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Israel Searches for Assailants Who Killed 3 People in Stabbing Rampage, The New York Times
Israeli forces were conducting a large-scale hunt on Friday for two Palestinians suspected of killing three Israelis in a stabbing rampage. Two attackers, at least one of them armed with an ax, killed three passers-by and wounded several others in Elad, a predominantly ultra-Orthodox town in central Israel, on Thursday night, according to witnesses and an Israeli defense official. The violence erupted on Israeli Independence Day, a national holiday. But many Palestinians commemorate the day as what they call the “nakba” or “catastrophe.”
Israel to Advance Some 4,000 West Bank Housing Units for Jews Next Week, Haaretz
Israel’s Civil Administration will advance next week about 4,000 housing units in Jewish settlements in the West Bank, the Israeli governing body that operates in the West Bank said in a statement Friday. According to the statement, 1,452 units are expected to be advanced while 2,536 units are expected to be approved by Defense Minister Benny Gantz in the next a meeting slated to Thursday.
Israel’s Health Minister: Overturning Roe v. Wade Would Be ‘a Fatal Blow to Human Rights’, JTA
Among the many people condemning a draft Supreme Court opinion that would overturn Roe v. Wade is one who is working to make abortion more accessible for Jews in Israel. “A woman’s right over her body — hers alone. Including a decision to terminate the pregnancy. If the U.S. Supreme Court takes the leader of the free world back 50 years, it will be a fatal blow to human rights,” Israeli Health Minister Nitzan Horowitz said in a statement posted to Twitter Tuesday.
U.S. And Israel Discuss How To Put More Pressure on Iran, Axios
Israel and the U.S. have been discussing ways to put more pressure on Iran in a scenario in which there is no return to the 2015 nuclear deal in the near future. The seven-week “pause” in the Vienna nuclear talks has thrown the negotiations into limbo. The Biden administration, its European allies and Israel have expressed concerns that Iran will continue to advance its nuclear program while the talks are stalled.
Putin Apologizes to Israel for Hitler Comments as Zelensky Slams Nazi Rhetoric, The Washington Post
Russian President Vladimir Putin offered a rare apology on Thursday to Israel over recent antisemitic comments from Russia’s foreign minister connecting Nazi leader Adolf Hitler to Judaism, according to the Israeli prime minister. The reported apology came after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky accused Russia of using Nazi propaganda and antisemitic tropes to justify the invasion as Russian leaders repeatedly compare Zelensky to Hitler.
PA Leader Abbas Condemns Elad Terror Attack; Israel Extends West Bank, Gaza Closure, The Times of Israel
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas condemned the terror attack in Elad that left three Israelis dead on Thursday night, the official PA WAFA news agency reported. “The killing of Palestinian and Israeli civilians only leads to a further deterioration of the situation, at a time when we all strive to achieve stability and prevent escalation,” Abbas said in a statement.
It’s Not Just Israelis Hurting on Yom Hazikaron, The Times of Israel
Ayala Shalev writes about the annual joint Israeli-Palestinian memorial ceremony, noting, “Yom Hazikaron is one of the days that reminds us that no matter if you’re Palestinian or Israeli, we are all slaves to this cycle of bloodshed, and we won’t be spared any more suffering unless we come together.”
How Media Coverage Whitewashes Israeli State Violence Against Palestinians, The Washington Post
Laura Albast and Cat Knarr argue, “It is time for outlets to address the harm they have done. They should make an effort to hire Palestinian journalists and center Palestinian voices, instead of consistently erasing them from their own stories. The endless footage of documented violence against Palestinians should not remain confined to social media feeds…Instead of conveying incomplete narratives that give reign to Israeli aggression, the media must start telling the full story.”