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.
Netanyahu’s final days: Last weekend at Balfour or last-minute surprise?, Jerusalem Post
“Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has made a point of looking like he is continuing to do his job, as if this coming weekend will not be his final days at the Prime Minister’s Residence on the corner of Balfour and Smolenskin streets in Jerusalem. […] Netanyahu already attacked J-Street’s founder, Jeremy Ben-Ami, on social media this week in an effort to paint the Bennett-Lapid leadership as a ‘J-Street government.’”
POLITICO Playbook: How Europe can help Biden snuff out Trump(ism), Politico
“HAPPY BIRTHDAY: […] J Street’s Jeremy Ben-Ami!”
Israel’s Netanyahu lashes out as end of his era draws near, AP
In what appear to be the final days of his historic 12-year rule, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is not leaving the political stage quietly. The longtime leader is accusing his opponents of betraying their voters, and some have needed special security protection. Netanyahu says he is the victim of a “deep state” conspiracy. He speaks in apocalyptic terms when talking about the country without his leadership.
Netanyahu rejects Trump comparisons, pledges peaceful transition of power, Axios
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud party rejected on Thursday the comparisons being made in the U.S. between his efforts to block a transition of power and those of former President Trump after the November 2020 presidential election. On the verge of being replaced after 12 years in power, Netanyahu has been working to delegitimize the incoming government and accusing its leaders of perpetrating “the fraud of the century.” But Likud tweeted on Thursday that Netanyahu wasn’t challenging the vote count and was committed to a peaceful transition.
A New Israeli Government Could Mean Help for Neglected Bedouin Villages, New York Times
For decades, dozens of Bedouin villages in the Negev, including Khasham Zana, where the al-Athamen family lives, have been in limbo. Without the state’s recognition of their communities, they have long suffered from a lack of planning and basic services like running water, sewers, electricity, trash collection and paved roads. But the emerging Israeli coalition government that is expected to be sworn in on Sunday intends to take significant strides to address the plight of these villages, according to Raam, an Arab party that said it agreed to join the coalition on a number of conditions, including that more benefits are provided to the Bedouin.
Long overlooked, Israel’s Arab citizens are increasingly asserting their Palestinian identity, Washington Post
In just the past month, Palestinian citizens of Israel — also known as Israeli Arabs — have risen up in mass, nationwide demonstrations to protest Israeli evictions and police raids. They have been arrested by the hundreds following some of the worst communal violence between Arabs and Jews in Israel’s post-independence history. And one of their main political parties — an Islamist one, no less — has become the linchpin in a likely new Israeli government that would allow a far-right religious Zionist to become prime minister in the coming days.
EXPLAINER: What will change under Israel’s new government?, AP
The coalition consists of eight parties from across Israel’s political spectrum, including a small Arab party that has made history by joining a government for the first time. If even one party bolts, the government would be at serious risk of collapse, and Netanyahu, who intends to stay on as opposition leader, is waiting in the wings. Here’s a look at what to expect.
Jerusalem Flag March to Be Held Tuesday After Organizers Reach Deal With Police, Haaretz
The organizers of the Jerusalem Flag March reached an agreement with the Israel Police on Friday to allow for a march to take place on Tuesday. The march that was planned for last Thursday was canceled after organizers and police failed to agree on a route over police fears that the march would reignite tensions and lead to riots in the city.
US lifts some Iran sanctions ahead of renewed nuclear talks, Times of Israel
State Department spokesman insists the move is unrelated to the negotiations, but can’t say what ‘change in behavior’ by Tehran led to the removals
Rep. Ilhan Omar clarifies tweet grouping U.S., Israel with Hamas, Taliban after criticism from Jewish Democratic lawmakers, Washington Post
Top Democrats on Thursday attempted to quickly defuse a fraught dispute within their caucus after comments by Rep. Ilhan Omar that compared war crimes committed by the U.S. and Israel to Hamas and the Taliban incensed some Jewish Democrats. Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s leadership team took the unusual step of issuing a statement that both rebuked Omar for her comments and thanked her for later clarifying her remarks — taking a more nuanced approach than the last major uproar over the Minnesota Democrat’s comments on Israel that escalated into a days-long political crisis for her party.
Dem leaders look to deescalate drama over Omar comment, Politico
Top Democrats on Thursday attempted to quickly defuse a fraught dispute within their caucus after comments by Rep. Ilhan Omar that compared war crimes committed by the U.S. and Israel to Hamas and the Taliban incensed some Jewish Democrats. Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s leadership team took the unusual step of issuing a statement that both rebuked Omar for her comments and thanked her for later clarifying her remarks — taking a more nuanced approach than the last major uproar over the Minnesota Democrat’s comments on Israel that escalated into a days-long political crisis for her party.
How Israel is turning Sheikh Jarrah into another Hebron, +972 Magazine
Israeli police have transformed Sheikh Jarrah into a hyper-militarized area designed to quash Palestinian resistance and embolden Jewish settlers.
Evangelical supporters of Israel express concerns with their champion Netanyahu being ousted from power, JTA
After a decades-long embrace that began when he first served as Israel’s prime minister in the 1990s, Benjamin Netanyahu’s evangelical allies are worried about a future without him. Jews who value the Christian alliance are worried, too, about a possible erosion of support among a critical pro-Israel sector should Netanyahu be forced from office, which now seems a strong possibility.
Israeli Troops Ambushed the Protesters. They Didn’t Stop Firing Even After Shooting a Teen in the Head, Haaretz
Even before the demonstration in solidarity with Gaza began, IDF troops fired at the protesters. Islam Burnat, 16, stood up, and was shot and killed.
It’s Israel’s Turn to Confront Trumpism, Bloomberg
Timothy L. O’Brien writes, “Netanyahu and Bolsonaro have absorbed a valuable lesson from Trump: If you co-opt the imagination and intentions of enough members of your own party and your voters, you can persuade them to buy into your lies and rise up on your behalf when power slips from your grasp. Israel’s variant of Trumpism, however, might show something about how to push back against a movement that is fundamentally anti-democratic and may endure as a global political force longer than Trump himself.”
Can Merav Michaeli Save the Israeli Left From Extinction?, Slate
Amos Barshad interviews the former talk show host and “professional feminist” on the Labor Party’s return from the brink and why American Jews shouldn’t give up on Israel.
Ilhan Omar was attacked for saying war crimes allegations should be investigated, MSNBC
Hayes Brown writes, “Let me say this up front and in no uncertain terms: Ilhan Omar was right. Any headline you see that says otherwise — that her comments this week were antisemitic or promoted hate toward Israel, that she sympathized with or gave cover to terrorists — is accepting a bad faith attack as a truth.”
Israel’s Political Makeover Is Finally Here, but Netanyahu Is Not Letting Go Yet, Haaretz
Yossi Verter writes, “The opposition to the Bennett-Lapid government has all but melted away, but Netanyahu, the leader of the future opposition, will remain busy with public trolling and legislative harassment”
Who holds the ‘extra vote’ in Israel’s new government? , Jerusalem Post
Avi Gil writes, “At the beginning of the negotiation between the two, Bennett fantasized about – to no avail – having an “extra vote” that would enable him to dominate every significant decision. But in practice, especially with regard to the Palestinian quandary, this precious vote belongs to someone stationed a long way from Jerusalem. It is in the hands of the president of the United States. Will he use the extra vote in his hands?”