NEW FROM FMEP
Apartheid, Genocide, and the Growing Chasm in the Right’s Support for Israel (New podcast episode)
FMEP Fellow Ahmed Moor speaks with Daniel Levy, President of the U.S./Middle East Project (USMEP). They discuss Levy’s argument that the way that Israel withdrew Israeli settlements from Gaza in 2005 set the stage for today’s genocide; as Levy put it in a recent +972 Magazine piece, the current Israeli paradigm is “not just separating from the Palestinians, relegated to shrinking Bantustans, but annihilating and erasing them.” Moor and Levy also discuss the impact of Israel’s attacks in Qatar this week both in the near and longterm, the need for Netanyahu to formally deny Israeli involvement in the assassination of Charlie Kirk, and shifting political approaches to Israel/Palestine.
FMEP Legislative Round-Up September 12, 2025 (Lara Friedman)
Bills, Resolutions; Letters; Hearings & Markups; Selected Members on the Record; Selected Media & Press releases/Statements
Settlement & Annexation Report: September 12, 2025 (Kristin McCarthy)
Netanyahu Signs Final Approval of E-1, Celebrates End of Palestinian State; Netanyahu Delays Discussion of Plan to Annex the Jordan Valley; ‘Formalizing Apartheid’: Smotrich Presents Plan to Annex 82% of the West Bank; State Land Declaration to Legalize Havat Gilad Outpost; Settlers Establish New Enclave on Key Hebron Street (Currently) Open to Palestinians; West Bank News & Analysis; East Jerusalem News & Analysis; Bonus Reads
GAZA
Palestinians in Gaza City Confront Brutal Israeli Displacement Campaign with Nowhere to Go (Abdel Qader Sabbah//Drop Site 9/11/25)
“Palestinians in Gaza City are facing the full brunt of Israel’s military campaign to ethnically cleanse the entire city, once the largest in historic Palestine, with nowhere to go. On Wednesday, the Israeli military extolled its escalating assault on Gaza City, with a spokesperson saying dozens of Israeli warplanes hit over 360 targets in the city, including high-rise buildings and infrastructure…Since the Israeli military launched its offensive to seize and take control of Gaza City last month, it has issued multiple displacement orders for different neighborhoods in the area, culminating in a mass expulsion order on Monday for the entire city of nearly 1 million Palestinians. Many are simply unable to leave. Multiple displaced Palestinians in Gaza City told Drop Site News they cannot flee south because of the exorbitant travel costs, which can run as high as 4,000 shekels (around $1,200); the lack of space or shelter in severely overcrowded areas in the south; and the lack of safety from Israeli attacks anywhere in Gaza, including in so-called “humanitarian zones.”’ See also The Frontline of Israel’s Ethnic Cleansing Campaign: Report from Gaza City (Abdel Qader Sabbah and Rasha Abou Jalal//Drop Site 9/8/25); Facing Israeli Assault, Many in Gaza City Say Fleeing Again Is Worse (NYT 9/10/25); Israel orders Gaza City residents to leave as military prepares to occupy city (The Guardian 9/9/25); Where Will Everyone in Gaza City Go? (NYT 9/11/25);
The Genocide in Gaza (Drop Site 9/12/25)
“Israeli attacks across Gaza killed at least 50 Palestinians today, including at least 37 in Gaza City and the north, according to Al Jazeera…Fourteen Palestinians were killed and 143 injured while seeking aid. The total recorded death toll since October 7, 2023 is now 64,756 killed, with 164,059 injured. Two more deaths, including one child, were recorded over the past 24 hours due to starvation and malnutrition, bringing the total since the start of the war to 413, including 143 children…The total number of Palestinians killed seeking aid since GHF [Gaza Humanitarian Foundation] took over aid distribution in May is over 2,400.” See also More than 7,000 under-fives in Gaza put in malnutrition recovery in two-week period (The Guardian 9/6/25); Anti-Islamic US biker gang members run security at deadly Gaza aid sites (BBC 9/10/25); U.S. Nonprofit Fundraising to Buy Drones for Israeli Military in Gaza Genocide (Drop Site 9/6/25);
I’m in Gaza City, my bag is packed, but I refuse to leave my home (Ahmed Ahmed//+972 Magazine 9/9/25)
“As I write this, I can hear the rumble of Israeli tanks and bulldozers only a few kilometers away from my home. Hundreds of families in the neighborhood have already fled out of fear, including many who refused to do so during previous invasions. When I think about the dozens of my friends, relatives, and neighbors already killed during this genocide, I wonder how many more I will lose in the coming days, whose faces I will see for the last time, and whether I myself will make it to the end. I watch my neighbors leaving, knowing it may be the last time I see them. Perhaps they will be killed on the road. Perhaps I will. By sheer luck, I have managed so far to escape injury and death. I have learned to adapt to what feels like a permanent survival state: I move quickly, stay close to walls, and walk under trees to avoid being spotted by quadcopters. I always keep my hands empty to show I pose no threat, though for many of Israel’s victims this was not enough. I never return the same way I came, and I often walk in a zigzag pattern to make it harder for snipers to target me. I’m constantly ready to drop to the ground at any moment. My greatest fear is that a missile will tear my body to pieces, leaving me unrecognizable, or that I will be wounded with no one able to reach me, my body left to the stray animals…Contrary to Israel’s claims, there is nowhere safe for us to go: once it destroys all of Gaza City, it will continue southward to the very “humanitarian zone” it is currently directing us to.” See also Israel Bombs Hamas Office in Doha, Issues Displacement Order for 1 Million in Gaza City (Drop Site 9/9/25); Israel escalates attacks on Gaza City as Qatar strike scuttles ceasefire talks (WaPo 9/10/25); Israeli military kills at least 41 people as it continues to order evacuation of Gaza City (The Guardian 9/10/25); IDF says some 200,000 Palestinians have left Gaza City as it gears up for offensive (TOI 9/10/25);
The Gaza family torn apart by IDF snipers from Chicago and Munich (The Guardian 11/9/25)
“Five-month investigation reveals how four members of one family were shot and killed in a single day and highlights a pattern in which Israeli troops target unarmed civilians.” See also Criminal Complaint Filed in Germany Against Munich-born IDF Sniper Over Alleged Gaza War Crimes (Haaretz 9/11/25)
‘We took the gloves off’: ex-IDF chief confirms Gaza casualties over 200,000 (The Guardian 9/12/25)
“A former Israeli army commander, Herzi Halevi, has confirmed that more than 200,000 Palestinians have been killed or injured in the war in Gaza, and that “not once” in the course of the conflict were military operations inhibited by legal advice. Halevi stepped down as chief of staff in March after leading the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) for the first 17 months of the war, which is now approaching its second anniversary. The retired general told a community meeting in southern Israel earlier this week that more than 10% of Gaza’s 2.2 million population had been killed or injured – “more than 200,000 people”. That estimate is notable as it is close to the current figures provided by Gaza’s health ministry, which Israeli officials have frequently dismissed as Hamas propaganda, though the ministry figures have been deemed reliable by international humanitarian agencies…However, Halevi denied that legal advice had ever affected his or his immediate subordinates’ military decisions in Gaza or across the Middle East.“Not once has anyone restricted me….”…Michael Sfard, an Israeli human rights lawyer, said Halevi’s remarks “confirm that the legal advisers serve as rubber stamps”. “The generals see them as ‘regular’ advisers whose advice one can adopt or dismiss, not as professional lawyers whose legal positions present the boundaries of what is permissible and what is prohibited,” Sfard said.” See also IDF Chief Ignores Top Military Lawyer in Ordering Full Gaza City Evacuation (Haaretz 9/10/25); Former IDF chief Eisenkot denounces Gaza City takeover ahead of security cabinet meeting (Haaretz 9/12/25);
Archaeologists scramble to evacuate Gaza artefacts threatened by Israeli strike (The Guardian 9/11/25)
“An official in charge of nearly three decades of archaeological finds in Gaza has described how the artefacts were hurriedly evacuated from a Gaza City building threatened by an Israeli strike. “This was a high-risk operation, carried out in an extremely dangerous context for everyone involved – a real last-minute rescue,” said Olivier Poquillon, director of the French Biblical and Archaeological School of Jerusalem (EBAF), which housed the relics. On Wednesday morning, Israeli authorities ordered EBAF – one of the oldest academic institutions in the region – to evacuate its archaeological storehouse on the ground floor of a residential tower in Gaza City that was due to be targeted.
The Disappearance of Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya (Amel Guettatfi//Drop Site 9/12/25)
“A photo of Dr. Abu Safiya approaching the tank has become an iconic symbol of Israel’s merciless assault on Gaza—and of Palestinian resilience. He returned to the hospital shortly afterwards. By nightfall, Kamal Adwan [Hospital] had been emptied and shut down by the Israeli military. Dr. Abu Safiya and all the men inside were detained. Dr. Abu Safiya has been in Israeli custody ever since without formal charge or trial in inhumane conditions…Dr. Abu Safiya wasn’t allowed a lawyer for 47 days. When one of his lawyers, Gheed Kassem, a Palestinian human rights attorney, finally managed to see him, he was shackled, forced to kneel, and flanked by prison guards. All of their visits, which take place behind glass, are recorded on video. Kassem told us that Dr. Abu Safiya has several broken ribs, indicating he has endured repeated beatings….At Ofer Prison, where Dr. Abu Safiya is now held, former detainees report being deprived of medical care and enough food.” See also Israeli military database indicates only a quarter of Gaza detainees are fighters (The Guardian 9/4/25); Israel’s top court says government is not giving Palestinian prisoners enough food (The Guardian 9/7/25);
REGION//GLOBAL
Israeli airstrikes ‘killed any hope’ for hostages in Gaza, says Qatari prime minister (Guardian 9/10/25)
“Qatar’s prime minister has said that Benjamin Netanyahu “killed any hope” for the remaining hostages in Gaza following Israel’s extraordinary strike on Hamas negotiators in Doha on Tuesday. In an interview with CNN on Wednesday, Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim al-Thani called the deadly strike in the Qatari capital an act of “state terror”. Israel’s attack the previous day killed six members of Hamas who were negotiating a ceasefire deal brokered by the US and other Gulf countries. “He needs to be brought to justice,” al-Thani said of the Israeli prime minister.” See also Israel threatens ‘enemies everywhere’ after strike against Hamas in Qatar (WaPo 9/10/25); Israel says it’s bombing its way to peace. The region fears more chaos. (Ishaan Tharoor//WaPo 9/9/25);
Israel launches airstrikes against top Hamas members in Qatar for Gaza ceasefire talks (The Guardian 9/9/25)
“Israel has launched a strike on Hamas officials meeting in Qatar’s capital, Doha, reportedly including the group’s chief ceasefire negotiator, in an attack the White House said “does not advance Israel or America’s goals”. Hamas said six people had been killed, including the son of its exiled Gaza chief, Khalil al-Hayya. It said its top leadership, including the negotiations team, had survived. The Israeli strike came hours after its military warned all of Gaza City’s residents to evacuate before a planned offensive to take control of what it portrays as Hamas’s last remaining stronghold, where hundreds of thousands of people are living under famine conditions. White House officials confirmed that the US had been informed in advance of the attack, which took place on the soil of an important regional US ally and a key mediator in attempts to reach a ceasefire in Gaza.” See also ‘Whoever Attacks Us, We Will Reach Them’: After Qatar, Israel Fires on Yemen (NYT 9/10/25);
Hamas: Chief negotiator Khalil al-Hayya is alive, was not killed in Israel’s strike on Qatar (Haaretz 9/12/25)
“Hamas announced Friday evening that the group’s chief negotiator, Khalil al-Hayya, was not killed in Israel’s strike on Thursday, which targeted a building housing Hamas leadership in Doha, Qatar, and killed six people…Five of the casualties of Tuesday’s strike were Hamas members, including Khalil al-Hayya’s son and his chief of staff, while the sixth was a member of Qatar’s security forces.” See also Qatari emir attends Hamas members’ funeral in Doha after Israeli strikes (Al Monitor 9/11/25);
‘Every time they’re making progress, it seems like he bombs someone’ (Politico 9/11/25)
“Although the White House is pushing to resume ceasefire talks between Israel and Hamas, President Donald Trump and his closest aides are worried that Israel’s brazen strike against Hamas leaders in Qatar this week has derailed such negotiations — possibly for good. The administration’s frustrations with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have deepened since the Israeli strike Tuesday, according to a person close to the president’s national security team and a U.S. official familiar with the situation, both granted anonymity to discuss internal deliberations. In fact, Trump and top aides have come to question whether Netanyahu, who authorized the strike and has threatened more, was trying to sabotage the talks, according to the person close to Trump’s team.” See also Report: Trump Sees Netanyahu’s Doha Strike as Possible Attempt to Derail Talks (Haaretz 9/12/25); Israel’s strike in Qatar scrambles Trump’s ceasefire plans (WaPo 9/11/25); Israeli activist Gershon Baskin conveys US truce plan to Hamas (Al Monitor 9/8/25);
Israel’s attack in Qatar infuriated Trump advisers, officials say (Axios 9/9/25)
“The news stunned the White House and infuriated some of Trump’s top advisers because it came as the U.S. was waiting for Hamas to respond to President Trump’s new proposal for peace in Gaza. In fact, the Hamas officials were meeting to discuss that proposal. The White House expected to receive Hamas’ response by the end of the week…Once Trump was briefed on the imminent strike, he instructed White House envoy Steve Witkoff to notify the Qataris. A U.S. official said by the time Witkoff reached them the bombs had already hit their target…On Tuesday, Trump called Netanyahu, expressed concern about the attack and stressed the need to move toward peace in the region, Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said. She added that Netanyahu responded that he wants peace and that he thinks this attack could help achieve it. Trump also called the emir and prime minister of Qatar and vowed to ensure such a strike on Qatari soil will not happen again in the future, Leavitt said…The strike in Doha took place not far from the biggest U.S. military base in the region, which only a few months ago was attacked by Iran in response to joint U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities. U.S. officials were particularly upset that they were notified so late that they had no opportunity to weigh in on Israel’s plans…Trump wrote on Truth Social: “This was a decision made by Prime Minister Netanyahu, it was not a decision made by me.” He added that he directed Secretary of State Marco Rubio to finalize a U.S-Qatar defense agreement.” See also Israeli strike targeting Hamas in Qatar ‘does not advance Israel or America’s goals,’ Trump says (WaPo 9/9/25); U.S. Joins U.N. Security Council’s Criticism of Israeli Strike in Qatar (NYT 9/11/25); White House said ‘frustrated’ with Netanyahu, fears he wants to tank ceasefire talks (TOI 9/12/25); Netanyahu scrambles as Gulf states push Trump to sanction Israel over Doha strikes (Al Monitor 9/12/25); Rubio to visit Israel less than a week after Qatar strike (WaPo 9/12/25); Trump to meet Qatar’s PM Friday in aftermath of Israeli strike in Doha (Axios 9/11/25);
Gulf countries question value of U.S. protection after Israeli attack (WaPo 9/12/25)
“Israel’s apparent comfort in carrying out the strike, which targeted senior Hamas leaders in a villa in the Qatari capital, Doha, has stirred both outrage and an acute sense of insecurity in the gulf. If Qatar could be attacked — despite hosting the largest American military base in the region, a hub for U.S. Central Command — neighboring countries might reason they could also be vulnerable…A joint funeral for all the victims held in Doha on Thursday was a state affair, attended by hundreds of people as well as Qatar’s emir, Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani. The attack, which apparently encountered no resistance from American defenses, was the second to rattle the gulf in less than three months…Most attacks that have stirred gulf anxiety in recent years have been carried by Iran or Yemen’s Houthi rebels — viewed as adversaries by both the U.S. and its Arab partners. But the attack this week on Qatar was carried out by Israel, a stalwart U.S. ally, and the strike crossed a bright line, signaling that Washington was unwilling or unable to restrain Israel, even when it threatened or attacked other American allies.” See also Pentagon OKs $14.2M for Lebanon’s army to dismantle Hezbollah sites (Al Monitor 9/10/25); With Qatar attack, which countries has Israel struck since October 2023? (WaPo 9/10/25) Trump, Netanyahu, and Qatar: Who Knew What Before Israel Struck Hamas in Doha (Haaretz 9/10/25); UAE president visits Qatar, bans Israel from Dubai Airshow after Doha strikes (Al Monitor 9/10/25);
UN general assembly votes to back Hamas-free government for Palestine (The Guardian 9/12/25)
“The UN general assembly has voted to back a Hamas-free government for Palestine as part of a carefully crafted compromise that sees Arab states go further in condemning its October 2023 attack on Israel in return for clear support for a Palestinian state. The aim is to show that Israel and the US are isolated in opposing a long-term solution to the Gaza war, and how countries such as Germany, a strong supporter of Israel, are backing a solution in which the Palestinian Authority governs the West Bank and Gaza. The 142-10 vote on Friday was to endorse the so-called New York declaration, a statement calling for a two-state solution, crafted by France and Saudi Arabia in July. It includes some of the sharpest criticism of Hamas ever endorsed by the UN. The text states: “We condemn the attacks perpetrated on 7 October by Hamas against civilians,” and “Hamas must release all hostages” held in Gaza. Israel, the US, Hungary and Argentina were among the countries voting against. There were 12 abstentions.”
‘There will be no Palestinian state’: PM [Netanyahu] signs plan cementing E1 settlement expansion (TOI 9/11/25)
“Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared on Thursday evening that “there will be no Palestinian state,” as he signed an agreement to push ahead with the controversial E1 settlement expansion plan that will cut across West Bank land Palestinians seek for a state. “We are going to fulfill our promise that there will be no Palestinian state; this place belongs to us,” Netanyahu said during a visit to the Ma’ale Adumim settlement in the West Bank, on the outskirts of Jerusalem, where thousands of new housing units would be added.”
As the world recognizes a Palestinian state, Israel’s E1 plan moves to bury it (Shatha Yaish//+972 9/12/25)
““The Palestinian state is being erased from the table not by slogans but by deeds,” proclaimed Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who advanced the project, after its approval. And yesterday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu added his official signature to the plan at a symbolic ceremony inside Ma’ale Adumim…Last week, Smotrich went further, unveiling a plan to annex 82 percent of the West Bank into Israel that would leave only six fragmented Palestinian population centers — Ramallah, Nablus, Jenin, Tulkarem, Jericho, and Hebron — as isolated bantustans. “Preventing a Palestinian state is an Israeli consensus,” read a statement attached to a map of the plan, which was emblazoned with the Israeli Defense Ministry logo. Smotrich has framed the decision to move forward with construction in E1 as retaliation to the recent announcements by Western states, among them Australia, Canada, and France, that they plan to recognize Palestine at the United Nations General Assembly meeting in September.”
Ursula von der Leyen calls for suspension of EU free trade with Israel (The Guardian 9/10/25)
“The European Commission president, Ursula von der Leyen, has called for a suspension of free trade with Israel, as she spoke of Europe’s “painful” inability to respond to the war on Gaza and ensuing humanitarian disaster. In her most extended condemnation yet of the Israeli government, von der Leyen criticised plans for illegal settlements that would split the occupied West Bank in half, as well as incitement of violence by extremist Israeli ministers, as a “clear attempt to undermine the two-state solution”.’ See also EU Commission chief seeks sanctions, partial trade freeze on Israel: What to know (Al Monitor 9/10/25); EU Leader Calls to Sanction Israel as U.S. Progressives Push to End Arms Sales (The Intercept 9/10/25); Spanish PM Pedro Sánchez says Israel is ‘exterminating a defenceless people’ (The Guardian 9/8/25);
Sanctions on Palestinian rights groups expand Trump’s fight with ICC (WaPo 9/7/25)
“The Trump administration is expanding its campaign against the International Criminal Court with new sanctions on three Palestinian human rights groups that have asked the ICC to investigate Israel over allegations of genocide in Gaza. Analysts say the designations by Secretary of State Marco Rubio could impede the court’s efforts to gather evidence of Israel’s conduct in its war against Hamas in Gaza. The designations Thursday prohibit U.S. entities from doing business with the Palestinian Center for Human Rights, the Al Mezan Center for Human Rights and Al-Haq…Without rights groups to help document war crimes, analysts say, ICC investigators could struggle to meet the evidentiary threshold to prosecute suspects. Brad Parker, an attorney for the New York-based Center for Constitutional Rights, described last week’s designations as “a cynical attempt to punish advocates leading the charge for accountability at the height of Israel’s U.S.-backed genocide against the Palestinian people.” Now, Parker said, the Palestinian-led groups will probably struggle to pay staff or raise money, and employees could risk civil and criminal penalties. “Everything will potentially grind to a halt,” he said. “It’s a vengeful attack intended to create an existential problem.” Analysts warned that U.S. sanctions could chill the entire human rights sector, dissuading groups from working with Palestinian organizations or the court.” See also FMEP Statement on the Sanctioning of Three Prominent Palestinian Human Rights Groups (9/12/25)
Secret Report Undercuts U.K. Condemnations of Pro-Palestinian Group (NYT 9/12/25)
“The British government has fiercely defended its decision to ban a pro-Palestinian group under a decades-old terrorism statute, a designation reserved mainly for Islamic militants and neo-Nazis. The rationale to outlaw the group, Palestine Action, was based on “clear advice and intelligence” after an “escalating campaign involving intimidation and sustained criminal damage,” Dan Jarvis, the security minister, said on Monday. Activists from the group have vandalized weapon factories and military equipment…Hundreds protesting the ban were arrested last weekend under the law, which also criminalizes public displays of support for groups categorized as terrorist organizations. Typically, such forms of expression are protected in Britain. But an intelligence assessment that helped shape the government’s decision to ban Palestine Action undercuts some officials’ broad claims about why it named the group a terrorist organization. A declassified version of the report obtained by The New York Times said a “majority of the group’s activity would not be classified as terrorism” under Britain’s legal definition.”
RIVER TO THE SEA
‘Show of humiliation’ as Israeli army lays siege to West Bank’s Tulkarem (Al Jazeera 9/12/25)
“Israeli forces have sealed off entrances to Tulkarem in the northern occupied West Bank, further escalating a campaign of raids, arrests and collective punishment that has displaced thousands of Palestinians as the military relentlessly destroys Gaza. Footage from Thursday night shared by residents showed soldiers marching Palestinians in lines through the streets in what many described as a humiliating show of force. Tulkarem Governor Abdullah Kamil appealed to the international community on Friday, urging the United Nations General Assembly, the Human Rights Council, and humanitarian groups to act against what he called “crimes” being committed against the city’s nearly 100,000 residents. Kamil said Israeli forces were “arbitrarily and unjustly” carrying out mass arrests, storming homes, destroying property and “terrorising children and women”, according to the Palestinian news agency Wafa. On Thursday, Israeli forces in Tulkarem were allegedly struck by what Israel called an explosive device that injured two Israeli soldiers.” See also Israel lays siege to West Bank’s Tulkarm after military vehicle hit by explosive device (Al Monitor 9/11/25)
Palestinian gunmen kill six people at Jerusalem bus stop (The Guardian 9/8/25)
“Palestinian gunmen opened fire at a crowded bus stop in the northern outskirts of Jerusalem on Monday, killing six people and injuring 12 others before being shot dead by an off-duty soldier and a civilian at the scene.” See also Hamas Fighters Claim Responsibility for Bus Stop Shooting in Jerusalem (NYT 9/9/25); 2 people are stabbed at a hotel outside Jerusalem. Israeli police say it’s a militant attack (AP 9/12/25);
Israeli-Russian graduate student freed after 903 days in captivity of Iraqi militant group (The Guardian 9/9/25)
“Israeli-Russian academic and Princeton student Elizabeth Tsurkov has been released after being kidnapped by an Iraqi Shia militia group and spending more than two years in captivity, Donald Trump said in a post on social media…Tsurkov went missing for months in Iraq in early 2023 and was confirmed alive in July 2023. She holds Israeli and Russian passports and entered Iraq using her Russian passport, according to the Israeli government, to do academic research on behalf of Princeton. Israel said she was abducted in Baghdad by pro-Iranian militants in March 2023. A video featuring Tsurkov was broadcast on Iraqi television in November of that year. The circumstances of Tsurkov’s release were not immediately clear.” See also Struggling to walk, Elizabeth Tsurkov embraces loved ones after return to Israel from captivity (TOI 9/11/25) and see also FMEP’s podcasts with Elizabeth Tsurkov: Israeli & Palestinian Response(s) to Russia’s Invasion of Ukraine (March 2022); The Extremist Through-Line in Israel’s Domestic & Regional Policies (June 2021); The Implications of the Israel-UAE Deal (Sept 2020); Thinking bigger about Israel’s role in a changing Middle East (Feb 2019)
Israeli army refusers defy harsher backlash to protest genocide (Oren Ziv//+972 Magazine 9/8/25)
“In total, 17 young Israelis have been jailed for publicly refusing the draft since the war started…While conscientious objection among drafted teens remains rare in Israeli society, Israel’s onslaught on Gaza has sparked a broader wave of refusal among reservists who have already completed their mandatory service.” See also Why some Israeli journalists only now are turning a lens on Gaza devastation (Dina Kraft//Christian Science Monitor 9/7/25); While Israeli Reservists Call to End Gaza War, These Diaspora Jews Are Gung-ho to Fight (Haaretz 9/9/25);
U.S. SCENE
Senators say US is complicit in Israel’s ethnic cleansing of Gaza (The Guardian 9/12/25)
“Two Democratic senators claim they have reached the “inescapable conclusion” that Israel is acting on a systematic plan to destroy and ethnically cleanse Palestinians from Gaza to force local people to leave, and they say the US is complicit. Chris Van Hollen of Maryland and Jeff Merkley of Oregon, both members of the Senate foreign relations committee, released their findings in a report on Thursday after returning from a congressional delegation to the Middle East where, they note, the destruction goes beyond bombs and bullets. They say they also found a systematic campaign to strangle humanitarian aid, which they call “using food as a weapon of war”. “The Netanyahu government has gone far beyond targeting Hamas to imposing collective punishment on all the people of Gaza,” Van Hollen said at a Thursday press conference. “What they’re doing, and what we witnessed, is putting those goals into action.”’
The chilling effect of Title VI investigations: the professors accused of antisemitism (The Guardian 9/11/25)
“Since the beginning of Israel’s war in Gaza, the federal government has launched 99 antisemitism investigations into universities – with a steep increase following Trump’s inauguration, according to the Middle East Studies Association (Mesa), which has been tracking them for a forthcoming study. Already, leading universities have reached settlements with the administration – including millions in payouts and a slew of measures ostensibly aimed at fighting antisemitism, even as a federal judge ruled last week in a suit brought by Harvard that the administration “used antisemitism as a smokescreen for a targeted, ideologically-motivated assault on this country’s premier universities”. Since October 2023, another 28 lawsuits have been filed against universities by students or outside groups accusing them of violating civil rights law by enabling antisemitism on campuses, and some have already resulted in multimillion-dollar settlements. As they have come under growing pressure, some schools have responded, advocates say, by throwing faculty under the bus – including by launching lengthy investigations over allegations they might have dismissed in the past.” See also A Bad Deal: By Adopting the IHRA Definition of Antisemitism, Universities are Sacrificing Academic Freedom (Kenneth Stern//Knight First Amendment Institute @ Columbia University 9/5/25)
LA Holocaust museum retracts social media post that said, ‘Never again can’t only mean never again for Jews’ (JTA 9/8/25)
“Amid sharp criticism, Los Angeles’ Holocaust museum deleted an Instagram post over the weekend that proclaimed, ”’Never again’ can’t only mean never again for Jews.” The museum apologized for the post and shot down speculation that it had been intended to suggest that Israel was committing genocide in Gaza.” See also Never Again for All, or for No One (Sean Pergola//Jewish Currents 9/12/25)
Murdered for speaking truth’: Netanyahu and US Jewish leaders mourn Charlie Kirk (The Forward 9/10/25)
“Kirk frequently characterized himself as a defender of the Jews and Israel, even as he faced criticism from across the spectrum over his comments about Jews and from the Anti-Defamation League and others over his role in the mainstreaming of the far right…In a backgrounder about Turning Point USA from the Anti-Defamation League, the ADL accused Kirk of creating a “vast platform for extremists and far-right conspiracy theorists” and promoting Christian nationalism. Rejecting the criticism, Kirk long framed himself as a defender of the Jews. “No non-Jewish person my age has a longer or clearer record of support for Israel, sympathy with the Jewish people, or opposition to antisemitism than I do,” he posted on X in April…But as recently as this April, he went on a rant on his show saying that Jews deny their whiteness and accusing them of anti-white hatred. “Jewish communities have been pushing the exact kind of hatred against whites that they claim to want people to stop using against them,” he said…In July, he posted a segment from his show on X in which he defended the country against allegations that it is starving Palestinians.”
Gaza War Turns New Yorkers Against Israel, With Mayor’s Race as Backdrop (NYT 9/10/25)
“The yawning gap of perspectives toward the conflict — 44 percent of registered New York City voters sympathized more with Palestinians; 26 percent sympathized more with Israel — is particularly stark given that the city is home to the largest Jewish population outside Israel. The poll also found that voters broadly think that criticizing Israel is not inherently antisemitic, 51 percent to 31 percent…These views have filtered down to the mayor’s race, which is currently led by Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani, the Democratic nominee who has aligned himself firmly with the plight of Palestinians, calling Israel’s actions in Gaza a “genocide.”…Mr. Adams and Mr. Cuomo have relentlessly criticized Mr. Mamdani’s stance on Israel, calling him an antisemite and terrorist sympathizer. The poll’s findings underscore just how much Mr. Adams and Mr. Cuomo may have misread the electorate by expending energy to attack Mr. Mamdani’s views on Israel. In fact, Mr. Mamdani had a slim lead among the poll’s relatively small sample of Jewish likely voters with about 30 percent support, closely followed by Mr. Adams and Mr. Cuomo…Overall, Mr. Mamdani leads the pack in terms of who voters think has best addressed the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, with 39 percent preferring his approach.” See also NYC voters say Mamdani best addressed the Israel-Palestinian conflict, poll shows (The Forward 9/9/25);
PERSPECTIVES//LONG READS
How Israel’s Gaza ‘disengagement’ planted the seeds of today’s genocide (Daniel Levy//+972 Magazine 9/10/25)
“In August 2005, when Israel implemented its “unilateral disengagement plan” in Gaza, it came as a rude jolt to the settler movement. The plan entailed the removal of 21 settlements in the Gaza Strip and an additional four in the northern West Bank, with a total of approximately 9,000 settlers relocated. The atmosphere in the country at the time felt as if a tipping point had been reached: it was Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, a stalwart of the Israeli right, who ordered the withdrawal of the Israeli military and illegal settlements from occupied Palestinian territory. Twenty years later, how Israel conducted the withdrawal of its settlements from Gaza — and subsequently narrated the fallout — can be understood as a critical juncture in the demise of the two-state paradigm. It was also a harbinger of what is now replacing it: not just separating from the Palestinians, relegated to shrinking Bantustans, but annihilating and erasing them…today, “Gaza First” has taken on a new meaning: Gaza as the opening site of messianic redemption and Palestinian annihilation, or in the current Israeli parlance, “total victory.” It is no surprise that the Israeli human rights group B’Tselem warns in its recent report that what is happening in Gaza is already being planned for the West Bank. The path from 2005 to 2025 was not preordained, but the contours are now clear — the consequences of political choices that were made then and now need to be unmade or reshaped. Describing this trajectory brings into sharper relief the need for a new political vision for all of historic Palestine, one that will have to come from outside the Zionist consensus.”
A Rogue State: Israel’s Strikes on Qatar and Regional Escalation (Yousef Munayyer//Arab Center DC 9/9/25)
“The strike on Doha this morning is the latest in a series of bombings that illustrate Israel’s increasingly brazen behavior as a rogue state. Qatar joins a growing list of countries— including Palestine, Iran, Lebanon, Syria, Tunisia, and Yemen—which Israel has targeted with military strikes in blatant disregard of national sovereignty and international law. The Doha strike fits a well established pattern of Israel breaking taboo after taboo, relentlessly pushing the boundaries of violence and destruction to normalize its policy of perpetual warfare. Israel’s failure to resolve the grievances of Palestinians has mushroomed into a policy of constant destabilization and destruction that reaches far beyond tiny, besieged Gaza, currently suffering genocidal assault and occupation by the Israeli armed forces…A key ally of Washington that hosts the largest US airbase, al-Udeid, in the Middle East, in May 2025 Qatar also welcomed a visit from President Donald Trump himself. None of this deterred the Israeli strike. As a rogue state, Israel is willing to cross any red line and break any international law. For governments in Amman, Cairo, Riyadh, and Ankara, Israel’s strike against a US ally this morning should sound major alarms. Currently led by an indicted war criminal, Benjamin Netanyahu, and governed by a coalition government hell-bent on expansionism and ethnic cleansing, Israel shows no signs of stopping its ever-expanding war on the region—and on the very notion of peace and stability.” See also: Striking a US Ally: Israel’s Attack on Qatar and the Erosion of Regional Stability (Hanna Alshaikh, Charles W. Dunne, Khalil E. Jahshan, Tamara Kharroub, Yousef Munayyer, Kristian Coates Ulrichsen//Arab Center DC 9/9/25)
Thank You for Boycotting Me: As an Israeli Filmmaker, Here’s Why Global Pressure Amid Gaza Matters (Avigail Sperber//Haaretz 9/10/25)
“This week, a letter signed by thousands of my international colleagues in the film industry appeared in The Guardian calling for a boycott of Israeli filmmakers, film festivals and Israeli films over the war in Gaza. I am a documentary film maker who has been working in Israel for over 30 years. This boycott would affect me and my colleagues. But following my defensive reaction, I understood the truth. What we Israelis need most from the world is to boycott us…Perhaps the pain of cultural isolation is a necessary price to pay to end this horrific war and start healing this wounded and bleeding region. International pressure challenges our comfortable identity as “the good Israelis,” which allows us to continue operating within the state-funded systems, while maintaining a sense of moral opposition. Boycotts re-frame our participation in state-sponsored festivals not as independent creators, but as complicit representatives of the State of Israel. They hold up a mirror and ask us: Is your state-sanctioned dissent a meaningful act of resistance, or is it merely a licensed and harmless way for the state to maintain a façade of acceptability in the world of democratic nations?…We need to topple our government. We need to refuse to serve in the army. We must go on a general strike, stop making films, stop sending our children to school, stop buying things, stop functioning. Shut it all down until the horror that is being done in our name stops.
Peter Beinart: ‘What Israel Is Doing in the Name of the Jewish People Is a Desecration’ (Haaretz 9/12/25)
“From liberal Zionist to one of Zionism’s fiercest critics: The Jewish American commentator discusses his radical shift”
Gaza aid flotilla carrying Greta Thunberg reports second drone attack in 24 hours (The Guardian 9/10/25)
“A flotilla seeking to break Israel’s aid blockade of Gaza has said it was attacked by a drone for the second time in less than 24 hours. The Global Sumud Flotilla (GSF), which is carrying pro-Palestinian activists, including Greta Thunberg, said in a statement early on Wednesday that it had been attacked by another drone, which dropped an incendiary device on one of its boats, the Alma, as it was moored in the port of Sidi Bou Said in Tunisia. None of the passengers or crew were harmed and no structural damage was caused, it said…The reported attack came a day after GSF said that another one of its vessels had been struck by a drone in Tunisian waters…The flotilla is supported by delegations from 44 countries, including Thunberg and the leftwing Portuguese politician Mariana Mortágua. Four Italian politicians– an MP, a senator and two MEPs – are expected to join the flotilla.”
Actors and directors pledge not to work with Israeli film groups ‘implicated in genocide’ (The Guardian 9/10/25)
“Thousands of actors, directors and other film industry professionals have signed a new pledge vowing not to work with Israeli film institutions they say are “implicated in genocide and apartheid against the Palestinian people”…Signatories include film-makers Yorgos Lanthimos, Ava DuVernay, Asif Kapadia, Boots Riley and Joshua Oppenheimer; and actors Olivia Colman, Mark Ruffalo, Tilda Swinton, Javier Bardem, Ayo Edebiri, Riz Ahmed, Josh O’Connor, Cynthia Nixon, Julie Christie, Ilana Glazer, Rebecca Hall, Aimee Lou Wood and Debra Winger…On Wednesday, the letter surpassed 3,900 signatories. Among the new signatories are Joaquin Phoenix, Rooney Mara, Emma Stone, James Schamus, Peter Sarsgaard, Lily Gladstone, Nicola Coughlan, Harris Dickinson, Bowen Yang, Guy Pearce, Jonathan Glazer, Ebon Moss-Bachrach, Fisher Stevens, Abbi Jacobson, Eric Andre, Elliot Page, Payal Kapadia and Emma D’Arcy, Variety reported. The pledge, shared exclusively with the Guardian, claims to draw inspiration from the cultural boycott that contributed to the end of apartheid in South Africa.” See also Jerry Seinfeld says people who say ‘Free Palestine’ are worse than the Ku Klux Klan (NBC 9/10/25);
Homeless and Hungry, Gazans Fear a Repeat of 1948 History (Raja Abdulrahim//NYT 9/7/25)
“Israel’s war in Gaza has displaced most of the 2.2 million Palestinian residents from their homes. Many of them fear it will be permanent, a reprise of the Nakba….For many Palestinians, the Nakba is not only a traumatic memory but also a matter of identity. About 1.7 million of the 2.2 million people in Gaza are either refugees from the war surrounding the establishment of Israel in 1948 or their descendants, according to the U.N. And while most have never lived outside Gaza, many consider themselves refugees from the lands their families fled — including villages nearly wiped off the map. Survivors of the 1948 war say that hundreds of thousands of Palestinians were told at the time that they would be allowed to return to their villages in what is now Israel after a few days or weeks. Many just took a few belongings and the keys to their front doors. They were not allowed back…In the current war in Gaza, incendiary comments by Israeli leaders raised Palestinian fears that history was about to repeat itself. “We are now rolling out the Gaza Nakba,” the Israeli agriculture minister, Avi Dichter, said a few weeks into the war. “Gaza Nakba 2023.”…Human rights groups counter that the war has rendered so much of Gaza uninhabitable that it is leading to permanent displacement, a potential war crime. Some, like Human Rights Watch, call the displacement an intentional part of Israeli policy that amounts to a crime against humanity. Two prominent Israeli groups have joined some other international organizations in accusing the government of committing genocide for killing tens of thousands of Palestinians, razing huge areas, displacing nearly all of Gaza’s population and restricting food.” See also Zionism: 77 Years of Expulsion (Hagai El-Ad//Haaretz 9/10/25)