News Roundup for November 4, 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.
Coffee with The Contrarians, Word on the Street
In a conversation with J Street President Jeremy Ben-Ami, Jennifer Rubin says, “There is a sense of cruelty, of inhumanity that unfortunately has really taken over the entire Republican Party. Cruelty is the point. Deporting parents, cutting off food, taking health care away from working people. It is done with a sneer and a sense of greed and contempt for the American people. I think Democrats need to be not only the sunny, optimistic people, but take that head on and say, ‘we are better than this.'”
Iran Policy Memo: What Comes Next, Policy Center
J Street’s Policy Center writes, “Iran is now weak and vulnerable, yet perhaps as dangerous as ever. The reality is that, despite the operational successes of the past two years, the first Trump Administration’s decision to walk away from the Iran nuclear agreement, combined with the recent war between Israel and Iran, means that Iran may be more motivated than ever to pursue a nuclear weapon while maintaining the capability to do so.”
Israel Rocked by Scandal as Top Military Lawyer Resigns, Goes Missing, Is Found and Thrown Into Jail, AP
“By leaking the video last year, Tomer-Yerushalmi aimed to expose the seriousness of the allegations her office was investigating. Instead, it triggered fierce criticism from Israel’s hard-line political leaders.”
Trump Endorses Cuomo, Slams Leading Contender Mamdani as ‘Communist’ as Voting for Mayor Opens in New York, Haaretz
“Trump wrote that if ‘Communist Candidate Zohran Mamdani’ wins, it’s ‘highly unlikely that I will be contributing Federal Funds, other than the very minimum as required’ and that New York City would ‘be a Complete and Total Economic and Social Disaster.'”
Torture in Israeli Prisons Rose Sharply During War, Says Freed Palestinian Author, The Guardian
“Nasser Abu Srour, whose prison memoir has been translated into seven languages and is tipped to win a major international literary prize this month, was among more than 150 Palestinians serving life sentences who were freed as part of the US-brokered Gaza ceasefire and then immediately exiled to Egypt, where most remain in limbo.”
Back With a Vengeance: Netanyahu’s Revived Judicial Coup Seeks to Terrify Israel’s Gatekeepers, Haaretz
“The notion that the end of the war with Hamas will mend the divide within Israeli society has proved fundamentally wrong. With the eruption of the military advocate general affair, coming less than two weeks after the start of the cease-fire in Gaza, the judicial overhaul is back – this time on steroids.”
US Seeks UN Approval for Gaza Security Force With Broad Two-Year Mandate, Axios
“The draft resolution, which was designated ‘SENSITIVE BUT UNCLASSIFIED,’ would give the U.S. and other participating countries a broad mandate to govern Gaza and provide security through the end of 2027, with the possibility of extensions after that.”
The U.N. Must Help Consolidate Gaza Peace, Foreign Policy
J Street Policy Fellow Frank Lowenstein and Policy Analyst Liam Hamama write, “The U.S. and its partners in Qatar, Egypt, and Turkey are rightfully pushing hard on Hamas and Israel to comply with their initial obligations, including the return of all hostage remains and letting in desperately needed humanitarian assistance. But there is also an urgent need to put the entire process on firmer, more sustainable footing by implementing its long-term elements.”
A Racist, Mandatory Death Penalty Law Would Be an Indelible Stain on Israel, Haaretz
The Haaretz Editorial Team writes, “The harm caused to a society that executes criminals, no matter how terrible their offenses, is immeasurable.”
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