News Roundup for November 5, 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.
Remembering Yitzhak Rabin, Word on the Street
J Street President Jeremy Ben-Ami writes, “A leader unafraid to use force, Rabin also knew that only peace could deliver true and lasting security.”
The Democrats Just Took a Big Step Toward Getting Their Groove Back, New York Times
“The results showed a level of determination and energy among Democratic voters that was missing in that 2024 election. This time, their candidates were stronger, their campaigns focused intensely on affordability and an intense desire to deal a blow to President Trump.”
Hamas Returns the Body of Itay Chen, the Last U.S. Hostage Held in Gaza, Axios
“Chen was the last U.S. hostage held in Gaza. The return of his body ended the most serious U.S. hostage crisis since the takeover of the embassy in Tehran in 1979.”
Not Enough Tents, Food Reaching Gaza as Winter Comes, Aid Agencies Say, Reuters
“Far too little aid is reaching Gaza nearly four weeks after a ceasefire, humanitarian agencies said on Tuesday, as hunger persists with winter approaching and old tents start to fray following Israel’s devastating two-year offensive.”
IDF Says It Killed Two Terror Operatives in Gaza Who Crossed Yellow Line, Times of Israel
“The operatives ‘posed an immediate threat” to the forces stationed in the area, the military says, adding that shortly after they were detected, ‘forces eliminated the terrorists to remove the threat.'”
Israeli Settlers Use Drone to Attack Palestinian Harvesters, Jewish Activists in West Bank, Haaretz
“The drone, flown by members of a security squad from a nearby Israeli settlement in the northern West Bank, lightly wounded an activist and then fell to the ground. Executive director of Rabbis for Human Rights, Avi Dabush, said the incident could have ‘easily ended’ with people being killed.”
Marwan Barghouti Is a Murderer. Israel Should Free Him Anyway, Haaretz
Nir Eisikovits writes, “Marwan Barghouti is the only person popular enough to unify the Palestinian factions under the Palestinian Authority in postwar Gaza and the West Bank. Yes, he’s a convicted murderer – but the alternative is Hamas.”
On Mamadani, Antisemitism and Anti-Zionism, Times of Israel
J Street Israel Executive Director Nadav Tamir writes, “Regarding anti-Zionism and antisemitism, the insistence by major Jewish institutions, Donald Trump, and the Israeli government that the two are basically the same thing does real harm.”
‘Strung Up and Tortured’: Hostage Recounts 2 ½ Years of Captivity, New York Times
“Elizabeth Tsurkov, a citizen of Israel and Russia, recounts a harrowing story of cruelty, survival, U.S. diplomatic pressure and, finally, release from the grip of a group backed by Iran.”
