News Roundup for October 28, 2024

October 28, 2024
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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.

J Street In the News

J Street Statement in Response to Israeli Strike on Iran, J Street
Our deepest hope is that last night’s strike draws a line under this dangerous cycle of retaliation. We call on the United States and the international community to act swiftly to de-escalate tensions and prevent further retaliation. Every actor with influence on Israeli and Iranian leaders must urge restraint and ensure cooler heads prevail.

Israel’s Perceptions About Iran Might Lead to an Endless Conflict., The Times of Israel
J Street Israel Director Nadav Tamir states, “We must ensure that the next time negotiations take place between Iran and the US, Israel will cooperate with the Americans to influence the outcome of the negotiations instead of sabotaging them. We must coordinate with the Americans on any action in Iran, so as to not jeopardize the possibility of an agreement that could improve our situation both in the nuclear context and in the regional Iranian influence on its proxies.”

Israel Cannot Always Wallow in Victimhood, We Must Take Responsibility for Our Faults, The Jerusalem Post
J Street Israel Director Nadav Tamir writes, “There are many Arab and Muslim countries willing to normalize and make peace with Israel, provided that Israel advances toward peace with the Palestinians. In other words – it is possible and essential that we test this and actively strive for an agreement and peace.”

To Defend Israel, Pressure Netanyahu, The Times of Israel
J Street Israel Director Nadav Tamir shares, “Israel is facing unprecedented threats from both external enemies and from its own government. The US cannot follow Netanyahu down this destructive path and must push a diplomatic solution that would integrate Israel into the region, protect it from the threat of terrorism, and ensure it can be a lasting, democratic home for the Jewish people.”

Top News and Analysis

Israel Met ‘All Its Objectives’ in Strike; Iran Vows Response, The Washington Post
“We have severely struck [Iran’s] defense capabilities and its ability to produce missiles,” Netanyahu said Sunday at a memorial for the victims of the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attack on Israeli communities near Gaza.

Key Mediator Egypt Proposes a 2-Day Gaza Cease-Fire and the Release of 4 Hostages, AP
President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi said the proposal includes the release of some Palestinian prisoners and the delivery of humanitarian aid to besieged Gaza. It aims to “move the situation forward,” he said, adding that negotiations would continue to make the cease-fire permanent.

An Israeli Strike in Beit Lahia Killed and Injured Dozens of People, Gazan Officials Say, The New York Times
Israeli strikes on a residential block in Beit Lahia, a town in northern Gaza, killed and wounded dozens of people on Saturday night, according to the Palestinian civil defense, the enclave’s emergency response service.

Iran Leader Says Israeli Attack Should Not Be ‘Exaggerated or Downplayed’, BBC
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei has given a measured response to Israeli strikes on the country, saying the attack should not be “exaggerated or downplayed” while refraining from pledging immediate retaliation. President Masoud Pezeshkian said Iran would “give an appropriate response” to the attack, which killed at least four soldiers, adding that Tehran did not seek war.

News

Israel Strikes Iran as Payback for Missile Attack, Risking Escalation of Mideast Wars, AP
Israel’s hourslong attack ended just before sunrise in Tehran, with the Israeli military saying it targeted “missile manufacturing facilities used to produce the missiles that Iran fired at the state of Israel over the last year.” It also said it hit surface-to-air missile sites and “additional Iranian aerial capabilities.”

Yellen and Allies Urge Netanyahu Not to Crater Palestinian Economy, Axios
The U.S. and many of its allies are concerned Smotrich won’t sign off, and that the collapse of the banking system could have dangerous ripple effects — potentially including the fall of the Palestinian Authority and a security crisis in the West Bank.

Second Gentleman Emhoff to Deliver Final Pitch to U.S. Jews at Tree of Life Synagogue, Haaretz
The speech, which will effectively mark the Harris campaign’s closing argument to Jewish-American voters eight days before Election Day, is being described by the Harris campaign as “a pointed speech on the threat posed to Jewish people in America by Donald Trump’s antisemitism and desire for unchecked power.”

Israel Says It Detained 100 Suspected Militants in a Raid on a Gaza Hospital, AP
Israeli forces raided Kamal Adwan Hospital in Beit Lahiya on Friday, detaining 44 male staff, according to the World Health Organization. Palestinian medical officials said the hospital, which was treating some 200 patients, was heavily damaged in the raid.

Opinion and Analysis

The Score Is Settled. Now It’s Time for Israel to Stop the War and Return the Hostages, Haaretz
Haaretz editorial staff state, “Israel must strive to end the war on all fronts and give the negotiating team a genuine mandate to reach a hostage deal in the talks that are supposed to resume on Sunday in Qatar, finally, after a two-month hiatus. If it continues to fight in the north and the south without a political goal, as it has fought until now, it will abandon the hostages for good and will have to become accustomed to the daily body count that has already become a macabre routine.”

Israel’s Spiralling Offensive, The Financial Times
The Financial Times’ editorial board reports, “The Biden administration seems to be dancing to Netanyahu’s tune: despite calling for a ceasefire in Lebanon one minute, it supports Israel’s goal of degrading Hizbollah the next. None of this serves the stability of the Middle East — or Israel’s long-term security interests. Hamas and Hizbollah can be decapitated and devastated but will not disappear. Many Hamas fighters are believed to be orphans of previous conflicts as cycles of violence breed new generations of militants. When one leader is killed, another takes over.”

Fostering Dialogue on Israel, Palestine, and Antisemitism on Campus, The CommonWealth Beacon
Alan Solomont shares, “The Nexus Task Force, a group of scholars dedicated to countering the rise of antisemitism and preventing its political weaponization, developed ‘A Campus Guide to Identifying Antisemitism in a Time of Perplexity.’ This guide is a useful tool for engaging in constructive conversations about antisemitism on campus. It offers clear guidelines and a series of interlocking questions that can be applied to specific circumstances, helping to determine whether speech or actions are legitimate criticism or antisemitic hate speech.”

Former Israeli PM Olmert: ‘Gross Mistake’ to Use Oct. 7 as Argument Against Palestinian State [Video], Haaretz
At a recent Haaretz Conference in London, former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and former Palestinian Minister al-Kidwa presented a peace proposal for a two-state solution based on a similar proposal Olmert presented to PA President Mahmoud Abbas in 2008 when he was prime minister.