A Progressive Pro-Israel Take on Mamdani’s NYC Victory, Substack
J Street President Jeremy Ben-Ami writes, “Other Jewish communal leaders – including those who don’t share Mamdani’s politics – need to step forward as well. Their voices are needed to say that the wave of race-baiting Islamophobic hate unleashed against him has been vile, despicable and unacceptable. If the Jewish community wants to assemble a broad coalition to fight rising antisemitism, we have to have other communities’ backs when they face unacceptable and dangerous hatred.”
Leaders React to Report Gaza Food Aid Seekers Being Shot by IDF Soldiers, Newsweek
“J Street, a nonprofit that identifies as ‘pro-Israel, pro-peace, pro-Democracy America,’ wrote in an X, formerly Twitter, post on Friday: ‘This is a deeply troubling report, and a painful read for all who care about Israel’s moral standing and Jewish values. These incidents demand thorough and transparent IDF as well as independent investigations into potential war crimes.’”
US Strike on Iran: A Look at the Ripple Effect on American Jewry, Antisemitism, Israel Ties, The Jerusalem Post
“J Street President Jeremy Ben-Ami, along with members of the Progressive Israel Network, […] issued a statement condemning Trump for bypassing congressional approval and stating that the US strike on Iran ‘risks a dangerous escalation into a new, broader Middle East war of choice.’ While acknowledging the danger posed by the Iranian regime, the statement added that the goal of deterring Iran from a nuclear program should have been achieved through diplomacy.”
Tens of Thousands Flee Gaza City After Israel Warns of Major Offensive, The Guardian
“The messages on social media from the Israel Defense Forces warned of ‘military operations [that] will escalate, intensify, and extend westward to the city centre to destroy the capabilities of terrorist organizations’ and directed those living in several crowded neighborhoods to al-Mawasi, a coastal area much further south that is already overcrowded and has very limited facilities. Witnesses described scenes of chaos as entire families tried to pack their remaining belongings, tents and meagre stocks of foods on to donkey carts, bicycles, improvised pickup trucks and cars.”
Intercepted Call of Iranian Officials Downplays Damage of US Attack, The Washington Post
“The communication, intended to be private, included Iranian government officials speculating as to why the strikes directed by President Donald Trump were not as destructive and extensive as they had anticipated. Like some others, they spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive intelligence. The intercepted signals intelligence is the latest preliminary information offering a more complicated picture than the one conveyed by the president, who has said the operation ‘completely and totally obliterated’ Iran’s nuclear program.”
Trump’s Pro-Bibi Pressure Campaign, Axios
“President Trump is pressuring Israel to halt Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s corruption trial, dangling an implicit threat to suspend military assistance if the ‘witch hunt’ continues. US presidents have long treated aid to Israel as a sacrosanct, bipartisan commitment. Trump’s unprecedented intervention appeared to tie the security of 10 million Israelis to the criminal prosecution of one man.”
UN Inspector Says Iran Could Be Enriching Fuel Again in a ‘Matter of Months’, The New York Times
“The chief United Nations nuclear inspector has widened the divide with the Trump administration over how severely the United States set back Iran’s nuclear program, declaring that it could be enriching uranium in a ‘matter of months’ even as President Trump repeated his claim that Tehran had lost interest in the effort.”
Battling to Survive, Hamas Faces Defiant Clans and Doubts Over Iran, Reuters
“Hamas fighters are operating autonomously under orders to hold out as long as possible but the Islamist group is struggling to maintain its grip as Israel openly backs tribes opposing it, three sources close to Hamas said.”
22 Palestinians Killed in Gaza as Israeli Forces Fire on Crowds at Food Aid Sites, Medics Say, AP
“The southern Gaza strike happened around 1.8 miles from the GHF site in the city of Khan Younis, as Palestinians returned from the site along one of the only accessible routes. Palestinians are often forced to travel long distances to access the GHF hubs in hopes of obtaining aid.”
US Did Not Use Bunker-buster Bombs on One of Iran’s Nuclear Sites, Top General Tells Lawmakers, Citing Depth of the Target, CNN
“The US military did not use bunker-buster bombs on one of Iran’s largest nuclear sites last weekend because the site is so deep that the bombs likely would not have been effective, the US’ top general told senators during a briefing on Thursday.”
Iran Says 71 Killed in Israeli Strike on Evin Prison, Reuters
“At the end of an air war with Iran, Israel struck Tehran’s most notorious jail for political prisoners, in a demonstration that it was expanding its targets beyond military and nuclear sites to aim at symbols of Iran’s ruling system.”
The Pen is Still Mightier Than the Bunker Buster, The Washington Post
Fareed Zakaria writes, “Military action against Iran, even though it was unprovoked and unilateral, could be justified if it leads to a strengthening of nuclear nonproliferation – a warning to those who might cross the line. But that requires a political settlement of the issue in a way that is stable and acceptable to both sides, or else we merely have a ceasefire. The unilateral US military attacks could fuel the emerging chaos of international life, in which other powerful states decide to break the rules, always for what they believe are good and urgent reasons.”
Gaza Hostages Take a Backseat as Netanyahu Prioritizes Halting His Criminal Trial, Haaretz
Amos Harel writes, “Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is trying to enlist the president of the United States to blackmail Israel’s justice system with threats to end the criminal trial against the premier without a conviction and any admission of guilt. That’s what can be concluded from Donald Trump’s recent remarks. Both he and Netanyahu see themselves as partners in the successful attack on Iran and its nuclear installations.”
What’s More Powerful Than Bombs, The New York Times
Nicholas Kristof writes, “We tend to hold diplomacy to a higher bar than bombs. Any ambassador would be laughed out of the room for proposing an accord with Iran that allowed it to keep some nine bombs’ worth of highly enriched uranium, with no inspections — yet that may be the outcome of the bombings that Trump is celebrating. So however we assess the Trump military strikes on Iran, I hope we’ll now pivot and push for a new nuclear accord, one that deals with its highly enriched uranium.”