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 to Discuss Israel-Hamas War at Mishkan Or, Cleveland Jewish News
“I want (the audience) to know that we are deeply committed to the state and people of Israel and that the motivation for our work is to ensure that Jewish-Americans are using their voice and their power to help ensure Israel is and will be secure, democratic and Jewish in character,” Ben-Ami wrote in an Aug. 29 email to the Cleveland Jewish News. “They should also understand that in our view, being pro-Israel is not inconsistent with caring about the well-being and future of the Palestinian people, and that we believe ensuring that Israel has security and that the Palestinian people get their rights and self-determination are not at odds, they are actually mutually reinforcing.”
Israeli Raids Paralyze Daily Life for Many in the West Bank, The New York Times
The nine days of military raids have taken an exceptional toll on Palestinians in several towns and cities, especially Jenin and Tulkarm, where many residents have trapped in their homes for days, saying that Israeli forces are operating outside their doors with armored vehicles. Bulldozers have ripped up entire streets — in what the Israeli military calls an effort to unearth improvised explosives planted by armed groups — and snipers have taken up positions on rooftops and inside homes, residents have said.
In Speech, Trump Repeatedly Insults Jewish Americans Who Back Democrats, The Washington Post
Trump has long questioned how Jewish Americans could vote for Democrats, even as polls show they support the party by wide margins, and Trump’s rhetoric toward the voting bloc is criticized as antisemitic. “I don’t understand how anybody can support them — and I say it constantly — if you had them to support and you were Jewish, you have to have your head examined,” Trump told the Republican Jewish Coalition. “They’ve been very bad to you.”
As Gaza Cease-fire and Hostage Deal on Brink of Collapse, One Unlikely Step Could Bring It to Fruition, Haaretz
Jonathan Lis reports, “Defining the new American proposal as a ‘take it or leave it’ option would force Netanyahu and Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar to decide whether they’ll back off, swallow their pride and compromise. In such a scenario, the prime minister, who publicly opposes such a plan, could be forced to bring it for the approval of the government. […] A former deputy head of the National Security Council, Eran Etzion, believes that Netanyahu is obliged to bring the document to the cabinet for the ministers’ approval even if he personally objects to it.”
Palestinian News Agency: American Human Rights Activist Shot to Death by Israeli Soldiers Near Nablus, West Bank, Haaretz
A 26-year-old human rights activist with American citizenship was shot dead by Israeli soldiers while participating in a demonstration in Beita, near Nablus in the West Bank, according to Palestinian reports.
Hostage Killings and New Demands Cast Doubt in White House That Hamas Wants a Deal, Axios
US officials said one of the main arguments made in the meeting was that after Hamas murdered the hostages, including an American, the US shouldn’t push for a proposal that gives Hamas additional concessions and instead focus on applying more pressure and accountability measures against Hamas.
‘It Must Serve as a Wakeup Call’: Hersh Goldberg-Polin’s Family Approves Publication of Hamas Propaganda Clip, The Times of Israel
Goldberg-Polin’s family has authorized the publication of the video, saying in a statement that it “must serve as an immediate wakeup call to the world to act today to secure the release of the remaining 101 hostages before it is too late. “No other family should endure what we went through,” the statement adds.
Blinken Says Incumbent on Hamas, Israel to Remove Gaps in Gaza Ceasefire Deal, Reuters
“Based on what I have seen, 90% is agreed but there are a few critical issues that remain,” including the so-called Philadelphi corridor on the southern edge of the Gaza Strip bordering Egypt, Blinken said.
Ehud Barak Blames Netanyahu for Strategic Failures Leading to October 7 Hamas Attack, The Jerusalem Post
The central responsibility for the weakening of Israel ahead of the October 7 massacre laid at the feet of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who set off the series of events during 2023 by launching the judicial reforms, Barak said.
Israeli Forces Pull Out of Jenin Leaving a Trail of Destruction, Reuters
Israeli forces pulled out of the Palestinian city of Jenin on Friday, leaving a mass of damaged buildings and infrastructure, following one of the biggest security operations in the occupied West Bank in months.
Rattled by Global Rebuke, Netanyahu Scrambles to Fend Off Charges of Sabotaging Hostage Deal, Haaretz
Netanyahu and his associates are also concerned about the increasing coverage in the international press, particularly by prominent U.S. media outlets, of the hostage families’ tough criticism of the prime minister.
Biden, if You Really Want to Understand Netanyahu, Listen to What He Says in Hebrew, Haaretz
Alon Pinkas writes, “In his 24-minute Hebrew-language lecture, Netanyahu explained why control of the Philadelphi route is essential, and why without it there will be no deal. But then, under U.S. pressure, he slightly changed the tone in the English-language one: Of course he wants a hostage deal, and in fact during “phase two” of the deal he will consider relinquishing control of the corridor, though it is “unlikely” we will get to that phase. Of course it is. When you refuse to enter phase one, it is definitely unlikely you will reach phase two.”
Netanyahu Is Trying to Save Himself. Will He Sink Harris? [Audio], The New York Times
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s drive to stay in power is harming Israel’s global reputation and complicating the U.S. presidential election for Democrats, the Opinion columnist Thomas L. Friedman argues. In this audio essay, Friedman offers a new name for the ongoing conflict in the Middle East and explains why Netanyahu might be rooting for Donald Trump this November.
On the Road to Annexation, Israel Is Turning the West Bank Into Gaza, Haaretz
The Haaretz Editorial Board shares, “The destruction sown by the army in the refugee camps resembles the destruction in Gaza. These have always been futile operations whose only result, in the absence of a political plan, is pushing West Bank residents further into despair and toward armed struggle. Bezalel Smotrich and Itamar Ben-Gvir, under Netanyahu’s leadership and with the army’s participation, are doing everything they can to open another front in addition to the ones that are already aflame. They will soon get their wish.”