Starving Gaza Again Doesn’t Serve Israel’s Interest, Haaretz
Former senior USAID policy official and J Street Policy Fellow Larry Garber writes, “The Trump Administration has effectively given Israel the freedom to proceed as it chooses. Providing such carte blanche will have grave consequences for Palestinians living in Gaza, will further degrade Israel’s standing within the international community, and will delay the post-October 7 physical and psychological repair critical for both Israeli and Palestinian societies.”
Why Israel Must Stop Occupying Syria Right Now, Haaretz
J Street Policy Coordinator Avraham Spraragen writes, “Netanyahu must immediately withdraw IDF troops from Syria and suspend airstrikes that violate Syrian sovereignty. Additional UNDOF peacekeeping forces should be deployed to the demilitarized zone to ensure mutual border security, enabling both parties to recommit to the 1974 agreement as the basis for potential negotiations in the future.”
U.S. Holding Secret Talks With Hamas, Axios
“The talks have focused in part on the release of U.S. hostages, which is within Boehler’s remit as hostage envoy. But they have also included discussions of a broader deal to release all remaining hostages and reach a long-term truce, the sources say. No deal has yet been reached. White House envoy Steve Witkoff also planned to travel to Doha this week to meet the prime minister of Qatar about the ceasefire negotiations but canceled the trip on Tuesday night after he saw there was no progress from Hamas’ side, a U.S. official said.”
Trump Issues ‘Last Warning’ to Hamas To Release All Remaining Hostages Held in Gaza, AP
“In a statement on his Truth Social platform soon after meeting at the White House with eight former hostages, Trump added that he was ‘sending Israel everything it needs to finish the job.’ ‘Release all of the Hostages now, not later, and immediately return all of the dead bodies of the people you murdered, or it is OVER for you,’ Trump said. ‘Only sick and twisted people keep bodies, and you are sick and twisted!’”
Israel Outlines Plan To Control All Aid Entering Gaza, The Washington Post
“Israel has said it will take direct control of all humanitarian aid entering and distributed inside Gaza in a plan that many international aid agencies say they are unlikely to cooperate with as outlined, according to agencies briefed on the plan by Israeli authorities last week. Under the initiative, only one entry point from Israel into the enclave — Kerem Shalom in southeastern Gaza — would remain open.”
Far-Right Israeli Minister Visits Washington After Years of Being Shunned, The New York Times
“Bezalel Smotrich, met with Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent on Wednesday, remarking in a statement about his embrace after years of being effectively shunned. ‘After four years during which, under the Biden administration, there was no ministerial-level meeting between the U.S. Treasury Department and the Israeli government, we are now entering the Treasury Department,’ Mr. Smotrich said.”
Israel Threatens Intervention in Syrian Capital Damascus Due to Unrest There [Audio], NPR
“A suburb of Damascus is at the center of the new Syrian government’s struggle for control. Now, Israel is threatening to intervene due to unrest, turning this into a possible international incident.”
Israeli Settlers Boast of Their Influence As Army Pivots to West Bank, The Washington Post
“More than a year after Hamas launched its Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel and provoked a war with it in Gaza, the Israeli military is now shifting its firepower and attention to another Palestinian territory. Israeli officials say their offensive in the occupied West Bank — the largest such military operation there in decades — is needed to roll back a growing militant presence, but many Palestinians and some Israeli analysts say that the scale and intensity of the operation are vastly out of proportion to the actual threat.”