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.
AIPAC vs J Street: The Key Midterms Wins and Losses for the pro-Israel Groups, Haaretz
“For his own part, J Street President Jeremy Ben-Ami stated that “J Street is deeply proud to only have supported candidates who back pro-Israel, pro-peace candidates who back democracy and diplomacy. We’re proud to be a political home and a voice for the large mainstream majority of Jewish Americans, who reject the ethno-nationalist extremism of the MAGA Republican movement and the hawkish, harmful foreign policy promoted by the right.”
US Envoy Says White House ‘Will Fight’ Any Israeli West Bank Annexation Efforts, The Times of Israel
US Ambassador to Israel Tom Nides warned in interviews that the White House would push back against any attempts by the expected incoming Israeli government to annex all or parts of the West Bank. “Our position is quite clear: We do not support annexation. We will fight any attempt to do so,” Nides told the Kan public broadcaster’s diplomatic correspondent Gili Cohen in an interview aired Thursday, adding that “most of the Arab countries” feel the same way.
Palestinian Shot and Killed by IDF Near Jenin, The Jerusalem Post
A Palestinian was shot and killed by Israeli forces near a security barrier near Jenin on Wednesday afternoon, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry. Additionally, five Palestinians were injured by live fire and rubber bullets in clashes with the IDF in Beit Ummar near Hebron on Wednesday.
Abbas Rejects U.S. Request To Not Push for UN Court Opinion on Israeli Occupation, Axios
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas rejected a U.S. request to reconsider pushing for a UN resolution that asks the International Court of Justice to issue a legal opinion on whether the Israeli occupation of the West Bank constitutes a de facto annexation.
Palestinian Seeks Early Release in Case That Shook Jerusalem, The Washington Post
A 13-year-old Palestinian boy whose case became a lightning rod for the Israeli-Palestinian conflict seven years ago is now a man languishing in solitary confinement and struggling with schizophrenia.
Israeli Forces Arrest Palestinian Wanted for Death of Officer in Daytime Jenin Raid, Haaretz
Israeli soldiers raided the city of Jenin in the northern West Bank on Thursday, arresting and surrounding the house of a Palestinian wanted for involvement in the killing of an Israeli officer last May. According to the Palestinian Health Ministry, one person was injured during clashes with Israeli soldiers.
U.S. Concerned About Possible Netanyahu Defense Chief Pick, Axios
The Biden administration is closely watching to see who incoming Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu names as Israel’s defense minister, with some U.S. officials telling Axios they are concerned a politician from a Jewish supremacist party will be appointed to the post.
My Pro-Israel, J Street
J Street National Director of Communal Relations Sam Berkman writes, “Pro-Israel groups and politicians frequently throw around the platitude that the US-Israel relationship is based upon our shared values — with democracy at its core. If we truly believe that, then we must also acknowledge that to support Israel, to defend the US-Israel relationship, we must defend democracy–particularly in our two nations — when it is under threat. As Americans, we have the duty to protect our country and our democratic institutions and norms when they are being undermined. For those of us engaged in pro-Israel politics, that means it is not enough to simply bolster candidates who support Israel. Those same candidates must also respect and defend the American democratic process and rule of law — lest we compromise the foundation of the US-Israel relationship.”
After Near Wipeout in Election, Israeli Left Wonders: What Now?, The New York Times
Patrick Kingsley notes, “Israel’s Jewish-led left-leaning parties, long the standard-bearers for negotiations with the Palestinians, suffered a near wipeout in the elections, accelerating a long-term decline that has kept them from the prime minister’s office for more than two decades.”
