Exclusive: J Street Spurns ADL in Teachers Union Fight, Saying Its Approach ‘Demeans the Meaning of Antisemitism’, The Forward
“J Street instead released its own statement slamming the ADL’s response to the NEA vote, including its initial claim that the vote was driven by ‘pro-Hamas’ activists within the union. ‘This rhetoric and approach demeans the meaning of antisemitism and runs the risk of fanning its flames,’ Jeremy Ben-Ami, J Street’s president, said in the statement shared with the Forward. […] ‘We’re not looking to pick an organizational food fight,’ Ben-Ami said in an interview. ‘We just felt uncomfortable sending the signal that joining in this letter would have sent that the entirety of the Jewish community is united behind the approach that the ADL is taking.’”
J Street Responds to NEA Vote on Using ADL Materials and Participating in ADL Programs, J Street
J Street President Jeremy Ben-Ami said, “At this challenging moment, we cannot afford for leading educators and leading Jewish groups to be hurling accusations and retreating into their corners. There are troubling examples of antisemitism in schools that must be addressed – as well as all forms of hate and bias. At the same time, charges of antisemitism must not be wielded to quash legitimate criticism of Israeli policy, labeling critical speech as antisemitic hate speech.”
Israel Stages Rare Attack on Syrian Government Forces, The New York Times
“Israel has seldom attacked the government’s military and the two countries recently opened diplomatic contacts to try to lower tensions and conflict between them. The Syrian government condemned the Israeli attack and said it was aimed at undermining the country’s stability. It said a number of its forces had been killed as had civilians.”
US Ambassador Makes an Unprecedented Visit to Netanyahu’s Trial, Axios
“Huckabee’s attendance at the court hearing is a significantly unusual and unprecedented move by a US ambassador to Israel. The move was a way for Huckabee and the Trump administration to express support for Israel’s prime minister and to signal what seems to be distrust in the nation’s judicial system.”
20 Die in Stampede at Gaza Food Distribution Site as Israeli Strikes Kill 41 Others, AP
“A stampede at a food distribution site run by an Israeli-backed American organization in the Gaza Strip killed 20 Palestinians on Wednesday, the group said, in the first acknowledgment of deadly violence at its operations. The Gaza Humanitarian Fund, an American organization backed by Israel to feed the Gaza Strip’s population, said 19 people were trampled in a stampede and one person was fatally stabbed at a hub in the southern city of Khan Younis.”
UN Says 875 Palestinians Have Been Killed Near Gaza Aid Sites, Reuters
“The majority of those killed were in the vicinity of Gaza Humanitarian Foundation sites, while the remaining 201 were killed on the routes of other aid convoys.”
Hersh Goldberg-Polin’s Father Expresses Frustration with Netanyahu as Latest Truce Talks Falter, JTA
“Polin pointed out what has long been known: that a deal on the table shortly before Hamas murdered Goldberg-Polin and five other captives last year would have included his release.”
One in 10 Children in its Clinics are Malnourished, UN Palestinian Refugee Agency Says, Reuters
“Since January 2024, UNRWA said it had screened more than 240,000 boys and girls under the age of five in its clinics, adding that before the war, acute malnutrition was rarely seen in the Gaza Strip.”
Huckabee Calls on Israel to ‘Aggressively’ Probe ‘Terrorist Murder’ of US-Palestinian in West Bank, The Times of Israel
“‘There must be accountability for this criminal and terrorist act. Saif was just 20 yrs old,’ Huckabee says in a post on X. This appears to be one of the first times that Huckabee has commented on rampant settler violence in the West Bank, though he avoids using the term or characterizing the killing as part of a phenomenon.”
No Riyadh Without Ramallah: Israel Must Now Offer a Diplomatic Horizon – and Hope, Haaretz
Members of the Knesset Gilad Kariv, Ram Ben Barak and Alon Schuster write, “The army’s achievements in Lebanon and Iran created a rare window of opportunity in the Middle East, but our bloody entanglement in Gaza threatens to close it. Consequently, along with the internal battle over our home and the nature of our democracy, we must now offer a diplomatic horizon – a vision for foreign relations that will provide hope to its citizens and to all people in the region.”
This Arab Lawmaker Can’t Save the Remnants of Israel’s Democracy Alone, Substack
Dr. Debra Shushan writes, “In order to arrest Israel’s anti-democratic slide, the Jewish-Arab solidarity that Odeh espouses is essential. As a minority group, Palestinian citizens have strong incentive to support civil rights and equality for all Israelis. Despite tensions between the communities, it is vital that Arab and Jewish Israelis find common ground – as Odeh and civil society groups like Standing Together admirably strive to do. Ayman Odeh is committed to saving what remains of Israel’s democracy, but he can’t do it alone – and he shouldn’t have to.”
Netanyahu’s Ultra-Orthodox Allies Threaten His Coalition Government, The New York Times
Aaron Boxerman writes, “The issue has become more fraught during the Gaza war. Hundreds of Israeli soldiers have been killed in the conflict, prompting accusations that the ultra-Orthodox are sitting by while others die for them in battle. The coalition fight is unlikely to topple Mr. Netanyahu’s government immediately, analysts say. But it will inject further instability into Israeli politics as the leaders of different parties clash over a cease-fire to end the war in Gaza and as fighting continues in Lebanon and Syria.”