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.
Trump’s Gaza Takeover Plan May Sound Death Knell for the Two-State Solution, The New York Times
“If Trump thinks that somehow the U.S. owning Gaza and allowing Israel to annex parts of the West Bank facilitates a deal, he’s completely wrong about that,” said Jeremy Ben-Ami, president of J Street, a liberal, pro-Israel, Washington-based organization that promotes a negotiated peace in the Middle East. “There’s no way forward to a deal.”
Jewish Groups Rebuke Trump on Immigration, Musk Moves, Axios
In an open letter releasing today, a coalition of over 100 reform and conservative Jewish organizations, including J Street, is denouncing President Trump over his “scapegoating” of immigrants and transgender people, and says his empowering of Elon Musk “to force ideological conformity” threatens the country’s “democratic norms.” It’s the latest criticism of Trump by religious organizations over his immigration and cost-cutting policies.
Trump’s Gaza Plan Suggests His Pro-Settler Advisers Are in the Ascendant, The Guardian
Donald Trump’s proposal for the US to take over Gaza and relocate Palestinians lacks concrete plans, cost estimates, or military outlines. J Street President Jeremy Ben-Ami said before the summit that Trump had two choices on Thursday, either going for the “dealmaker route” or the “screw it path”. But “if he’s going down the screw it path – and I don’t really care what anybody thinks, and I want Greenland and Panama and they can have the West Bank – you know, then we’re in a different world”, Ben-Ami said.
A Rare Voice in the Jewish Establishment: Here’s Why the AJC Distanced Itself From Trump’s Gaza Plan, Haaretz
Right-wing Jewish-American organizations agreed with President Trump’s plan to have the United States take over Gaza and move out the population. However, left-wing Jewish-American organizations like J Street were apalled, saying there weren’t “adequate words to express our disgust at the idea of forcible displacement of Palestinians with the assistance of the United States of America.”
Campaign Spending at Pro-Israel Political Action Committees Up in 2024, Jewish News Syndicate
Lobbying spending by Jewish groups has more than doubled since 2022, driven by the October 7 attack and the resulting war, as organizations seek to keep these issues on Congress’s agenda amid competing priorities. The third biggest PAC by campaign spending, J Street, increased its 2024 campaign spending to $14.6 million, up from $8.6 million in the previous election.
Trump’s Gaza Plan Complicates Hoped-for Saudi-Israeli Deal, The New York Times
President Trump is pushing for Saudi Arabia to join the Abraham Accords but may have undermined his efforts by proposing the mass relocation of Palestinians from Gaza. The plan was rejected by Saudi Arabia, who reaffirmed its non-negotiable demands for a Palestinian State before normalizing relations with Israel.
Egypt Lobbies Against Trump Plan To Empty Gaza of Palestinians As Israel Prepares for It, AP
Palestinians, Egypt and Saudia Arabia continue to reject Trump’s proposal to displace Palestinians from Gaza. However, Israel says it has begun preparations for the departure of Palestinians from Gaza. Egypt has launched a diplomatic blitz behind the scenes against the proposal, warning it would put its peace deal with Israel at risk, officials said. Trump administration officials have allegedly tried to dial back aspects of the proposal after it was widely rejected internationally, saying the relocation of Palestinians would be temporary.
Hamas to Submit Names of Three Israeli Hostages to Be Freed Saturday, Haaretz
Today Hamas has a deadline confirming three Israeli hostages that are set to be released tomorrow as part of the ceasefire agreement. However, Israeli officials fear that President Trump’s proposal to relocate Gaza’s population and involve the U.S. in governing the territory could jeopardize the hostage negotiations.
Trump Imposes Sanctions on ICC, Accusing it of Targeting US and Israel, The Guardian
The order grants the US president broad powers to impose asset freezes and travel bans against ICC staff and their family members if the US determines that they are involved in efforts to investigate or prosecute citizens of the US and certain allies.
Israeli Settler Indicted After Opening Fire on Palestinian Family Harvesting Olives in the West Bank, Haaretz
An Israeli settler, Shmuel Zafran, was indicted for firing 18 bullets at a Palestinian family harvesting olives near a West Bank settlement, wounding two people. Charged with terror-motivated aggravated assault driven by racism, Zafran continued shooting even as the family fled and others tried to evacuate the wounded.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu Meets With Leaders on Capitol Hill, CBS News
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met with Senate Majority Leader John Thune and Sen. Richard Blumenthal, where Thune reaffirmed Republican support for Israel, while Blumenthal dismissed Trump’s Gaza proposal as a “nonstarter”. Speaker Mike Johnson defended the proposal as “bold and decisive.” Netanyahu also met with Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth at the Pentagon to discuss next steps in the ceasefire negotiations.
EU Chiefs Chastise Trump for Sanctioning the ICC, Politico
“The ICC guarantees accountability for international crimes and gives a voice to victims worldwide,” European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen wrote in a post on X. “It must be able to freely pursue the fight against global impunity. Europe will always stand for justice and the respect of international law.”
Trump’s Plan to ‘Save’ Gaza Means Killing the Palestinian Nation and Dismembering Its Body, Haaretz
Dahlia Scheindlin writes, “Trump’s plan is incredibly cruel to the Palestinian national cause. That’s clear from the way Israel’s fundamentalist, religious, extremist ministers are lauding the almighty for his messenger, Trump. The cruelty is manifested in the idea of ripping apart Gazan society, which has just lost over 47,000 people, with hundreds of thousands wounded, with homes, cities and communities wrecked, forced to move many times over to save their lives or leave altogether – while Israelis told themselves that everything was justified because everyone there was guilty.”
Saudi Arabia’s High-Wire Act Wobbles Amid Trump’s Gaza Gambit, Financial Times
Kim Ghatas writes, “If Trump thinks that suggesting Israel cede territory to the US will pressurise Netanyahu, he should think again. Not only is it legally a non-starter, but Congress will not approve sending Americans into a war zone to rebuild it. Instead, Trump breathed new life into a far-right Israeli dream: Gaza without Palestinians.”
What Trump’s Gaza Plan Means for the World, Foreign Policy
Robert Pape writes, “President Donald Trump’s call to ‘take over’ Gaza, relocate 2 million Palestinians elsewhere, and build the ‘Riviera of the Middle East’ under a U.S. ‘long-term ownership position’ may never happen. However, simply suggesting it puts Americans directly in the gunsights of Islamist extremists – not just in the United States but around the world.”