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.
Israeli and US Jewish Leaders React to Stunning Biden Decision to Exit Election, Haaretz
J Street President Jeremy Ben-Ami described it as a “difficult and selfless decision from a true patriot. We’re proud to have endorsed President Biden’s election and re-election campaign and to have supported one of the most consequential presidencies in modern history. Israel could have asked for no more true and dedicated friend in peacetime and in wartime. J Street remains entirely committed to defending our democracy and rallying the broadest possible coalition of voters to defeat Trump in November.”
Inviting Netanyahu to Congress Isn’t ‘Pro-Israel’, The Times of Israel
J Street Israel Executive Director Nadav Tamir writes, “In this moment, when the majority of Israelis oppose the the far-right Netanyahu government, it has led too many political leaders – as well as many American Jews and Jewish institutions – to become disconnected from Israelis, ironically in the name of being pro-Israel. The question that Democratic leaders should ask themselves is whether Netanyahu’s invitation is really a pro-Israeli move.”
J Street Lauds President Biden and Difficult, Selfless Decision, J Street
“President Biden pushed back on the Netanyahu government’s anti-democratic reforms, was the first president to visit Israel during wartime following the October 7 attacks, and has consistently sought to advocate for the humanity of both Israeli and Palestinian civilians in a fraught political climate. Here at home, he has stood up against the politics of fear and division, and made the cause of fighting antisemitism a national priority.”
J Street Statement on ICJ Advisory Opinion on the Occupation and International Law, J Street
“While one can reasonably disagree with some of the Court’s determinations, one underlying fact is undeniable: Ongoing occupation – driven by the settlement movement and with attendant systematic deprivations, displacement and discrimination against the Palestinian people – is inconsistent with international law and Israel’s own founding values of justice, equality and peace.”
Netanyahu Heads to Washington, Says Israel Will Remain Key US Ally Whoever Replaces Biden, Reuters
A meeting with Biden is tentatively planned for Tuesday if the 81-year-old president has recovered from Covid-19. Netanyahu is scheduled to address Congress on Wednesday. “I will tell my friends on both sides of the aisle that regardless who the American people choose as their next president, Israel remains America’s indispensable and strong ally in the Middle East,” he told reporters before taking off.
IDF Announces Deaths of Hostages Alex Dancyg and Yagev Buchshtav in Hamas Captivity, The Times of Israel
Alex Dancyg, 75, and Yagev Buchshtav, 35, were believed to have been held together by Hamas in Khan Younis where they died several months ago, while the IDF was operating there, according to the military. The military did not detail the circumstances of their deaths, citing an ongoing probe. The possibility that they were killed by Israeli fire was being investigated.
Israel Intercepts Missile From Yemen After Airstrikes on Houthi Port, The Washington Post
The missile did not cross into Israeli territory, but “warnings of rocket and missile fire” were issued out of concern over shrapnel that could fall on Israeli citizens, the IDF said. Although it was not immediately clear who had launched the missile, a Houthi military spokesman had vowed retaliation for Israel’s airstrikes Saturday on Hodeida, a port city in Yemen controlled by the Houthis. Those Israeli strikes were a direct response to a rare drone attack on Tel Aviv on Friday for which the Houthis claimed responsibility.
Netanyahu Says Israel Will Send Delegation for Hostage Deal Talks on Thursday, Reuters
Netanyahu has ordered a delegation charged with negotiating a hostage deal with Hamas to be dispatched on Thursday, Netanyahu’s office said in a statement on Sunday. The statement said Netanyahu held a meeting on Sunday with the delegation and senior members of Israel’s defence establishment.
What to Expect From Israel-Gaza War Protests During Netanyahu’s Visit, The Washington Post
On Tuesday, families of hostages — many traveling from Israel — will gather on the National Mall to share the stories of those taken in the Oct. 7 attack and express hope for their release, said Bar Ben Yaakov and Matan Sivek, an Israeli couple living in the District who are leading advocacy efforts in the United States for families of hostages.
Israeli Leaders Thank Biden for ‘Steadfast Support’ After He Quits Presidential Race, The Times of Israel
Opposition Leader Yair Lapid shared an undated photo on X of him shaking hands with Biden, writing, “Thank you.” President Isaac Herzog extended his thanks for Biden’s “friendship and steadfast support for the Israeli people over his decades-long career.”
Israel Orders Evacuation of Part of Gaza Humanitarian Zone as War’s Toll Passes 39,000 Palestinians, AP
The military said it is planning to begin an operation against Hamas militants who have embedded themselves in the area and used it to launch rockets toward Israel. The area includes the eastern part of the Muwasi humanitarian zone, which is located in the southern Gaza Strip.
Biden Resignees Are More Hopeful About Harris’ Israel Policy, Politico
Several former Biden administration officials who resigned in protest of the White House’s policy toward Israel told POLITICO they’re somewhat optimistic about how Vice President Kamala Harris would handle the war in Gaza if she became president.
TV Report: Sinwar Personally Sent Clandestine Message to Israel a Few Weeks Before Oct 7, The Times of Israel
Sinwar, Hamas’s Gaza chief, personally sent a clandestine message to Israel a few weeks before he launched Hamas’s October 7 slaughter in southern Israel. In it, he warned Israel to expect a flare-up tied to Palestinians in Israeli prisons and on the issue of captives, Channel 12 news reports.
Israeli Military Sends Draft Notices for Ultra-Orthodox, Reuters
The Israeli military issued call-up notices to 1,000 members of the ultra-Orthodox community on Sunday in a move meant to bolster the army’s ranks but which could further inflame tensions between religious and secular Israelis.
West Bank Settlers Assault Palestinians, Israeli and Foreign Activists With Batons, Iron Rods, Haaretz
The settlers came from an outpost and attacked activists for no reason, security sources told Haaretz. Two American volunteers were evacuated by the Palestinian Red Crescent to receive medical treatment.
Israel’s Strike on Yemen: A Tactical Success That Exposes a Strategic Failure, Haaretz
Anshel Pfeffer shares, “Gaza may no longer be a launching pad for Iran’s proxies, but it took a terrible price and Iran still has these capabilities in Lebanon and Yemen. This is a strategic failure of Israel in general, and in particular of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s doctrine of focusing on Iran’s nuclear threat while discouraging the efforts to rein it in through arms treaties. He also encouraged then-US President Donald Trump to withdraw from the nuclear deal – which, however imperfectly, was aimed at doing just that.”
What Members of Congress Should Think about During Netanyahu’s Address, The Hill
Ephraim Sneh argues, “The invitation to Netanyahu to speak in Congress was a tremendous and expensive gift to his political survival campaign. In so doing, those who invited him have bet on a side in our election and in the political struggle that is now tearing Israeli society apart. I doubt that Netanyahu and his entourage will recognize their debt of gratitude. Netanyahu’s opponents, as usual, will forgive.”
What Would a Kamala Harris Presidency Mean for American Jews and Israel?, The Forward
Jacob Kornbluh shares, “As a presidential candidate, Harris would likely continue Biden’s Gaza policy, backing a proposal for a hostage-ceasefire deal accepted by Israel, the U.S. and the United Nations. If elected president, she would likely be more engaged in a postwar plan for regional peace and the creation of a Palestinian state.”
Cease-fire. The Only Way to Prevent a Polio Epidemic Among Gazan and Israeli Babies, Haaretz
Israeli professors of health and epidemiology write, “A ceasefire will enable efforts to improve the water, sanitation and hygienic conditions and to enhance food security, rebuild adequate shelter and rehabilitate Gaza’s health system. Hamas will need to cease all hostile activities, release all hostages and allow humanitarian agencies to do their work to promote access and accessibility to vaccines.”
Visiting Israel, I Discovered That Hope for Peace Still Exists, The Jewish News of Northern California
Rabbi Amy Eilberg shares her experience on a New Israel Fund Study Tour, “Based on the news we read and hear in the U.S., I would not have expected to find people in Israel talking about hope. But I heard many leaders asserting that it is often in the aftermath of disaster that possibilities for peace present themselves.”
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