J Street Welcomes Call From Almost 100 House Democrats to End Humanitarian Blockade, J Street
J Street Director of Government Affairs Hannah Morris said, “As Jews and as Americans, this humanitarian blockade is a painful violation of our values. It’s meaningful not only that so many members signed on and are speaking out, but also that the signers include so many prominent Jewish representatives and rising leaders in the Democratic Party.”
J Street Responds to Recent Anti-War Protests on Campuses, J Street
J Street U Director Erin Beiner said, “These unlawful acts at demonstrations not only deprive fellow students of their right to education and create unnecessary division, but also provide the Trump Administration with ammunition to justify their ongoing authoritarian attacks on higher education and international students.”
Exclusive: Under Trump, Saudi Civil Nuclear Talks Delinked from Israel Recognition, Sources Say, Reuters
“Dropping the demand that Saudi Arabia establish diplomatic relations with Israel would be a major concession by Washington. Under former President Joe Biden, nuclear talks were an element of a wider US-Saudi deal tied to normalization and to Riyadh’s goal of a defense treaty with Washington.”
UN Slams Israel’s Gaza Aid Distribution Plan as ‘Incompatible With Humanitarian Principles’, Haaretz
“Per a document obtained by Haaretz, Israeli soldiers would secure aid hubs in the south and center of Gaza, and all recipients would have to go through screenings. The UN rejected any participation in the plan, saying it fails ‘to meet Israel’s obligations under international law.’”
Former UN Food Program Director in Talks to Lead New Gaza Aid Foundation, Axios
“The former executive director of the World Food Programme and Nobel Peace Prize laureate David Beasley is in talks with the Trump administration, the Israeli government and other key players to head the new Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, two sources with knowledge of the issue said.”
US Jewish Leaders Slam Establishment Orgs Over Silence on Trump’s Attack on Democracy, Haaretz
“Signees include the longtime leader of AIPAC, the past national chair of the Anti-Defamation League, two past presidents of the American Jewish Committee, a past CEO and past chair of Hillel International, and past chairs of the Jewish Federations of North America and the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations. They call on the groups that they once led for many years to ‘forcefully and publicly reaffirm the historic and continuing commitment of the American Jewish community to academic freedom, to the rule of law, to ensure due process to anyone accused of breaking the law, to freedom of speech and the press.’”
In Israel’s Demolition Path, West Bank Residents Pack Up Their Lives, The New York Times
“In recent days, Israel has allowed some residents of the camps to return to their homes to gather their belongings. Nasr al-Jundi, 45, a resident of Nur Shams, said he only had time to grab only some of his belongings on Tuesday, including clothing, a television, a fan, a microwave and a sauté pan.”
Trump Admin Cracks Down on Pro-Palestinian Protests at Colleges, Axios
“Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the State Department is ‘reviewing the visa status’ of pro-Palestinian protesters who occupied Columbia University’s main library in Manhattan on Wednesday evening. Rubio’s announcement builds on President Trump’s January order, titled ‘Additional Measures to Combat Anti-Semitism,’ to remove international students who’ve joined protests and a direction for institutions and ‘monitor for and report activities by alien students and staff.’”
New Film Claims to Identify Israeli Killer of Journalist Shireen Abu Akleh, The Guardian
“The documentary, made by the Zeteo media organization, sets out not only to identify the soldier responsible for the journalist’s death, but also to show the failure of the US government to hold the Israeli military to account.”
We Cannot Look Away From the Images of Children Killed in Gaza, Haaretz
The Haaretz Editorial Board writes, “Israelis can continue to avert their eyes from any documentation that brings them face-to-face with the sights of the killing in Gaza. The media can continue to be derelict in its duty and not expose Israelis to what is being done in its name and by means of its children.”
This Israeli Government Is Not Our Ally, The New York Times
Thomas Friedman writes, “I have no doubt that, generally speaking, the Israeli people continue to see themselves as steadfast allies of the American people – and vice versa. But this ultranationalist, messianic Israeli government is not America’s ally. Because this is the first government in Israel’s history whose priority is not peace with more of its Arab neighbors and the benefits that greater security and coexistence would bring. Its priority is the annexation of the West Bank, the expulsion of the Palestinians of Gaza and the re-establishment there of Israeli settlements.”
This Week Proved It: Trump’s Approach to Antisemitism at Columbia is Horribly Ineffective, The Forward
Emily Tamkin writes, “For those Jews, and especially Jewish students, who feel threatened by these protests, the fact that such a major one broke out despite Trump’s crackdown should be a reminder that, actually, the president’s various efforts aren’t really set up to help them. And to the rest of us, it should be a reminder that there are costs to acceding to the administration’s pretense that every such protest is, automatically, an offense against Jews.”