DEFCON 1 for Democracy in the US and Israel, Substack
J Street President Jeremy Ben-Ami writes, “Acknowledging the existential danger to Israel posed by the Netanyahu/Ben Gvir/Smotrich government doesn’t line you up with anti-Zionists or Israel haters. Bibi Netanyahu leads a government whose backgrounds and values are anathema to the majority of Jewish America. The racism. The zealotry. The desire to tear apart the democratic foundations on which the country was founded and that made it a country Jewish Americans could love.”
Move Past Jewish Anger on the Left—Fight the Trump-Bibi Agenda Urgently, The Times of Israel
Israeli-American activist Eitan Berechman writes, “Jews and Israelis, particularly those aligned with J Street’s vision of a secure, democratic Israel and a just resolution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, cannot afford to let our anger at segments of the left drive us into the arms of the far right. The real existential threat to our values, our safety, and our future as a people committed to democracy is not from progressive college activists chanting misguided slogans. It’s from the resurgence of a nationalist, ethnocentric, and authoritarian political movement that sees both Israel and the U.S. as battlegrounds for its dangerous ambitions.”
Israel Strikes Southern Gaza Hospital As It Targets Hamas Operative in Escalation of Renewed Offensive, CNN
“An Israeli airstrike hit a hospital in southern Gaza on Sunday night, leaving a part of the hospital in flames and causing multiple casualties, two doctors working at Nasser Medical Complex told CNN, as the country pressed a renewed offensive in the embattled enclave. The Israeli military confirmed it carried out a strike on a ‘key terrorist in the Hamas terrorist organization who was operating inside’ the hospital but did not share the target’s identity.”
Egypt Makes New Truce Offer As Israeli Strikes in Gaza Kill 65, Local Officials Say, Reuters
“The Egyptian plan calls for Hamas to release five Israeli hostages each week, with Israel implementing the second phase of the ceasefire after the first week, two security sources said. Hamas is still holding 59 hostages, with 24 of them thought to be still alive. Both the U.S. and Hamas agreed to the proposal, the security sources said, but Israel has not yet responded.”
With No-Confidence Vote, Israeli Cabinet Moves to Fire Attorney General, The New York Times
“Mr. Netanyahu and his allies have accused the attorney general, Gali Baharav-Miara, of undermining them. The no-confidence vote against her, as well as the cabinet’s approval days before of the firing of Israel’s domestic intelligence chief, has rekindled street protests reminiscent of the upheaval over government plans to overhaul the judiciary before the war with Hamas began in 2023.”
Summit To Address Fighting Campus Antisemitism, Axios
“The ‘Rise and Respond Global Student Summit Against Antisemitism’ comes as President Trump threatens universities with funding cuts over antisemitism allegations, drawing criticism from free speech advocates. The summit is set to begin just hours after Columbia University agreed to some of the Trump administration’s demands after some $400 million in federal grants and contracts were pulled from the university over allegations of antisemitism.”
Settlers Occupied a Palestinian House in Hebron, Peace Now
“Settlers entered the home of a Palestinian family in Tel Rumeida in Hebron late afternoon today (23/3/25) and established a new settlement there. According to reports, the family members went out for an Iftar meal, but when they returned, they discovered that settlers had entered their home and the army prevented them from approaching the house. The police refused to take a complaint from them and referred them to the Coordination and Liaison Headquarters.”
Beware an Administration That Bellows ‘English Only’ and ‘America First’ While Decimating Education, The Forward
Aviya Kushner writes, “Make no mistake. What the language executive order is really about is shutting down other perspectives. For Jews, whose history has often been one of multilingualism, and whose story has been intertwined with translation, the one-language insistence should be concerning. A key element of freedom is the ability to speak the language of your choice. And a prime way to make minorities feel unwelcome is to place their languages on a lower plane.”
‘I Would Prefer This Over Killing Children:’ Why Some Israeli Teens Are Choosing Jail Over the Army, CNN
“Greenberg has been in and out of prison for the last year, serving a total of 197 days over five consecutive sentences. Earlier this month, Greenberg was released from the Neve Tzedek prison for the last time. His crime? Refusing to enlist after being summoned for military service, which is compulsory for most Jewish Israelis – and some minorities – over the age of 18. Greenberg said his refusal to serve came as the ‘culmination of a long process of learning and moral reckoning.’ ‘If I join the army, I just will be part of the problem. I personally prefer to be part of the solution,’ Greenberg said, noting that he may not live to see it.”
Announcement That Death Toll Surpassed 50,000 Didn’t Faze Anyone, Not Even in Gaza, Haaretz
Jack Khoury writes, “This voluntary emigration administration – or to call it by its true name, the administration to encourage forcible transfer – can’t operate if Israel doesn’t control everything in Gaza, including the civilians it seeks to expel […] for people living in the destroyed Gaza Strip, those destinations are considered a graveyard, not a place to live. And if they’re going to die anyway, Gazans would rather do so in Gaza – even if the number of deaths reaches 60,000.”