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.
Israel Can’t Keep Denying Palestinian Family Unification, Top Court Says, Haaretz
Israel’s Supreme Court issued an interim order Tuesday barring the Interior Ministry from continuing to deny Palestinians who marry Israeli citizens residency rights in Israel.
Palestinians Summon Dutch Envoy Over NGO Aid Cutoff, The Washington Post
The Palestinian Authority summoned the Dutch representative on Monday to object to the Netherlands’ decision to halt funding to a Palestinian civil society group that Israel controversially outlawed as a terrorist organization.
Gaza Health Official: ‘We Don’t Have the Ability’ to Deal With Omicron Wave, Haaretz
The Gazan Health Ministry warned this week that the omicron variant has spread rapidly through the Gaza Strip since the first cases were discovered.
A Deadly Trash Trade Is Poisoning Palestinians in the West Bank, The Times of Israel
A Times of Israel investigation finds that Burning Israeli scrap for valuable raw metals is a lethal livelihood for thousands of Palestinians, sending cancer rates skyrocketing in villages near Hebron.
Police Deploy as Bedouin Protest JNF Forestation Work in Israel’s South, Haaretz
Hundreds of police officers were deployed to guard Jewish National Fund workers preparing land for forestation near the Bedouin town of Hura in the Negev on Monday – land used by locals for agriculture.
Eyeing Iran, Bennett Says Military Undergoing Largest Rearmament in Years, The Times of Israel
Prime Minister Naftali Bennett told the Knesset on Monday that the country’s military and other security services were undergoing their largest rearming in years. Bennett’s comments came as the IDF was working intensively to prepare for a potential military strike on Iran’s nuclear facilities, amid growing concerns that ongoing talks between the world powers and Tehran in Vienna about curbing the latter’s nuclear program may result in an agreement that Israel deems unacceptable, or in no agreement whatsoever.
Former Israeli PMs Netanyahu and Olmert Face Off in Court in Libel Case, BBC
Two former Israeli prime ministers have faced off in court in Tel Aviv, as Benjamin Netanyahu and his family began a defamation suit against Ehud Olmert.
How Close Is Iran to Getting a Nuclear Weapon?, Foreign Policy
Colum Lynch explores the likelihood of Iran developing a nuclear weapon writing, “With JCPOA restrictions in place, the United States estimated in 2015 that it would take Iran 12 months to produce enough nuclear fuel for a bomb should it decide to abandon the deal and seek a workable weapon. Today, that estimate has shrunk to about one month as Tehran has installed more advanced centrifuges in its nuclear centers, enriched uranium of a far higher quality than allowed under the original nuclear pact, and restricted international inspectors’ access to Iranian nuclear facilities.”
Who Do Israeli Settlement ‘Sheriffs’ Report To? Even They’re Not Sure, Haaretz
Hagar Shezaf and Josh Breiner write, “They walk around armed. They’re trained by the army. They’re allowed to detain Palestinians, and they have the authority to send out emergency response teams. In some sense, they’re the local sheriffs, the highest security authority in and around the settlements. But who has authority over the people responsible for day-to-day security in the West Bank? Not only by Palestinians or leftist activists who find fault in their mode of operation wonder about this question, but also the security coordinators themselves.”