J Street Policy Chief Ilan Goldenberg Discusses Israel-Gaza [Video], BBC
Ilan Goldenberg shares, “We had a deal a few months ago. It involved both a hostage release and aid going in and Palestinian prisoners coming out, but it also involved a commitment to talk about what the end of the war could look like. And that discussion never happened because for Prime Minister Netanyahu to have that discussion really ends up putting a lot of pressure on his domestic political coalition and could collapse his government. So are we in for just another temporary ceasefire or could this actually be the beginning of the end of the war?”
Some of Iran’s Enriched Uranium Survived Attacks, Israeli Official Says, The New York Times
“Israel has concluded that some of Iran’s underground stockpile of near-bomb-grade enriched uranium survived American and Israeli attacks last month and may be accessible to Iranian nuclear engineers, according to a senior Israeli official. The senior official also said that Israel had begun moving toward military action against Iran late last year after seeing what the official described as a race to build a bomb as part of a secret Iranian project. […] In the days surrounding Israel’s attack and President Trump’s subsequent decision to join in the action, US intelligence officials said they had seen no evidence of a move by Iran to weaponize its stockpile of near-bomb-grade uranium.”
How Netanyahu Prolonged the War in Gaza to Stay in Power [Gift Link], The New York Times
“Now, at the cabinet meeting, Smotrich declared that he had heard rumors of a plan for a deal. The details disturbed him. ‘I want you to know that if a surrender agreement like this is brought forward, you no longer have a government,’ Smotrich said. ‘The government is finished.’ It was 5:44 p.m., according to minutes of the meeting. At that moment, the prime minister was forced to choose between the chance of a truce and his political survival – and Netanyahu opted for survival.”
‘Ghost Camp’: Israeli Operations in West Bank Push Wave of Palestinians From Their Homes, Reuters
“Israeli operations are pushing tens of thousands of West Bank Palestinians like Lutfi out of their homes, says B’Tselem, the independent Israeli human rights information centre for the occupied territories. Around 40,000 residents from the Tulkarm, Nur Shams and Jenin refugee camps have been displaced by the military operation this year, B’Tselem said.”
Israeli Hostage’s Father Makes Rare Rebuke of ADL for ‘False Claims’ About Family, Haaretz
“Yehuda Cohen, whose son Nimrod is still held hostage in Gaza, is demanding an apology from the ADL CEO for making claims the family said are false. Cohen urged the organization to call for a cease-fire, rather than ‘the vague slogan Bring them home.’”
Police Recruit Settlers for New West Bank Civilian Enforcement Squads, The Times of Israel
“Police launched a new West Bank unit composed of Jewish volunteers from the settlements in the territory, law enforcement announced Wednesday night, a move that sparked alarm from rights groups, with some calling it a private militia loyal to far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir.”
Aid Groups: Infants Are Dying in Gaza Because Israel Impedes Import of Baby Formula, Haaretz
“International organizations say that the Israeli government insists on them buying baby formula through it and paying customs duty – leaving much aid stuck outside Gaza. Israel denies the allegations, but according to UNRWA, the percentage of Gazan children suffering from malnourishment has doubled since March.”
US Imposes Sanctions on UN Official Investigating Israel Over Gaza, The Washington Post
“The United States on Wednesday announced sanctions against Francesca Albanese, the United Nation’s special rapporteur on human rights in the Palestinian territories, alleging that Albanese is targeting US and Israeli nationals for prosecution in the International Criminal Court.”
Takeaways From the Times Investigation Into Benjamin Netanyahu, The New York Times
Patrick Kingsley, Ronen Bergman and Natan Odenheimer write, “Our six-month investigation, containing many details that have never been previously reported, tells the behind-the-scenes story of how Netanyahu survived and then prospered as the war dragged on. The article brings readers to Netanyahu’s hospital ward in July 2023, to his home in the minutes after the Oct. 7 attack began, to the Israeli military headquarters in the days that followed and inside several cease-fire negotiations and Israeli cabinet discussions throughout 2024 and 2025.”
Why the War in Gaza Must End, The New Jersey Jewish News
Rabbi Marc Katz and Rabbi Elliott Tepperman write, “For too long it has felt like there is no space in American Jewry for this Zionist-centered, loving critique of this war. In the days after October 7, the world, and the Jewish community at large, quickly found itself in two camps. They either demanded that we support Israel’s actions entirely or they abandoned Israel completely. Too many between the two camps have stayed silent, without natural footing in this unnatural binary discourse. If there ever was a time us to stand with our activist Israeli brothers and sisters and give Israel’s political leaders a loving rebuke, it is now.”
Netanyahu’s Washington Visit Falls Flat: Plenty of Political Theater but Gaza Talks Stall, Haaretz
Ben Samuels writes, “What had been framed as a potentially historic visit now seems, in hindsight, like something that could have just as easily been handled over email. Instead, Netanyahu used the visit to flatter Trump, nominating him for the Nobel Peace Prize in recognition of the Abraham Accords, and presenting him with a mezuzah shaped like a B-2 stealth bomber – a macabre tribute in line with the replica pager he gave Trump last year, commemorating the strike on Hezbollah operatives. In return, Netanyahu received a hat signed by Donald Trump that reads, ‘Trump was right about everything.’”