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J Street Condemns Abbas’s Antisemitic Comments, Calls for Retraction and Apology, J Street
“These remarks are particularly disappointing to J Street and its leadership, which has always engaged — and urged others to engage — with the President as a potential partner in efforts to find a path to resolving the conflict. Comments like these undermine that basis for that hope and are personally, deeply hurtful.”
Antisemitic Comments by Palestinian Leader Cause Uproar, The New York Times
Video has emerged of Mahmoud Abbas, the president of the Palestinian Authority, recently asserting that European Jews were persecuted by Hitler because of what he said were their predatory lending practices, rather than their religion.
Scoop: Trump Privately Urged to Support Biden’s Saudi Mega-Deal, Axios
Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) told Axios he has urged former President Trump to support the mega-deal President Biden is negotiating with Saudi Arabia, which could pave the way for a historic peace agreement between the kingdom and Israel.
White House: Broad Understanding Exists on Israel-Saudi Normalization but Still Work to Do, Haaretz
White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan said on Thursday that U.S., Israeli and Saudi leaders have put many of the elements of a pathway to normalization on the table but there is still much work to do.
US Slams Legalization of 3 West Bank Outposts ‘Previously Illegal under Israeli Law’, The Times of Israel
The US State Department condemned Israel on Thursday for moving forward with the legalization of three wildcat outposts located deep in the West Bank.
Palestinian Fishermen Decry Israel’s Ban on Gaza Exports as Collective Punishment, AP
Israel closed the main commercial crossing in the Gaza Strip, effectively banning exports from the coastal territory after saying it had uncovered explosives in a shipment of clothes to the occupied West Bank. Gaza’s fishermen, with their perishable exports, were among the first to feel the pain.
Fresh Clashes Break out at Palestinian Refugee Camp in Southern Lebanon, The Times of Israel
Clashes broke out late Thursday in a restive Palestinian refugee camp in south Lebanon that was rocked by deadly fighting just weeks ago, an AFP correspondent said.
American Jews, Wake Up! Fight Israel’s Racists and Liars, Fight for Democracy, Haaretz
Eric Yoffie, former president of the Union for Reform Judaism, writes, “Do we have a role as American Jews in this battle? Israel’s fate will be determined by Israelis, of course. But Israel is not only a state of its citizens; it is also the center of a transnational people that see it as their spiritual home. And Jews everywhere have the right, enshrined in the Declaration of Independence, to join the debate on Israel’s essence and future.”
Netanyahu Is Trying to Con His Way Into the White House. Will Biden Play Ball?, Haaretz
Alon Pinkas argues, “There are pros and cons for Biden in meeting or refraining from meeting Netanyahu. The president may regard a potential meeting as an instrument of behavioral change and influencing policy. For Netanyahu, it is nothing more than expedient political optics.”