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
Continuing the commemoration of 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 Marks Painful Anniversary of October 7, J Street
J Street President Jeremy Ben-Ami writes, “As we reflect on this current moment, our hope is that one lesson from this horrific year of bloodshed and violence becomes clear: There is no military solution to the underlying problems facing Israel and the region. This anniversary should inspire not just the parties to the conflicts but the international actors trying to mediate solutions to redouble their efforts.”
J Street U Students Mourn October 7, Fight for a Better Future, J Street
“It has become all too clear these past 12 months that we can’t afford to talk past each other and retreat into echo chambers. Too much is at stake. As the academic year moves forward, we urge our peers, university administrators and outside actors to remember that our campuses are not a front in this war, and that we can – and must – honor differences without demonizing each other.”
One Year Later: Reflections on October 7, J Street
J Street community members, hostage families, and thought leaders share their reflections on this year of Hell and where we should go from here.
Israelis Grapple With Oct. 7 a Year After Deadly Invasion, The Hill
Ben Linder, now a co-chair of the Silicon Valley chapter of the liberal Jewish advocacy group J Street, blamed Netanyahu for not reaching a cease-fire and hostage-release deal in Gaza, which he argued would also stop the conflict in Lebanon. “Netanyahu is pursuing a victim narrative in order to justify extreme belligerence, and I’m afraid that we are in for five, 10 years of conflict,” he said.
How October 7 and Gaza ‘Supercharged and Transformed’ Israel’s Role in American Politics, Haaretz
“On October 8, Israel had near wall-to-wall goodwill and empathy across the political spectrum in D.C.,” says J Street President Jeremy Ben-Ami. “It is devastating to see how the Netanyahu government’s actions, and in particular its disregard for the advice and requests of the Biden administration, have undone such a substantial part of that goodwill and actually left the U.S.-Israel relationship in a tougher place than this government was already putting it last October 6,” he adds.
Hezbollah Supports Ceasefire Efforts in Lebanon, Deputy Leader Says, Reuters
In a televised speech, Hezbollah deputy leader Naim Qassem, said he supported attempts to secure a truce, and for the first time did not mention the end of war in Gaza as a pre-condition to halting combat on the Lebanon-Israel border.
Yemen’s Houthis Say They Fired Two Missiles at Central Israel, Israel Says Missile Intercepted, Reuters
A surface-to-surface missile fired from Yemen at central Israel on Monday was intercepted, the Israeli military said. The missile set off air raid sirens across large swaths of central Israel, sending residents running for shelter.
White House Loses Trust in Israeli Government as Middle East Spirals, Axios
U.S. officials say the Biden administration has been surprised several times recently by Israeli military or intelligence operations. In some cases, the U.S. wasn’t consulted or notified in advance. Or, it was given a heads up as Israeli jets were already on their way to conduct an airstrike somewhere in the Middle East.
Vigils and Protests Mark 1 Year Since Hamas Attacks on Israel as Fighting Rages On, NPR
Across the world, candlelight vigils are taking place Monday to commemorate those killed in the surprise Hamas attacks one year ago, with thousands planning to gather, from Tel Aviv to Paris to New York. Marches and protests are also planned to demand a cease-fire, particularly in Gaza.
Trump and Harris Mark Somber Anniversary of Hamas’ Oct. 7 Attack on Israel, Politico
“I did more for Israel than anybody. I did more for the Jewish people than anybody. And it’s not a reciprocal, as they say,” Trump said on Monday in a radio interview with conservative host Hugh Hewitt. He also said developers could make Gaza “better than Monaco” because it has “the best location in the Middle East, the best water, the best everything.”
Israel Expands Invasion of Southern Lebanon, Politico
Israel deployed a fourth division of troops inside Lebanon on Tuesday, expanding its front with Hezbollah and bringing the likely total number of its soldiers in the country to more than 15,000.
Lebanese Worldwide Fear for Their Homeland and Loved Ones as Violence Escalates, AP
Some 1,400 Lebanese, including civilians and fighters of the militant group Hezbollah, have been killed and some 1.2 million driven from their homes since Israel escalated its strikes in late September, saying it aims to push Hezbollah away from the countries’ shared border.
Israel Tallies a Year of Gaza War: 40,000 Targets Bombed, 4,700 Tunnels Hit, Reuters
In the past year in the Gaza Strip, Israel has bombed more than 40,000 targets, found 4,700 tunnel shafts and destroyed 1,000 rocket launcher sites, the military said on Monday’s one-year anniversary of the Hamas-led militant attacks that triggered Israel’s assault on the enclave. Tallying troops whose names it received permission to publish, Israel’s military said 726 Israeli soldiers had been killed since Oct. 7, 2023. Of those, 380 died in the Oct. 7 attacks and 346 in Gaza combat starting Oct. 27, 2023.
Poll Finds Deep Divisions on Gaza War Goals as Post-October 7 Solidarity Dissipates, The Times of Israel
A year into the multifront war sparked by Hamas’s October 7, 2023, massacre in the Gaza border area, a majority of Israelis — though not Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s voter base — want to end the fighting, a poll published Monday found, illustrating a breakdown of the societal solidarity that surged immediately following the attack.
Gaza Likely to Get New Governing Structure in Coming Year, Says Israel’s EU Envoy, Politico
The war in Gaza is set to wrap up during the coming year and a new governing authority will be put in place to run the conflict-ravaged enclave, Israel’s ambassador to the European Union told POLITICO. Haim Regev said the Israel Defense Forces had completed most of their military objectives in Gaza, weakening Palestinian militant group Hamas to the point where it could no longer fight as an organized structure, but now behaved like a guerrilla force.
Report Finds US Spent Record $17.9 Billion on Military Aid to Israel in Year of War, The Times of Israel
The United States has spent a record of at least $17.9 billion on military aid to Israel in the year since the unprecedented onslaught by Palestinian terror group Hamas in southern Israel sparked the war in Gaza, according to a report for Brown University’s Costs of War project.
It Is a Year Since My Mother Was Murdered at Her Kibbutz. Out of This Horror, Surely Peace Must Come, The Guardian
Yonatan Zeigen, son of the late peace activist Vivian Silver, writes, “In my mind, it was so very logical: people die because of war, so if we want to live, we need peace. There is no wall high enough to make Israelis secure, no amount of violence that will liberate Palestinians. The sole way to achieve security and liberation is to transform your enemy into your partner.”
Joe Biden Chose This Catastrophic Path Every Step of the Way, The New Republic
Matthew Duss writes, “It’s unclear yet whether the consequences of Israel’s post–October 7 war will be as bad as the Iraq War. They very well might, but one thing already clear is that both catastrophes were enabled in part by a U.S. president with strong ideological biases, a confidence in his own judgment as unshakeable as it was unjustified, advisers unwilling or unable to push back effectively, and an elite media establishment with an overtly militarist bent and a shockingly callous disregard for Arab lives, far more interested in editorializing about college student chants than about sitting U.S. senators—that is, people with actual power—urging Israel to ‘flatten’ Gaza.”
Is the Israeli Military Ever Leaving Gaza?, Vox
Joshua Keating shares, “Instead of the ‘day after’ that has been talked about since the invasion began nearly a year ago, Gaza is trapped in a perpetual present of conflict, chaos, and civilian death. There are no signs that will change — and that is exceedingly grim news for Gaza’s civilian population.”
A Year After the Nova Massacre, Survivors Are Still Paralyzed With Grief, +972
Alice Austin speaks with survivors of the Nova festival massacre, “Not all of the festival survivors turned to God; in fact, 42 of them turned to an attorney called Gilad Ginzburg. He is helping them sue the Israeli army, the police, the Defence Ministry, and the Shin Bet for gross negligence, in light of the warnings they received — and failed to act on — about unusual activity near the Gaza fence on the night of Oct. 6.”