Trump’s Hope for Gaza Deal Fades as Israel Plans Major Escalation, The New York Times
“’In the beginning of the administration, all the promise was on Gaza,’ said Ilan Goldenberg, a Middle East specialist in the Obama and Biden administrations. ‘But when the cease-fire fell apart, Trump basically gave the Israelis the green light to do whatever they wanted. My sense is he’s not that involved,’ added Mr. Goldenberg, who is now a senior vice president at J Street, a center-left Jewish political advocacy group. ‘He kind of got bored.’”
Oakland Rally Mourns Loss of Life on Both Sides as Israel-Hamas War Drags On, The Jewish News of Northern California
“’When we gathered here last year, we couldn’t have imagined that we would still be here, in the middle of this horrific war in Gaza, a year after,’ J Street’s Shimrit Braun Kamin said at a peace rally Saturday afternoon in Oakland. Kamin, the Northwest regional director of the progressive pro-Israel nonprofit, spoke to about 200 people gathered at the Lake Merritt Amphitheater, where a grassroots group called SFBay4Peace first gathered in January 2024 to mourn all of the lives lost since the start of the Israel-Hamas war on Oct. 7, 2023.”
Netanyahu’s Gaza Re-Occupation Plan, J Street
J Street Senior Vice President and Chief Policy Officer Ilan Goldenberg writes, “Right now, we are still at a crossroads: Restoring the hostage deal and ceasefire framework is still possible – but it will take strong and broad outcry both in Israel and the United States, and a far tougher response from Trump, who will soon visit the region.”
For Israel, Humanitarian Aid to Gaza Should Be an Imperative for Its Own Security, Haaretz
Peter Lerner writes, “Currently, there is a pervasive denial within parts of Israel’s establishment that humanitarian planning is a security imperative, not a concession. This stems from a zero-sum worldview that conflates compassion with weakness.”
Israel Plans to Occupy and Flatten All of Gaza if No Deal by Trump’s Trip, Axios
“Plans for the operation call for the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) to flatten any buildings that remain standing and displace virtually the entire population of 2 million people to a single ‘humanitarian area.’”
Hamas Says ‘No Point’ to Truce Talks as Israel Plans to Capture All of Gaza, BBC
“A senior Hamas official has said there is ‘no point’ in further talks on a new Gaza ceasefire and hostage release deal, after Israel approved an expanded offensive that may include seizing all of the Palestinian territory indefinitely.”
‘What’s Left to Bomb?’ Israel’s Plan to Expand Campaign Strikes Fear Into Gazans, Reuters
“Attending a funeral on Monday for several people killed in an Israeli air strike on a building in Gaza City, Mohammed al-Seikaly said things were so dire it was hard to comprehend Israel’s plans to intensify its assault. ‘There is nothing left in the Gaza Strip that has not been struck by missiles and explosive barrels, and there are still threats to expand the operation.’”
Israel’s Cabinet Decides Not to Form Oct. 7 State Commission of Inquiry Amid New Gaza War Plan, Haaretz
“Opposition leader Yair Lapid responded to the government’s decision, saying: ‘The only meaning of not establishing a state commission of inquiry is that the October 7 disaster will happen to us again and again.’”
Israel’s Forever War, Substack
Ilan Goldenberg writes, “Israel is currently stuck in a strategic cul de sac similar to the ones that the United States faced for years in Iraq and Afghanistan. Meanwhile, 59 hostages continue to be held in Gaza.”
Devastation, Bombing and Starvation: Israel Is Destroying Life in Gaza, B’Tselem
B’Tselem writes, “On 16 April, Defense Minister Katz declared Israel would continue to block the entry of food and aid into Gaza, effectively admitting it is using starvation as a method of warfare. On 25 April, the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) announced that its food warehouses in Gaza were now empty. This deadly siege is enabled by the international community in an abdication of its responsibility to protect human lives.”
Hasbara Delusions: When Gaza’s Hungry Children Are a ‘PR Failure’, Haaretz
Rachel Fink writes, “What does it say about a society when you can look at a child – sunken-eyed and silent with fear and grief – and decide the real injustice is that she’s hogging the spotlight?”
The Coming Clash Over Syria, Foreign Affairs
“Although Israel’s security concerns are legitimate, it should do what it can to avoid military confrontation with Turkey. Israel must ensure that its relationship with Ankara does not become a casualty of its rush to harden its military position in Syria.”