world news
Strong majority of Americans support Israel-Hamas hostage deal
Nearly three-quarters of the American public supports short-term humanitarian pauses in the fighting between Israel and Hamas in Gaza in order to allow for the release of hostages, a survey from the Jewish Federations of North America (JFNA) found.
Some 72% of respondents favored humanitarian pauses, as did 69% of Jewish Americans.
On the other hand, 20% of respondents were in favor of an immediate, unconditional ceasefire, an outcome favored by 16% of Jewish Americans.
60% of all respondents and 64% of Jewish respondents said that the release of all hostages held by Hamas should be a precondition for a long-term ceasefire. Hamas being removed from power was viewed as a precondition to a long-term ceasefire by 51% of Americans and 58% of Jewish Americans. In a similar vein, 46% of the general public, and 61% of Jewish Americans identified Hamas’s “disarmament” as a precondition for a ceasing of hostilities.“It’s clear that the vast majority of Americans understand that an end to the fighting must be tied to releasing the hostages and making Israel safer by removing Hamas from power,” said Mimi Kravetz, the Chief Impact and Growth Officer for Jewish Federations of North America. “Understanding these fundamental and widely held views is critical for our policymakers as they work to represent their communities.”
The researchers surveyed 1,290 American adults, 843 of whom were Jewish, on November 19 and 20, 2023.
The respondents consisted of a random subset of those who participated in a previous JFNA survey of 3,777 Americans including 2,199 Jewish Americans, which was conducted between October 29 and November 1.
The war’s strong emotional impact on American Jews
JFNA reported new data from that survey, revealing additional support for Israel’s war effort as well as that the war had a strong emotional effect on Jewish respondents. That survey found that Hamas deserved the greatest amount of blame for obstructing peace according to 39% of Americans and 50% of Jewish Americans. 10% of Americans and 13% of Jewish Americans blamed other Middle Eastern countries such as Iran, while 15% and 4% respectively said Israel deserved the brunt of the blame.
On the question of Israel’s right to exist as a Jewish state, 76% of respondents and 91% of Jewish respondents replied in the affirmative, 13% and 4% respectively said Israel did not have the right to exist as a Jewish state, and 11% and 5% respectively said they did not know or were not sure.
The emotional effect of Hamas’s shocking attack on October 7 and the subsequent war has been significant, with 88% of Jewish respondents saying they had been emotionally affected by the war – 57% by “a great deal.”
Roughly half of American Jews said that there are two or fewer degrees of separation from someone who had been killed, injured, or displaced due to the war. About 30% of Jewish participants said the war has made it harder for them to feel comfortable sharing their views with non-Jewish friends.
When asked how they would best describe Hamas’s initial attack, all respondents most commonly replied with “terrorism,” “barbaric,” “massacre,” and “war crimes.” In contrast, the terms most associated with Israel’s response were “justified” and “self-defense.”
While the research reveals strong levels of support for Israel among the American public, more demographic-specific research has found that support for Israel among young people is far weaker. A Harvard CAPS/Harris poll in October found that over a quarter of Americans aged 18-24 believed that the best solution to the Israel-Palestinian conflict would be for Israel to be “ended and given to Hamas and the Palestinians.”
The United States is deferring the removal of certain Lebanese citizens from the country, President Joe Biden said on Friday, citing humanitarian conditions in southern Lebanon amid tensions between Israel and Hezbollah.
The deferred designation, which lasts 18 months, allows Lebanese citizens to remain in the country with the right to work, according to a memorandum Biden sent to the Department of Homeland Security.
“Humanitarian conditions in southern Lebanon have significantly deteriorated due to tensions between Hezbollah and Israel,” Biden said in the memo.
“While I remain focused on de-escalating the situation and improving humanitarian conditions, many civilians remain in danger; therefore, I am directing the deferral of removal of certain Lebanese nationals who are present in the United States.”Increased attacks since Oct.7
Israel and Hezbollah have been trading fire since Hezbollah announced a “support front” with Palestinians shortly after its ally Hamas attacked southern Israeli border communities on Oct. 7, triggering Israel’s military assault in Gaza.
The fighting in Lebanon has killed more than 100 civilians and more than 300 Hezbollah fighters, according to a Reuters tally, and led to levels of destruction in Lebanese border towns and villages not seen since the 2006 Israel-Lebanon war.
On the Israeli side, 10 Israeli civilians, a foreign agricultural worker and 20 Israeli soldiers have been killed. Tens of thousands have been evacuated from both sides of the border.
Hezbollah is an Iran-backed terrorist group and the most powerful military and political force in Lebanon.
world news
Preparing for war: Haifa mayor describes city’s infrastructure changes tensions in North escalate
Haifa mayor Yona Yahav spoke this past Monday with Lior Rosenfeld on Radio North 104.5FM about the escalation of the war in the North and his entry into political office amidst the security situation.
Yahav began, “I cannot speak on behalf of the North as I don’t know exactly what’s happening there. No one updates me, as if we are not the largest and most important city in the North. Tomorrow, the Home Front Command is coming to see us for the first time, and we will see what they have to say. We are doing everything to ensure that the city itself and our residents are safe and know what to do in case, God forbid, missiles fall on us. They are more accurate than those in 2006.”
Yahav also discussed the city’s preparations for a war in the North.
“We are now changing the entire method of building public structures,” Yahav said. “We are preparing them for prolonged stays. The minimum will be four consecutive days in shelters and such buildings, which require preparation. For example, installing toilets, which we don’t have today, and we have given instructions to build them in places close to where new houses are being built. This has been fully understood, and developers have begun to understand that the talk about evacuation and reconstruction has undergone drastic changes in light of the security situation. For example, road width needs to be maintained for the sake of evacuating residents on these roads. These are things that were not considered until now and must now be taken into account.”
Yahav’s plans for the success of Haifa’s future
Yahav then discussed his appeal to the transportation minister to stop the Highway 23 Carmel Tunnels’ toll charge.
“We called on the transportation minister to stop the discrimination. Haifa and the North are always discriminated against compared to central Israel, and there’s no reason for this. There are huge tunnels dug in Jerusalem that do not cost residents any money to pass through. There’s no reason why the tunnels dug in Haifa should include a toll. I speak on behalf of Haifa residents, and we are preparing to petition if we do not receive an answer.”
Regarding his entry into his mayoral role about three months ago, Yahav said, “I found a completely ruined city. They destroyed the municipality, and it’s very difficult to move things around. I don’t understand how residents sat idly by and kept quiet. We are trying to go to government offices to fix relations, to get funds, to move projects to bring in fees – and we are doing all this in a short time.
“The ministers are acting openly and with the goodwill to help. I am now waiting for the money on the table. The casino building in Bat Galim will be a luxurious hotel on the Bat Galim seashore. This neighborhood will undergo a complete transformation and will be the most beautiful neighborhood in the country. It will also be the only neighborhood facing a recognized beach. We came to make a change, and we will succeed.”
In conclusion, he touched on the issue of wild boars: “You won’t be able to follow them because soon you won’t see them anymore.”
world news
‘Psychological operation’: Turkey condemns FM Katz social media post depicting toddler Erdogan
Turkey’s Foreign Affairs Ministry released a statement on Sunday condemning a social media post made by Foreign Minister Israel Katz, in which Katz presented Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan as a toddler on the lap of Iran’s Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Katz, in a Sunday post on X, wrote “Erdogan @RTErdogan finances and arms terrorist organizations of Hamas to carry out attacks and murder against Israelis. The General Security Service captured a squad of students from Bir Zeit who were employed by the Hamas headquarters in Turkey to carry out murder attacks in Israel, through training and weapons and tens of thousands of dollars provided to them.
“Erdogan turned Turkey into a state that supports terrorism and subjects Turkey to the Iranian axis of evil in the name of extreme ideology and blatant anti-Semitism.”
Katz’s comments were made in reference to a recently thwarted terror attack planned by the student Hamas cell in Bir Zeit University, north of Ramallah. The attempted attack, the Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) said, was directed by Hamas’s base in Turkey.ארדואן @RTErdogan מממן ומחמש ארגוני טרור של החמאס לביצוע פיגועים ורצח נגד ישראלים. שירות הביטחון הכללי לכד חוליית סטודנטים מביר זית שהופעלו ע”י מפקדת החמאס בטורקיה לביצוע פיגועי רצח בישראל, באמצעות אימונים ונשק ועשרות אלפי דולרים שסופקו להם.ארדואן הפך את טורקיה למדינה תומכת טרור… pic.twitter.com/R0SCjYdngN
— ישראל כ”ץ Israel Katz (@Israel_katz) July 21, 2024
Turkey condemns the social media post
The Turkish ministry responded “The Israeli Foreign Minister is trying to hide Israel’s crimes against the Palestinians behind a series of lies, slander and disrespect.
“Israel’s dirty propaganda targeting Türkiye and President Erdoğan, and psychological operation attempts will not bear fruit.
“The members of the Netanyahu Government, who have killed nearly forty thousand Palestinians in Gaza and are now trying to start a regional war in order to stay in power, will be tried in international courts and held accountable for their crimes.
“Türkiye will continue to speak the truth and defend the right of the Palestinian people to live in justice and peace.”
The ministry cited data provided by the Hamas-run Gaza health ministry, which does not distinguish between combatants and civilians.
Additionally, Turkey has repeatedly asserted that it does not categorize Hamas as a terrorist organization – despite its western allies acknowledging it as such and its proven attacks on Israeli civilians.
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