News Roundup for March 20, 2026
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What One Key Loss in Illinois Signals for Pro-Israel Lobby in Midterms, New York Times
“Jeremy Ben-Ami, the executive director of J Street, which bills itself as a progressive and pro-Israel counterweight to AIPAC, said Mr. Biss’s win represented a remarkable shift in the Democratic Party. ‘It’s nearly impossible to run in today’s Democratic Party as an old-school AIPAC supporter and assume it won’t be an issue,’ he said. ‘The politics have shifted that fast. If Democrats win the next majority, it’s going to be the most skeptical Congress AIPAC has ever faced.'”
The Reality Behind the Numbers: Israel’s Standing in the United States, Times of Israel
Executive Director of J Street Israel Nadav Tamir writes, “Many American Jews and Democrats still identify with the vision laid out in Israel’s Declaration of Independence: a democratic, peace-seeking state committed to full equality for all its citizens, including non-Jews. What they struggle to support is the image projected by Israeli governments in recent decades—one associated with democratic backsliding, policies of exclusion, and a growing distance from the pursuit of peace.”
U.S. Military Ramps Up to Clear Strait of Hormuz, New York Times
“U.S. warplanes and attack helicopters are ramping up assaults against Iranian drones and naval vessels in an escalating military effort to clear the Strait of Hormuz, the strategic waterway that Iran has effectively closed to most Western shipping, American officials say.”
Iran Hits Kuwait Refinery, Israel Kills Iranian Guards Spokesman as War Rages On, Reuters
“Iran attacked an oil refinery in Kuwait on Friday and Israel killed a spokesman of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards as the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran showed no sign of ending. Israel promised to avoid further attacks on Iran’s South Pars gasfield the day after an Iranian retaliatory strike on Qatar caused damage that will leave the world short of natural gas for years to come.”
U.S.-Israeli Rift Widens Over Potential End Game in Iran, Washington Post
“But nearly three weeks into the conflict, the war aims are diverging between a U.S. president who saw the historic opportunity of a quick military victory with only modest economic pain and an Israeli leader with grander visions of toppling a regime he’s sought to vanquish for 40 years, said multiple U.S., Israeli and Middle East officials and lawmakers familiar with the matter.”
Republicans Balk at Going It Alone on Iran War Funding, Politico
“Congressional Republicans are confronting serious doubts they can pass Iran war funding on their own, especially as the potential price tag balloons into the hundreds of billions of dollars. The alternative — relying on a handful of Democrats to push it through the Senate — doesn’t look any more likely as Middle East hostilities expand, energy prices rise and more Democratic lawmakers dig in against an unpopular war.”
Fears of an All-Out Israeli Invasion Mount in Lebanon, NBC News
“More than 1,000 people have been killed and more than 1 million displaced by Israeli air attacks and ground operations in southern Lebanon, according to government figures. But residents and analysts believe a more significant push into the country is likely imminent.”
UN Chief Suggests Both Sides May Be Committing War Crimes in US-Israel Conflict With Iran, Politico
“United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres said Thursday there are “reasonable grounds” to believe both sides in the U.S.-Israel conflict with Iran may have committed war crimes, as attacks and retaliatory strikes on energy facilities intensify.”
Israel is Rapidly Killing Iran’s Top Leaders. Experts Warn the Strategy Could Backfire, Associated Press
“Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says the killing of Iran’s leaders is aimed at weakening the government so that Iranians can rise up and overthrow it, ideally replacing it with a friendly government in the mold of the pro-Western monarchy overthrown in 1979. There’s been no sign of such an uprising since the war began, after Iranian authorities crushed mass protests in January. U.S. President Donald Trump has at times suggested the war is aimed at elevating a more moderate leader from within Iran’s government, but the end result could be a more radical one — or outright chaos if the state implodes.”
Progressives Say Biss Win is an Anti-AIPAC Template, Punchbowl News
“Progressives are hailing Daniel Biss’ win in Illinois’ 9th District primary as a blueprint for how the left can prevail against an avalanche of AIPAC funding in open seats. The template. Invest early and aggressively link AIPAC’s shell groups to the pro-Israel advocacy organization.”
Iran and the New Arithmetic of War, Washington Post
“There are many deeper implications of this revolution in military affairs. With drones out there, the battle is everywhere and soldiers will not get a respite. With human beings far from the battlefront, war might become easier to contemplate but also easier to deadlock.”
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