News Roundup for October 7, 2024

October 7, 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.

October 7 Community Calls

On this painful anniversary, J Street invites our supporters to join us and the Progressive Israel Network for two virtual calls as we mourn, grieve and reflect – and attempt to look toward the future, showcase stories of strength and resilience, and hold onto hope.

J Street In the News

Fighting for Life, Fighting for the Hostages, J Street
Naama Weinberg, whose cousin Itai was murdered by Hamas, shares her story on the J Street blog: “On the anniversary of both my personal tragedy and the collective disaster of my country, one of the most painful feelings is that since that dark day, the situation has only deteriorated.”

The Last War: A Proposal for Peace, J Street
Israeli peace advocate Maoz Inon lost both his parents to the horrific attack on October 7, but his commitment to peace remains unwavering. “Alongside that pain, a determination has emerged: To dedicate my life to reconciliation and peace,” he writes. “The work of peace cannot wait until after the guns fall silent. It begins now – with every conversation.”

Holding Inspiration and Pain, J Street
Longtime J Streeter and national community leader Rabbi John Rosove of Los Angeles shares his profound concerns over what the future holds. “I worry about the diminishing good name of the State of Israel throughout the world, the rise of antisemitism everywhere, and that so many – Jews and our enemies – have lost their moral compass,” he writes. “Despite the worry and angst I feel, I’m inspired by Israel’s civil society, the commitment of so many Israelis to take care of each other, for the strength and constancy of the Diaspora Jewish world.”

101 Hostages Are Still In Hell, The Times of Israel
J Street Israel Executive Director Nadav Tamir writes, “I understood that we are dealing not only with a murderous and barbaric terrorist organization that has killed, raped, and kidnapped civilians, but also with the Netanyahu government whose members include those who sanctify territory and war over human lives.”

How the War in Gaza Has Changed U.S. Jewish Politics‍—and the Democratic Party, Slate
When asked what he hopes to see a year from now, J Street President Jeremy Ben-Ami tells Emily Tamkin, “That in a year we’ll say: 11-plus months ago, thank God there was a cease-fire. That that then sparked the beginning of political change in Israel.”

Top News and Analysis

Biden Sought Peace but Facilitated War, The New York Times
Nicholas Kristof writes, “Biden has been calling for restraint for a year, but he marginalized himself by continuously providing the weapons that allowed his appeals to be ignored. He appealed to the better angels of Netanyahu’s nature, but it’s not clear that they exist […] ‘In the Middle East, we clearly see a failure of policy,’ Senator Chris Van Hollen, a Democrat from Maryland who admires Biden’s foreign policy in other respects, told me. ‘And I think it’s ultimately rooted in the Biden administration’s unwillingness to effectively use American influence to achieve the president’s stated goals.’”

My Family Barely Survived October 7. I Can’t Believe My Friends Are Still Held in Gaza, Haaretz
Amir Tibon writes, “One year after October 7, Israel still lacks a strategy to achieve two of the war’s main goals: replacing Hamas’ rule in Gaza with a more favorable entity that Israel can live next to, and bringing back our hostages alive. Time isn’t on our side.”

On the Eve of This Grim Anniversary, What We Can — And Cannot — Control, The Forward
Jodi Rudoren writes, “Too many people have responded to Oct. 7 and its aftermath by retreating to familiar corners where their preconceptions are never challenged. Too many people have spent this year of grief and rage shouting past each other rather than creating space to pose tough questions — and listen to the answers. Too many have treated difficult discussions as dangerous rather than sit in the discomfort of complexity.”

In Michigan, Harris Meets Arab American Leaders Angry Over Israel, Reuters
The meeting is one of several attempts in recent days to mend fences with Muslim and Arab voters, who resoundingly backed Democrat Joe Biden in 2020 but could withhold their votes from Harris in numbers that would cost her the key state of Michigan.

Macron Urges Halt to Deliveries of Weapons Used in Gaza, Politico
Macron also criticized the failure of diplomatic efforts to reach a cease-fire in Gaza. “I think we are not being heard,” Macron said, calling the lack of a cease-fire “a mistake, including for the security of Israel tomorrow.” It will breed “resentment’ and ‘hatred,” he added. As the risk of a regional war increases, Macron said the priority should be to “avoid escalation.”

News

IDF Planning ‘Serious and Significant’ Response to Iranian Ballistic Missile Attack, The Times of Israel
The military on Saturday said that the response to the Iranian missile attack would be “serious and significant,” and that it was devoting much of its time to planning it.

Netanyahu Says ‘Shame’ on Macron for Urging Halt to Weapons Supply to Israel, France 24
French President Emmanuel Macron brought “shame” on himself by calling on countries to stop providing Israel with weapons for use in Gaza, Israel’s Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu said on Saturday.

Israel Pounds Lebanon With Heaviest Night of Bombing, Financial Times
In an indication that it was preparing for an expansion of the fighting, Israel on Sunday evening declared a third closed military zone on its border with Lebanon, banning civilians from entering the area of Manara, Yiftah and Malkia.

I Felt Like My Heart Was Going to Explode’: Beirut Reels From Heaviest Night of Strikes, BBC
The once busy area is now largely devoid of life. Israeli drones can be easily heard buzzing overhead in the quiet left by the recent exodus of the suburb’s nearly 500,000 residents.

A Year of War: IDF Data Shows 728 Troops Killed, Over 26,000 Rockets Fired at Israel, The Times of Israel
A total of 728 soldiers, reservists, and local security officers have been killed and another 4,576 have been wounded in the war since October 7 — the latest on Sunday. Of them, 346 were killed and 2,299 were wounded during the ground offensive in Gaza.

Haifa Restaurant Suffers Direct Hit, Nine People Wounded Following Rocket Attack From Lebanon, The Jerusalem Post
Of the people evacuated for medical treatment, a 13-year-old suffered light injuries, another two people suffered moderate injuries from broken glass, three suffered light injuries from broken glass, two were lightly injured on their way to a protected area, and one suffered from anxiety.

Israelis Gather in Hostage Square on Eve of Oct. 7 to Share Stories of Those Loved and Lost, Haaretz
Hundreds of people gathered in Hostage Square in Tel Aviv to begin commemorations marking one year since October 7. Families of hostages shared their stories of that day, and those of their loved ones.

At the Kibbutz Hit Hardest on Oct. 7, a Wrenching Debate Over How to Rebuild, The Forward
Nir Oz survivors, split over where to resettle, are caught between a dysfunctional Israeli government and wary American philanthropists.

Nova Families Gather to Mourn Loved Ones Killed When Festival Became a Bloodbath, The Times of Israel
“Time flies. I don’t believe it’s been a year. It’s like a dream I want to wake up from,” said Ofri Rahum, a young woman who had come to mourn several victims.

Israeli Strike on Gaza Mosque Kills 19 as Conflict Widens in Lebanon, NPR
Israel said it had been a “precision strike” on the mosque, targeting Hamas militants inside, but mourners said the approaching one-year mark of the fighting in Gaza was a horrible reminder of the costs families there have faced, with more than 41,000 deaths recorded in the past 12 months.

Opinion and Analysis

He’s a Muslim Israeli Who Was Close With Hersh Goldberg-Polin. Now He’s Mourning His Friend — And Seeking Change, The Forward
Rob Eshman writes, “In the aftermath of such brutality, in the midst of so much killing and the death of so many innocents, I found Jabarin’s memories of Goldberg-Polin to be especially poignant — a marker of what Israeli-Palestinian relations could be, and a reminder of just how far there is to go.”

What Israel Has Lost, Foreign Affairs
Ari Shavit writes, “[Netanyahu’s government] has played into the hands of its enemies, Iran and Hamas […] Israel should have avowed that it was waging war against Hamas and the other terrorist proxies of Iran—and not against the Palestinian people. It should have reached an understanding with the United States and NATO concerning the essence of the war and how it would be waged. It should have declared that its objective was not only security for Israel but freedom for the people of Gaza, who deserve to be liberated from the tyranny of Hamas. Israel should have committed itself to a diplomatic process aimed at producing a just and realistic resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. It should have sought to bolster ties with the moderate Arab world by signing a peace agreement with Saudi Arabia. It should have captured the moral high ground before launching a fierce military campaign.”

One Year Since Oct. 7, US Resigned to Limits of Its Influence Over Netanyahu, The Times of Israel
Jacob Magid writes, “Despite superpower status, US finds itself being led by Israel on Lebanon policy, retreating from its own ceasefire initiative and chafing at proposals to threaten security aid.”

Where Will Israel’s Multifront War End?, Foreign Affairs
Dalia Dassa Kaye writes, “After a year of war, there is a real possibility of no better ‘day after’ in Gaza or the rest of the region. Talk in Washington of capitalizing on Nasrallah’s death and Iran’s weakness to ‘reshape’ the Middle East harks back to the misguided beliefs that drove the U.S. invasion of Iraq in 2003 to disastrous effect. Continued military conflict harms the region, and it harms U.S. interests. Without a change in the current Israeli government, Israel and its neighbors could be moving toward a very different day after: Israeli reoccupation of Gaza and potentially even of southern Lebanon, as well as reinforced control over, if not annexation of, the West Bank. This is a recipe not for victory but for perpetual war.”

Inside the US Intel Dilemma on Gaza a Year After Oct. 7, Politico
Erin Banco writes, “One year after the attack, U.S. intelligence agencies are still struggling to understand the inner political dynamics of the Hamas militant group, whether it’s ready for a cease-fire agreement and its longer-term aspirations for Gaza – all questions that policymakers need to answer as they scramble to avoid a full-scale regional war.”

Israel’s Paradox of Defeat, Foreign Affairs
Aluf Benn writes, “By shrugging off responsibility and carefully maneuvering to maintain his political bloc, Netanyahu has staved off a potentially devastating inquiry into his policy of coexistence with Hamas, his dismissal of the military’s and the intelligence agencies’ repeated warnings about an impending attack on Israel, and his efforts to weaken the Palestinian Authority, Israel’s former peace partner.”

Former Israeli and Palestinian Ministers: A Way Out of This Endless War, The Washington Post
Former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and former Foreign Affairs Minister of the Palestinian National Authority Nasser al-Kidwa write, “We are presenting the unavoidable truth: that this conflict must be resolved diplomatically for us to create a course for a different tomorrow. We are working tirelessly to explain our plan and to secure public support as widely as possible. To us, this is not merely a document but a living vision of a better future for Israel, Palestine and the world.”