News Roundup for November 3, 2025
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.
Can We Do Better At Fighting Antisemitism? Word on the Street
J Street President Jeremy Ben-Ami writes, “And we must be honest that – at times – the fight against antisemitism is itself being politicized and weaponized. If we are not careful in our approach, we risk ending up less safe, less free, and more isolated.”
Bodies of Slain IDF Soldiers Omer Neutra, Asaf Hamami and Oz Daniel Returned to Israel, Haaretz
“Omer Neutra, a 21-year-old lone soldier from New York, was the son of Ronen and Orna and brother to Daniel, Keren, Or and Leah. Neutra was a Knicks fan and captain of his high school basketball, volleyball and soccer teams.”
In Israel, an Unfamiliar Word Is Heard: Peace, New York Times
“Now, of course, a new kind of peace process is underway, with a determined Trump administration and its allies in the Muslim world seeking to broaden a tenuous cease-fire between Israel and Hamas into something more.”
Israel Hands Over Bodies of 45 Palestinians After Hamas Returns the Remains of 3 Soldiers, AP
“For each Israeli hostage returned, Israel has been releasing the remains of 15 Palestinians. Monday’s return brought the number of Palestinian bodies handed back since the ceasefire began to 270.”
Trump Sees Central Role for Turkey in Gaza Peace, but Israel Is Crying Foul, Washington Post
“The central role that the Americans see for Turkey in advancing Trump’s peace plan, however, has left Israeli officials aghast. They consider Turkey to be too closely aligned with Islamist groups hostile to Israel and see it as a main competitor for influence across the Middle East.”
Israeli Military’s Ex-Top Lawyer Arrested as Scandal Over Video Leak Deepens, BBC
“Broadcast in August 2024 on an Israeli news channel, the footage shows reserve soldiers at the Sde Teiman military base in southern Israel taking aside a detainee, then surrounding him with riot shields to block visibility while he was allegedly beaten and stabbed in the rectum with a sharp object.”
Trump Says He’ll “Be Involved” in Netanyahu’s Corruption Trial “To Help Him Out”, Axios
“Trump told interviewer Norah O’Donnell that Netanyahu is a ‘very talented guy’ and the kind of leader Israel needed in wartime. ‘I don’t think they treat him very well. He’s under trial for some things, and I don’t think they treat him very well.'”
Why Are We So Focused on Mamdani — Not Nazi-Inspired Ideas Proliferating on the Right?, The Forward
Michael Rothbaum writes, “In a democratic society, the candidacy of a young mayoral candidate who challenges the righteousness of Israeli actions is not a threat to the ‘Jewish future.’ It is an invitation to engage in discussion about those actions. By contrast, the rise of the ‘great replacement’ theory and its ilk — baseless claims of ‘white replacement’ or ‘white genocide’ — is a threat to the future of all minorities, including Jews.”
Israel Must Reckon With What It Wrought in Gaza, New York Times
Dr. Michael L. Gross writes, “No matter how we explain, justify or name it, this fact remains, and it is one that Jews — whether they opposed or supported Israel’s conduct in the war — especially in Israel but also abroad, must reckon with if the Jewish community is ever to extricate itself from the trauma of this war.”
Mamdani’s Mayoral Bid Signals a New Era in American Politics – Opinion, Jerusalem Post
Sebastien Levi writes, “Trump successfully turned his lack of experience into an advantage, presenting himself as an outsider. Mamdani is applying the same formula.”
