Views and positions expressed here are those of the writer, and do not necessarily represent NJN's views and policy positions. |
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IDF Strikes Freeze the Status Quo—and That May Be the Point We’re entering the fourth month since the start of the “ceasefire” that “ended” the Gaza War. I use scare quotes on purpose. If you’ve been following the news closely, you know that the fighting continues – albeit at a different scale. I spoke with a friend last week who recently returned to his home on the Israeli side of the Gaza border. He shared that the sounds of artillery, or other weaponry, feel like a constant. So it was not a complete surprise when the level of fighting escalated on Saturday. Israeli warplanes struck multiple locations in Gaza. By the time the dust settled, dozens of Palestinians were dead. Some were militants. Certainly not all of them. The Israeli military said the airstrikes were a response to the appearance of Hamas militants near the Israeli-controlled part of Rafah the day before. That certainly seems like a violation by Hamas of the ceasefire. Surely, Israel could not allow such a violation to go unanswered? And wouldn’t Israel’s response need to be grand enough to register its displeasure? Otherwise, wouldn’t Hamas become further emboldened? This is the logic of deterrence. It is intuitive – and in the Israeli-Palestinian context it is a trap. |
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Noam Shelef (he/him) joined New Jewish Narrative in 2025 as the Vice President of Communications. The issues that NJN champions have always been close to his heart, and he began his career in 1997 as an intern for Americans for Peace Now. In the years since, Noam has advocated in support of progressive causes in Israel, fighting for LGBTQ rights, and to end practices harmful to girls in Africa. |
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Views and positions expressed here are those of the writer, and do not necessarily represent NJN's views and policy positions. |
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Legislative Round-Up, January 30, 2026 ————————— 1. Bills & Resolutions UPDATE: Last week’s Round-Up reported in detail on the introduction of HR 7156, legislation to amend existing law to establish additional grounds for denaturalization, linked to alleged connections to a foreign terrorist organization (FTO), fraud, or the commission of aggravated felonies or acts of espionage. Missed in that Round-Up was the introduction of the Senate version of the bill on 1/15/26 – S. 3674. As a reminder: the new criteria related to fraud, felonies, and espionage all are triggered by people being convicted of (or admitting to) the offenses in question; with respect to the criteria related to FTOs, all that is required is the allegation that the targeted naturalized citizen ““associates with, conspires with, aids, or abets any foreign terrorist organization (as designated under section 219(a)).” |
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