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.
U.S. Says It Will Press Israel on Rules of Engagement After Al Jazeera Journalist’s Killing, Reuters
Washington will press Israel to review its policies and practices on rules of engagement after the Israel Defense Forces concluded that Al Jazeera journalist Shireen Abu Akleh was likely shot by an Israeli soldier, State Department deputy spokesperson Vedant Patel said on Tuesday. “We will continue to press Israel directly and closely at the senior-most levels to review its policies and practices on this to ensure that something like this doesn’t happen again in the future,” Patel said at a regular press briefing.
Israeli Troops Kill Palestinian Militant in West Bank Clash, AP
Israeli troops killed a Palestinian militant during a firefight Wednesday in the occupied West Bank, the Palestinian Health Ministry said. The violence erupted after Israel carried out an arrest raid in a refugee camp near the city of Tubas. The Israeli military said it carried out arrest raids across the West Bank as part of a monthslong crackdown on Palestinian militants. It said its soldiers came under fire during the arrest of a wanted person in the Faraa refugee camp in the northern West Bank.
US Told Israel That Iran Nuclear Deal Unlikely Soon, Report Says, Bloomberg
Top US officials have told Israel’s Prime Minister Yair Lapid that a nuclear deal between Iran and world powers won’t be signed in the foreseeable future. Increasingly convinced the deal is stalled, Lapid for now is re-prioritizing a national security strategy to focus on escalating violence in the West Bank, where there’s an urgent need to shore up the Palestinian Authority as it loses clout.
Israel Recalls Morocco Envoy After Misconduct Claims, Unsettling New Ties, The New York Times
Israel has recalled its envoy to Morocco and was investigating claims of misconduct against him at its mission in Rabat, the Israeli foreign ministry said on Tuesday, unsettling the new but rapidly strengthening diplomatic ties between the two countries.
U.S. Examining Allegations Against Israel’s Orthodox West Bank Battalion, Haaretz
The U.S. Embassy in Israel has been asked to prepare an internal report on the Israeli army’s ultra-Orthodox Netzah Yehuda battalion, which has been mired in controversies relating to the abuse of Palestinians in the West Bank.
Israeli Airstrike Puts Syrian Airport Out of Commission, AP
Israel launched a missile attack on Tuesday targeting Syria’s Aleppo airport for the second time in a week, this time putting it out of commission, Syrian state media said. The Syrian government did not report any casualties. The transport ministry said all flights will be diverted to the capital, Damascus.
Israel Weighs Measures to Prop Up Ailing Palestinian Authority, Haaretz
Growing evidence in recent months that the power of the Palestinian Authority is rapidly eroding has alarmed Israeli authorities, who are now weighing new measures to prop it up in an effort to combat security threats.
Israel Is Ignoring the Palestinian Conflict in Its Election Campaign, Ynet News
Tzipi Livni argues, “Right-wing politicians, despite history advising them otherwise, are leading the country towards a binational future without a Jewish majority or democracy, while those on the center-left are too afraid to speak out as they seek a broad coalition.”
AIPAC Has Stepped Way Over the Line, Evolve
Rabbinic and Cantorial Cabinet member Rabbi John Rosove writes, “AIPAC’s claims of “bipartisanship” cannot excuse support for candidates who only respect election results when their party wins. AIPAC’s endorsement of and funding of millions of dollars to a large number of Republican candidates sympathetic to the aims of the violent insurrection and subversion of our democracy runs completely counter to the views and values held by the vast majority of American Jews and pro-Israel, pro-peace Americans.”
