J Street Welcomes Over Half of Democratic Caucus in the Senate Sending Vital Message of Disapproval to Netanyahu, J Street
“The fact that over half of the Democratic Caucus, 27 senators, all of whom are long-time supporters of the state and people of Israel, are willing to vote to withhold certain offensive weapons from Israel is a sobering and significant milestone. It reflects just how far Prime Minister Netanyahu and his extremist coalition have strayed from the shared values that have long grounded the US-Israel relationship.”
[Video] Jen Rubin on Gaza and the Fight for Democracy, Substack
Word on the Street LIVE co-host Ilan Goldenberg joined The Contrarian’s Jen Rubin for a discussion on the crisis in Gaza – and the dam that’s breaking in the political world and Jewish community over the suffering of innocents.
[Video] Mehdi Hasan Debates Jeremy Ben-Ami on Gaza, Israel and America’s Role, Pod Save America
“As heartbreaking images of starving children and desperate families emerge from Gaza, pressure is mounting on U.S. politicians — especially Democrats — to reassess America’s relationship with Israel. Tommy Vietor sits down with Mehdi Hasan, founder of @zeteo and Jeremy Ben-Ami, president of J Street, to tackle some of the toughest questions facing the Democratic Party: Should the U.S. cut off military aid to Israel? Should Democrats support Palestinian statehood? And can the party hold together a coalition that includes both progressive critics of Israel and liberal Zionists?”
Antisemitism Training Designed by Pro-Israel Groups Is Becoming Compulsory at US Colleges. What’s in It?, The Guardian
“Not only did the trainings do little to protect Jews from antisemitism, the universities and Trump may even be endangering Jews because they are ‘allowing antisemitism to be used for other political purposes’, like attacking higher education, said Jeremy Ben-Ami, executive director of J Street, a center-left, pro-Zionist lobbying and cultural organization. ‘If people start to see that their universities, their medical research and their neighbors’ immigration status and right to due process are being endangered because the Jewish community is pressuring for enforcement in ways that go way too far – that will generate actual antisemitism,’ Ben-Ami added.”
Record Number of Senate Democrats Vote to Block Weapon Sales for Israel, The Hill
“A record number of Senate Democrats, more than half the caucus, voted in favor of two resolutions to block U.S. military sales to Israel on Wednesday night. While the resolutions ultimately failed, the vote demonstrated how Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has fractured historically bipartisan support in Congress over the humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip in Israel’s war against Hamas.”
In 1st, Entire Arab League Condemns Oct. 7, Urges Hamas to Disarm, at 2-State Confab, The Times of Israel
“Arab and Muslim countries, including Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Egypt, Jordan and Turkey, signed a declaration Tuesday condemning for the first time Hamas’s onslaught of October 7, 2023, and calling on the Palestinian terror group to release all the hostages it is holding, disarm and end its rule of Gaza, in a bid to end the devastating war in the Strip.”
Canada and Malta to Recognize Palestinian State, Joining France and Possibly Britain, NPR
“Canada and Malta announced Wednesday they will recognize the state of Palestine in September, joining France and the United Kingdom in stepping up pressure to end the nearly 80-year Israeli-Palestinian conflict.”
Hunger in Gaza Reaches ‘Tipping Point’ Under Israel’s Offensive as Children Face Lifelong Impacts of Malnutrition, NBC
“The hunger crisis in Gaza under Israel’s assault has reached a ‘tipping point,’ experts and advocates tell NBC News, with deaths expected to soar if Palestinians do not get urgent relief. And many children who do survive malnutrition will face lifelong consequences, they warn.”
Trump Says Canada’s Palestinian Move Is New Trade Deal Stumbling Block, Politico
“U.S. President Donald Trump said late Wednesday that Canada’s move to recognize Palestinian statehood threatened to jeopardize trade deal talks between the two countries.”
Anger Over Starvation in Gaza Leaves Israel Increasingly Isolated, The New York Times
“‘The usual Israeli view is that this crisis is another temporary problem,’ said Natan Sachs, an analyst of Israeli politics. ‘But that’s a misreading of the world, because it’s accelerating a global turn against Israel that has dramatic effects, especially among young people.’”
The Violent Gaza-ification of the West Bank, Time
Nimrod Novik, a former advisor to Shimon Peres, writes, “With West Bank Palestinians harassed by settlers day and night, Palestinian youth, who are being put at risk, find neither the IDF nor the nearly bankrupt Palestinian Authority protecting their families. Images of the endless suffering of Gazans add to the combustible mix. With no hope for a better future, certainly not independence—which the current Israeli government vehemently opposes—their elders, scarred by the pains of the Second Intifada, have no persuasive argument to dissuade them from repeating what the elders have long concluded was a mistake: armed resistance.”
Famine by Design: How Israel Ignored Warnings Over Hunger and Starved Gaza, Haaretz
Nir Hasson writes, “At 4:30 P.M. last Sunday, Gaza’s Hamas-run Health Ministry issued a grim update: 18 people had died of hunger in the previous 24 hours. Until that point, a total of 86 people had been documented as dying of hunger during the 21-month war. In other words, more than 20 percent of all famine-related deaths in Gaza had occurred in a single day.”
A Jewish Killer Is Home. His Palestinian Victim Won’t Even Be Buried in His Home Village, Haaretz
The Haaretz Editorial Board writes, “Hathaleen died from the shooting and Levi is at home; this occurred under the auspices of the army, with the approval of the state, with the support of the judges, while they bowed down to the politicians of the Religious Zionism party. Levi has already received the public support of Knesset member Limor Son Har-Melech (Otzma Yehudit), who described him as a ‘pioneer.’”