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 Commends Justice Department Charges Against Hamas Leaders, J Street
“Hamas is responsible for the cold-blooded murder of hundreds of civilians and for inflicting terror, grief and repression on many, many more – Israelis, Palestinians and Americans alike,” J Street President Jeremy Ben-Ami said. “We commend the Biden-Harris Administration for bringing these charges, for spelling out Hamas’ crimes clearly, and for demonstrating America’s unwavering commitment to justice.”
J Street to President Biden: It’s Time for Maximum Pressure on Netanyahu and Hamas to Seal the Deal Now, J Street
The question now, J Street posed in an email to supporters, is “how do we change course? Specifically, what more can President Biden and the United States do today?”
‘Each One Represented a Light in the Depth of Darkness’: Diag Vigil Honors 6 Israeli Hostages Killed by Hamas, The Michigan Daily
The vigil was organized by Wolverine for Israel, the U-M chapter of J Street U, the Jewish Resource Center, the Chabad House of Ann Arbor and Michigan Hillel. It featured speakers from all five organizations, with a combination of remarks and prayers in both English and Hebrew.
Local Jewish leaders, hostage families united with ‘Bring them home!’ chants at DNC, Jewish Journal of Greater Boston
Several Massachusetts residents not only attended the convention, but participated in events during the week highlighting concerns over antisemitism and/or the repercussions of Oct. 7. They included Alan Solomont of Weston, a former United States ambassador to Spain; and Lea Silvert of Cambridge, whose aunt and uncle, Judih Weinstein and Gadi Haggai, were residents of Kibbutz Nir Oz and killed as a result of the Oct. 7 Hamas invasion. Solomont is a former board president of the left-of-center Jewish organization J Street. With former New York congressman Steve Israel, Solomont moderated a panel discussion at the Jewish Federation of Chicago and participated in a separate event held by J Street – a gathering of supporters and members of Congress.
With Hopes Frayed in Gaza Cease-Fire Talks, Mediators Plan a New Push, The New York Times
International mediators are finalizing a new cease-fire proposal to narrow the gaps between Israel and Hamas, U.S. and regional officials said, even as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu insists he will not give up control of Gaza’s border with Egypt — a key stumbling point for a deal. Qatar and Egypt have drafted a series of revisions that are being discussed with U.S. officials, according to a senior official from one of the mediating countries and two Israeli officials.
Israel’s Netanyahu Demands Open-Ended Control of Gaza’s Border With Egypt, AP
Netanyahu said Wednesday that Israel must keep open-ended control of Gaza’s border with Egypt, digging in on his stance on an issue that has threatened to derail cease-fire efforts. “Gaza must be demilitarized, and this can only happen if the Philadelphi corridor remains under firm control,” he said, claiming Israeli troops had discovered dozens of tunnels under the border.
US Says Netanyahu’s Philadelphi Statements Complicating Talks, Slams Ministers Speaking out Against Deal, The Times of Israel
“Staking out concrete positions in the middle of negotiations isn’t always particularly helpful,” the top US official says in what appears to be one of the first criticisms of Netanyahu’s comments regarding the Philadelphi Corridor. To date, US officials had avoided commenting more directly on the prime minister’s comments.
Israel Hits Targets in Lebanon After Missile Barrage, Reuters
The military said around 65 projectiles were fired from Lebanon, some of which were intercepted by Israel’s aerial defence systems and some of which fell into open areas. Emergency services were dealing with fires caused by falling projectiles.
Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff Says He Is ‘Gutted’ at a Vigil for Israeli Hostages, NPR
“It is good to be together this evening. There is comfort in community,” Emhoff said at the national vigil for the hostages at Adas Israel Congregation in Washington, DC, on Tuesday. “But standing on this bimah, I can only be direct: This is hard. I feel raw. I’m gutted.”
Hamas’ Brutal New Tactics Signal New Phase in War and Hostage Crisis, CNN
With its announcement that militants guarding Israeli hostages in the buildings and tunnels of Gaza had “new instructions” to kill them if Israeli troops closed in, Hamas signaled the opening of a chilling new chapter in an already brutal war.
UN Welcomes Progress in Gaza Polio Campaign, Calls for Permanent Ceasefire, Reuters
UNRWA said that three days into the campaign in areas of central Gaza, around 187,000 children had received the vaccine. The campaign will move to other areas of the Palestinian enclave for the second stage.
Former Hostage Urges Israeli President to Call Out Netanyahu’s Dereliction of Duty, Haaretz
Speaking Wednesday at the annual state memorial for former President Shimon Peres, Liat Atzili implored Herzog to “go out to the public and announce that the prime minister has betrayed his office in regard to the hostages’ return and he must sign a deal immediately,” she said.
US and Israel Quietly Discuss Options to Cool Tensions With Lebanon, Axios
According to an Israeli official, the parties discussed how to reach a long-term diplomatic solution to end the fighting between Israel and Hezbollah in a scenario where a ceasefire deal is reached in Gaza and hundreds of thousands of displaced Israelis and Lebanese are allowed to return to their homes along the border.
The Real Reason Netanyahu Won’t End the Gaza War, Vox
Zack Beauchamp writes, “Netanyahu cares very deeply about maintaining his grip on power: it’s the closest thing to a literal get-out-of-jail-free card that a prime minister staring down criminal conviction could have. This means that he cares a great deal about the far-right threats to quit his government, and will want to maintain the war as long as he can, absent a major political threat on his other flank. So far, one hasn’t emerged.”
Under Netanyahu, Israel is in Existential Danger, The Times of Israel
David Horovitz, founding editor of The Times of Israel, argues, “It is truly unthinkable. That the prime minister of Israel would manufacture an unwarranted demand, and present it as existential, in order to thwart a potential deal for the release of the hostages held for almost a year by Hamas in Gaza. And to do this because he fears that the extremists with whom he built his government, who are hellbent on plunging Israel into regional war, would otherwise force him from power.”
The Heartache of Calling Israel Home, Time Magazine
Danya Kaufmann shares, “At Monday night’s protest, a man held a poster in Hebrew that read, ‘I no longer recognize my country.’ I looked at it for a long time. Here we are, in the place we were so desperate to come back to – feeling crushed, confused, and hopeless since we landed. Dreading tomorrow’s news. But also feeling like we’re home. And so with a tight chest and heavy legs, I drag myself outside with an Israeli flag week after week. To protest, fight, and try to protect everything good that still exists here. And to save the lives we still can.”