1. New from FMEP

2. Gaza

3. Region//Global

4. River to the Sea

5. U.S. Scene

6. Activism//Universities

7. Perspectives//Long Reads 

NEW FROM FMEP

The Attack on Academic Freedom (Occupied Thoughts Podcast)

FMEP Fellow Peter Beinart speaks with Professor Sahar Aziz of Rutgers University about the current attacks on academic freedom and why the US House of Representatives is investigating Rutgers and its Center for Security, Race and Rights, which Sahar directs. They also discuss the dangers of exceptionalizing Israel and the future of American universities more broadly.

Why Palestine Is Part of (& Central To) the Movement for Climate Justice (Occupied Thoughts Podcast)

FMEP Fellow Rania Batrice speaks to Mary Annaïse Heglar, a climate justice writer and essayist. The two discuss the intersection of the movement for Palestinian liberation and the movement for climate justice, why and how the two converge around indigineity and people’s relationship to the land – – as well as a holistic vision for organizing for justice that centers the ongoing settler colonialism happening in Palestine.

FMEP Legislative Round-Up: May 3, 2024 (Lara Friedman)

1. Bills, Resolutions; 2. Congress Continues to Stoke Hysteria Over Student Protests for Palestinian Rights; 3. Letters; 4. Hearings & Markups; 5. Selected Media & Press releases/Statements See also the Legislative Round-Up from April 26, 2024

Settlement & Annexation Report: May 3, 2024 (Kristin McCarthy)

“1) IDF Dismantles Outpost; 2) Smotrich Accuses Netanyahu of Freezing Settlement Construction, Despite Major Advances; 3) U.K. Sanctions Lehava, Hilltop Youth; 4) Bonus Reads”

GAZA

Israel will invade Gaza’s Rafah ‘with or without’ a hostage deal, Netanyahu says (NPR)
“”The idea that we will halt the war before achieving all of its goals is out of the question. We will enter Rafah and we will eliminate the Hamas battalions there — with or without a deal — in order to achieve the total victory,” Netanyahu said, according to a statement released by his office. More than a million displaced Palestinians have fled to Rafah, the city along the Gaza Strip’s southern border with Egypt. For months, Israel’s military has vowed to stage an offensive there in order to combat what it says are Hamas operatives and infrastructure located there. Fearing a high civilian death toll and a worsening of Gaza’s already dire humanitarian situation, aid groups and international leaders, including the United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres, have urged Israel to scale back its plans or cancel the offensive entirely. More than 34,000 Palestinians have been killed in Israel’s military offensive since Oct. 7, health officials in Gaza say.” See also from Al Monitor: CIA chief arrives in Egypt ahead of Hamas delegation, for Gaza talks; Hamas returns to Egypt, Israel cabinet convenes amid Gaza cease-fire push; Pressure builds for Gaza cease-fire as Israel readies to invade Rafah; Families of Hostages Threaten to ‘Lay Siege’ to Israeli Leaders if Deal Falls Through (Haaretz); U.S. hasn’t seen moves needed to support Rafah invasion, Austin says (Jewish Insider); Qatari Official Says Israeli Operation in Rafah Would Prevent Hostage Deal (Haaretz); Blinken warned PM that Rafah op would likely shut closing window for Saudi deal – officials (Times of Israel); Israel’s Far-right Minister Smotrich Calls for ‘No Half Measures’ in the ‘Total Annihilation’ of Gaza (Haaretz)

Exclusive: USAID officials say Israel breached US directive on Gaza aid (Devex 4/26/24)

“Israel is in violation of a White House directive requiring recipients of American military assistance to comply with international humanitarian law and permit the unimpeded delivery of U.S.-funded humanitarian support, USAID officials concluded in a confidential United States paper reviewed by Devex.” See also World Central Kitchen resumes aid work in Gaza (WaPo); Dangers for Palestinian aid workers stall deal on US-built Gaza pier (Al Monitor); Cost of Gaza pier increases to $320m, US official says (Middle East Eye); Gaza is the most lethal place in the world to be an aid worker (New Arab);

A Gaza team went to repair a telecoms machine. An Israeli tank fired at them (Yuval Abraham//+972)

“The repair operation was coordinated in advance and in real time with the Israeli military, which also sent the team a detailed map of the area specifying the routes they were authorized to take. The Palestinian men completed the repair job and, by early afternoon, had set off on their return journey to the city of Rafah. But then, without warning, an Israeli tank fired a shell directly at one of the team’s clearly-marked vehicles, killing two technicians…Witness testimony and video footage from the scene, along with the map that the army provided to the technicians and testimony from an Israeli intelligence source, reveal that the army killed the Paltel employees despite the team closely following instructions. This incident did not receive nearly as much publicity as the Israeli army’s shooting of three Israeli hostages waving a white flag in December, nor the drone strikes that killed seven World Central Kitchen employees driving in clearly-marked vehicles last month. But the killing of the Paltel employees has several parallels with these other two incidents. It, too, shines a light on two recurring features of Israel’s seven-month onslaught in Gaza: the disorderly coordination between Israeli forces on the ground, and the army’s trigger-happy conduct toward anyone found inside designated “kill zones” where those forces are operating.” See also Israeli airstrikes take place in Gaza areas Israel had designated as ‘safe zones’ (NBC News); Israeli strikes kill at least 40 Palestinians in Gaza, as ceasefire talks begin (Reuters 4/29/24);

In war-battered Gaza, residents grow angry with Hamas (WaPo)

“More than six months into the war in Gaza and with dimming hopes for a cease-fire deal, Palestinians there are growing more critical of Hamas, which some of them blame for the months-long conflict that has destroyed the territory — and their lives…while the majority of Palestinians in Gaza blame Israel for their suffering, according to polling conducted in March, they also appear to be turning their ire toward the militants. In interviews with more than a dozen residents of Gaza, people said they resent Hamas for the attacks in Israel and — war-weary and desperate to fulfill their basic needs — just want to see peace as soon as possible…The anger mounting now in the enclave appears centered on stalled cease-fire talks, with Hamas insisting on a permanent truce and Israel’s full withdrawal from Gaza before it hands over any hostages.”

We’ve shown Gaza’s suffering for over 200 days. Don’t look away now (Mohammed R. Mhawish//+972)

“The Israeli government wants us to be voiceless. It continues to forbid foreign journalists from entering and reporting inside the Strip. And it has attempted to silence Palestinian journalists directly: the Israeli army repeatedly texted and called my phone in an attempt to coerce me to stop writing and to abandon my journalistic responsibilities. It was tempting to prioritize my safety, but I couldn’t ignore the oppressive conditions my people are facing. If Palestinian journalists were to stop doing our job, who would fill the void? The mainstream media cannot, and will not, champion our struggle as we do. As long as their notion of “neutrality” reigns supreme, our suffering and dismissed humanity fall on deaf ears. In today’s context, neutrality equates to siding with the oppressor while witnessing the oppressed get killed on live broadcasts, their deaths unjustly rationalized under the flimsy pretext of the powerful’s right to “self-defense.”’

“We’ve Become Addicted to Explosions” The IDF Unit Responsible for Demolishing Homes Across Gaza (Bellingcat)

“It’s estimated that more than 50% of Gaza’s buildings have been destroyed or damaged and approximately 1.7 million people have been displaced since the offensive began…behind each ruined building, each demolished minaret, each pile of rubble, there is a decision and an action which has been carried out by a specific unit or person. We used social media to track a single IDF combat engineering battalion, 8219 Commando, as they moved across Gaza, demolishing tunnels, houses, and mosques…We noticed that soldiers from 8219 openly posted about their experiences inside Gaza, providing a window into military operations that rarely opens when looking at official sources. One member of 8219, a captain, wrote posts about his experience in the form of a war diary, noting where they were, and what they destroyed. These posts, combined with social media posts by other members of 8219, include videos, pictures and statements describing the unit’s experience of war. We geolocated each video or image of a demolition, verifying exactly where it took place. We then used satellite imagery from Planet Labs to determine when the demolition had occurred. We used all these sources to build up a picture of where 8219 went, what it demolished and why.” See also A U.N. report says rebuilding all the homes destroyed in Gaza could take 80 years. (NYT)

War on Gaza: Prominent Palestinian doctor tortured and killed in Israeli detention (Middle East Eye)

“Adnan al-Bursh, a Palestinian surgeon and professor of orthopaedic medicine, was killed by torture while in Israeli detention, according to a statement from the Palestinian Prisoners’ Society. In what has been termed a “deliberate assassination”, Bursh, 50, died in the Israel-controlled Ofer prison in the occupied West Bank on 19 April, according to the Palestinian Civil Affairs Committee, and his body remains withheld…Bursh was the head of orthopaedic medicine at al-Shifa hospital in Gaza City and had been arrested in December, around the same time that he had reportedly been wounded by Israeli bombardment at the Indonesian hospital in northern Gaza…Francesca Albanese, the United Nations special rapporteur on the occupied Palestinian Territories, said today that she was “extremely alarmed” at the death of the prominent doctor.” See also ‘We were tortured and starved’: Released Palestinian prisoners reveal horrific levels of oppression in Israeli jails (New Arab)

REGION/GLOBAL

ICC demands end to threats against court amid Gaza war probe (Al Jazeera)

“The prosecutor’s office at the International Criminal Court (ICC) has appealed for an end to what it calls intimidation of its staff, saying such threats could constitute an offence against the “administration of justice” by the world’s permanent war crimes court. The Hague-based office of ICC Prosecutor Karim Khan said in a statement on Friday that all attempts to impede, intimidate or improperly influence its officials must cease immediately. While the prosecutor’s statement did not mention Israel, it was issued after Israeli and US officials have warned of consequences against the ICC if it issues arrest warrants over Israel’s war on Gaza.” See also Israel tells U.S. it will punish Palestinian Authority if ICC issues warrants (Axios); ICC warns against intimidation amid rumors of warrants for Israel PM, others (Al Monitor); Israel braces for ICC warrants against Netanyahu, Gallant (Al Monitor); Scoop: Congress threatens ICC over Israeli arrest warrants (Axios); Scoop: Senators meet with ICC over concerns about possible Israel arrest warrants (Axios); What will happen if the ICC charges Netanyahu with war crimes? (Kenneth Roth//The Guardian)

Turkey stops all trade with Israel over ‘humanitarian tragedy’ in Gaza (Guardian)

““Export and import transactions related to Israel have been stopped, covering all products,” Turkey’s trade ministry said late on Thursday. “Turkey will strictly and decisively implement these new measures until the Israeli government allows an uninterrupted and sufficient flow of humanitarian aid to Gaza.”’ See also Israel says will limit Turkish trade with Palestinians, seek sanctions against Ankara (Times of Israel); Houthis say they will target Israel-bound ships anywhere within their range (Al Jazeera); Colombia will break relations with Israel over its actions in Gaza, Petro says (NPR); As Turkey Cuts Trade Ties, Israel’s Isolation Grows (NYT)

Gaza ‘freedom flotilla’ blocked in Turkey (Middle East Eye)

“A “freedom flotilla” aimed at delivering aid to Gaza was blocked in Turkey on Saturday after being denied the use of two of its ships, which organisers blame on Israeli pressure. The coalition of NGOs and other associations said it was unable to set sail after the West African country of Guinea-Bissau withdrew its flagged vessels, according to AFP.” See also Rival Palestinian groups Fatah and Hamas meet in China (Al Jazeera)

RIVER TO THE SEA

This Wasn’t an Uncontrolled Mob of Settlers. It Was a Well-orchestrated Assault (Amira Hass//Haaretz)

“30 members of a single family were among the Palestinians attacked by settlers in the village of Al-Mughayyir in the West Bank in April. Their descriptions of those terrifying moments indicate that this was anything but a spontaneous attack” See also The Attack on This West Bank Village by Jewish Settlers Was Anything but Spontaneous (Haaretz Editorial Board)

Since the War Began, Entire Areas of the West Bank Have Been Emptied of Their Communities (Hagar Shezaf//Haaretz)

“October 7 brought settler violence to a head in the West Bank: 18 Palestinian herding communities have since been uprooted from their homes, with the residents now living in makeshift dwellings on the outskirts of other villages, impoverished and anxious for the future..According to estimates by researcher Dror Etkes from the Kerem Navot nongovernmental organization that monitors the Israeli settlement and land management policy in the West Bank, there are currently some 125,000 dunams (31,000 acres) in the area that Palestinians are de facto prevented from entering due to fear of violence, and due to the restrictions imposed by the settlers and the army.” See also Israeli Settlers Aren’t Content With Expelling Palestinian Shepherds, They Also Steal Their Sheep (Amira Hass//Haaretz); Shin Bet Arrests Israeli on Suspicion of Murdering Palestinian During Riots After Murder of Teen in West Bank (Haaretz)

The orchestrated persecution of Nadera Shalhoub-Kevorkian (Shahrazad Odeh//+972)

“On April 18, Israeli police arrested Professor Nadera Shalhoub-Kevorkian, a renowned Palestinian scholar and my former academic supervisor at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. They kept her in detention overnight — in conditions designed to break her spirit, like other Palestinian political prisoners — before a court ordered her release, rejecting the police’s demand to extend her time behind bars. The arrest and ensuing interrogations are the latest phase in the Israeli authorities’ crusade against the professor, who is a vocal advocate of Palestinian rights and an outspoken critic of Zionism. Shalhoub-Kevorkian’s incarceration was clearly intended to be as cruel and dehumanizing as possible. According to her family, police officers raided her house in the Old City of Jerusalem without warning, searching and confiscating her books, papers, notes, and interview transcripts. During her interrogation and detention, the officers subjected the 64-year-old to ill-treatment and practices that amount to forms of torture: she was strip-searched, yelled and cursed at, and thrown in a cold, isolated, and urine-smelling cell infested with cockroaches; the cell was kept illuminated throughout the night with bright, buzzing lights to prevent her from sleeping; and for some of the time her hands and feet were shackled…The hearings show that the arrest warrant and interrogation were instigated directly in response to her interview on the Makdisi Street podcast last month, particularly regarding her remarks calling to abolish Zionism.”

 

U.S. SCENE

U.S. diplomat explains why she quit Biden administration over Gaza war (WaPo)
“Nearly seven months into the administration’s unstinting support for Israel in its war against Hamas, [Hala] Rharrit became the first career diplomat to resign in protest of what she called a policy that will set back Washington’s interests in the Arab world for a generation. She told The Washington Post she felt the continued flow of U.S. arms to Israel was enabling the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and inflaming anger toward Washington in the Arab world. Inside the State Department, she said, diplomats are afraid to express viewpoints contrary to official policy, unlike most other issues during her career, where robust discussion was the norm.” See also Exclusive: Some US officials say in internal memo Israel may be violating international law in Gaza (Reuters 4/27/24)

US finds five Israeli military units guilty of ‘gross human rights violations’ (Middle East Eye)

“The US has found five Israeli units guilty of gross human rights violations, the State Department said on Monday. The State Department said it had confirmed “individual incidents of gross violations of human rights” against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank before the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on 7 October. “After a careful process, we found five Israeli units responsible for individual incidents of gross violations of human rights. All of these were incidents much before October 7th and none took place in Gaza,” State Department deputy spokesperson Vedant Patel said Monday. “Four of these units have effectively remediated these violations, which is what we expect partners to do… For a remaining unit, we continue to be in consultations and engagements with the government of Israel.” Patel said the findings would not impact arms transfers.” See also Attorneys inside and outside the administration urge Biden to cut off arms to Israel (Politico)

US House passes controversial bill that expands definition of anti-Semitism (Al Jazeera)

“If the bill were to become law, it would codify a definition of anti-Semitism created by the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) in Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. That is a federal anti-discrimination law that bars discrimination based on shared ancestry, ethnic characteristics or national origin. Adding IHRA’s definition to the law would allow the federal Department of Education to restrict funding and other resources to campuses perceived as tolerating anti-Semitism. But critics warn IHRA’s definition could be used to stifle campus protests against Israel’s war in Gaza, which has claimed the lives of 34,568 Palestinians so far.” See also US House okays bill codifying controversial antisemitism definition amid campus tumult (Times of Israel); House passes bill to expand definition of antisemitism amid growing campus protests over Gaza war (AP News); ACLU Urges House of Representatives to Oppose Anti-semitism Awareness Act (ACLU); House vote on IHRA codification likely to divide Democrats (Jewish Insider);

How US violates its own Leahy Law to ensure military support for Israel (Ali Harb//Al Jazeera)

“Named after retired US Senator Patrick Leahy, the rules under the Foreign Assistance Act prohibit military assistance to forces engaged in gross violations of human rights…Leahy rules require cutting off units that commit gross violations of human rights from US funding…Has the Leahy Law ever been applied to Israel? No.” See also Leahy Law: Here’s What You Need to Know About the Law Roiling U.S.-Israel Ties (Haaretz)

The Anti-Defamation League Has Abandoned Some of the People It Exists to Protect (Slate)

“But the ADL, under the leadership of Greenblatt, is insisting on conflating anti-Zionism and antisemitism, and it has made this conflation central to the ADL’s work. This has not only muddied the waters of its own antisemitism research, it has also undermined the safety, security, and pluralism of American Jews. For example, the ADL reportedly mapped protests for a cease-fire led by the Jewish groups Jewish Voice for Peace and IfNotNow as antisemitic incidents. The ADL also, in its report on antisemitism this year, updated its methodology to include certain anti-Israel incidents in its calculation of how much antisemitism had risen. This not only makes it more difficult to see what the actual year-over-year change in antisemitic incidents was—of course an increase will seem more dramatic if you are now counting incidents that you weren’t before—but it also arguably undermines the rest of the ADL’s reporting on antisemitism. If the group tracking antisemitism considers pro-Palestinian speech or differences in foreign policy preferences to be motivated by antisemitism, how seriously will those who disagree with the ADL on foreign policy take its calls to tackle antisemitism? At least as troubling as the new research methods, though, are the statements and posture of Greenblatt himself.” See also Large Jewish organizations boycotted a meeting with the education secretary because progressive Jewish groups would be present (Ron Kampeas//JTA); ADL Director Jonathan Greenblatt: “First, President Shafik must invite NYPD back on campus or @GovKathyHochul should direct the National Guard to protect our kids.”

 

ACTIVISM//UNIVERSITIES

What’s Really Happening on College Campuses, According to Student Journalists (Politico)

“Over 50 schools. Nearly 2,000 arrests. One canceled graduation ceremony — so far. We’re in the midst of the most widespread campus unrest since the 1960s, sparked by the war between Israel and Hamas. Over the last two weeks, campus protests have escalated, with pro-Palestinian tent encampments set up in public spaces, triggering counterprotests and, on more than 30 campuses, clashes with police. With so many incidents taking place in so many places, it’s hard for anyone to grasp what’s really happening at America’s universities right now. So POLITICO Magazine reached out this week to top student journalists, who have been reporting on the turmoil at the ground level for weeks and months. As neutral observers able to interact with all sides, they can provide unique insights, even as they watch friends get arrested or worry if their graduation ceremonies will even take place. Over email and phone calls the past week, editors-in-chief of campus publications from 13 different colleges and universities told us how support for Palestine has surged over the last seven months, how their peers define antisemitism and what the political consequences of these protests might be. They come from a wide variety of campuses all over the country, but collectively, the group painted a picture of students fighting to be heard by leadership — both on campus and nationally.” See also Manhattan DA investigating after officer fired gun inside Columbia University – as it happened (Guardian); I’ve Covered Violent Crackdowns on Protests for 15 Years. This Police Overreaction Was Unhinged. (Natasha Lennard//Intercept)

Palestine is Everywhere 

“An interactive map of Gaza Solidarity Encampments around the world…Students throughout the United States have set up encampments on their campuses in solidarity with the Palestinian people. They are protesting their universities’ investments and complicity in the ongoing genocide, occupation, and ethnic cleansing of the Palestinian people. This map captures the emergence of widespread support for the Palestinian resistance as more colleges and universities rise up each day. The students will not stop until their demands are met.”

Striking deals to end protests, a few colleges agree to review investments in Israel (Times of Israel)

“Anti-war demonstrations ceased this week at a small number of US universities after school leaders struck deals with anti-Israel protesters, fending off possible disruptions of final exams and graduation ceremonies. The agreements at schools including Brown, Northwestern and Rutgers stand out amidst the chaotic scenes and 2,300-plus arrests on 44 campuses across the nation since April 17…Deals included commitments by universities to at least review their investments in Israel or to hear calls to stop doing business with the Middle East nation, a longtime US ally.” See also Brown University board to vote on Israel divestment following agreement with protesters (JTA)

From UCLA to Columbia, Professors Nationwide Defend Students as Politicians and Police Attack (Prem Thakker//The Intercept)

“The faculty intervention at UCLA is just one of the latest examples of college professors putting their bodies and livelihoods on the line in defense of their students who are protesting their tax and tuition dollars contributing to a plausible genocide. At schools across the country, faculty have locked arms to form a protective barrier in front of their students and have been arrested and brutalized themselves.“This moment has actually brought faculty together in a way I’ve never experienced in 20 years on campus. I’ve found myself working closely with colleagues I’d never met before,” Columbia University history professor Nara Milanich told The Intercept. “People have dropped everything to support students and respond to this moment.”’ See also I’m a UCLA professor. Why didn’t the administration stop last night’s egregious violence? (David Myers//Forward); Statement from History Professor Steve Tamari; when St. Louis County police arrested him at the Washington University protest, they broke his hand and nine of his ribs; Letter to Columbia President Minouche Shafik (Robin D.G. Kelley//Boston Review): “You are keeping no one safe, except for your donors, trustees, and the university’s endowment.”; ‘They’re Obviously Not Antisemitic Protests’: Jewish Yale University Professor Speaks Out (Zeteo); Listen to Columbia History Professor Rashid Khalidi address students on May 2, 2024 (Middle East Eye); As Police Clear Encampments, Professors Arrested Along With Students (Inside Higher Ed); “A Student Rebellion Against the Hypocrisy of Their Elders” – USC Prof & Pulitzer Prize-Winning Author Viet Thanh Nguyen (Zeteo)

UCLA clashes: Pro-Palestinian protesters attacked by Israel supporters (Al Jazeera)

“A demonstration against Israel’s war on Gaza at the University of California in Los Angeles (UCLA) turned violent when a vigilante pro-Israel mob attacked a solidarity encampment occupied by peaceful pro-Palestinian protesters. Witnesses said the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) only intervened after nearly four hours of the attacks, which started overnight into Wednesday when masked pro-Israel counter-demonstrators, who appeared in their hundreds from outside the university campus, hurled fireworks into the encampment. The attackers, carrying Israeli flags, then tried to tear down the pro-Palestinian camp, assaulting students with pepper spray, sticks, stones and metal fencing. Police stood by, failing to protect students, who re-commandeered the metal fencing thrown at them to shield themselves, said Joey Scott, an investigative journalist speaking to Al Jazeera from the scene.” See alsoAfter violent night at UCLA, classes cancelled, UC president launches investigation into response (LA Times 4/30/24); Four UCLA student journalists attacked by pro-Israel counterprotesters on campus (LA Times 5/1/24); Fresh chaos, arrests on US college campuses as police flatten camp at UCLA (Reuters)

The Student-Led Protests Aren’t Perfect. That Doesn’t Mean They’re Not Right. (Lydia Polgreen//NYT)

“What I saw were moving, creative and peaceful protests by people seeking to end the slaughter in Gaza, where more than 34,000 people have died, a majority of them women and children…But while reporting on the protests up close gave me insight into how unsettling some aspects of activism can be, it doesn’t mean the protesters’ actions are misguided. These young people seek a worthy cause: to end what may be the most brutal military operation for civilians in the 21st century…On campus, I spoke to Muslim and Arab students who told me how frightened and angry they were. I spoke to Jewish students who participated in the pro-Palestinian protests and scoffed at the notion that the protests endangered them. I also spoke to Jewish students who told me that they felt the protests targeted them as Jews and made them fear for their safety…Whether you are watching student protesters on social media or experiencing the protests in person, the way you understand these protests depends on your perception of what they are protesting. It could not be otherwise. If you feel that what is happening in Gaza is a moral atrocity, the student protests will look like a brave stand against American complicity in what they believe is genocide — and a few hateful slogans amid thousands of peaceful demonstrators will look like a minor detail. If you feel the Gaza war is a necessarily violent defense against terrorists bent on destroying the Jewish state, the students will seem like collaborators with murderous antisemitism — even if many of them are Jewish.” See also White House condemns student takeover of Columbia U building and protesters’ use of ‘intifada’ (JTA); Jewish Organizing at Columbia’s Encampment (Jewish Currents); Columbia Students File Civil Rights Complaint After NYPD Arrests, National Guard Threat (Palestine Legal);

How the Right Turned Protest Into A Criminal Enterprise (Mother Jones)

“America’s police forces are at war with college students. Inspired by students who set up encampments on Columbia University’s lawn, more than 90 college campuses across 40 states have set up similar actions to protest their schools’ investments in Israel. Some have set up camps, while others have staged sit-ins or occupied buildings, but nearly all have been confronted by highly militarized police departments brought in by administrators. At least 2,200 people have been arrested so far, according to the Appeal, and not all of them are students. Texas state police attacked and arrested a photojournalist after falsely claiming he pushed an officer. Another 28 people were arrested by Georgia police at Emory University last week, including an economics professor who was violently assaulted after questioning an officer’s conduct. University leaders, like Columbia president Minouche Shafik, might claim to support their students’ right to political expression, but their willingness to unleash police on pro-Palestinian protests empowers a longstanding, escalating campaign to criminalize dissent.” See also READ: Joe Biden’s remarks on civil unrest and nationwide protests (CNN)

Inside NYU’s generation-defining protests for Palestine (Naim Mousa//+972)

“New York University (NYU), where I study, has seen the largest pro-Palestine protests in its history, with hundreds of students erecting an encampment on campus in solidarity with Palestinians and protesting against what they perceive as the university’s complicity in Israel’s ongoing war on Gaza. Yet the reporting surrounding these protests has been riddled with false accusations and misinformation, including claims that the encampment made the campus unsafe and violated university policies. Having participated in and been witness to the protests myself, I want to set the record straight.”

Israeli media’s inevitable hysteria over U.S. campus protests (Anat Saragusti//+972)

“It’s been a long time since we’ve seen news coverage as shallow as the Israeli media’s coverage of the pro-Palestine demonstrations on college campuses across the United States in recent days…The conflation of these distinct concepts [antisemitism, anti-Israelism, pro-Palestinianism] creates a sense among Israelis that Jews are being widely persecuted in New York City. It suggests that the Israeli news correspondents standing at the entrance of the Manhattan campus are on an information-gathering mission of national importance, reporting from behind enemy lines and peering into the depraved core of anti-Jewish hate. This is the same media ecosystem that, for nearly seven months, has utterly neglected its most basic duty to show viewers, listeners, and readers in Israel what their military is doing to Palestinians in Gaza. Only those Israelis who choose to consume foreign media understand that the student-led protests are indicative of a huge and rapidly proliferating wave of demonstrations in solidarity with Palestinians and against Israel and Israeli policy in Gaza, not an inexplicable outburst of antisemitism. These two trends — the Israeli media’s unbending self-censorship in its coverage of the devastation in Gaza, and its framing of the pro-Palestinian demonstrations in the U.S. as antisemitic — are closely linked. Simply put, those who are not aware of what Israel is doing in Gaza cannot understand the reaction of those who are.”

Anatomy of a Moral Panic (Adam Haber and Matylda Figlerowicz//Jewish Currents)

“The discourse around the “new antisemitism” shares this three-part structure [of moral panics]. First, the theory’s proponents acknowledge that antisemitism has a long history as a mode of hatred and discrimination. Yet there is an explicit attempt to present it as new, modifying its meaning so it can be specifically marshaled to support the Israeli state. Secondly, this “new antisemitism,” the argument goes, is bad in itself, but it is also a warning sign of other social ills—most of all, of the dangerous radicalization of the left, and of the impending rise of other forms of hate. And, finally, the rise of antisemitism is posited as self-evident, clear for anyone to understand; yet the source of antisemitism is presented as opaque, such that expert analysts of the “new antisemitism” are required to reveal the purported threats of left-wing movements. This script recurs again and again in moments when Israel faces increased international criticism for its violence against Palestinian people. Like other moral panics, this one is a sign of a crisis—in this case, the crisis of Zionism, but also US imperialism more broadly. Now that an unprecedented number of people have joined the movement protesting US support for what many experts have classified as genocide in Gaza, it’s no surprise that the wheels of the “new antisemitism” narrative machine are furiously turning. The theory of moral panics can help us understand its mechanisms of repression.”

PERSPECTIVES//LONG READS

The Palestinian Resistance Isn’t a Monolith (Bashir Abu Manneh//Jacobin)

“As Palestinians reckon with the genocide being inflicted on them and their prospects for national liberation, it does them a disservice to flatten their political diversity and complex ongoing debates.”

Why human agency is still central to Israel’s AI-powered warfare (Sophia Goodfriend//+972)

“Following +972’s ‘Lavender’ exposé, international law and AI experts explain how Israel’s top brass and global tech firms are implicated in the slaughter.”

Yes, it is genocide (Amos Goldberg,* translated from Hebrew by Sol Salbe//Medium)

“What is happening in Gaza is genocide because the level and pace of indiscriminate killing, destruction, mass expulsions, displacement, famine, executions, the wiping out of cultural and religious institutions, the crushing of elites (including the killing of journalists), and the sweeping dehumanisation of the Palestinians — create an overall picture of genocide, of a deliberate conscious crushing of Palestinian existence in Gaza.” *Amos Goldberg is a Holocaust and genocide researcher at the Hebrew University

As a Palestinian American, I can’t vote for Joe Biden any more. And I am not alone (Ahmed Moor//Guardian Day)

“For many, myself included, a vote for Biden is simply impermissible – the extent of the moral calamity is so great as to render a vote for Biden a vote for complicity. Our values in this country – freedom of speech, enterprise, equality before the law – are unique among countries and are worth fighting for. In the best expression of America, our values are regarded as inviolable, and they provide a roadmap for our activism. This country is bigger than Trump or Biden and while elections matter, they only gain meaning as a way of expressing our values. We cannot be the source of arms that destroy the lives of millions of people. We cannot abet a famine.” See also 5,000 miles away, a Michigan mayor at the center of the Gaza storm (WaPo)

‘Where Is the Palestinian Gandhi?’ (Nicholas Casey//NYT)

“Issa Amro, who has been arrested and beaten for simple acts of defiance, is trying to pursue nonviolent resistance in the West Bank at a time when violence has become inescapable.”