News Roundup for January 8, 2026
ICYMI: Inside J Street’s 2026 Strategy with Hannah Morris & Tali DeGroot, Word on the Street
J Street Chief Policy Officer Ilan Goldenberg was joined by J Street Vice President of Government Affairs Hannah Morris and Vice President of Political and Digital Strategy Tali DeGroot for a conversation about how J Street is meeting this political moment in 2026.
‘Foil a Palestinian State’: Israel Issues Tender for Internationally Condemned Construction in West Bank’s E1 Area, Haaretz
“After the plan was approved in August, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said, ‘The Palestinian state is being erased – not with slogans, but with actions.'”
Despite Gaza Ceasefire, War Still Deadly Along Israel’s ‘Yellow Line’, Washington Post
“In the three months since a U.S.-backed ceasefire began, Israeli troops, tanks and drones have fired on residents almost daily in areas close to or abutting the line.”
Lebanese Military Moves to New Phase of Disarming Non-State Groups Like Hezbollah, AP
“Israel said the development was encouraging but ‘far from sufficient,” and its Foreign Ministry said the group still has dozens of compounds and other infrastructure.”
Australia to Form Royal Commission Into Antisemitism After Bondi Mass Shooting, Times of Israel
“The commission will investigate the nature, prevalence, and drivers of antisemitism in general, as well as the circumstances of the Bondi mass shooting, Albanese told reporters in Canberra on Thursday. It will also make recommendations for law enforcement, strengthening social cohesion and countering the spread of extremism.”
Relative of 11-Year-Old Girl Killed in Gaza Says Israeli Gunfire Was Responsible for Her Death, AP
“The family had returned to a designated safe zone following the Oct. 10 ceasefire between Israel and the Hamas militant group. More than 400 deaths have been reported since then in the Palestinian territory.”
‘An Attack Can Happen Any Second’: My Eyewitness Testimony of Rampant Settler Violence, Haaretz
Sam Stein writes, “Where usually four activists are sufficient to offer protective presence to one community, we have needed twice that amount to respond to the multiple settler incursions happening every day, often simultaneously and at opposite ends of the village. And, whether behind the scenes or on the ground, the Israeli police and military are facilitating all of this.”
Is Mamdani Bad or Good for Jews? Here’s How Not to Tell, The Forward
Emily Tamkin writes, “What if we asked practical, rather than symbolic, questions in response to [Mamdani’s] day one actions? Not ‘how outraged should we be by the revocation of the IHRA definition?’ but ‘will that revocation actually change how safe Jews are?’ Or: What will the functions of the Office to Combat Antisemitism actually look like under Mamdani? How will the office track antisemitism?”
