ICYMI: Rahm Emanuel Pulls No Punches on Netanyahu, Word on the Street Live
Former White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel joined J Street President Jeremy Ben-Ami and Chief Policy Officer Ilan Goldenberg to discuss the reckless war in Iran and how the Democrats are holding back on the fight against Trump.
Pro-Israel and Against This War, Word on the Street
“For Israel, these sacrifices may feel worth making because the Iran threat feels existential. For the United States, it does not. That gap in perception is at the heart of the difference, which is why Americans overwhelmingly oppose this war while Israelis support it,” Ilan Goldenberg writes.
AIPAC’s Attack on the Liberal Zionists, Jewish Currents
“‘The center of gravity has shifted away from the black-and-white world of AIPAC and the ‘Israel right or wrong’ policy they promote,’ said Jeremy Ben-Ami, the president of the liberal Zionist lobby group J Street, which supported Malinowski and is backing Biss’s campaign.”
U.S. Intelligence Reportedly Sees No Imminent Collapse of Iran’s Regime, Reuters
Erin Banco and Jonathan Landay write, “A ‘multitude’ of intelligence reports provide ‘consistent analysis that the regime is not in danger’ of collapse and ‘retains control of the Iranian public,’ said one of the sources, all of whom were granted anonymity to discuss U.S. intelligence findings.”
Israeli Elections Cast Doubt on Gaza Peace Plan, Baker Institute for Public Policy
Ami Ayalon writes, “While Netanyahu has delivered on certain tactical commitments outlined in Trump’s 20-point plan — including reopening the Rafah crossing on Feb. 2 for limited pedestrian traffic — a significant gap remains in the plan’s strategic execution. Netanyahu’s statements and policies suggest he does not intend to follow through on the plan’s political horizon.”
Ground Down by War, Hezbollah’s Loyal Base Shows Cracks, New York Times
“‘We just want to live peacefully,’ said Hassan Kuaik, a 64-year-old farmer whose home near Lebanon’s border with Israel was badly damaged in the previous escalation between the two sides. Now he fears it will be destroyed.”
War Against Iran Expands Into Lebanon as Israel Battles Hezbollah, Washington Post
“More than 630 people, at least 91 of them children, have been killed in Lebanon in the past week, authorities here say. Israeli evacuation orders and airstrikes have forced 800,000 people from their homes.”
Gulf States Now View Israel as an Agent of Chaos Equal to Iran, Haaretz
Hussein Ibish writes, “But there is also a palpable degree of dismay with Washington, which launched the war in conjunction with Israel despite their warnings, and is proceeding with a crazy-quilt laundry list of incoherent and often self-contradictory goals that do not seem to take [the Gulf states’] interests into account.”
