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 Community Utterly Devastated by Murder of Six Israeli Hostages, J Street
“The cold-blooded depravity of Hamas is sickening. Our hearts break for the friends and families who are enduring unbearable grief, many of whom we’ve come to know as they have fought doggedly for a deal to secure their loved ones’ release. This is the absolute worst outcome,” J Street President Jeremy Ben-Ami said. “No further evidence is needed that a ceasefire deal is the only way to bring any remaining living hostages home alive. It is a complete delinquency of duty to fail to close the ceasefire deal now. No one should suffer the pain these six families are enduring today.”
Thousands Gather for Funeral of Israeli American Hostage Killed in Gaza, The New York Times
At a sprawling cemetery in Jerusalem on Monday, thousands of people thronged the parking lot to memorialize Hersh Goldberg-Polin, a dual Israeli American citizen and one of six hostages whose bodies were found in Gaza on Saturday, as family members and friends delivered emotional eulogies and sang Jewish hymns. Holding back tears, Hersh’s mother, Rachel Goldberg-Polin, expressed some relief that her son was no longer in danger. “Finally, my sweet boy,” she said. “Finally, finally, finally, you’re free.”
Biden Is Considering Presenting Final Gaza Deal Proposal Within Days, Axios
White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan on Sunday told families of U.S. hostages held in Gaza that President Biden is considering presenting Israel and Hamas a final proposal for a hostage-release and ceasefire in Gaza deal later this week, two sources with direct knowledge of the meeting told Axios. Biden is going to meet with his national security team on Monday morning to determine the strategy for the final push regarding the deal, a source familiar with the issue said.
Netanyahu Pushes Back Against New Pressure Over Gaza and Hostages: ‘No One Will Preach to Me’, AP
In his first public address since Sunday’s mass protests showed many Israelis’ furious response to the discovery of six more dead hostages, Netanyahu said he will continue to insist on a demand that has emerged as a major sticking point in talks — continued Israeli control of the Philadelphi corridor, a narrow band along Gaza’s border with Egypt where Israel contends Hamas smuggles weapons into Gaza. Egypt and Hamas deny it.
‘We’re Not Stopping’: Tens of Thousands of Israelis Protest for Hostage Deal on Third Day of Rage, Haaretz
In Tel Aviv, thousands of protesters gathered near the Defense Ministry headquarters. A number of speakers made statements, including Danny Elgarat, the brother of the hostage Itzik Elgartat, who said, “We are not stopping this fight, and this square will always be full of people. … Bibi says that he who kills hostages doesn’t want a deal – Bibi? You don’t want a deal! You want to turn the Philadelphi corridor into a mass grave. We won’t let you do that!”
Biden Says Netanyahu Isn’t Doing Enough to Get a Hostage Deal, NBC News
Reporters asked Biden if he thought Netanyahu had done enough to secure an agreement, and Biden answered: “No.” The Biden administration has repeatedly accused Hamas of holding up a deal, but recently U.S. and foreign officials have said conditions introduced by Netanyahu also disrupted efforts.
Israeli Fire Kills Dozens in Gaza, Polio Vaccinations in Full Swing, Reuters
Palestinian and UN officials said more than 80,000 children had been vaccinated in central areas of Gaza on Sunday, the first day of the campaign. Seven Palestinians were killed in two Israeli air strikes on Gaza City, Palestinian officials said on Monday, while two air strikes killed six others in Bureij and Nuseirat, two of the Gaza Strip’s eight historic refugee camps.
UK Suspends Some Arms Sales to Israel After Government Review, The Washington Post
The move marks a shift for the United Kingdom and came as part of the new Labour government’s review of Israel’s compliance with international humanitarian law amid its war in Gaza. Lammy said the government had a “legal duty” to do the review.
Israel’s Labor Strike Over Hostages Is Called off After Court Order, NPR
A nationwide general strike shut down large parts of Israel on Monday, as calls for Netanyahu to reach a cease-fire deal escalated. Israel’s Labor Court ordered the strike to come to an end by Monday afternoon at 2:30 pm local time. The Histadrut union said it abided the decision and called off the strike.
3 Israeli Police Officers Killed as West Bank Violence Spirals, The New York Times
Gunmen killed three Israeli police officers on Sunday morning as they drove through the Israeli-occupied West Bank, the latest episode in the spiral of violence in the territory that includes attacks by Palestinian and Israeli extremists, as well as ongoing raids by the Israeli military in Palestinian cities.
Trump’s Israel Adviser Suggests Diverting $1 Billion From Palestinian Aid to Fund West Bank Annexation, The Forward
Israel will need financial assistance “to assert and maintain its sovereignty over Judea and Samaria,” former U.S. Ambassador to Israel David Friedman writes in a new book, scheduled for release on Tuesday.
Will Our Hostage Son Be Next?, The New York Times
Adi and Yael Alexander, parents of 20-year-old American hostage Edan Alexander, write, “It’s not just the fear of losing our son that now keeps us up at night. It’s the fact that his murder is becoming the more probable outcome, and we have no faith in Mr. Netanyahu’s will to change that. […] Mr. Prime Minister, we demand you uphold our shared Jewish values and prioritize the hostages, whose lives remain in your hands. Tikkun olam means ‘repair the world’ in Hebrew and is the core of what it means to be Jewish. We’re counting on you to help repair the world, bring the hostages home and end all the suffering that this war has caused once and for all.”
Hersh’s Family Deserves More Than Thoughts and Prayers From Biden, Harris and Trump, Haaretz
Ben Samuels shares, “U.S. lawmakers and officials undoubtedly want to showcase their pro-Israel bona fides while expressing their assuredly genuine outrage. But if they truly want to honor Hersh, Jon and Rachel, they must publicly call for the deal that would have ensured Hersh came home alive.”
A Cease-Fire Deal Now Would Be a Victory for Israel, Foreign Affairs
Graham Allison and Amos Yadlin write, “Netanyahu’s pursuit of ‘total victory’ would mean continuing the war in Gaza at the price of neglecting adversaries on other fronts that now pose a greater threat to Israel than Hamas does. Continuation of the current operations in Gaza will not lead to the destruction of Hamas but will drag Israel into a prolonged and costly anti-guerrilla war and simultaneous escalation in other arenas. Hostages will continue to die in Hamas tunnels; Israel’s economy will continue to deteriorate; its status in the world will continue falling to new lows; and the legal battle in international courts will intensify.”
Israel Understands Nothing but Force, but Diplomacy Has Always Worked Out Better, Haaretz
Raviv Drucker argues, “The past 11 months should have made even the stiff-necked people dwelling in Zion understand that there are limits to our power. We have bombed, killed, crushed, flattened, arrested and otherwise used our full force, augmented by an American airlift. Yet despite this, our security situation is worse than ever before. Netanyahu likes to say that every area from which we have withdrawn has become a den of terrorists. It would be more accurate to say that every territory from which we have withdrawn unilaterally has become a venue for terrorism, whereas every diplomatic agreement has stood the test of time.”