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-Allied PAC Spends More Than $1 Million To Oppose Progressive Summer Lee, JTA
“J Street, the liberal Jewish Middle East lobby which has endorsed Lee, contrasted AIPAC’s attacks on Lee with its continued endorsement of Rep. Clay Higgins, a Louisiana Republican, who posted and then removed a tweet mocking Paul Pelosi, the husband of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who was hospitalized over the weekend after an attack by an assailant who allegedly embraced far-right, pro-Trump and antisemitic conspiracy theories. Higgins repeated a false anti-gay conspiracy theory in the tweet. “AIPAC’s actions make clear that they really mean it when they say that nothing matters to them other than unquestioning support for Israel,” said Laura Birnbaum, J Street’s national political director. “Not the survival of American democracy, nor the core values and concerns of the majority of Jewish Americans.””
As Israel’s Netanyahu Nears Victory, Trouble May Lie Ahead, AP
“Jeremy Ben-Ami, president of J Street, a liberal pro-Israel group in Washington, called the results “deeply troubling.” “The likely formation of an ultra-right Netanyahu government should force a moment of serious reckoning for all Americans who care about the nature of the U.S.-Israel relationship,” he said.”
J Street: Israel Election Results Should Spur Serious Reckoning for Pro-Peace Americans, The Times of Israel
“Jeremy Ben-Ami, who heads the dovish Mideast lobby J Street, expresses deep concern about the projected Israeli election results showing the pro-Netanyahu bloc of right-wing, religious parties poised to return to the governing coalition after less than two years.”
Trump, Mastriano’s Wife Criticize Jews for Not Loving Israel Enough, Yahoo News
“On Monday, a coalition of Democratic and progressive Jewish groups called on Mehmet Oz, the Republican senatorial nominee in Pennsylvania, to unendorse Mastriano. “Despite the recent rise in antisemitism, Oz has refused to denounce Mastriano’s hate speech and instead continues to endorse and support him,” leaders of Democratic Majority of Israel, Jewish Democratic Council of America, Democratic Jewish Outreach PA, Pittsburgh Jews Unite Against Extremism and the “pro-Israel, pro-peace” organization J Street wrote in a statement.”
AIPAC and Democrats Clash Over Progressive Candidate Summer Lee, Haaretz
“J Street National Political Director Laura Birnbaum said that AIPAC’s actions against Lee “make clear that they really mean it when they say that nothing matters to them other than unquestioning support for Israel – not the survival of American democracy, nor the core values and concerns of the majority of Jewish Americans.””
J Street’s Statement on the Israeli Election Results, J Street
“Last night’s election results in Israel are deeply troubling for all who care about Israel and about liberal democracy globally — for those whose core values of justice, equality and freedom are fundamentally at odds with those of the parties and leaders who stand on the cusp of victory.”
3 Palestinians Killed in Flare-Up As Israel Counts Votes, AP
Israeli forces killed at least three Palestinians in separate incidents on Thursday, including one who had stabbed a police officer in east Jerusalem and two others in Israeli raids in the occupied West Bank. The violence flared as Israel tallied the final votes in national elections held this week, with former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu expected to lead a comfortable majority backed by far-right allies.
Israel Counts Last Votes As Netanyahu’s Majority Firms Up, The Washington Post
Israeli election officials were tallying the final votes from national elections on Thursday, with former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu looking likely to reclaim the premiership with a comfortable majority backed by far-right allies.
U.S. Unlikely To Work With Jewish Supremacist Expected To Be Made Israeli Minister, Axios
The Biden administration is unlikely to engage with Jewish supremacist politician Itamar Ben-Gvir, who is expected to be a senior minister in a future Israeli government formed by Benjamin Netanyahu.
Israel Lifts All Movement Restrictions on Nablus, Opens Entrances to the City After Three Week Closure, Haaretz
Israel has lifted all movement restrictions on the West Bank city of Nablus Thursday morning, and opened all entrances and exits to the city, the IDF says.
A Netanyahu-Led Government Would See Sharp Drop in Women in Coalition, The Times of Israel
Female representation is on track to fall in the next Knesset if results from Tuesday’s election hold, and the number of women in the coalition that former prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu is expected to assemble will also see a marked drop.
Moment of Truth: What the Israeli Election Results Mean for Jewish Americans, J Street
J Street President Jeremy Ben-Ami writes, “This is a moment of truth and of choice. American Jews — and the United States itself — must align our policies with our values. The Biden administration and Congress need to be pressed to do more than give lip service to a commitment to equal measures of peace, justice and self-determination for both peoples. They must be pressed to take action. In order to make our voice heard and win the important debates that lie ahead, those of us who feel passionately about democracy, Israel and our core Jewish values must stand tall, grow our ranks and build our power as a movement.”
The Rise of Israel’s Extreme Right, Axios
Barak Ravid explains, “One of the key factors that led to the victory of Benjamin Netanyahu’s right-wing bloc in Tuesday’s Israeli elections was the unprecedented rise of the extreme right. The next Israeli government will include a large number of politicians known for their racist, misogynistic, ultra-religious, anti-Arab or anti-LGBTQ rhetoric. For many years, Netanyahu kept his distance from the extreme right, especially Jewish supremacist politician Itamar Ben-Gvir and his Jewish Power party. But since the 2019 elections, he cultivated his relationship with extreme right politicians as he worked to unite its different factions. Unlike any previous Likud leader, Netanyahu normalized this relationship inside his constituency.”