1. New from FMEP

2. Gaza

3. Region//Global

4. River to the Sea

5. U.S. Scene

6. Activism//Lawfare//Redefining Antisemitism to Stifle Criticism of Israel

7. Perspectives//Long Reads

NEW FROM FMEP

The Assault on the Khalidi Library in Jerusalem (Occupied Thoughts podcast 7/10/24)

FMEP Fellow Peter Beinart speaks with Columbia Professor Emeritus Rashid Khalidi about how and why Jewish settlers are trying to take over the Khalidi Library in Jerusalem and the history of Israel’s treatment of Palestinian educational institutions. They also reflect on the current war, looking at its impact on Palestinians, on U.S. politics, and the ways in which it is strengthening Hamas.

Witnessing in the West Bank & Gaza Strip (Occupied Thoughts podcast 7/3/24)

FMEP Fellow Rania Batrice speaks with Palestinian communication and advocacy specialist Riham Jafari about Gaza and the West Bank, focusing specifically on the impact of the last nine months on women and girls, on the health system in Gaza, and on the use of starvation as a weapon against the Palestinians in Gaza.

Settlement & Annexation Report: July 12, 2024 (Kristin McCarthy)

1. A Stunning, Expansive Time for Israel’s West Bank Annexation; 2) Civil Admin Seizes Patchwork of Plots as “State Land” in Order to Legalize the Evyatar Outpost; 3) Government Establishes Jurisdiction for New Settlement on World Heritage Site Near Bethlehem; 4) Settlers Takeover New Building in Hebron; 5) Historic Year for Land Grabs: Israel Seizes Over 3,000 Acres in the Jordan Valley as “State Land”; 6) Civil Admin Advances Plans to Legalize Three Outposts & Build 5k New Units Across West Bank; 7) Israeli Cabinet Gives Civil Admin Authority Over Antiquity Sites in Area B; 8) Israeli Cabinet Supports Knesset Considers Bill to Transfer West Bank Antiquities Control from Civil Admin to Domestic Body; 9) U.S. Issues New Round of Sanctions Against Settlers & Settler Organizations; 10) Israeli Court Orders 11 Families Out of Homes in Batan al-Hawa, Silwan; 11) Israeli Court Rules to Demolish Wadi Hilweh Info Center in Silwan; 12) Israeli Court Tells Settlers To Leave Khalidi Library in Old City of Jerusalem; 13) Israel to Advance 6,000+ Settlement Units in East Jerusalem in Coming Weeks; 14) Amidst Wave of Violence, Settlers Lead Progrom On Massafer Yatta Region; 15) Ariel Settlers Close Access Road to Palestinians; 16) IDF Demolishes Outposts, Clashes With Settlers; 17) Bonus Reads

 

​​FMEP Legislative Round-Up July 12, 2024 (Lara Friedman)

1. Bills, Resolutions; 2. Letters; 3. Hearings; 4. Israel/Palestine in 2024 Elex/Politics; 5. Selected Media & Press releases/Statements See also FMEP Legislative Round-Up July 5, 2024

GAZA

Bodies of about 60 Palestinians reportedly found after Israeli attack on Gaza City (WaPo 7/12/24)

“Emergency workers claim to have recovered the bodies of approximately 60 Palestinians from two districts of Gaza City after Israeli forces pulled back from days of battles with Hamas militants in the territory’s biggest urban area. The civil defence agency in Hamas-run Gaza on Friday said the bodies were found in the Tal al-Hawa and Al-Sinaa districts after the week-long offensive. “There are still missing people under the rubble of destroyed homes, which is difficult for our crews to reach,” the agency’s spokesperson Mahmud Bassal said. “There are reports that many people are missing since the first day of the incursion.” “There are many calls for help but we just cannot reach them. We just do not have enough crews,” Bassal added….The Israeli military and Shin Bet intelligence agency announced on Friday that they killed Ayman Shweidah, the deputy commander of Hamas’s Shujaiya battalion. The joint statement said he was involved in planning the 7 October attacks and took part in the fighting that followed.” See also Israel bombards Gaza City in one of the fiercest weeks of war, killing 26 (Reuters 7/11/24);

Israel toughens Gaza ceasefire demands just as optimism for deal growing (Axios 7/11/24)

“Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hardened his demands for a ceasefire and hostage deal with Hamas on Thursday, even as the White House expressed optimism that a deal was getting closer…Talks were making progress in part because Hamas had softened some of its positions, U.S. and Israeli officials say. But Netanyahu has responded to intelligence suggesting Hamas wants a ceasefire because of its weak military position by toughening his own stance.” See also Israel-Gaza war: US mediators making progress on ceasefire deal but still ‘gaps to close’, says Biden – as it happened (Guardian 7/12/24); Israel will send cease-fire negotiators to Cairo for more talks, Netanyahu says (AP 7/11/24); Israeli government accused of trying to sabotage Gaza ceasefire proposal (Guardian); Senior official says Netanyahu holding up hostage-truce deal with new demands (Times of Israel 7/12/24); Biden indicates Israel can pursue Hamas leadership after war, which ‘should end now’ (Times of Israel 7/12/24)

Israel calls for Gaza City to evacuate, affecting hundreds of thousands (WaPo 7/10/24)

“Palestinians to leave Gaza City on Wednesday, calling the area a “dangerous combat zone” as it ramped up operations in the enclave’s largest urban center. The Israel Defense Forces dropped leaflets over the city — the largest in the Gaza Strip — urging civilians to flee south along two designated routes. The warning, which the military characterized as an “evacuation recommendation,” came just days after the IDF announced a new offensive in the region, causing fear and panic among the hundreds of thousands of people still living in northern Gaza, including Gaza City, according to United Nations estimates.” See also Israeli military orders the evacuation of Gaza City, an early target of its war with Hamas (AP 7/10/24); Israeli army launches new, massive wave of forced displacement against the people of Gaza City and North Gaza (Euro Med Human Rights Monitor 7/9/24); Gaza City residents say they won’t leave, despite warnings from the Israeli military. (NYT);

Israeli strike on Khan Younis shelter kills at least 31 amid surge in Gaza fighting (Guardian 7/10/24)

“An Israeli airstrike on the entrance of a school-turned-shelter in southern Gaza has killed at least 31 people as a stepped-up military offensive in the territory sent thousands fleeing in search of refuge. The airstrike on Tuesday afternoon hit the tents of displaced families outside a school in the town of Abassan, east of Khan Younis. Officials at the nearby Nasser hospital said on Wednesday that 31 people had been killed, including eight children, and more than 50 wounded. Footage broadcast by Al Jazeera showed children playing football in the school’s yard when a sudden boom shook the area, prompting shouts of “a strike, a strike!” The Israeli military said it was reviewing reports that civilians were harmed. It said the incident occurred when it struck with “precise munition” a Hamas fighter who took part in the 7 October raid on Israel that precipitated the Israeli assault on Gaza.” See also A game of football, a boom, then scattered bodies: video shows moment of Israeli strike on Gaza school (Guardian); Deadly Israeli strike on school-turned-shelter in southern Gaza (Al Jazeera 7/10/24);

Israel ordered thousands to ‘safe’ areas in Gaza City — then bombed them (Mahmoud Mushtaha//+972 7/10/24)

“On Sunday, July 7, the Israeli army ordered residents of three neighborhoods in eastern Gaza City to immediately evacuate toward the west, ahead of a new ground invasion. Thousands of displaced families abandoned their shelters and searched desperately for a place to stay the night in the city’s western neighborhoods. Within hours, however, Israeli forces attacked those very areas.”

Israeli weapons packed with shrapnel causing devastating injuries to children in Gaza, doctors say (The Guardian)

“Israeli-made weapons designed to spray high levels of shrapnel are causing horrific injuries to civilians in Gaza and disproportionately harming children, foreign surgeons who worked in the territory in recent months have told the Guardian. The doctors say many of the deaths, amputations and life changing wounds to children they have treated came from the firing of missiles and shells – in areas crowded with civilians – packed with additional metal designed to fragment into tiny pieces of shrapnel. Volunteer doctors at two Gaza hospitals said that a majority of their operations were on children hit by small pieces of shrapnel that leave barely discernible entry wounds but create extensive destruction inside the body. Amnesty International has said that the weapons appear designed to maximise casualties.” See also Dangerous skin diseases spreading among children in Gaza (Guardian)

Counting the dead in Gaza: difficult but essential (Rasha Khatib, Martin McKee, Salim Yusuf//The Lancet)

“Armed conflicts have indirect health implications beyond the direct harm from violence. Even if the conflict ends immediately, there will continue to be many indirect deaths in the coming months and years from causes such as reproductive, communicable, and non-communicable diseases. The total death toll is expected to be large given the intensity of this conflict; destroyed health-care infrastructure; severe shortages of food, water, and shelter; the population’s inability to flee to safe places; and the loss of funding to UNRWA, one of the very few humanitarian organisations still active in the Gaza Strip. In recent conflicts, such indirect deaths range from three to 15 times the number of direct deaths. Applying a conservative estimate of four indirect deaths per one direct death to the 37 396 deaths reported, it is not implausible to estimate that up to 186 000 or even more deaths could be attributable to the current conflict in Gaza.” See also UN experts declare famine has spread throughout Gaza strip (UN OHCHR);

‘I Was Beaten Day and Night’: Freed Gaza Detainees Allege Torture by Israeli Forces (Common Dreams)

“Palestinians recently released from detention by Israeli forces alleged in newly released interviews that they were subjected to various forms of torture during their time in prison, including frequent beatings and sleep deprivation…Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank have been detained en masse, often without charge, since Israel launched its latest assault on the Gaza Strip following a deadly Hamas-led attack on October 7. Addameer, a Palestinian human rights organization, estimates that 54 Palestinians—the majority of them from Gaza—have died in Israeli prisons since October “due to torture, inhumane detention conditions, systematic abuse, and deliberate attacks.”…Whistleblower accounts from Israel’s notorious Sde Teiman prison camp in the Negev desert have alleged that Israeli doctors have amputated the limbs of detainees due to injuries caused by handcuffing—”a routine event,” according to one doctor’s testimony.” See also What released Palestinian detainees say about torture in Israeli jails (Al Monitor); ‘I have the prison inside me’: The emaciated Palestinian bodybuilder broken by Israel (Middle East Eye); I Spoke To Palestinians Tortured By Israel. What They Endured Is Unimaginable (Diana Buttu//Zeteo); Head of Gaza’s largest hospital says he was tortured during seven-month detention (The Independent)

‘I’m bored, so I shoot’: The Israeli army’s approval of free-for-all violence in Gaza (Oren Ziv//+972)

“In early June, Al Jazeera aired a series of disturbing videos revealing what it described as “summary executions”: Israeli soldiers shooting dead several Palestinians walking near the coastal road in the Gaza Strip, on three separate occasions. In each case, the Palestinians appeared unarmed and did not pose any imminent threat to the soldiers. Such footage is rare, due to the severe constraints faced by journalists in the besieged enclave and the constant danger to their lives. But these executions, which did not appear to have any security rationale, are consistent with the testimonies of six Israeli soldiers who spoke to +972 Magazine and Local Call following their release from active duty in Gaza in recent months. Corroborating the testimonies of Palestinian eyewitnesses and doctors throughout the war, the soldiers described being authorized to open fire on Palestinians virtually at will, including civilians. The six sources — all except one of whom spoke on the condition of anonymity — recounted how Israeli soldiers routinely executed Palestinian civilians simply because they entered an area that the military defined as a “no-go zone.” The testimonies paint a picture of a landscape littered with civilian corpses, which are left to rot or be eaten by stray animals; the army only hides them from view ahead of the arrival of international aid convoys, so that “images of people in advanced stages of decay don’t come out.” Two of the soldiers also testified to a systematic policy of setting Palestinian homes on fire after occupying them.”

Road to Redemption: How Israel’s War Against Hamas Turned Into a Springboard for Jewish Settlement in Gaza (Haaretz)

“The IDF has taken control of 26% of the Gaza Strip, building bases and paving roads. Israel’s religious right is already advancing towards its target. This is how it looks through the eyes of Israeli soldiers…The Israeli army’s occupation of parts of the Gaza Strip, for an undefined period of time, is one of the most dramatic developments in the war that began with Hamas’ surprise attack on Israel on October 7. The IDF considers Israeli control over these areas as a strategic step, while Israel’s political leadership is pushing to continue the war. In the ongoing cease-fire negotiations, Hamas is demanding that Israel withdraw from areas that have been occupied and to end the war. Despite reports suggesting progress in the negotiations, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has made it clear Israel may renew the fighting, and the parties are still far from reaching an agreement. The army’s activities in the occupied areas are diverse: expanding military bases, building infrastructure and even paving roads, all while under persistent Hamas fire. Based on satellite imagery analysis and other open sources, Haaretz calculates that the Israeli army now controls about 26 percent of Gaza. A senior IDF officer discussing the territory under full IDF control in the heart of Gaza called it “an effort at prolonged occupation.” But the military’s activity also provides a tailwind for supporters of the reestablishment of settlements which were evacuated in 2005. Conditions for the emergence of a new reality are being created: an indefinite Israeli presence in Gaza.” See also The Awful Plan to Turn Gaza Into the Next Dubai (Kate Wagner//The Nation)

About 90% of people in Gaza displaced since war began, says UN agency (The Guardian)

“About 90% of the population of the Gaza Strip have been displaced at least once since the war between Israel and Hamas began, according to the UN’s humanitarian agency. Andrea De Domenico, head of the UN’s OCHA agency in the Palestinian territories, said on Wednesday that about 1.9 million people are thought to be displaced in Gaza. “We estimate that nine in every 10 people in the Gaza Strip have been internally displaced at least once, if not up to 10 times, unfortunately, since October,” he told reporters.” See also ‘Systematic targeting’: Israel war ravages Gaza’s archives and manuscripts (The National)

Thousands of Palestinians missing amid Gaza’s unrelenting warfare (Guardian)

“About 6,400 Palestinians reported as missing to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) since the outbreak of the war in Gaza on 7 October are yet to have been found, the group has said. Many are believed to be trapped under debris, buried without identification, or held in Israeli detention while others have been separated from their loved ones, who have been unable to contact them. Approximately 1,100 new cases of missing people have been registered and remain unsolved since April, the ICRC said.”

How Israel destroyed Gaza’s ability to feed itself (Al Jazeera)

“Satellite images analysed by Al Jazeera’s digital investigation team, Sanad show that more than half (60 percent) of Gaza’s farmland, crucial for feeding the war-ravaged territory’s hungry population, has been damaged or destroyed by Israeli attacks.” See also US Gaza aid pier to be permanently dismantled after operating for just 20 days (Guardian)

Hamas faces growing public dissent as Gaza war erodes support (BBC)

“Open criticism of Hamas has been growing in Gaza, both on the streets and online.
Some have publicly criticised Hamas for hiding the hostages in apartments near a busy marketplace, or for firing rockets from civilian areas. Residents have told the BBC that swearing and cursing against the Hamas leadership is now common in the markets, and that some drivers of donkey carts have even nicknamed their animals after the Hamas leader in Gaza – Yahya Sinwar – urging the donkeys forward with shouts of “Yallah, Sinwar!”…There are still those in Gaza fiercely loyal to Hamas and after years of repressive control, it’s difficult to know how far the group is losing support, or how far existing opponents feel more able to speak their mind. But a senior Hamas official privately acknowledged to the BBC, months ago, that they were losing support as a result of the war.” See also Gazan anti-Hamas activist critically injured in attack by masked men (Times of Israel)

REGION/GLOBAL

The Scariest Lesson From Hezbollah’s Footage Deep Inside Israel (Haaretz)

“A few hours before the rocket barrage, Hezbollah released a video highlighting its intelligence capabilities, threatening to strike bases and troop concentrations in Israel’s northern Golan region. Arab media reported that the aerial photos were taken by an Iranian Hudhud drone, which is difficult to confirm, given that the footage includes images collected by several drones with varying photo-reconnaissance capabilities taken over several months…Hezbollah called the video a follow-up of the “Haifa Port video” that mapped a series of bases and troop concentrations. A header in the corner of the screen says “kabel al-astedhadef” – a military concept that means pre-strike targeting. Once again, Hezbollah is signaling that Israel’s longstanding air supremacy over all the region’s countries is no guarantee of protection of its own airspace. The signal illustrates a genuine threat, considering the possible number of sorties carried out over time. Hezbollah’s footage demonstrates that the non-state actor and terrorist organization, which lacks even a single combat jet, possesses aerial capabilities that can reach deep into Israel to collect intelligence before using that intelligence to strike.”

As fears mount of an Israel-Lebanon war, Hezbollah’s arsenal looms large (WaPo)

“Analysts estimate Hezbollah has between 130,000 and 150,000 rockets and missiles, more than four times as many as its ally Hamas was believed to have stockpiled before the war in Gaza. And the Lebanese group says it commands more than 100,000 soldiers, well over double the high-end estimates of Hamas’s prewar fighting force. Most of Hezbollah’s weapons are lower-grade, unguided munitions, which could threaten Israel’s aerial defense systems if unleashed in large numbers. Even more concerning for Israel are precision munitions the group has said it possesses. Hezbollah keeps a tight lid on its arsenal, leaving weapons experts to guess about the full extent of its capabilities.” See also from Al Monitor: Israel fires at Lebanese army in south, strikes southern Syria (7/12/24); Lebanon FM warns of ‘devastating’ regional war if Israel escalates campaign against Hezbollah (7/11/24); Hezbollah drones critically wound one in Israel (7/11/24); Hezbollah airs drone footage of Israeli military sites in Golan Heights (7/9/24)’; More than 200 rockets from Lebanon’s Hezbollah rain down on Israel (7/4/24)

Report: New German Citizenship Law Requires Applicants to Declare Israel’s ‘Right to Exist’ (Haaretz)

“The details of a landmark new German citizenship law were announced on Tuesday, which will require applicants to declare Israel’s right to exist, according to a report by the Financial Times. The requirement comes as part of a citizenship overhaul designed to emphasize loyalty to German values…The citizenship law also stated that the specific requirements of the test given to applicants would be set by government regulation. At the time, Germany’s Ministry of the Interior indicated it intended to include questions on Judaism and Jewish life in Germany but stopped short of saying whether it would include a specific declaration regarding the state of Israel. On Tuesday, Interior Minister Nancy Fraeser confirmed to the Financial Times that it would now be a requirement. “New test questions have been added on the topics of antisemitism, the right of the state of Israel to exist and Jewish life in Germany,” Fraser said. The test will also require applicants to affirm their commitment to gender equality, democracy and “Germany’s historic responsibility towards Judaism as a result of the crimes of National Socialism,” according to the minister.”

RIVER TO THE SEA

Smotrich Has Completed Israel’s Annexation of the West Bank (Michael Sfard//Haaretz)

“The regime revolution in the West Bank is being conducted in accordance with the commitments Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu gave to Religious Zionism leader Bezalel Smotrich as part of the coalition agreement. Its essence is the transfer of all the governing powers in the West Bank, except those directly relating to security, from the army to an apparatus headed by Smotrich himself. At the end of May, it happened. Quietly, without any ceremonies or press announcements, Yehuda Fuchs, the head of the army’s Central Command (and the commander of Israeli forces in the West Bank), signed an order creating a new position in the army’s Civil Administration, “deputy head for civilian affairs” and the Civil Administration’s head signed a document delegating powers to the holder of the new office…The order and the letter of delegation of powers transferred most – in fact almost all – of the powers held by the head of the Civil Administration to the new deputy. Land management, planning and construction, enforcement against unpermitted construction, supervision and management of local authorities, professional licensing, trade and economy, management of nature reserves and archaeological sites…The transfer of administrative powers to public servants of the occupying government and to its elected officials creates a direct rule by the occupiers’ citizens over the occupied territory, thereby expanding the occupiers’ sovereignty into the occupied territory. In other words: annexation. This is what Smotrich has succeeded in doing. He has completely removed the army (including military legal counseling) from the decision-making process regarding anything not directly related to security in the West Bank, in practice imposing Israeli sovereignty over the area. And this will have disastrous implications for the rights of Palestinians. The few restrictions the army has somehow placed on the dispossession and violation of Palestinian rights will now be removed.” See also Israel turbocharges West Bank settlement expansion with largest land grab in decades (AP); Seven Palestinians killed as Israel raids West Bank’s Jenin (Al Monitor); ‘Era of Miracles’: Israeli Far-right Minister Rejoices at West Bank Settlement Expansion (Haaretz); Israeli forces fatally shoot 14-year-old Palestinian boy in the back near Ramallah (DCI-Palestine)

Mounting International Sanctions Against Powerful Israeli Settler Group Could Be Earth-shattering (Haaretz)

“The Amana organization has ties with all the banks in Israel and with thousands of settlers who live in its homes. An extension of the sanctions imposed by Canada could spell an earthquake in the settlement movement” See also U.S. sanctions extremist Israeli group Lehava and several West Bank outposts (JTA); US steps up sanctions against Israeli settlers and ‘outposts’ in occupied West Bank (Guardian)

‘Constant anxiety’: hundreds of Palestinians face eviction threat in East Jerusalem (Guardian)

“A recent ruling by Israel’s supreme court ended the legal battle of one local family against eviction and in hearings this week judges dismissed two other attempts to block moves to force 66 people out of their homes Batn al-Hawa too. “In 15 years of working on these cases, this is definitely the worst it has ever been,” said a lawyer, Yazeed Kawar. The sudden flurry of activity in Batn al-Hawa comes amid a concerted effort by Israeli settler organisations to expand existing projects and start new ones…The driving force behind the influx of Jewish Israelis into Batn al-Hawa is Ateret Cohanim, which describes itself as “the leading urban land reclamation organisation in Jerusalem … working for over 40 years to restore Jewish life in the heart of ancient Jerusalem”.’

Israel transfers $116 million of withheld tax revenue to Palestinians (Reuters)

“Israel transferred 435 million shekels ($116 million) of withheld tax revenue to the Palestinian Authority, the first such transfer since April, the Israeli and Palestinian finance ministries said on Wednesday. Israel collects tax on goods that pass through Israel into the West Bank on behalf of the Palestinian Authority and transfers the revenue to Ramallah under a longstanding arrangement between the two sides. Since the Hamas-led attack on Israel on Oct. 7, Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich has withheld sums earmarked for administration expenses in Gaza. Israel also deducts funds for electricity, water and costs to treat Palestinians in Israeli hospitals. Even after these deductions, Palestinian officials say the amount is far below taxes collected each month. The ultranationalist Smotrich has been opposed to sending funds to the PA, which uses the money to pay public sector wages.”

The Companies Making it Easy to Buy in a West Bank Settlement (The Intercept)

“On websites largely tailored for Jewish American buyers looking to move to Israel, prospective homeowners can browse properties that include listings for homes in settlement communities, which offer the typical trappings of suburban life. Around a dozen real estate firms have participated in real estate fairs organized by My Israel Home across North America this year. Six of these firms are actively marketing at least two dozen separate properties for sale located within eight different West Bank and East Jerusalem settlements, according to their online listings. Other real estate firms commonly list dozens of West Bank properties on their sites.”

IDF Ordered Hannibal Directive on October 7 to Prevent Hamas Taking Soldiers Captive (Haaretz)

“’There was crazy hysteria, and decisions started being made without verified information’: Documents and testimonies obtained by Haaretz reveal the Hannibal operational order, which directs the use of force to prevent soldiers being taken into captivity, was employed at three army facilities infiltrated by Hamas, potentially endangering civilians as well” See also Israeli military says it failed to protect Gaza border town on Oct. 7 (WaPo); Israeli Oct. 7 probe of Kibbutz Be’eri shows massive operational failures (Al Monitor)

Israeli protesters block highways, call for cease-fire to return hostages 9 months into war in Gaza (AP 7/7/12)

“Marking nine months since the war in Gaza started, Israeli protesters blocked highways across the country Sunday, calling on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to step down and pushing for a cease-fire to bring back scores of hostages held by Hamas.” See also In the Face of Despair, a Glimmer of Hope: Hostages’ Families March to Jerusalem (Haaretz); First Israeli Conscientious Objector of the Gaza War Freed After More Than Six Months in Prison (Haaretz)

U.S. SCENE

U.S. to again ship 500-pound bombs to Israel, reversing suspension (WaPo)

“The United States is resuming a shipment of 500-pound bombs to Israel that had been held up since May, when the Biden administration suspended delivery of two types of large, airdropped weapons amid concerns about the ballooning scale of civilian casualties in Gaza, said U.S. officials familiar with the matter. The paused delivery included 1,800 2,000-pound bombs, which remain on hold, U.S. officials said. But the supply of 1,700 500-pound bombs will move forward. The U.S. decision followed a pressure campaign by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and pro-Israel lobbyists in the United States, including the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, demanding the resumption of all weapons shipments regardless of their lethality.”

Biden highlights frustrations with Israel during high-profile press conference (JTA 7/12/24)

“President Joe Biden said Israel had been “less than cooperative” with the United States in its efforts to deliver assistance to Palestinian civilians, adding to pressure on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to accept the terms the Biden administration has brokered to bring about an end to the war…Biden administration officials have generally held back on criticizing Israel for difficulties in delivering humanitarian assistance to Gaza, which international officials have said verges on famine, attributing the halting aid delivery to wartime exigencies and to thieving by the Hamas terrorist group, which launched the war on Oct. 7 with massacres in Israel. But Biden appeared to argue that much of the obstruction the United States has encountered stems from Israel’s government, the most right-wing in the country’s history. Cabinet ministers belonging to extreme right-wing parties have sought to delay the delivery of assistance and have backed protesters who block aid trucks as a means of forcing Hamas to release 120 hostages it still holds. “This war cabinet is one of the most conservative war cabinets in the history of Israel, and there’s no ultimate answer other than the two-state solution here,” said Biden, who at the outset of the war wholly backed Israel. Netanyahu adamantly rejects a two-state outcome as a long-term goal in the talks. Biden also rejected the Israeli far right’s ambitions to reoccupy the Gaza Strip, and of maintaining an Israeli military presence there. “The day after in Gaza has to be the end,” he said, “has to be no occupation by Israel in the Gaza Strip, as well as the ability for us to access, get in and out as rapidly as you can for all that’s needed there.”’

Exclusive: 12 Biden Administration Resignees Blast ‘Intransigent’ Gaza Policy (Huff Post)

“President Joe Biden’s policy on Gaza is “a failure and a threat to U.S. national security” that “dehumanizes both Palestinians and Jews” and should be immediately overhauled, 12 former U.S. government officials who quit their posts over Biden’s controversial approach argued in their first joint public statement, which they exclusively shared with HuffPost. The statement outlines steps that the former officials — four from the State Department, three from the military, one from the U.S. Agency for International Development and four from Biden’s political staff — recommend for a change in course. It suggests they will keep challenging the administration on public platforms, increasing pressure on Biden’s team to demonstrate progress in winding down the U.S.-backed Israeli offensive and addressing the humanitarian crisis it has created.”

Kamala Harris: Campus protesters over Gaza war ‘showing what human emotion should be’ (Times of Israel)

“Young Americans protesting Israel’s war against the Hamas terror group in Gaza are “showing exactly what the human emotion should be,” Harris said in an interview with the left-wing magazine The Nation, an excerpt of which was published on Monday. She noted, however, that “there are things some of the protesters are saying that I absolutely reject, so I don’t mean to wholesale endorse their points. But we have to navigate it. I understand the emotion behind it.”’

Here’s How Biden Loses Michigan (NYT Video)
“Does President Biden realize how angry some voters in Michigan are — specifically, Arab Americans?…Opinion Video traveled to Dearborn to understand voter sentiment in a population that has the power to sway the election. Michigan has over 200,000 registered voters who are Muslim — enough to swing the state. (Biden won Michigan by 154,000 votes in 2020.) Just finding a pro-Biden Arab American voter in Dearborn is not an easy task.” See also What Are Arab American Women Supposed to Do This November? (New York Magazine)

These Corporations Are the True “Winners” of the War on Gaza (Spencer Ackerman//The Nation)

“Whatever the debates about the decline of US hegemony, the global arms market is a place where American power is growing. The United States was responsible for 34 percent of all arms exports from 2014 to 2018, according to SIPRI, an independent research institute. By 2023, that number had grown to 42 percent. Some 38 percent of US arms exports during that time went to the Middle East, with Israel accounting for 3.6 percent; Israel gets 69 percent of its arms imports from Washington. That America’s imperial wars have been agonizing failures has obscured the fact that there have been winners—and the same goes for this latest US-backed assault. Those winners are in the boardrooms of the companies shown here, from a tally assembled by the American Friends Service Committee. We highlight them not because of any company’s particular instrumentality in the bloodshed but because they are unexceptional, representing routine operations within Israel’s machinery of oppression. Some are not even primarily known as weapons manufacturers. Their wins compound every day that Israel continues its genocide in Gaza.”

A Biden Confidant Emerges as a Crucial Mideast Diplomat (NYT)

“Officially, Mr. [Amos] Hochstein, 51, is Mr. Biden’s top aide for global energy and infrastructure. But his wonky title does not capture the ever-broadening portfolio bestowed upon him by a president whose close confidence he has earned over more than a decade and who is said to view his adviser as a results-getting “doer.” Mr. Hochstein has made at least five trips to Israel and Lebanon since the war in Gaza prompted Hezbollah to launch rocket attacks on northern Israel in solidarity with Hamas. He speaks constantly with Lebanese officials as well as top Israeli officials, sometimes including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu…Mr. Hochstein’s mission is to find a diplomatic alternative. U.S. officials say the best hope is a cease-fire in Gaza, which Hezbollah leaders say would cause them to stop their attacks. But even then, Israel would still insist that its northern border be made more secure. So in addition to trying to restrain the two sides from major escalation, Mr. Hochstein has been negotiating a plan under which Hezbollah would pull back its forces several miles from Israel’s border — possibly in return for U.S. economic aid for southern Lebanon and changes to Israeli military positions.”

The UAW’s federal monitor twice pressured the union to back off its call for Gaza ceasefire, then launched an investigation (Ryan Grim//Drop Site)

“The federally appointed monitor tasked with overseeing the United Auto Workers, Neil Barofsky, is ratcheting up his conflict with UAW President Shawn Fain, announcing another investigation into the union leader who rose to national prominence amid the successful “Stand Up Strike” against the Big Three automakers.  Yet newly unveiled documents suggest Barofsky’s pursuit of Fain has less to do with concerns over union self-dealing and more to do with the politics of Israel-Palestine.’”

ACTIVISM//LAWFARE//REDEFINING ANTISEMITISM TO STIFLE CRITICISM OF ISRAEL

Columbia Law Professor Smeared by Israel Supporters Could Lose Her Job (The Intercept)

“The university recently deposed tenured law professor Katherine Franke as part of an investigation stemming from an interview she gave to “Democracy Now!” in January. During that interview, Franke was asked about allegations that two students who had previously served in the Israeli army had sprayed a chemical at their classmates at an on-campus rally for Gaza. Franke, who has worked at the school for decades, responded by linking the incident to a documented pattern of on-campus harassment that Palestinian, Arab, and Muslim students have alleged for years…By February 13, Franke was notified of a complaint against her based on the interview, filed by two law school professors who alleged violations of university discrimination policy. Online, supporters of Israel continued to misconstrue Franke’s statements, while a Republican lawmaker asked University President Minouche Shafik about Franke during an April hearing about campus antisemitism…Franke is one of several Columbia staff to face investigation — many of whom have defended Palestinian rights — while the House Committee on Education and the Workforce continues to apply pressure on the school. Recently, three deans were placed on indefinite leave for exchanging text messages the university says “touched on ancient antisemitic tropes.” Professors elsewhere across the country have had their livelihoods imperiled upon speaking out in defense of Palestinians.” See also Columbia’s President Denounced Her Before Congress. Firing Could Be Next. (Inside Higher Ed)

Accusing Israel of genocide cost me a job — just another example of a university failing Jews (Raz Segal//The Forward)

“In my own case — as an Israeli-American, Jewish scholar of Jewish history and Holocaust and genocide studies — senior administrators at the University of Minnesota were so alarmed by my evidence-based argument that Israel is committing a genocide against Palestinians in Gaza that they rescinded my offer to direct UMN’s Center for Holocaust and Genocide Studies. My treatment is emblematic of a much broader problem within American universities: As a whole, their administrators have utterly failed to understand the distinction between antisemitism and anti-Zionism — and therefore ended up reproducing an antisemitic stance themselves.

Meta expands hate speech policy to remove more posts targeting ‘Zionists’ (Guardian)

“Meta Platforms said on Tuesday it would start taking down more posts that target “Zionists” when the term is used to refer to Jewish people and Israelis rather than representing supporters of the political movement. The Facebook and Instagram parent said in a blog post it would remove content “attacking ‘Zionists’ when it is not explicitly about the political movement” and uses antisemitic stereotypes or threatens harm through intimidation or violence directed against Jews or Israelis.” See also Meta bans use of ‘Zionists’ as a cover for attacks on Jews or Israelis (JTA); Update from the Policy Forum on our approach to ‘Zionist’ as a proxy for hate speech (Meta); Digital Rights Advocates Share Concern over Meta’s Updated Hate Speech Policy (7amleh)

A Wall Street Law Firm Wants to Define Consequences of Israel Protests (NYT)

“Sullivan & Cromwell, a 145-year-old firm that has counted Goldman Sachs and Amazon among its clients, says that, for job applicants, participation in a protest — on campus or off — could be a disqualifying factor. The firm is scrutinizing students’ behavior with the help of a background check company, looking at their involvement with pro-Palestinian student groups, scouring social media and reviewing news reports and footage from protests…Candidates could face scrutiny even if they weren’t using problematic language but were involved with a protest where others did. The protesters should be responsible for the behavior of those around them, Mr. Shenker said, or else they were embracing a “mob mentality.”…Sullivan & Cromwell’s policy stands out because of the way it holds applicants accountable for the actions of others, and considers commonly used protest slogans to be out of bounds. No other law firm on Wall Street has publicly discussed a similar policy toward protesters, but leaders at four of Sullivan & Cromwell’s elite rivals privately said they are considering adopting similar rules.”

 

PERSPECTIVES//LONG READS

The Neck and the Sword (Tariq Ali interviews Rashid Khalidi//New Left Review)

“RK: I grew up in a world where there was no Palestinian voice—in the Arab world, in the public sphere in the West; none at all, it didn’t exist. Palestinians didn’t exist. My four grandchildren are growing up in a time when there are quite vigorous voices for Palestine, all over the world. So that’s an element of change for the better. I grew up in a world in which the Zionist narrative was completely hegemonic and Israel was fulsomely described as ‘a light unto the nations’. That is no longer the case. Today it is widely, and rightly, seen as a pariah state because of its own genocidal actions. These are among the few good things that have happened in these very bad times.”

The Rise of October 7th Tourism (Maya Rosen//Jewish Currents)

“These visitors were part of a wave of “solidarity missions” bringing diaspora Jews to Israel. While in the country, these travelers—the vast majority of whom are from the US, though others have come from Europe, South America, Australia, South Africa, and Canada—not only tour sites of devastation, but express their support by visiting wounded soldiers and evacuated communities, packing or cooking food on military bases, and picking produce on Israeli farms. The trips bill themselves as an opportunity to “stand in solidarity, bear witness, and provide comfort and support to those in need,” in the words of a New Jersey Federation. On top of sit-downs with survivors and victims’ and hostages’ families, their busy itineraries almost always include meetings with representatives of the emergency rescue and medical groups Zaka or Magen David Adom, as well as with Israeli public officials, soldiers, and civil society leaders. Thus far, tens of thousands of American Jews have taken part in these trips, which many Jewish groups began planning just weeks after October 7th…But beyond their interest in fundraising, the disparate groups behind the missions seem united in the belief that showing diaspora Jews the scars of October 7th is essential to shoring up their support for Israel’s deadly assault on Gaza. As UJA-Federation of New York executive vice president Mark Medin, who has led multiple trips, has said, “There are two wars going on,” including both the physical war and “an information war for the Jewish world that the diaspora Jewish community has to fight as well.” To be able to do their part in this war against misinformation, American Jews “have to bear witness . . . If you do, you’re able to be a much stronger advocate; back in America, you’re able to talk to your family, to your professional colleagues, to your friends, to the media, to members of Congress . . . with firsthand authenticity.”’

I am an Israeli American Jew. Bulldozing Palestinian homes is personal for me (J Street Board Member Ben Linder//J.)

“Some call this apartheid. Some call it ethnic cleansing. Some call it the systematic colonization of private Palestinian land by Israel. For me, however, it is more personal. I call it the destruction of my friend’s life, livelihood and future. I call it the destruction of his children’s future. I call it pure evil. I am a Jew. I was born in Israel. I am an Israeli citizen. I am deeply ashamed today of those who claim to represent my religion and my nationality. I am also an American. I steadfastly support America’s commitment to Israel’s defense. But this is not a matter of self-defense. I implore the Biden administration to cease enabling Israel’s de facto annexation of Area C of the West Bank. It’s a clear violation of international law.”

The Palestine-Israel nightmare won’t end until we accept these basic truths (Ahmed Moor//The Guardian)

“As a Palestinian American who has lived in both Gaza and the West Bank and has observed the unfettered encroachment of settlements first-hand, I’ve long been a proponent of a single shared state in Palestine-Israel – an idea that many have rejected as unworkable. Now, as we observe what scholars have described as a genocide in Palestine, the question resolves to whether it’s even thinkable for Israeli Jews and Palestinians to live as fellow citizens in a shared society. But a two-state outcome is equally hard to envisage – Israeli settlements have made partition impossible. What is clear is that the Palestinians, who have faced brutality for 100 years, need a resolution. And perversely, the carnage may present a new chance at redirecting history…As a Palestinian American who has lived in both Gaza and the West Bank and has observed the unfettered encroachment of settlements first-hand, I’ve long been a proponent of a single shared state in Palestine-Israel – an idea that many have rejected as unworkable. Now, as we observe what scholars have described as a genocide in Palestine, the question resolves to whether it’s even thinkable for Israeli Jews and Palestinians to live as fellow citizens in a shared society. But a two-state outcome is equally hard to envisage – Israeli settlements have made partition impossible. What is clear is that the Palestinians, who have faced brutality for 100 years, need a resolution. And perversely, the carnage may present a new chance at redirecting history.”

“The Law Cannot Let Itself See the Nakba” (Joshua Abramson Cohen interviews Rabea Eghbariah//Jewish Currents)

“Across the two pieces, Eghbariah poses a straightforward question to the legal community: If the name of the crime Israel is committing in Gaza today is genocide, then what do we call the crime that Zionism has been committing against the Palestinians for the past 100 years? International law has lacked the language to accurately describe that project of erasure, Eghbariah argues, but Palestinians have long had a precise name for it: the Nakba. In his HLR piece, Eghbariah suggests that the international community adopt Palestinians’ language for their experience of Zionism, and in the expanded CLR article, he proposes that we speak about the Nakba in two overlapping ways: as the event that displaced over 750,000 Palestinians from their homes between 1947-1949, and as the structure of oppression that Palestinians have been subject to ever since. Eghbariah also advances the idea of “Nakba,” without a definite article, as a common noun that could be used along the lines of “apartheid” or “genocide” to refer to a mode of group domination founded in displacement, continued through fragmentation, and aimed at the denial of self-determination. I had the opportunity to speak with Eghbariah about the Nakba as the material truth of Zionism, the history of Palestinians’ use of the term, and the power of inventing new concepts and borrowing existing ones to capture the distinctiveness of Palestinian subjugation.”

‘Film was the best way to convey our art amid the suffering in Gaza’ (Ruwaida Kamal Amer//+972)

“Politics has long been a staple at Cannes, the premier film festival in the world, both on and off screen. Initially, this rich tradition seemed to be followed this year as well: Rashid Masharawi, the renowned Palestinian director, submitted his most recent project to the festival, titled “From Ground Zero,” a collection of 22 short features and documentaries made by Palestinian filmmakers in Gaza since the start of the current war. Ground Zero was accepted by the festival — but Masharawi was then informed that the collection ultimately would not be screened…And so, Masharawi decided to organize a separate protest screening. Just outside the festival grounds, Masharawi put up a tent, and, wearing a suit with a necktie made of the Palestinian keffiyeh, he screened Ground Zero.”

In Bad Faith: A Satire (Mohammed El-Kurd//Mondoweiss)

“When a Palestinian is brought onto Western media to talk about what’s happening in Palestine, it’s never in good faith. This video satirizes the hostile and bad-faith questions that Palestinians confront during mainstream media interviews.”

On the Record with Hamas (Jeremy Scahill//Drop Site)

“Drop Site conducted a series of interviews with senior Hamas officials alongside a comprehensive review of its statements and those of its leaders. I interviewed a variety of Hamas sources on background for this story and two—Basem Naim and Ghazi Hamad—agreed to speak on the record. I also spoke to a range of knowledgeable Palestinians, Israelis, and international sources in an effort to understand the tactical and political aims of the October 7 attacks. Some people will inevitably criticize the choice to interview and publish Hamas officials’ answers to these questions as propaganda. I believe it is essential that the public understand the perspectives of the individuals and groups who initiated the attack that spurred Israel’s genocidal war—an argument that is seldom permitted outside of simple soundbytes.” See also The Resistance Will Continue,” Hamas Pledges Amid Gaza Ceasefire Talks (Jeremy Scahill//Drop Site 7/12/24)

What can Palestinian artists do in the face of our slaughter? (Tamer Nafar//+972)

“As a Palestinian rapper, my creative expression has always been rooted in our collective oppression and traumas…For most of my life, I stupidly believed that art exists to change the world. Now, I think about art more like the black box flight recorder on an airplane: it won’t navigate the landing; it’s here to document the crash. And as we witness this second Nakba, there are several new songs that I believe best capture the moment we’re living through. This is my Black Box Playlist.”

A flawed peace conference offers a radical proposal: hope (Haggai Matar//+972)

“At first glance, the Israeli-Palestinian peace conference in Tel Aviv on July 1 appeared detached, almost delusional. And in some ways, it was. With around 6,000 attendees, the event was the country’s largest anti-war gathering since October 7, outside of street protests…The event brought together Jewish and Palestinian survivors, displaced persons, hostages, former prisoners, bereaved families, activists, security officials, religious and cultural figures, intellectuals, and current and former parliamentarians to echo a common commitment to justice, nonviolence, partnership, equality, democracy, self-determination, security, freedom, and peace for all who live between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea. It was a radical proposal for hope.” See also Can this conference inspire a new Israeli-Palestinian peace movement? (Oren Ziv//+972)

Only an anti-fascist front can save us from the abyss (Orly Noy//+972)

“One day — and who knows how much more destruction and death will be wrought before this day comes — the war will end. Israeli society will emerge more violent, more nationalist, more militaristic, and more openly fascist. But right now, we must begin preparing for this day by building a broad anti-fascist front that can curb the worst impulses of this new society and chart a different path forward…The anti-fascist front that must arise here can only be led by Palestinian citizens — not only because no other political camp comes close to matching their record of struggle against Israeli fascism, but because no one else has a coherent political vision, based on the values substantive democracy and full equality, as Palestinian citizens have articulated in various party platforms and civil society statements. Today, after the shock of October 7 that has convulsed Israeli society, decent citizens are faced with an existential choice. They can continue to cling to the idea of “Jewish and democratic” Israel, a dangerous deception that masks an increasingly fascist ethnocratic state. Or they can strive for a substantial democracy, without which Israeli society will irrevocably plunge into the abyss.