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 a call on Thursday about the Gaza war and its devastating impact on Palestinians, Israelis and the wider Middle East.
Remembering October 7: A Shared Journey of Grief and Hope [Video], J Street
One year since the horrific Hamas attack on Israel on October 7, 2023 that shook the world, Israel remains at war in Gaza with hostages still in captivity. J Street and the Progressive Israel Network, a coalition of 12 organizations dedicated to democracy, equality and peace in Israel, held a commemoration event remembering the victims of that fateful day, lifting up the stories of the hostages, and reflecting on the impact the aftermath of October 7 has had on Israeli society, Palestinian citizens of Israel, and the Jewish community.
Netanyahu Warns Lebanon of ‘Destruction Like Gaza’, BBC
During a video address directed at the people of Lebanon, Netanyahu said: “You have an opportunity to save Lebanon before it falls into the abyss of a long war that will lead to destruction and suffering like we see in Gaza.” “I say to you, the people of Lebanon: Free your country from Hezbollah so that this war can end.”
Hezbollah Steps up Rocket Fire as Israel Sends More Troops Into Lebanon, AP
Dozens of rockets fired by Hezbollah were aimed as far south as Haifa, and the Israeli government warned residents north of the coastal city to limit activities, prompting the closure of more schools. The Israeli military said Hezbollah launched about 180 rockets across the border.
US and Arab States Reportedly in Talks with Iran for Ceasefire on All War Fronts, The Times of Israel
The United States and Arab states have launched covert talks with Iran for a comprehensive ceasefire aimed at calming all war fronts at once, according to an Israeli television report Tuesday.
Pro-Palestinian ‘Uncommitted’ Group Comes Out Firmly Against Trump, The New York Times
In a video detailing the plans and suggestions of Trump advisers to expel or displace Palestinians from the West Bank and Gaza, Lexi Zeidan, a Dearborn, Mich., resident and co-founder of the group, stopped short of endorsing Ms. Harris. But she concluded, “We have to orient less toward who is the better candidate and more toward what is the better antiwar approach in building our collective power.”
Hezbollah Claims Deadly Barrage on Kiryat Shmona; Fatalities Said to Be Couple Walking Their Dogs, The Times of Israel
Hezbollah takes responsibility for the rocket fire that killed a man and a woman in Kiryat Shmona, with the terror group claiming to have targeted a “gathering of Israeli enemy forces” in the mostly evacuated border city. However, Hebrew media reports indicate that those killed were a couple out on a walk with their dogs.
‘The Doctor Told Me Count to Three – And He Cut My Leg’: The Generation of Palestinian Children With Devastating Amputations After a Year of War, Sky News
His mother Mai tells our team that he’s completely changed since the bombing – going from an active, talkative toddler to a depressed little boy who can’t accept his crushing lack of mobility. “He keeps asking me for slippers and he has no feet,” she says despairingly.
Israel Says It Has Killed Slain Hezbollah Leader’s Successors, Reuters
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Tuesday Israeli airstrikes had killed two successors to Hezbollah’s slain leader, as Israel expanded its ground offensive against the Iran-backed group with a fourth army division deployed into south Lebanon.
Iran Threatens to Escalate if Israel Attacks, Says Nuclear or Oil Targets a ‘Red Line’, The Times of Israel
“We advise the Zionist regime (Israel) not to test the resolution of the Islamic Republic. If any attack against our country takes place, our response will be more powerful,” said Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on Tuesday.
Washington Worries the Israelis Will Bomb Iran’s Nuclear Sites. But Can They?, The New York Times
For 22 years, Israeli forces have planned for this moment. But it seems unlikely that they will strike Iran’s nuclear facilities in the next round of retaliation, or that they would be successful without American help.
Dutch Prosecutors Mull Criminal Case Over Alleged Israel Interference Into ICC, The Guardian
Prosecutors in the Netherlands are considering a request to open a criminal case against senior Israeli intelligence officials for allegedly interfering with an investigation by the International Criminal Court.
6 Injured, 2 Critically, in Terrorist Stabbing Spree in Hadera, The Times of Israel
Police said the suspect, who appeared to have acted alone, used a moped to get from one location to the next, attacking people at each place.
Israeli Tanks Push Deeper Into Jabalia in Northern Gaza, Residents Say, Reuters
Israel sent tanks deeper into Jabalia in the northern Gaza Strip on Tuesday and advised people to leave as it pounded the historic Palestinian refugee camp from the air, residents said. Palestinian medics said casualties had been reported in Jabalia but they were unable to reach areas under fire.
Gaza’s Uncounted Dead, The Washington Post
The Washington Post reports on how the chaos of the war in Gaza has upended the true death toll. “In some families — where multiple generations have been wiped out in an instant — there might simply be no one left to document their loss.”
Biden Is Letting Israel Trap the US Into War With Iran, Responsible Statecraft
Paul Pillar writes, “The projected attack serves no U.S. interests. The attack perpetuates a broader pattern of escalating violence in the Middle East that also serves no U.S. interests. The Iranian missile salvo to which the coming Israeli attack is ostensible retaliation was itself retaliation for previous Israeli attacks. Retaliation for retaliation is a prescription for an unending cycle of violence.”
The United States Has More at Risk in the Middle East Than You Probably Think, Politico
CIA veteran Douglas London argues, “Today, those calling for Washington to unilaterally, or in collaboration with Israel, conduct a major attack against Iran, might be dismissing lessons from the past. It’s worth remembering that the U.S. has facilities, people and property, in Lebanon, Iraq, Syria and elsewhere across the Middle East that Israel does not — namely embassies, military bases and significant numbers of American businesses, organizations and citizens.”
Will US-Israel Relations Survive the Last Year?, Responsible Statecraft
A group of scholars, journalists and former diplomats share their perspectives on whether the last year of war permanently changed the U.S.-Israel relationship.
After October 7, Just How Far Right Will Israel Go?, Haaretz
Dahlia Scheindlin shares, “Too often, observers excuse his policies by insisting that [Netanyahu] is not ideologically far right but trapped by his fundamentalist allies, since his corruption trials make him haram/mukseh for others. He can’t accept a hostage deal and a cease-fire, in this view, because these coalition partners have threatened to collapse the government. But this logic is dubious.”