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.
The News Roundup will be on a short hiatus on Monday, Sep 26 and Tuesday, Sep 27 in observance of Rosh Hashanah. Shanah Tovah, and we will see you on Wednesday.
Biden Lauds ‘Courageous’ Lapid Call for Two-States as US Groups Push for Peace Talks, The Times of Israel
“Several US groups also praised Lapid, including dovish Israel lobby J Street, which called it “an important step in the right direction.” Many noted, however, that Lapid’s vision stands little chance of coming to fruition, with most parties expected to enter the Knesset opposed to a two-state solution and peace talks essentially frozen for the last eight years.”
J Street Welcomes Prime Minister Lapid’s Support for Two States in UN Speech; Urges Follow-Up Action, J Street
“Several US groups also praised Lapid, including dovish Israel lobby J Street, which called it “an important step in the right direction.” Many noted, however, that Lapid’s vision stands little chance of coming to fruition, with most parties expected to enter the Knesset opposed to a two-state solution and peace talks essentially frozen for the last eight years.”
New Israeli Prime Minister Resurrects Two-State Solution From UN Podium, Bloomberg
Yair Lapid called for a two-state solution to the Israel-Palestine conflict, the first Israeli leader to do so at the United Nations General Assembly in six years. “An agreement with the Palestinians, based on two states for two peoples, is the right thing for Israel’s security, for Israel’s economy and for the future of our children,” he said, adding that the only condition Israel had was for a future Palestinian state to be “a peaceful one.” The comments of Lapid, who has been prime minister for just over two months, mark a significant departure from his predecessor and coalition partner, Naftali Bennett, who did not mention the Palestinians once during his UN speech last year.
Palestinian Suspect Killed After Stabbing in Central Israel, AP
A Palestinian man was shot and killed Thursday by an off-duty policeman after stabbing a pair of Israeli motorists at an intersection in central Israel, Israeli officials and media said. Thursday’s incident occurred near the Israeli city of Modiin on a major highway that passes through the West Bank just a few kilometers (miles) away. Israeli police and rescuers said the attacker approached a number of vehicles, spraying tear gas at people and trying to open car doors. The MADA rescue service said two people suffered light wounds to their hands, while five people were hurt by pepper spray and the off-duty policeman suffered mild injuries to his face.
Outside Audit Says Facebook Restricted Palestinian Posts During Gaza War, The Washington Post
An independent audit of Meta’s handling of online content during the two-week war between Israel and the militant Palestinian group Hamas last year found that the social media giant had denied Palestinian users their freedom of expression by erroneously removing their content and punishing Arabic-speaking users more heavily than Hebrew-speaking ones.
Television Poll Gives Netanyahu Bloc a 61-seat Majority, Haaretz
An election poll published Thursday by Channel 13 News predicts that Benjamin Netanyahu’s bloc will win a 61 seat Knesset majority in the coming election, which would allow him to form a government as prime minister.
Efforts To Revive Iran Nuclear Deal Have ‘Hit a Wall’ – U.S. Official, Reuters
Efforts to revive the 2015 Iran nuclear deal have hit a wall because of Iran’s insistence on the closure of the U.N. nuclear watchdog’s investigations, a senior U.S. State Department official said on Thursday.
High Court Nixes Vetting Panel Head, Imperiling Bid To Appoint New IDF Chief, The Times of Israel
The High Court of Justice struck a blow against the government on Thursday by overturning its decision to appoint former Supreme Court justice and attorney general Menachem “Meni” Mazuz as chairman of the Senior Appointments Advisory Committee.
Lapid’s Two-state Endorsement Is Meaningless, Except in One Scenario, Haaretz
Amir Tibon argues, “In Israel’s current political reality, Lapid’s endorsement of two states is meaningless. Public opinion polls all show that the next government will either be a far-right, religious government led by Netanyahu, or a broad coalition led by Lapid, which will require the support of right-wing anti-Netanyahu parties. Lapid, in other words, can talk all he wants about the two-state solution, but even if he stays prime minister after the upcoming election, he won’t have the political power to implement it…Unless, that is, a dramatic shift happens among Israel’s Arab citizens, who have the potential to hold twenty seats or more in the Knesset, but have only ten today. If they voted in similar numbers to the Jewish population, their political power would double itself and open the door to a true center-left government, without anti-Bibi right-wingers.”