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.
Returning From J Street Trip to Israel, Dems Emphasize ‘Urgency’ of Two-State Solution, Jewish Insider
“David Price [who] led a J Street delegation in late February to Israel and the West Bank…[said] that he does not want to see the fragility of the coalition government “become a kind of all-purpose excuse for not taking on the tough issues.” Madeleine Dean said that a priority for hers is convincing the Biden administration to persuade Israel to stop settlement expansion, evictions of Palestinians and settler violence, which she said are contributing to the “slipping away” of the potential for a two-state solution. “One of my greatest takeaways is that to be pro-Israel is to be in favor of recognizing, understanding and dealing with the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians,” she said. “A failure to deal with that only jeopardizes the security of Israel.”
Israeli Top Court To Rule on Palestinians’ Bid To Stop Displacement From West Bank Homes, Reuters
Israel’s Supreme Court held a hearing on Tuesday on petitions against a long-running bid by the Israeli army to displace over 1,000 Palestinian inhabitants from a rural part of the occupied West Bank it designated for military exercises. After two decades of inconclusive legal maneuvering, the high court is expected to hand down a ruling soon on the army’s move to demolish eight small communities in a rocky, arid area of the southern West Bank near Hebron.
Two Killed by Israeli Forces in Separate West Bank Incidents, Palestinian Health Ministry Says, Haaretz
A 16-year-old Palestinian was killed by Israeli fire on Tuesday during a raid in a West Bank refugee camp, the Palestinian Health Ministry said, and another Palestinian was killed in a separate incident in the Jerusalem area. Apart from the teen, at least three other Palestinians were wounded in clashes that followed the early morning raid in Balata, a sprawling refugee camp in the northern West Bank city of Nablus. One of them, according to medical officials, is in serious condition, and another suffered facial burns from a stun grenade.
U.S. Says It Will Not Allow Russia to Use Iran Nuke Talks to Evade Sanctions, Haaretz
The United States will not sanction Russian participation in nuclear projects in Iran under a revived nuclear deal, but would not allow Russia to use the deal as an “escape hatch” to evade Ukraine-related sanctions, State Department spokesperson Ned Price said on Tuesday.
Hamas Keeps Quiet on Russian War in Ukraine, Al-Monitor
Following in the footsteps of the Palestinian Authority (PA), Hamas is keen to remain silent on the Russian military attack on Ukraine, which was launched by Russian President Vladimir Putin Feb. 24.
Israel Is Setting up a $6.4M Field Hospital in Western Ukraine, JTA
Israel announced plans to set up a field hospital in western Ukraine as the Russian war against the country shows no sign of abating. Israeli leaders on Monday approved NIS 21 million, or $6.4 million, to build the hospital, according to an announcement from the office of Prime Minister Naftali Bennett.
Top Court Lifts Order Against Bringing 3,000 Ethiopians to Israel, Haaretz
The High Court of Justice on Tuesday lifted the temporary injunction against bringing 3,000 Ethiopian citizens to Israel, clearing the route for their immigration.
What Israel Also Destroys When It Demolishes a Child’s Home, +972 Mag
Hamdan Mohammed Al-Huraini reflects, “The immediate physical distress brought about by the destruction of the house is serious, but in my eyes, the loss of the house itself is not even the biggest impact of these demolitions. The deeper and more long-lasting effect is the loss of stability and security for children who lose their homes — the place where they are supposed to feel the most safe. When a child experiences such state violence, that harm stays with them for the rest of their life.”
Undercover Cops Don’t Help Fight Crime in Israeli Arab Communities, Haaretz
Haaretz’s Editorial board writes, “The campaign against crime in Arab communities is of vital importance, and the government did well to give it high priority on the national agenda. But the incident Tuesday, in which undercover officers disguised as Arabs – mista’arvim – shot and killed a man in the middle of Rahat after he allegedly fired at them, attests to a troubling creep of practices used in the occupied territories against a population under a military rule, into Israel proper, against Israeli citizens…Israel must not be given a green light to turn Arab communities into a war zone, in the name of the important campaign against crime in these towns. Arrests in the dead of night, the use of mista’arvim against citizens and an approach that views them as enemies must be reserved for only the most exceptional cases.”