News Roundup for May 27, 2022

May 27, 2022
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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.

J Street in the News

Progressive Summer Lee Will Win Democratic House Primary in Pennsylvania, CNN
“”Patrick Dorton, a spokesman for United Democracy Project, said Lee’s narrow victory was evidence that her views did “not resonate with a huge chunk of the Democratic Party,” adding that the AIPAC-sponsored group is “evaluating 10-15 other races” involving candidates it views as threats to the US-Israel relationship. Notably, though, neither group made the domestic debate over Israel policy a focus of their ad blitz against Lee. J Street, a liberal pro-Israel advocacy group, which has denounced AIPAC’s support for Republican lawmakers who voted against certifying President Joe Biden’s 2020 election win, called Lee a “principled progressive” and warned against similar efforts to influence Democratic campaigns. “This kind of overwhelming outside spending — driven by a hawkish, right-wing foreign policy agenda that is completely out of touch with most Democratic voters — deeply challenges the underpinnings of America’s political system,” J Street President Jeremy Ben-Ami said in a statement.”

Democrats Urge U.S. Action Against Israel’s Eviction of Palestinians in Masafer Yatta, Haaretz
“With this letter, members of Congress are making clear to the administration that the deteriorating situation in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territory requires urgent attention – and that deeply harmful acts of displacement and de facto annexation must be confronted,” said J Street’s Director of Government Affairs, Hannah Morris, adding “as the president prepares to travel to the region in June, lawmakers are strongly encouraging him to defend the rights and long-term interests of both Palestinians and Israelis.”

20 Senate, 63 House Dems Urge Administration To Intervene on Palestinian Evictions, Jewish Insider
“The letter was supported by J Street, which, in a statement, called the letter “urgent” and said it “underscores the need for strong American leadership to protect Palestinian rights and help secure Israel’s long-term future as a democracy and a national home for the Jewish people.””

Bicameral Congressional Letter Shows Strong Opposition to Forced Displacement of Palestinian Families in Masafer Yatta, J Street
“J Street welcomes an urgent new bicameral letter, signed by 20 Senators and 63 Representatives, which calls on the Biden Administration to immediately engage with the Israeli government to prevent the forced displacement of approximately 1,000 Palestinians from their homes in the occupied West Bank area of Masafer Yatta.”

Top News and Analysis

Palestinian Inquiry Accuses Israel of Intentionally Killing Al Jazeera Journalist, The New York Times
The Palestinian Authority announced on Thursday its final findings from a two-week investigation into the killing of a veteran Palestinian-American journalist, again accusing Israeli soldiers of intentionally killing her. The Authority’s attorney general said at a news conference in the West Bank city of Ramallah that an Israeli soldier shot the Al Jazeera journalist, Shireen Abu Akleh, on May 11 with an armor-piercing bullet fired from a Ruger Mini-14 semiautomatic rifle. It based its findings in part on examination of the high-velocity 5.56 mm bullet that struck her in the back of the head.

U.S. Made Mistake by Exiting Iran Nuclear Deal, Israeli Official Says, Axios
One of Israel’s most senior defense officials told Pentagon and State Department counterparts during a recent visit to Washington that the U.S. made a mistake by withdrawing from the 2015 nuclear deal with Iran, according to three Israeli and U.S. officials. Current Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett and other senior officials within the government are still lobbying the U.S. publicly and privately to not return to the 2015 deal.

News

Pew Survey Reveals Huge Gap Between Young, Old Americans’ View on Israel-Palestine Conflict, Haaretz
Young Americans view the Palestinian people and government at least as favorably as Israel’s, according to a significant new survey published Thursday by the Pew Research Center. The findings provide further evidence on how Americans’ views of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict skew by age, political affiliation and religion.

Hamas Challenges Israel Over Nationalist Flag March in Jerusalem, Reuters
he Islamist Hamas group that runs the Gaza Strip is looking to impose new red lines in Jerusalem, epicentre of the decades-long conflict between Israelis and Palestinians, even if that risks provoking another war.

US Won’t Run Own Probe of Abu Akleh Killing, Hopes Pa Will Share Bullet With Israel, The Times of Israel
The US will not carry out its own investigation into the killing of Al Jazeera journalist Shireen Abu Akleh, an American citizen, a Biden administration official told The Times of Israel on Thursday. Instead, the US will continue advising the Israeli government and the Palestinian Authority on their own respective probes into the May 11 incident. “We’re helping them review how they investigate,” the official said, declining to elaborate further on the matter.

Jerusalem Day Right-wing March to Proceed as Planned, Bennett Says, Haaretz
The annual right-wing Flag March will pass through Jerusalem’s Muslim Quarter on Sunday, Prime Minister Naftali Bennett announced Friday. He added that Jews will not be restricted from visiting the Temple Mount on that day, despite concerns that such a move will inflame tensions.

Opinion and Analysis

A Huge Shock Is About to Wreck the Fragile Stalemate Between Israelis and Palestinians, Haaretz
Paul Scham argurs, “Israel’s shell-shocked peace forces have been using their meager resources lately to try to protect Palestinians being evicted in Sheikh Jarrah, the south Hebron Hills, and elsewhere, with mixed success. While admirable on a human level, they’d be the first to admit these are band-aids on the larger problem. The only old/new comprehensive idea to arise in the last few years is confederation, sort of a Two State Solution 2.0. It advocates an E.U.-type arrangement between a Palestinian state and Israel, soft borders, a shared Jerusalem, and for settlements to remain in place within a Palestinian state.”