J Street Pledges To Lead Jewish Political Opposition to Trump, Netanyahu and the MAGA Agenda, J Street
J Street is committed to partnering with allies and strengthening coalitions to fight for our freedoms, stand up for our values and keep our communities safe. We’ll strengthen ties with our pro-democracy and pro-peace allies in Israel, amplifying their voices, rejecting the anti-democratic, pro-annexation Trump-Netanyahu agenda, and proudly standing up for what’s right.
Trump’s Make America Great Again Agenda Will Only Serve to Make Israel Weak Forever, Haaretz
J Street Israel Director Nadav Tamir writes, “We all stand to lose a reliable ally, leaving us with a narcissist, a racist, a misogynist – and even an antisemite, too – at the helm of the most important country in the world, a leader who has no interest in alliances or in investing resources beyond America’s borders.”
Jewish Voters Strongly Favored Harris Over Trump, According to New Poll, Haaretz
“Mainstream Jewish voters remain a steadfast pillar of Democratic support,” said J Street President Jeremy Ben-Ami, whose organization is behind the poll, “rejecting the MAGA agenda despite cynical efforts to divide our community with fearmongering over Israel and antisemitism. Even in high-stakes swing state Pennsylvania, support for Harris reached 75 percent, proving predictions of a shift entirely wrong. We know who will fight for our community, our safety, our values and our freedoms – and it’s not MAGA extremists.”
Palestinians Will Not Be Allowed To Return to Homes in Northern Gaza, Says IDF, The Guardian
Israeli ground forces are getting closer to “the complete evacuation” of northern Gaza and residents will not be allowed to return home, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) has said, in what appears to be the first official acknowledgment from Israel it is systematically removing Palestinians from the area. International humanitarian law experts have said that such actions would amount to the war crimes of forcible transfer and the use of food as a weapon.
Knesset Approves Katz As Defense Minister, Sa’ar As Foreign Minister After Gallant’s Firing, The Times of Israel
The session featured angry speeches and heckling from opposition members, who view Gallant’s dismissal as a cynical move by Netanyahu intended to enable the enactment of a law enshrining ultra-Orthodox draft evasion, which Gallant refused to support, and to prevent a hostage-ceasefire deal in the war in Gaza, which Gallant strongly advocated.
As a Lame Duck, Biden Could Become Tougher With Israel, Foreign Policy
David E. Rosenberg shares, “Having suffered abuse and insults at Netanyahu’s hands over the course of the war, the Biden administration may use its lame-duck weeks to settle scores. There is a precedent for that: In his final days in office, then-President Barack Obama opted not to veto a U.N. Security Council resolution against West Bank settlements. That opened up legal complications for Israel that it contends with to this day. For Biden, the opportunity is there.”
Attackers Assaulted Israeli Fans After a Soccer Match in Amsterdam, Leaving 5 People Hospitalized, ABC News
It was not clear how the violence began. Dutch and Israeli leaders denounced the attacks as antisemitic. Video showed Israeli fans chanting anti-Arab slogans in the streets before the game.
Nearly 70% of Verified Gaza War Dead Women and Children, UN Rights Office Says, Reuters
This finding indicates “a systematic violation of the fundamental principles of international humanitarian law, including distinction and proportionality,” the U.N. rights office said in a statement accompanying the 32-page report.
Unnerved by Biden’s Sanctions, Israeli Settler Leaders Are Excited About Trump’s Victory, Haaretz
Settler chiefs who campaigned for Trump hope he’ll revisit the spirit of his previous term, support an annexation of the West Bank and back the building of settlements in Gaza.
Israeli Strike in Lebanon’s Sidon Kills Three Citizens, Lebanese Army Says, Reuters
An Israeli strike on the southern Lebanese city of Sidon killed three Lebanese citizens and wounded three Lebanese soldiers and four Malaysian personnel from UNIFIL forces, the Lebanese army said on Thursday.
No Guarantees Trump Will Give Netanyahu All He Wants, BBC
The former president “doesn’t like wars,” seeing them as expensive, said former Israeli ambassador to the US Michael Oren. Trump has urged Israel to finish the war in Gaza quickly.
How Americans, and Israelis, Fell Out of Love With Democracy, Haaretz
Dahlia Scheindlin writes, “Around the world, people once spoke of America as the gold standard for democracy. Yet the world sees that Americans are choosing otherwise, like numerous voters around the world selecting leaders who will undo the building blocks of democracy. From afar, it looks like Americans are agreeing with, and legitimizing, the illiberal authoritarians in Hungary, India, Brazil, Serbia … and Israel: Buying a bit of strongman rule and compromised democracy, in return for populist economic promises; preying on the have-nots while trafficking in identity threats. America is just following suit”
Once Again, I’m an Outsider in America — Like Liberal Jews Always Were, The Forward
Jay Michaelson writes, “And Jews, as ever, are precariously perched on the fence of American normality. On the one hand, the far right hates us, the far left hates us, and our places of worship are being attacked (mostly by the right). On the other hand, Trump is an anomaly: a populist with a lot of Jewish friends (and relatives).”