JC Israel Briefing Day 607: A family’s decade-long fight for justice

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Israeli leaders and families of hostages have voiced shock and expressed solidarity after the Boulder terror attack — voicing disgust at what was perpetrated against a peaceful protest for hostages.

Families of Israeli hostages were in Washington when the news broke. “The horrifying violence we saw in Boulder amplifies the urgency of our struggle to bring our families home,” they said in a statement via the Hostage and Missing Families Forum.

The group said it stood with the Boulder Jewish community and would not be silenced. “This was a terror attack targeting Jews demonstrating peacefully. We call on leaders in the US and around the world to protect our right to speak out,” the statement said.

President Isaac Herzog called the shooting “sickening and outrageous,” and said he had spoken with Renee Rockford, head of Boulder’s Jewish Federation, to express “deep solidarity on behalf of the people of Israel.” He said: “This vile act of terror is a painful reminder that antisemitism knows no borders. But let me be clear: we will never let terror win,” he said.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu expressed outrage that the attack “was aimed against peaceful people who wished to express their solidarity with the hostages held by Hamas, simply because they were Jews.” He said antisemitic attacks worldwide were the product of “blood libels against the Jewish state and people.”

Trump officials who met the Israeli delegation – Karoline Leavitt, Steve Witkoff, Susie Wiles, and Howard Lutnick – expressed their dismay. “There is no place for such acts on American soil,” said Leavitt. “We are fully committed to securing the release of all the hostages… not only on humanitarian and moral grounds, but also as a critical step toward regional stability.”

This week has emerged as one of the deadliest for Israeli soldiers in Gaza in recent months, with four killed in fighting. The IDF named the fallen as Alon Farkas, 27, from Kibbutz Kabri; Lior Steinberg, 20, from Petah Tikva; Ofek Barhana, 20, from Yavne; and Omer Van Gelder, 22, from Maale Adumim. The army said they fell in the northern Gaza Strip, during intensified operations in Shejaiya, where Hamas fighters are regrouping.

During the hostage family meetings in Washington, White House officials told them that the administration will keep up pressure on Hamas until all captives were freed. The meetings came after Hamas submitted a proposal the US deemed regressive, effectively scuttling the latest ceasefire track.

“The March meeting between the president and the captivity survivors had a profound impact on him and reinforced his determination to bring every hostage home,” said Leavitt. “The Trump administration remains fully committed.”

The parents whose daughter was murdered in the infamous Sbarro pizzeria bombing of the Second Intifada (August 2001) have travelled to Washington to demand the extradition of the bomber they hold responsible. Arnold and Frimet Roth said they are pressing the Trump administration to end what they called “a long-standing failure of justice.” Their daughter, Malka, was one of 15 people killed in the Jerusalem attack. The convicted bomber, Ahlam Tamimi, was released in a 2011 prisoner exchange and lives openly in Jordan despite an outstanding US warrant.

The Roths said Jordan has repeatedly refused extradition and that successive American administrations failed to act. They now see a new window under the Trump administration.

“We’re here because our daughter’s murderer is being protected,” said Frimet Roth. “We believe that there’s now an opportunity to put an end to this.”

Elsewhere, the IDF said soldiers fired warning shots towards Palestinian “suspects” who approached a food corridor managed by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation. The incident occurred as a group of people neared a military unit on their way to a delivery point.

According to an initial Israeli probe, a number of civilians misrouted and came too close to the troops, who responded with live fire. The IDF said soldiers had a split-second window to react and could not confirm whether the approaching figures posed a threat.

And, for the first time in a year, militants in Syria fired rockets - two in total - toward the Golan Heights, prompting Israel to launch airstrikes on Syrian army positions. Israel said that whoever perpetrated the attack it holds Syrian leader Ahmed al-Sharaa responsible. Syrian Foreign Ministry accused Israel of escalating regional tensions and called for international condemnation.

Meanwhile, Iran has reportedly rejected a recent US proposal on its nuclear programme, describing the plan as vague and inadequate. According to the semi-official Mehr News Agency, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said the proposal “contains many ambiguities and questions. Many issues in this proposal are unclear.” Speaking during a visit to Lebanon, Araghchi added that enrichment on Iranian soil was “our red line” and “a matter of national pride and honor.”

The Mehr report appears to contradict a separate account published by Axios this morning, which cited two sources as saying the U.S. plan marked a significant softening — allowing limited uranium enrichment under supervision while barring new facilities. Axios said the proposal was delivered by US envoy Steve Witkoff and described by White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt as “detailed and acceptable.” She added that “it’s in their best interest to accept it.”

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