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.
Could Donald Trump Become Liberal Zionists’ Next Hero?,The Times of Israel
In an interview last week with Ben Sales for the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, J Street President Jeremy Ben Ami discussed what J Street advocates for: “[The 23-state solution] entails regional integration with the Arab states surrounding Israel, with the end result of a Palestinian state. Crucially, Ben-Ami said, Trump has built up enough credibility with Israelis at large as well as Netanyahu that he may be able to withstand opposition from the Israeli right. ‘It’s going to take very heavy pressure on Netanyahu from the White House, and no one has more chits and credit and credibility with the Israeli public than Donald Trump,’” Ben-Ami said.
Trump Invites Israel’s Netanyahu To Meet With Him at the White House Next Week, AP
President Donald Trump has invited Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to the White House next week as the first foreign leader to visit in Trump’s second term. The White House letter shared by Netanyahu’s office, dated Tuesday, said “I look forward to discussing how we can bring peace to Israel and its neighbors, and efforts to counter our shared adversaries.” Other topics of discussion include continued US weapons deliveries to Israel, applying more pressure on Iran’s regime and renewing the normalization agreement between Israel and Saudi Arabia.
Senate Democrats Block Bill to Sanction International Criminal Court Over Israel, Haaretz
U.S. Senate Democrats on Tuesday blocked a Republican-led effort to sanction the International Criminal Court in protest of its arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former defense minister over Israel’s campaign in Gaza.
White House Envoy Met Senior Palestinian Official in Saudi Arabia, Axios
President Trump’s Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff met on Tuesday in Riyadh with Hussein al-Sheikh, a senior adviser to Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas. This was the first meeting between a Trump administration official and a Palestinian official since November’s election. The meeting took place amid efforts by the Trump administration to end the war in Gaza and push for a Saudi-Israeli peace deal that includes a path toward a Palestinian state.
Top U.S. Envoy Visits Israel in Show of Support for Gaza Cease-Fire, The New York Times
Steven Witkoff, US envoy to the Middle East is meeting today with Prime Minister Netanyahu. Witkoff will visit the Netzarim Corridor, where American security contractors have been enlisted to help handle the return of displaced Palestinians. This is part of the Trump Administration’s ongoing plan to reinforce a cease-fire agreement between Israel and Hamas that, if made permanent, would allow thousands more displaced Palestinians to return to their homes.
‘I Am Finally at Home’: Freed Israeli Hostage Naama Levy Shares Message, CNN
Naama Levy, A freed Israeli hostage says she drew “hope and strength” from other captives while she was being held by Hamas in Gaza. She was kidnapped by Hamas during the October 7 attack and freed this past Saturday, as part of a Gaza ceasefire and hostage release deal between Israel and Hamas. “After 477 days I am finally home. I am secure and protected, and surrounded by family and friends,” Levy posted on Instagram on Tuesday. She added that she feels “better with each day that passes.”
Israel Is Urged to Reverse Course on Palestinian Aid Agency Ban, The New York Times
The UN Secretary-General, António Guterres has asked Israel to reverse course on banning UNRWA operations in Israel, stating that under international law Israel was obliged to facilitate the work of the agency, not hinder it. Yesterday, the Israeli ambassador to the United Nations, Danny Danon said that Israel’s decision to outlaw UNRWA would come into full effect on Thursday, stating that UNRWA “must cease its operation and evacuate the premises it operates in Jerusalem.”
Defense Minister Says IDF Will Remain in Jenin After Ongoing Raid ‘To Ensure Terror Doesn’t Return’, The Times of Israel
Defense Minister Israel Katz vows that the IDF will remain in the West Bank’s Jenin refugee camp even after an ongoing military operation there, “to ensure the terror does not return.”
Israel, Trump, and the Gaza Deal, Foreign Affairs
Amos Harel writes, “One component of Trump’s emerging framework, the end of the war in Gaza, will be difficult for Israel’s far-right to accept. If Netanyahu implements the second stage of the deal, including a full withdrawal from the strip, his government will probably fall. And even if it somehow survives, miraculously, for a few more weeks until the end of March, it will likely collapse at that point, due to a developing political crisis concerning efforts to exempt all ultra-Orthodox (Haredim) men from mandatory military service.”
Huge Health Challenges Face Gaza Residents Returning to Their Homes, AP
Tammy Webber writes, “Most of Gaza’s 36 hospitals were damaged or partly destroyed by Israeli bombs, with only half still partially operational, according to the World Health Organization. Almost two-thirds of health clinics aren’t open. That makes it impossible to treat everyone who needs urgent and long-term care — including an estimated 30,000 people who need ongoing rehabilitation for “life-changing injuries,” such as amputations.”
Explainer: Implications of The UNRWA Crisis, J Street Policy Center
On October 30th, 2024, the Knesset passed two laws targeting the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) operations: the “Law to Cease UNRWA Operations” and the “Law to Cease UNRWA Operations in the Territory of the State of Israel.” Set to take effect on on January 28, these laws prohibit Israeli government authorities from any interaction with UNRWA in the West Bank and Gaza, while banning its activities entirely within Israel’s sovereign territory. Our new explainer outlines how these Knesset laws will impact UNRWA’s day-to-day operations, educational system, imports, and visas for international staff.