Trump’s Assault on Education, J Street
J Street President Jeremy Ben-Ami writes, “To those waiting for the definitive moment to sound the alarm over the threat to our democracy, now is the time. The decline into authoritarianism is a slippery slope – a journey on which the president has now embarked. It is doubly concerning to see this administration — which is hiring and coddling certifiable antisemites – cynically exploiting the threat of antisemitism for its own political ends.”
Gabbard Drops Pick for Top Intelligence Post, a Critic of Israel on Gaza, The New York Times
“Daniel Davis, a senior fellow at a Washington think tank who is skeptical of American intervention overseas, was undergoing a background check to become the deputy director for mission integration, the officials said […] While some of Mr. Davis’s criticisms of Israel are well outside the mainstream of the Republican Party, they are similar to certain critiques by liberal Democrats. He has spoken frequently about the suffering of Palestinians in Gaza.”
Mike Huckabee’s Appointment As Israel Ambassador Could Be in Jeopardy, Ynet News
“The Senate confirmation hearing for Gov. Mike Huckabee to become the U.S. ambassador to Israel was delayed once again—this time from March 13 to March 25. According to sources close to the Trump administration, the postponement was driven by Democratic opposition and pressure from the liberal Jewish community, adding another layer of controversy to his appointment.”
Palestinian Activist Mahmoud Khalil Will Remain in ICE Detention in Louisiana After First Court Hearing, CNN
“Prominent Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil will remain in an ICE detention facility in Louisiana for now following a procedural hearing in New York, days after he was arrested by federal officials at his Columbia University residence in an attempt by the Trump administration to deport him.”
Trump Draws Condemnation for Using ‘Palestinian’ as a Slur Against Schumer, The Washington Post
“President Donald Trump was rebuked by Jewish and Muslim groups on Wednesday for calling Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-New York) a ‘Palestinian,’ saying the president used the word as a slur. Speaking to reporters at the Oval Office alongside Irish Prime Minister Micheál Martin, Trump attacked the Democrats over their response during his address to Congress on March 6 and targeted Schumer when he was asked about corporate taxes.”
UN Experts Accuse Israel of Genocidal Acts and Sexual Violence in Gaza, Reuters
“Israel carried out ‘genocidal acts’ against Palestinians by systematically destroying women’s healthcare facilities during the conflict in Gaza, and used sexual violence as a war strategy, United Nations experts said in a new report on Thursday. Israel’s permanent mission to the U.N. in Geneva described allegations in the report as unfounded, bias, and lacking credibility.”
Trump Says ‘Nobody’s Expelling Any Palestinians,’ in Apparent Softening of Gaza Plan, The Times of Israel
“In an apparent softening of his proposal to take over the Gaza Strip, US President Donald Trump asserted Wednesday that the plan does not involve expelling Palestinians. During a press spray with Ireland’s Prime Minister Michael Martin in the Oval Office, a reporter asked the Irish leader about Trump’s plan to ‘to expel Palestinians out of Gaza.’ ‘Nobody’s expelling any Palestinians,’ Trump piped in.”
Starvation Is Not a Negotiating Tactic, The New York Times
Megan Stack writes, “I read an Israeli news story reporting that the recently freed hostages suffered extreme weight loss, dental problems and health issues from drinking dirty water. It was identical to what I’d been hearing from Palestinians in Gaza. Which is not surprising, but highlights the madness of Israel’s approach: to starve Gaza in order to force Hamas to release the hostages is, of course, to starve the hostages, too.”
I Grew Up Under a Terrifying Authoritarian Regime. Mahmoud Khalil’s Arrest Is Right out of Their Playbook, The Forward
Columbia Professor Marianne Hirsch writes, “Stifling speech and attacking universities are well-known authoritarian tactics, deployed through history by fascist governments including Nazi Germany and Latin American dictatorships, and, today, by the regimes in countries like Russia, Hungary and Turkey. The Trump administration is using antisemitism as a smokescreen for this purpose and, as Jews, we need to reject this blatantly misleading instrumentalization.”
Why 70 Percent of Israelis Want Netanyahu to Resign, The Atlantic
Yair Rosenberg writes, “Netanyahu and his government are on the opposite side of the overwhelming majority of the Israeli public. Technically, that’s all within the rules of the game. The prime minister’s coalition may not have gotten a majority of the vote, but thanks to a quirk of the Israeli electoral system, it did get the majority of seats in Parliament, and unless it collapses, it can govern as it wishes until the next election, in 2026. But morally and practically, Netanyahu’s blatant disregard for the preferences of the public is a disaster for Israeli democracy, because it undermines faith in the system’s ability to deliver for its people.”