Is Trump Good For Israel? [Debate], Open to Debate
J Street President Jeremy Ben-Ami debates with former Knesset Member Einat Wilf on whether Trump is good for Israel. Emmy award-winning journalist John Donvan moderates.
Terror and Death Come to Washington, Substack
Jeremy Ben-Ami writes, “It’s painful when the worst of our fears are realized – fears of what can happen when anger over the actions of Israel’s government thousands of miles away is shamefully warped and manipulated into hatred of Jewish people everywhere.”
A New Aid System in Gaza Has Started Operations, a US-Backed Group Says, AP
“The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation is taking over the handling of aid despite objections from the United Nations. The desperately needed supplies started flowing on a day that saw Israeli strikes kill at least 52 people in Gaza. The group said truckloads of food – it did not say how many – had been delivered to its hubs, and distribution to Palestinians had begun. […] The UN and aid groups have pushed back against the new system, which is backed by Israel and the United States. They assert that Israel is trying to use food as a weapon and say a new system won’t be effective.”
White House Envoy Says Hamas’ Response to Ceasefire Proposal ‘Unacceptable’, Axios
“‘What I have seen from Hamas is disappointing and completely unacceptable,’ Witkoff told Axios. Negotiations have shown little progress. Meanwhile, the Israel Defense Forces are proceeding with an operation to displace all 2 million Palestinians in Gaza to a ‘humanitarian zone’ and flatten most of the enclave. President Trump said Sunday he wants to end the war in Gaza ‘as quickly as possible,’ stating publicly what he’s been saying privately since his trip to the Middle East this month.”
Trump’s Comments on Gaza Reflect Israel’s Growing Isolation, The New York Times
“The shift in the tone of their messaging, coupled with some small practical limits on Israeli interests, indicates that Israel’s strongest partners are beginning to lose patience with Mr. Netanyahu. So far, Israel appears unmoved. Responding to the European threats, Gideon Saar, the Israeli foreign minister, said that his country would take its own ‘unilateral measures’ if further steps were taken against Israel. In Gaza, Israeli troops have continued to advance, and officials say the military now controls roughly 40 percent of the territory.”
Far-Right Marchers Attack Palestinians as Israel Marks Taking of Jerusalem, BBC
“Thousands of nationalist Israelis descended to Damascus Gate, one of the main entrances. Right-wing activists held banners that read ’67 – Jerusalem in our hands; 2025 – Gaza in our hands.’ Arab traders in the Muslim Quarter who had yet to close their shops were harassed by young Israeli men, witnesses said. Chants of ‘May your village burn’ and ‘Your home will be ours’ were heard throughout the march.”
Trump’s Warming Toward Syria Complicates Israel’s Military Strategy, The New York Times
“Mr. Trump’s surprise embrace of Mr. al-Shara not only offered the new Syrian leader an unexpected lifeline, it also appears to have undercut efforts by the hard-line Israeli government to seize on the instability in Syria and the weakness of the new government to prevent the rise of another anti-Israel neighbor.”
Israeli Strike Kills Dozens Sheltering in Gaza School, Officials Say, BBC
“At least 54 Palestinians have been killed – most of them in a school building sheltering displaced families – during Israeli air strikes on Gaza overnight, hospital directors have told the BBC.”
Germany Shifts Tone on Israel Over ‘Incomprehensible’ Gaza Carnage, Reuters
“German Chancellor Friedrich Merz delivered his most severe rebuke of Israel to date on Tuesday, criticising massive air strikes on Gaza as no longer justified by the need to fight Hamas and ‘no longer comprehensible’.”
Israel Warns Europe That Palestine Recognition May Be Met With West Bank Annexation, The Times of Israel
“Israeli government ministers have reportedly warned key European countries that any unilateral recognition of a Palestinian state could prompt Israel to take unilateral measures as well, potentially including the annexation of parts of the West Bank.”
Enough Is Enough. Israel Is Committing War Crimes, Haaretz
Former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert writes, “Recent operations in Gaza have nothing to do with legitimate war goals. The government sends our soldiers – and the military obeys – to wander around Gaza City, Jabalya and Khan Yunis neighborhoods in an illegitimate military operation. This is now a private political war. Its immediate result is the transformation of Gaza into a humanitarian disaster area.”
Sarah Milgrim’s Death Was a Tragedy. Distorting Her Legacy Would Be Another., The New York Times
Yasmina Asrarguis said, “Just as the extremist misunderstood Sarah, so too do many of those who profess to weep for her loss. Those who mourn Sarah should reflect on her ideals, learn from her life’s work and aim as she did on creating the fragile groundwork for Middle East peace. It was a future she helped prepare for, one conversation, one relationship at a time.”
Riots, Racist Slurs, Religious Ecstasy: What Was Familiar and What Changed This Jerusalem Day, Haaretz
Rachel Fink reports, “Alon-Lee Green and Rula Daood, co-founders of Standing Together – a Jewish-Arab movement advocating for social justice, equality, and peace – were among roughly 100 volunteer activists on hand, all clad in the group’s signature purple vests. Green, recently released from house arrest following his participation in an anti-war protest at the Gaza border, told Haaretz that he and several others were shoved and spat on by marchers. ‘Last year was bad, but this was definitely worse.’”
Israeli Forces Said They Killed a ‘Terrorist.’ He Was 14 Years Old., The New York Times
Isabel Kershner and Fatima AbdulKarim write, “Amer’s killing has added to accusations that the Israeli military uses excessive force and operates with impunity. It came amid a sharp spike in violence against Palestinians in the West Bank, where the Israeli military has been carrying out raids and tightening control in the most sweeping crackdown on militancy there in a generation.”
The MAGAfication of Israel: How America’s Heritage Foundation Plans to ‘Convert’ the Jewish State, Haaretz
Nettanel Slyomovics writes, “In April, Heritage formally expanded beyond U.S. borders for the first time. The Jewish-American news site JNS reported that Heritage had acquired control of the Abraham Accords Peace Institute, founded by Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner and staffed by figures tied to the Kohelet Policy Forum. While the move reflects U.S. interest in forging closer ties with Saudi Arabia, it more pointedly signals a deepening alliance between Heritage and Kohelet.”