News Roundup for January 10, 2022

January 10, 2022
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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.

Top News and Analysis

After Past Blushes, Israeli Gov’t to Bring Palestinian Family Unification Bill to Vote, Haaretz
A ministerial committee decided on Sunday that it will bring a controversial bill barring Palestinians from living with their spouses in Israel to a vote in the Knesset for a second time, despite not having the full backing of the coalition.

Some Palestinians Get Legal Status After Years in Gaza Limbo, AP News
Israel agreed to grant residency to some 13,500 Palestinians in what it presented as a goodwill gesture following recent meetings between Defense Minister Benny Gantz and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. It is the first batch since peace talks broke down more than a decade ago.

News

Israel Weighs Extending Detention of Sick Palestinian Teen, The Washington Post
Israel is considering whether to extend the detention of a 17-year-old Palestinian with a rare neuromuscular disorder who has been held without charge for nearly a year in what authorities refer to as administrative detention, his father said Monday.

Sullivan Warns Iran of ‘Severe Consequences’ if American Citizens Are Attacked, The Hill
White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan on Sunday warned Iran that it would face “serious consequences” if any U.S. citizens are attacked after Iranian officials sanctioned multiple Americans.

Israel Won’t Grant Work Permits to Palestinians Who Fled Homophobia, Domestic Violence, Haaretz
Israel will not issue work permits to all Palestinian members of the LGBTQ community or victims of domestic violence who have received asylum in Israel, the state informed the High Court of Justice on Thursday.

High-Profile Cases Shine Harsh Light on Israel’s Draconian Interrogation Tactics, Times of Israel
The subjects at the center of two high-profile cases are alleging that Israeli interrogators forced them to endure humiliating and inhumane conditions outlawed in most Western countries in order to extract information — and it turns out that they’re far from alone.

Israel Holds Up Vital Spare Parts for Gaza’s Water and Sewage Systems, Haaretz
Israel is holding up the entry of hundreds of vital replacement parts for the proper functioning of Gaza’s water and sewage systems. As a result, partially treated wastewater is being released into the sea, water leakage from pipes is even worse than usual, rainwater runoff is causing a danger of flooding. The quality and quantity of drinking water, purified in special facilities, is also being affected, and the same problems keep happening because repairs are being made with makeshift materials.

Opinion and Analysis

West Bank Settlements Are Annexing Land in Israel, Too, 972 Mag
Meron Rapoport reports on documents that show that Israel has been giving vast swaths of agricultural land inside the Green Line for small West Bank settlements to profit from for years, and discusses the impact of these actions.

Iran’s 2020 Attack on Us Base Underscored Maximum Pressure Folly, Responsible Statecraft
Sina Toossi argues that Tehran’s response to the Soleimani assassination two years ago provided more evidence of why the nuke deal withdrawal was a total failure. She writes, “Trump’s “maximum pressure” campaign was a strategic failure for America on every front. Iran’s military reprisals have strengthened its regional position and bolstered its security against foreign attack. It has dramatically expanded its nuclear program while stabilizing its economy in face of a total economic blockade. In retrospect, the only thing Trump accomplished was impoverishing ordinary Iranians, eviscerating Iran’s moderate factions and nearly starting a catastrophic war on multiple occasions.”

Israel Needs a Diplomatic Horizon to Preserve the Zionist Vision, The Jerusalem Post
Executive Director of J Street Israel Nadav Tamir writes, “The declaration by Foreign Affairs MK Yair Lapid that the current government would not advance a diplomatic process with the Palestinians is disappointing. According to Lapid, a diplomatic process would forestall the likelihood of Israel being labeled an apartheid state. But the labeling is not the main issue, it is only a diplomatic process that can prevent Israel from turning into a binational apartheid state, for which we are headed towards with every day that we fail to advance a two-state solution.”