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.
The Trump-Vance Ticket Is Selling Rotten Promises to US Jewish Voters, Haaretz
J Street Director of Policy Debra Shushan argues, “Amid such attempts to portray the Republican party as the protector of Jews and Israel, it is worth recalling that less than a quarter of Jewish Americans voted for Trump in 2016 and 2020 – and for good reason. Trump’s presidency profoundly threatened Jews and other minorities. […] For Palestinians, their already dire situation would worsen considerably. Trump has pledged no red lines on Israel’s war in Gaza. He is unlikely to counter right-wing efforts to resettle Gaza.”
What a Second Trump Presidency Could Mean for Jews and Israel, The Forward
J Street, which calls itself the “political home of pro-Israel, pro-peace, pro-democracy Americans,” warned of Trump’s plans for the Middle East. “A Trump victory means the Israeli right would have full White House backing for their wildest fantasies — a judicial coup, West Bank annexation, settlements in Gaza, endless violence, and military confrontations with both Hezbollah and Iran,” wrote J Street President Jeremy Ben-Ami.
Israel-Palestine: The Risks of A Second Trump Presidency [Resource], J Street
A comprehensive two-page resource from J Street highlighting the dangers of a second Trump term for Israel-Palestine.
Houthis Claim Responsibility for Drone Strike on Tel Aviv, Axios
At least one person was killed and seven others wounded in a large explosion that took place in Tel Aviv, Israel, early Friday. The Israel Defense Forces said in a statement that the explosion was the result of “an aerial target which fell without an early warning.”
Trump Vows to ‘End the War Caused by the Attack on Israel,’ Blames Biden for October 7, Haaretz
“The entire world, I tell you this: we want our hostages back and they better be back before I assume office or you will be paying a very big price,” Trump added. “We will replenish our military and build an Iron Dome missile defense system to ensure no enemy can strike our homeland. And this great Iron Dome will be built entirely in the USA.”
UN Top Court to Give Opinion on Israeli Occupation, BBC
If the ICJ does issue an advisory opinion, it then goes to the UN General Assembly, which will decide how to respond, including the option of adopting a resolution. That would be significant and could constitute a catalyst for negotiations and set the legal parameters for a future negotiated settlement. If the court decides that Israel’s occupation is illegal, it will tell all UN bodies and nations they must do nothing to support or contribute to the current situation.
Israel Said to Pause Hostage Talks to Include PM’s New Demands in Proposed Deal, The Times of Israel
According to Channel 12 news, negotiators intend to present the new clauses to Netanyahu and his senior ministerial colleagues, and once their approval is obtained, the changes will be conveyed to US, Qatari and Egyptian mediators, before they are relayed to Hamas. However, the report did not specify whether the fresh formulations would be part of an amended proposal, or an appendix to the existing one.
‘He Was a Pious Man’: The Gaza Neighborhood Shocked to Find Israeli Hostages in Their Midst, CNN
When Israeli forces stormed the Aljamals’ building on June 8 they found Almog Meir Jan, Andrey Kozlov and Shlomi Ziv, hostages who had been captured from the Nova music festival on October 7. Neighbors in Nuseirat, a refugee camp in central Gaza, told CNN they were shocked to learn that Ahmed Aljamal, a physician, and his family had kept hostages in their midst.
Israel Bombards Central Gaza, Fighting Rages in Rafah, Reuters
Palestinian health officials said eight people were killed in two separate Israeli air strikes on two houses earlier on Friday in Al-Nuseirat. In Rafah, where Israel said it aimed to dismantle the last battalions of Hamas’ armed wing, residents said fierce gun battles were heard on Friday in central and western areas.
Mounting Home Demolitions and Settler Attacks Plunge a Palestinian Village Into Crisis, AP
First came the Israeli military bulldozers, which tore down a quarter of the homes in the West Bank Bedouin village of Umm al-Khair. Then came the settler attacks. In the aftermath, dozens of people were left homeless and without consistent access to water and electricity.
Fearing Palestinian Authority Collapse, EU Promises $435 Million in Aid, Reuters
Palestinian officials say the situation has worsened sharply since the militant group Hamas attacked Israel from Gaza on Oct. 7, leading Israel to withhold a chunk of tax revenues it collects on the PA’s behalf that are now its main source of financing.
Israeli PM Blocks Hospital for Sick Gaza Children in Israel, BBC
Gallant said the temporary hospital would be used to address the most urgent humanitarian needs until a permanent system for the evacuation and treatment of sick children could be established. He said it would treat those suffering with conditions including cancer, diabetes, and orthopaedic injuries. However, on Thursday the Netanyahu’s office announced that he “does not approve the establishment of a hospital for Gazans within Israeli territory – therefore, it will not be established.”
UN Rights Office Says ‘Anarchy’ Spreading in Gaza, Reuters
Ajith Sunghay, head of OHCHR for Gaza and the West Bank, described unlawful killings and looting in the absence of law enforcement linked to “Israel’s dismantling of local capacity to maintain public order and safety in Gaza.” “Our office has documented alleged unlawful killings of local police and humanitarian workers, and the strangulation of supplies indispensable to the survival of the civilian population.”
Massive Tech Outage Disrupts Global Air Travel and Banking, Impacts Israeli Hospitals, The Times of Israel
In Israel, the Health Ministry said the outage impacted more than a dozen hospitals in Israel, including Shaare Zedek in Jerusalem, Laniado in Netanya, Barzilai in Ashkelon, Wolfson in Holon and a number of others, as well as the healthcare provider Meuhedet. The affected hospitals were operating on a manual basis, as their digital services are inaccessible, the ministry said, stressing that patient care is not affected, and the hospitals are prepared for such an outage following drills.
Searching for Gaza’s Missing Children, +972
Ibtisam Mahdi writes, “Every day for the past seven months, 28-year-old Anas Juha and his surviving relatives have visited the ruins of their family home in the hope of finding the remains of their missing loved ones. On Dec. 6, a single Israeli airstrike crushed their five-story building in Gaza City’s Al-Fayoumi neighborhood, killing 117 members of the family. Fifty-seven bodies were recovered and identified; 60 others have remained trapped under the debris ever since.”
‘Nothing Prepared Us for What We Saw’: Two Weeks Inside a Gaza Hospital, Politico
Two humanitarian surgeons, Mark Perlmutter and Feroze Sidhwa, share what they saw in Gaza, “We started seeing a series of children, preteens mostly, who’d been shot in the head. They’d go on to slowly die, only to be replaced by new victims who’d also been shot in the head, and who would also go on to slowly die. Their families told us one of two stories: the children were playing inside when they were shot by Israeli forces, or they were playing in the street when they were shot by Israeli forces.”
A Border Crossing Shuttered for Months Traps the Sick and Wounded in Gaza, The New York Times
Aaron Boxerman reports, “Aid workers and doctors have warned that the prolonged closure is endangering some of Gaza’s most defenseless, including children with severe burns, cancer patients and people needing heart surgery. More than 10,000 people need immediate medical treatment outside the enclave, according to the World Health Organization.”
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