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.
5 Reasons Jewish Voters Should Reject Donald Trump, US News and World Report
J Street President Jeremy Ben-Ami writes, “J Street President Jeremy Ben Ami writes, “Many Jewish voters fear Trump’s “fire and fury” threats and saber-rattling will only exacerbate conflict in the Middle East. Meanwhile, Vance’s isolationist view of foreign policy could undermine the U.S.-Israel relationship, and he voted twice against providing emergency assistance to Israel after the Oct. 7 attack.”
Where Did We Go Right?, Substack
Jeremy Ben-Ami shares, “When I look at young activist Jews protesting the war, I feel pride – not shame – that central to their Judaism is a moral compass grounded in pursuit of justice and an obligation to stand up for the oppressed.”
Israel Has Banned the UN Agency for Palestinian Refugees. That Could Be Devastating for Millions, CNN
The UN chief said he sent a letter to Israeli leader Benjamin Netanyahu, telling him that the proposed bill would “suffocate efforts to ease human suffering and tensions in Gaza, and indeed, the entire Occupied Palestinian Territory.” “It would be a catastrophe,” Guterres said, “in what is already an unmitigated disaster.”
‘Entire Population of North Gaza at Risk of Dying,’ Warns UN’s Top Humanitarian Official, UN News
“What Israeli forces are doing in besieged north Gaza cannot be allowed to continue,” said Joyce Msuya, acting Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and UN Emergency Relief Coordinator, in a statement posted on the social media platform X.
As Gaza Talks Resume, Little Progress Is Expected Before the U.S. Election, The New York Times
Envoys from Israel, Egypt, the United States and Qatar renewed talks in Doha, the Qatari capital, on Monday over a cease-fire in Gaza. American mediators were also expected this week to continue to try to reach a truce between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon.
What Frightens Ezra Klein Most About Israel Becoming a Pariah State [Gift Link], Haaretz
After the 2014 Gaza war, US journalist Ezra Klein took a ‘personal break’ from reporting on Israel-Palestine. A decade later he is one of the most influential voices on the conflict. In an interview with Haaretz, he discusses how October 7 ‘re-confronted’ him with Israel’s impact on Diaspora Jews and why people who still think of the Jewish state as a democracy are ‘delusional’.
Bernie Sanders Makes the Case for Kamala Harris to Pro-Palestinian Critics, CNN
“Donald Trump and his right-wing friends are worse,” Sanders said. “Trump has said Netanyahu is doing a good job and has said Biden is ‘holding him back.’ He has suggested that the Gaza Strip would make excellent beachfront property for development. And it is no wonder Netanyahu prefers to have Donald Trump in office.”
Gaza War’s ‘Darkest Moment’ Unfolding in North, UN Says, BBC
The UN human rights chief has said the Gaza war’s “darkest moment” is unfolding in the north of the territory, where Israel has said it is carrying out a ground offensive to stop Hamas fighters from regrouping.
US ‘Deeply Concerned’ New Israeli Laws Will Worsen Gaza Crisis, Axios
State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said in a briefing with reporters on Monday that passing the bills could have implications under U.S. law and regarding U.S. policy. “We urge the Israeli government to pause the implementation […] If UNRWA doesn’t exist, civilians, including children and babies, will not get the food they need, and this is, for us, unacceptable,” he said.
London Conference Hears UK and Israeli Criticism of Conduct of Gaza War, The Guardian
Criticism of the Israeli government and calls for tolerance and a commitment to a two-state solution were the major themes of an event in London on Sunday organised by the left-leaning Israeli newspaper Haaretz.
Israeli Strike Kills Dozens in North Gaza Town, Gaza Health Ministry Says, Reuters
At least 93 Palestinians were killed and missing and dozens wounded in an Israeli strike on a residential building in the northern Gaza town of Beit Lahiya on Tuesday, the Gaza health ministry said.
Lebanon Says 60 Killed in Israel Strikes on Eastern Valley, BBC
At least 60 people have been killed in Israeli attacks on Lebanon’s eastern Bekaa Valley, the Lebanese health ministry said. Two children were among those killed in strikes which targeted 16 areas in the Baalbek region, officials said.
Hezbollah Names Naim Qassem as Hassan Nasrallah’s Successor in Lebanon, Haaretz
Qassem was one of the founders of Hezbollah and a formulator of its ideology, but has limited administrative and military experience. Over the years, he has mainly worked in the field of education, although he did serve as head of Hezbollah’s executive council until 1994 when he was replaced by Safieddine.
Israel Awaits the U.S. Election Before a Gaza Cease-Fire, an Official Says, NPR
Talks to end the war have continuously faltered, with the latest U.S.-led effort failing in August. The new push for an even shorter pause of Gaza hostilities comes just before the Nov. 5 U.S. presidential elections and after Israeli airstrikes Saturday on military facilities in Iran.
‘It Smells Like Terrorists Here’: What It’s Like to Raise Kids Who Came Back From Hamas Captivity, Haaretz
As Hagar Brodetz sees it, she had one great stroke of luck in the story of her abduction to the Gaza Strip: that she was freed after just 51 days, and not one day later. From her viewpoint, that was the limit of her ability to survive with four small children in the appalling conditions in which she found herself. “Probably I’d have died on the 52nd day,” she says.
What Was I Doing While Israel Was Killing Civilians in Gaza? [Gift Link], Haaretz
Michael Sfard writes, “Generations of Israelis will have to live with what we have done in Gaza over the last year. Generations of Israelis will have to explain to their children and grandchildren why we behaved that way. Some will have to explain why they didn’t refuse to bomb. And some will have to explain why they didn’t do more to stop the horror.”
This Is Trump’s Message, The Atlantic
Trump is running on nativism, crude stereotypes, and lies about immigrants. He has demeaned Harris in offensive and personal terms. He’s attacked American Jews for not supporting him.
In Trump’s Appalling New Threats to Democracy, a Troubling Warning to Jews, The Forward
Emily Tamkin shares, “Trump does not believe in liberalism. He does not believe in democracy at its most basic level, insofar as he only accepts the result when he wins. He does not believe in the most fundamental concepts that have let American Jews call this country our home. Democracy is a Jewish issue. At Trump’s rally Sunday night, one could hear very clearly just how much it is at risk.”
Getting Past the Violence of the Middle East, Santa Fe New Mexican
J Street New Mexico Leaders Stuart Bluestone and Roberta Colton write, “Today, it has never been more important to turn the temperature down in the region. The spiraling situation between Israel and Hezbollah threatens greater insecurity for Israelis, Palestinians and Lebanese civilians. An all-out regional war must be averted at all costs, and the efforts of all American leaders — including our New Mexico delegation — are crucial to walking the region back from the brink to prevent more bloodshed.”
Michigan’s Lebanese Americans Feel Abandoned by Democrats, Foreign Policy
Abdelhalim Abdelrahman writes, “There has never been an active interstate war involving Lebanon during a U.S. presidential election, and their fear and anger about the situation will shape their decisions when they vote on Nov. 5. This month, large demonstrations in support of Lebanon and against U.S. military aid to Israel took place in Dearborn. Protesters carried signs criticizing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as well as Harris and U.S. President Joe Biden.”
Families Separated by Israel’s War in Gaza Fear They Will Never Reunite, The Washington Post
Miriam Berger and Hajar Harb report, “More than a year into Israel’s war to oust Hamas, many Palestinian families remain divided by the military’s strategic Netzarim Corridor, which cuts the Gaza Strip in half. In the early days of the conflict, parents, husbands and wives made snap decisions about where to run, never expecting the fighting to last so long. Now, some fear their separation could be permanent.”