AJC Dispatch 

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Spotlight
This Tuesday, Israelis will head back to the polls for an unprecedented second national election in a single year. In this special pre-election episode of People of the Pod [link removed] we sit down with three public figures representing the Israeli left, right, and center, to get a sense of what Israelis across the political spectrum are thinking as they cast their ballots. Joining us are Oded Revivi, Mayor of Efrat; Yossi Klein Halevi, author and Senior Fellow at the Shalom Hartman Institute; and Ksenia Svetlova, former member of Knesset for the Zionist Union Party. Then, Times of Israel political correspondent Raoul Wootliff gives us an update on what to expect from the election results. Listen now [link removed]   

Must-reads

The 2020 Presidential Candidates on Israel
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AJC Global Voice / 7-minute read
Before ten Democratic presidential candidates took the stage in Houston for the third round of debates, AJC released a primer on what they and the four Republican candidates have said or done vis a vis their stance on Israel. Jason Isaacson, AJC Chief Policy Officer, said that although Congress, with its bipartisan tradition of support for Israel, appropriates funds that play a significant role in assuring Israel’s security and well-being, it is the Executive Branch that drives U.S. foreign policy. “How candidates for the White House view Israel, understand Israel, and appreciate the value of the U.S.-Israel relationship matters profoundly,” he said. Read more [link removed]

What Does John Bolton’s Departure Mean?
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WSJ / 3-minute read
The departure of National Security Adviser John Bolton, the notorious naysayer in the West Wing, suggests that President Trump might redouble his efforts to strike deals with Iran, Russia, and North Korea. Bolton, known for his hawkish approach to foreign policy, pushed for military action against Iran [link removed] and once called North Korea a “hellish nightmare.” Trump has met with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and reportedly has entertained softening sanctions to score a meeting with the current President of Iran Hassan Rouhani. AJC tweeted [link removed] : "John Bolton is a stalwart defender of U.S. global interests, steadfast ally of Israel and the Jewish people, and fierce adversary of anti-democratic, weapons-proliferating, and terrorist sponsoring regimes, most notably Tehran. We thank him and wish him well." Read more [link removed]

Trump Adds Sanctions Against Hezbollah, Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad
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JTA / 1-minute read
On the 18th anniversary of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, President Trump signed an executive order that penalizes 15 foreign financial institutions and individuals that handle the money of Hamas, Hezbollah, and Palestinian Islamic Jihad. The new sanctions put all foreign financial institutions on notice that enabling terrorists and their financial backers will have consequences. “This administration remains committed to facilitating the peace process in the Middle East and will use this amended authority to sanction those who stand in the way of progress,” the U.S. Treasury Department said. Join AJC [link removed] in pushing the international community to designate all of Hezbollah [link removed], not just its military wing, as a terrorist organization. And read here how Hamas [link removed], like Hezbollah, continues to carry out its terrorist and fundraising activities under the guise [link removed] of political leadership and charity. Read more [link removed]

Israeli Tourist Attacked in Berlin for Speaking Hebrew
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The Jerusalem Post / 1-minute read
21-year-old Israeli tourist speaking Hebrew in front of a Berlin night club Monday was punched in the face by a passer-by who fled the scene. Similarly, four Israeli students [link removed] speaking Hebrew were attacked outside a nightclub in Warsaw. And three attacks in Brooklyn [link removed] in recent weeks have targeted visible Jews. AJC CEO David Harris tweeted [link removed] : “When Jews are attacked for speaking Hebrew in Berlin & Warsaw, When Jews are assaulted in Brooklyn for being Jews, When Jewish schools exist behind high walls & without identifying signs in some places, Then we’re all—ALL!—at risk. Democracy itself is endangered. #Neveragain” Join AJC at AJC Global Forum 2020 in Berlin [link removed] as we stand up against antisemitism. Read more [link removed]

Good to Know

What Would Annexing Jordan Valley Mean?
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The New York Times / 2-minute read
With days to go before the next Israeli election, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told voters that if he’s reelected, he will waste no time annexing nearly a third of the West Bank to create “secure, permanent borders” with full backing from the U.S. But his plan to annex the Jordan Valley and northern Dead Sea bordering Jordan would surround any potential Palestinian state in the West Bank and could jeopardize the prospect of a long-sought two-state solution. Read more [link removed]

North Korean-Israel Shadow War [link removed]
Tablet / 10-minute read
Dating back to the 1960s when Kim Il Sung founded North Korea, Pyongyang has directed ire toward Israel, the only democracy in the Middle East region and an ally of North Korea’s favorite foe, the U.S. Kim Il Sung backed the Palestinian cause by funding and training Arab terrorists to carry out attacks against the Jewish state. He also supported Egyptian and Syrian leaders in their efforts to reclaim Arab lands lost in the 1967 Six-Day War. The current North Korean regime is believed to have prolonged this shadow war by transferring nuclear and missile technologies to Israel’s enemies, including Iran. Behind closed doors, Israel has tried to engage in diplomacy to no avail; instead its intelligence services continue to keep an eye on Kim Jong Un. Learn what AJC's Asia Pacific Institute [link removed] is doing to cultivate and expand key relationships in that vital region. Read more [link removed]

Israel Court Says Bodies of Palestinian Terrorists Can Be Held [link removed]
JTA / 1-minute read
Israel’s Supreme Court has ruled that the Israeli military can hold the bodies of Palestinian terrorists, reversing a 2017 verdict that holding the remains of terrorists was unconstitutional. This week’s ruling said that temporarily withholding the bodies could be classified as an emergency defense measure and determined that international law regarding armed conflict would allow such an action. The family of Lt. Hadar Goldin, an Israeli soldier whose body has been held by Hamas in Gaza since the Gaza War in 2014, has called on the Israeli government to enact such a measure until their son and the body of Sgt. Oron Shaul, are returned. Listen to AJC’s podcast People of the Pod [link removed] to hear Leah Goldin, together with her husband Simcha, talk about the fight to bring their son’s body home. Read more [link removed]

Tidings

Busy Bees in New York City
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Israeli Baseball Now Has Israelis at Bat
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Tick Tock: Israeli Researchers Say There May Be Way to Pause Biological Clock
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The articles featured here do not necessarily reflect AJC’s positions. 

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