Benjamin Netanyahu Fires Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, Replaces Him With Israel Katz, NPR
Netanyahu and Gallant have repeatedly been at odds over the war in Gaza. […] “Firing Gallant in the middle of a war is an act of madness,” opposition leader Yair Lapid said on X. “Netanyahu is selling Israel’s security and the Israeli army soldiers for a disgraceful political survival.” The grassroots forum representing hostage families said Gallant’s dismissal is “a direct continuation of the ‘efforts’ to torpedo the abductee deal.”
‘God Bless Trump’: Israel’s Far-right Coalition Praises Trump’s US Election Victory, Haaretz
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu congratulated Trump on what he called “history’s greatest comeback,” in a message he addressed to Trump and his wife Melania. “Your historic return to the White House offers a new beginning for America and a powerful recommitment to the great alliance between Israel and America,” he wrote on X. “This is a huge victory!” Netanyahu signed the message, “In true friendship,” a possible harbinger of what many have predicted will be a strong alliance between the two leaders.
Lebanese First Responders Say They Are Being Targeted by Israeli Strikes, The Washington Post
Civil defense crews say the attacks — including strikes on or near ambulances, fire trucks, paramedic stations and hospitals — have hampered search and rescue efforts, particularly in the south, forcing some teams to abandon their missions and leave casualties in the rubble.
Netanyahu Ally Accused of Leaking Documents To Derail Hostage Deal, The Washington Post
A scandal over a leak of top-secret military documents, allegedly involving the office of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, has rocked Israel’s political establishment in a wartime country still reeling from last year’s Hamas attacks.
US Warns Iraq: Don’t Let Iran Attack From Your Soil or Israel Could Retaliate, Axios
State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said in a statement that Blinken told al-Sudani the Iraqi government must “fulfill its commitments to protect U.S. personnel and to pursue those responsible for attacks from Iraq on U.S. personnel in Iraq and Syria, including from attacks by Iran-aligned militias.”
An Israeli Strike Kills 20 in North Gaza, Where Palestinians Say They’ve Had Little Food for Weeks, AP
An Israeli airstrike in northern Gaza killed at least 20 people, mostly women and children, Palestinian officials said Tuesday, as Palestinians fled Israel’s assault. Some said they had hardly eaten, with aid cut off for weeks to the most isolated and heavily destroyed part of the territory.
Over 100 Patients Set To Be Evacuated From Gaza, WHO Says, Reuters
More than 100 patients including children suffering from trauma injuries and chronic diseases will be evacuated from Gaza on Wednesday in a rare transfer out of the war-ravaged enclave, a World Health Organization official said.
79% of US Jews Voted for Harris, According to Largest Preliminary Exit Poll, The Times of Israel
The National Election Pool, which produces an exit poll for a consortium of major news organizations, found that 79% of Jews said they voted Democratic, compared to 21% who voted Republican.
Thousands of Israelis Take to the Streets to Protest Defense Minister’s Firing; 40 Arrested in Tel Aviv, Haaretz
Thousands of people blocked Tel Aviv’s main Ayalon Highway for over four hours before they were dispersed forcefully by police. Several protesters began taking apart large containers of concrete blocks – left on the road for construction purposes – to create a blockade on the road.
Trump Win Is a Victory for Netanyahu, but Israeli Prime Minister May Not Get It All His Way, The Guardian
Julian Borger writes, “The boost given to the annexationist wing of the Israeli far right may be the most immediate and momentous ramification of a Trump win for the Middle East, because of its potential to redraw the map. Trump’s return also strengthens Netanyahu in domestic politics and is likely to accelerate his moves towards turning Israel into a more illiberal state.”
Israel Is Unleashing an Apocalypse in Northern Gaza, Haaretz
Haaretz Editorial Staff write, “The war is being run in disregard of international law. It’s as if there were no civilians in Gaza, no children and no consequences for our actions. The desire to take revenge for Hamas’ attack on October 7, 2023 has turned into brutal, unbridled warfare that constitutes a gross violation of the laws of war and, even worse, will be remembered as a moral stain on the country.”
As Middle East Crisis Grinds On, Pentagon Shows Signs of Strain, The Washington Post
Dan Lamothe and Abigail Hauslohner report, “U.S. military officials have acknowledged also that they are struggling to distribute enough air-defense systems to protect assets and allies in Eastern Europe along with those in the Middle East, and analysts warn the strain could hinder Washington’s ability to defend Taiwan in the event of a Chinese invasion.”
The ADL Is Correct That Antisemitism Is Rising — but the Main (and Most Dangerous) Source Isn’t the Left, It’s Always Been the Right, Religion Dispatches
Shane Burley shares, “The ADL’s Antisemitism Audit made headlines for showing an alleged spike in antisemitism related to left-wing Palestine protests, but in fact even their data reveal something entirely different. The overwhelming majority of incidents come from White nationalist groups, like the hundreds of incidents from the neo-Nazi Goyim Defense League.”
Did Israel Hurt the Harris Vote in Michigan?, Responsible Statecraft
Kelley Beaucar Vlahos reports, “It is not entirely clear, however, whether President Biden’s Israel policy hurt the Democratic vote in swing states, particularly in Michigan, where returns Tuesday night indicated that Vice President Harris’s performance in key Arab-American/Muslim counties like Wayne County (home to Dearborn) and Washtenaw County (home to University of Michigan) – were not rising to the level of President Biden’s performance four years earlier.”