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 Founder Discusses Organization’s Position, Cleveland Jewish News
As someone who grew up in Israel, Ben-Ami said he began to understand the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and became a supporter of a two-state solution and the rights of Palestinian people. “And yet, I come back to the States, and I hear from American Jewish groups that there’s only one way to be pro-Israel,” he said. “And that is to support no matter what the government of the state of Israel is doing, right or wrong. I said to myself 20 to 25 years ago there is more than one way to be pro-Israel.”
Meeting This Moment, J Street
J Street President Jeremy Ben-Ami shares, “Defeating Trump, protecting democracy, electing Kamala Harris. Grappling with toxic polarization. Combating those who traffic in antisemitism and peddle conspiracy theories. Bringing the temperature down on college campuses. Ending the war and bringing home the hostages still being held by Hamas. Charting a new path to peace and ending the Israeli-Palestinian conflict for good. Together, we are doing everything we can to meet this moment. I shared three key takeaways this week in Washington, and I’d like to share them with you as well.”
Hezbollah Hit by a Wave of Exploding Pagers and Blames Israel. At Least 9 Dead, Thousands Injured, AP
Pagers used by hundreds of members of the militant group Hezbollah exploded near simultaneously in Lebanon and Syria on Tuesday, killing at least nine people – including an 8-year-old girl – and wounding several thousand, officials said. Hezbollah and the Lebanese government blamed Israel for what appeared to be a sophisticated, remote attack. Among those wounded was Iran’s ambassador to Lebanon. The mysterious incident came amid rising tensions between Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah.
Harris: US Used Military Aid as Leverage on Israel During War, Gaza Cannot Be Re-occupied, Haaretz
Vice President Kamala Harris acknowledged on Tuesday that the Biden administration has used military assistance to Israel as leverage to influence its conduct in the Gaza war – the most significant acknowledgment of such actions since she became the Democratic presidential nominee. Speaking to the National Association of Black Journalists, Harris said she’s “entirely supportive of the pause we put on the 2,000-pound bombs,” referring to the shipment of heavy payload weapons frozen by the Biden administration amid concerns about their use in densely populated civilian areas during a potential invasion of Rafah.
Israel Didn’t Tell US Before Hezbollah Pager Attack, Officials Said, Axios
The U.S. “was not aware of this operation and was not involved” in it, U.S. State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said, adding that the U.S. is “still gathering information” about the explosions in Lebanon. He didn’t confirm that Israel was behind the attack.
Hezbollah Vows to Punish Israel After Pager Explosions Across Lebanon, Reuters
Lebanese Information Minister Ziad Makary condemned the late afternoon detonation of the pagers – handheld devices that Hezbollah and others in Lebanon use to send messages – as an “Israeli aggression. “Hezbollah said Israel would receive “its fair punishment” for the blasts.
Israeli Official Says Hamas Leader Yahya Sinwar Can Leave Gaza With Family and End the War if Hostages Freed, CBS News
Gal Hirsch, Israel’s coordinator for hostages and the missing, has broadened a cease-fire offer from the Israeli government to Hamas leader Yahyah Sinwar. “I think we will be able to provide safe passage to him, his family, whoever he wants to take with him.”
Poll Finds Shrinking Support in Gaza for Hamas Decision to Launch October 7 Attack, The Times of Israel
A Palestinian polling center published data Tuesday showing most Gazans believe Hamas’s decision to launch the October 7 massacre on Israel was incorrect, months after Israel accused the pollster of using falsified figures claiming high levels of support for the terror group.
UN Considers Resolution Demanding Israel End Its Occupation of Palestinian Territories, AP
The resolution, if adopted by the General Assembly, would not be legally binding but the extent of its support would reflect world opinion. There are no vetoes in the assembly, unlike in the 15-member Security Council.
Israel Says It Thwarted Hezbollah Plot to Kill Former Defence Official, Reuters
The Shin Bet agency did not name the official. It said in a statement that it had seized an explosive device attached to a remote detonation system, using a mobile phone and a camera, that Hezbollah had planned to operate from Lebanon.
Four Israeli Soldiers Killed in Southern Gaza Explosion, Haaretz
Four Israeli soldiers were killed in Tel al-Sultan in the southern Gaza Strip on Tuesday after a hidden explosive device detonated and caused a partial collapse of the building they were in, according to the IDF. Three soldiers were seriously wounded and two more were moderately injured in the same incident. The army also announced that an officer was seriously wounded in a separate incident in southern Gaza on Tuesday.
America’s Role in the World Is Hard. It Just Got Much Harder, The New York Times
Thomas L. Friedman writes, “There is only one thing clear to me about this new world of geopolitics that our next president will have to manage: We need a lot of allies. This is not a job for an ‘America alone.’ It is a job for ‘America and friends.’ That is why the choice in this election for me is also clear. Do you want Donald Trump — whose two bumper-sticker messages to our allies are basically ‘Get off my lawn’ and ‘Pay up, or I’ll hand you over to Putin’ — as president or Kamala Harris, who comes out of a Biden administration whose signature foreign policy achievement has been its ability to build alliances? That is Joe Biden’s greatest legacy, and it is a substantial one.”
Is It Wrong for Jews and Palestinians in Israel to Collect Food for Hungry Gazans?, Haaretz
Sally Abed shares, “We reject criticism targeting true partnership between Jewish and Palestinian citizens of Israel. Real change must be built from the grassroots and cannot be based on external forces alone. Bringing about the radical change required to end the occupation must come from the collective self-interest of not only the Palestinians, but also of Israeli Jews.”
A Daring Attack on Hezbollah May Reveal Israel’s Strengths – And Its Most Terrifying Weakness, The Forward
Dan Perry argues, “Israel does need to end the attacks from the north, but not necessarily through further military escalation. Its best route forward would likely be prioritizing a deal with the remains of Hamas in which Israel would end the war in Gaza in return for the remaining hostages — which Hezbollah has said would also bring an end to the northern war. In Gaza and on the northern border, it’s time for Israel to come up with a day-after plan.”