Category: Other

WASHINGTON (JTA) — President Joe Biden is conditioning U.S. defense assistance on not impeding the delivery of humanitarian aid, a key point of tension between the U.S. and Israeli governments during the Gaza war. The policy announcement, made Thursday night, followed a trip by Secretary of State Antony Blinken to Israel that has put a…

(JTA) — An array of left-leaning Israeli human rights groups has called for an immediate ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war. Their statement echoed the views of some of the families of the hostages still held by Hamas. It also was a sign of the way Jewish Israelis’ virtually wall-to-wall support for the war is showing…

WASHINGTON (JTA) — As Congress debates various bills that would send emergency military aid to Israel, Jewish groups across the political spectrum have advocated for their passage.  But the push for aid ended up dividing those groups on another issue that often animates Jewish activism: immigration reform. Legacy Jewish groups parted ways over whether a…

(New York Jewish Week) — One candidate is an Israeli-American Orthodox Jew born in Ethiopia. The other has highlighted his support for Israel — and accused his opponent of endangering it. On Tuesday, Feb. 13, they will vie for the support of New York’s third congressional district — one of the most Jewish areas of…

WASHINGTON (JTA) — The U.S. House of Representatives narrowly voted against impeaching Alejandro Mayorkas, the Jewish homeland security secretary, after a process that a number of Jewish groups and the White House said was marred by antisemitism. The vote Tuesday evening was 216 against to 214 for impeachment, a stunning loss for House Speaker Mike…

WASHINGTON (JTA) — The House and Senate are rushing competing bills to the floor with massive aid for Israel, with votes expected as soon as this week. The question is whether the bills in the Republican-led House and the Democratic-led Senate can be reconciled, or whether they will cancel each other out, once again delaying…

(JTA) — Progressive mayors of two major American cities took opposite tacks Wednesday toward local resolutions endorsing a ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war, a sign of enduring divisions between Democrats as the war is about to enter its fifth month.  Jacob Frey, the Jewish mayor of Minneapolis, vetoed his city council’s resolution endorsing a ceasefire,…

WASHINGTON (JTA) — President Joe Biden ordered strict sanctions on four Israeli West Bank settlers for alleged violence against Palestinians and Israeli peace activists. Biden’s executive order Thursday represented an escalation of the diplomacy and pressure he has exerted on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to rein in extremists. A White House statement framed the…

(JTA) — Last year, as fighting swirled over the Israeli government’s efforts to reshape the country’s judiciary, Israeli and American critics turned their attention to Arthur Dantchik, a Jewish billionaire who bankrolled a think tank behind the proposed reforms. After facing protests outside his Philadelphia-area home, Dantchik gave in. He announced that he would stop donating…

WASHINGTON (JTA) — Benjamin Netanyahu declared that Israel would achieve a “total victory” in its war against Hamas as Secretary of State Antony Blinken said he is “hopeful” that the sides are nearing an extended truce. Blinken’s comments came while Hamas said it was considering Israel’s latest proposal for a temporary ceasefire, which would include…