben-Ami writes “There needs to be clear red lines for all parties: Every hostage must come home. No return to war. No role in governance for Hamas in Gaza. No rehabilitation of Hezbollah in Lebanon. No settlements or land grabs. Credible, regional, achievable post-war plans that sideline terrorism and extremism and deliver safety and freedom for all.”
‘Illegal Power Grab’: What Trump’s Freeze of Foreign Aid Means for Israel and the Palestinians, Haaretz
After the Trump Administration decided to freeze funding for USAID and other foreign aid assistance programs, J Street President Jeremy Ben-Ami tell Haaretz, “If foreign aid that has already been authorized and funded by Congress is not immediately resumed, a peaceful Middle East could be in jeopardy. This egregious executive overreach flies in the face of how basic laws in the United States work.”
J Street Condemns Illegal, Destabilizing Power Grab Against Foreign Assistance and USAID That Threatens Middle East Ceasefires and US Global Leadership, J Street
J Street is concerned about the White House’s illegal attempt to dismantle USAID and U.S. foreign assistance. Cutting this aid would destabilize fragile regions like the Middle East. Pulling support from Gaza, Lebanon, and the West Bank risks collapsing two ceasefire agreements.
Huge explosions rock Jenin as Israel continues operations in West Bank, Sky News
The simultaneous explosions levelled around 20 buildings in the Jenin refugee camp, the Palestinian state news agency said, with Jenin hospital director Wisam Baker telling the same agency part of the hospital was damaged in the explosions but there had been no casualties there.
Trump To Target UN Rights Body and Palestinian Relief Agency, Reuters
US President Donald Trump is expected to issue an executive order today withdrawing the US from the UN Human Rights Council and prohibiting funding for the UN Palestinian relief agency UNRWA. Trump has already previously ordered US withdrawals from the World Health Organization and from the Paris climate agreement since taking office on Jan. 20.
Trump and Netanyahu Meeting Is Expected to Focus on Gaza Cease-Fire, The New York Times
Analysts say Netanyahu and Trump disagree on key issues. The Trump administration wants hostages freed before pursuing a Saudi-Israel deal, but that requires ending the fighting. However, Netanyahu’s government could collapse if Hamas remains in control. With no clear plan for Gaza, he may try to delay a permanent cease-fire.
US Readying To Approve New $1 Billion Arms Package to Israel, The Times of Israel
Washington is preparing to provide weapons and military equipment to Israel to the tune of some $1 billion as part of a new package. Donald Trump’s administration has asked Congress to approve the transfer, which will be funded through military aid money the US provides to Israel. It includes thousands of 1,000-pound bombs as well as armored bulldozers used by military engineering.
Two Israeli Soldiers Killed, Six Wounded in Attack on Army Post in West Bank, IDF Says, Haaretz
Two Israeli soldiers were killed, and six others were wounded after a gunman opened fire at close range on an IDF post at the Tayasir checkpoint in the Jordan Valley, West Bank. Two are in moderate-to-serious condition, while the remaining soldiers were lightly wounded.
Arab Ministers Lobby Against Removing Palestinians From Gaza in Letter to Rubio, Axios
Five Arab foreign ministers and a senior Palestinian official urged Secretary of State Marco Rubio to oppose displacing Palestinians from Gaza. Their letter is part of a broader effort to push President Trump to drop relocation plans while the reconstruction efforts take place in Gaza.
Israel Plans Jewish Neighborhood in Sheikh Jarrah, Putting Dozens of Palestinian Families at Risk of Eviction, Haaretz
The neighborhood is planned to be built on lands that have been at the forefront of legal battles in recent years between Sheikh Jarrah’s residents and settler organizations, accompanied by protests and violent confrontations. Residents and civil society organizations claim that the purpose of the plan is to displace Palestinians from the neighborhood.
Rubio Says He’s Acting Director of USAID As Humanitarian Agency Is Taken Over by the State Department, CNN
Senators Chris Van Hollen and Chris Murphy, among other democratic lawmakers, condemned the attempt to shut down USAID by executive order as “plain illegal,” and a “constitutional crisis.” Yesterday, USAID staffers and supporters gathered outside of the USAID headquarters, chanting “U-S-Aid” and holding signs about the agency’s life-saving work.
With the Gaza Ceasefire in The Balance, Netanyahu’s Meeting With Trump Could Be Pivotal, The Conversation
Amin Saikal writes, “This is cause for a degree of optimism. However, negotiating the length, terms and implementation of the second and third stages of the ceasefire will prove very rocky. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, for instance, has already declared the ceasefire to be ‘temporary.’”
Aid Is Surging Into Gaza Under the Ceasefire. Is It Helping?, AP
Julia Frankel writes, “The main UN food agency, the World Food Program, said it dispersed more food to Palestinians in Gaza during the first four days of the ceasefire than it did, on average, during any month of the war. Over 32,000 metric tons of aid have entered Gaza since the ceasefire, the agency said last week.”