News Roundup for March 3, 2026
At J Street, Chris Murphy Argues Jewish History Demands Resistance to Trump, Jewish Insider
“In the speech, Murphy criticized the U.S. attacks on Iran, saying Trump ‘launched an illegal war that the American people do not want’ and that it amounts to ‘his most grievous assault on democracy.’ But Murphy mostly used the stage to raise the alarm about democracy generally, saying America is ‘in the middle’ of ‘a totalitarian takeover’ and rallying J Street’s attendees to work to save it.”
Democratic Lawmakers Rally Support for War Powers Resolutions at J Street Conference, Jewish Insider
“’Elected officials are elected for a reason: to put themselves on the record at important moments, and this is one of those moments,’ J Street President Jeremy Ben-Ami told reporters on Monday. ‘We urge senators and congressmen to vote in favor of a war powers resolution when it comes to the floor.'”
The Future of Iran, Israel and the United States: Too Soon to Say, Moment Mag
“‘We are appalled by President Trump’s reckless decision to launch a war of choice against Iran explicitly seeking regime change,’ J Street’s statement read. While condemning the Islamic Republic’s malign activity, the group noted that ‘Iran does not present an imminent threat that requires launching a ‘preventive’ war.'”
At J Street Summit, Leading Senate Critic of Israel Says Iran War ‘Opens a Pandora’s Box’, Haaretz
“More than 1,500 people gathered in Washington D.C. this weekend for the 2026 J Street National Convention, the first since 2022. The four-day summit brought together policymakers, communal leaders and activists to speak on a wide variety of issues, from Israel’s creeping annexation of the West Bank to activism under U.S. President Donald Trump and the upcoming 2026 midterm elections.”
Israel Sends Troops Into Southern Lebanon as Hezbollah Says It Is Ready for Open War, AP
“The latest exchanges started after Hezbollah fired rockets and drones early Monday toward northern Israel. Israel retaliated with a wave of airstrikes that killed 52 people in Lebanon, including a Palestinian militant and a Hezbollah intelligence official in Beirut’s southern suburbs. More than 150 people were wounded and tens of thousands displaced.”
An Emboldened Israel Is Seizing Opportunities to Remake Region, New York Times
“Emboldened by its partnership with the United States, feeling its own military strength, and sensing the weaknesses of its two fiercest adversaries, Israel is seizing the new war as an opportunity to pursue its own geopolitical agenda.”
‘Depart Now’: US Tells Its Citizens to Urgently Leave Almost All Mideast Countries, Including Israel, Times of Israel
“Namdar listed Israel, the West Bank and Gaza, Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Oman, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Qatar and Iran.”
Responsibility Unclear for Strike on Girls’ School That Iran Claims Killed Over 100 Kids, Times of Israel
“The reported strike on Saturday took place on the Shajarah Tayyebeh elementary school in the town of Minab, and, according to unverified tallies released by Iranian government agencies, marked the deadliest incident so far in the war.”
From Tehran to Beirut, Israel Is Being Dragged Into Iran’s Calculated War of Attrition, Haaretz
Zvi Bar’el writes, “Tehran’s realization that it cannot decisively defeat the United States and Israel – alongside the recognition of its military weakness, the loss of its top commanders in both the army and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, and the killing of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei along with several senior political decision-makers and advisers – has likely prompted the activation of what could be described as a so-called Plan B.”
