NEW FROM FMEP
The (Bipartisan) Betrayal of Arab Americans (New episode of Occupied Thoughts podcast)
FMEP Fellow Peter Beinart speaks with Maya Berry, Executive Director of the Arab American Institute. The two discuss Maya’s experience testifying on hate crimes before the Senate Judiciary Committee in September, where several Republican Senators challenged her in expressly anti-Arab ways. Peter and May discuss Maya’s testimony on anti-Arab hate crimes and why it’s so difficult to collect good data on them. Additionally, Peter and Maya talk about the 2024 presidential election and the ways in which Vice President Kamala Harris has botched her relationship with Arab Americans.
FMEP Legislative Round-Up October 4, 2024 (Lara Friedman)
- Bills, Resolutions; 2. Letters; 3. Hearings; 4. Israel/Palestine in 2024 Elex/Politics; 5. Selected Media & Press releases/Statements
Settlement & Annexation Report: October 4, 2024 (Kristin McCarthy)
- U.S. Imposes Sanctions on “Hilltop Youth” Settler Terror Group & Two Individuals; 2. Prominent U.S. Senators Call for Biden Admin to Sanction Amana Settler Group; 3. Settlers Push Settlement of South Lebanon, Advertising Houses & Calling for Conquest; 4. 2024 Olive Harvest Season Set to Begin Amidst Concerns Israel, Settlers Will Prevent Access; 6. Bonus Reads
REGION/DIPLOMACY
Israeli strikes in Lebanon have been most intense and deadly in decades (WaPo 10/2/24)
“The majority of the more than 1,800 people killed in Lebanon in the past year have died since Sept. 20. Fifty children died under Israeli bombardment on Monday and Tuesday — the United Nations estimates that’s double the rate of children killed during Lebanon’s 2006 war. Hezbollah has fired roughly 1,750 rockets into Israel since Oct. 7, killing at least 30 Israelis, according to Haaretz. Israel’s air defense systems have intercepted the majority of the projectiles fired by Hezbollah — including a missile allegedly aimed at the headquarters of Israel’s intelligence agency, Mossad, on Wednesday.” See also Israeli raids in Lebanon displace a quarter of the country’s population (PBS News Hour 10/4/24); Peacekeepers wounded by Israeli fire in Lebanon, U.N. says, as tensions rise (WaPo 10/10/24); UN peacekeepers in Lebanon say Israel has fired on their bases deliberately (Guardian 10/10/24);
Israel’s Netanyahu warns Lebanon could face destruction ‘like Gaza’ (Al Jazeera 10/8/24)
“Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has warned Lebanon could face destruction “like Gaza” and claimed Israel has killed slain Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah’s “replacement, and the replacement of his replacement”. Netanyahu’s remarks came in a video message addressed to Lebanese citizens on Tuesday, in which he also claimed Hezbollah is “weaker than it has been for many, many years”…“You have an opportunity to save Lebanon before it falls into the abyss of a long war that will lead to destruction and suffering like we see in Gaza,” Netanyahu said in his address, referring to the besieged enclave that has been under a relentless and bloody Israeli bombardment campaign for one year.” See also 22 killed in deadliest strike in central Beirut since start of war (WaPo 10/10/24); Israel begins ground operation in southern Lebanon (Axios 9/30/24)
Why the US, Israel disagree over striking Iran’s nuclear sites (Al Monitor 10/10/24)
“While the White House initially threatened to impose “severe consequences” on Iran in coordination with Israel for the attack, Washington has since toned down the threats. Last week, Biden publicly ruled out supporting any potential Israeli strikes on Iran’s enrichment facilities, an option that Netanyahu has held over the heads of prior US administrations, and suggested Israel should avoid striking Iran’s oil infrastructure. US officials say the Pentagon has the capability to significantly disrupt if not destroy Iran’s nuclear sites. But Biden is the latest president to spurn the option out of concerns of wider fallout…The Israeli premier scored a phone call with Biden on Wednesday morning, breaking more than seven weeks of silence between the two leaders amid simmering anger in the White House over his repeated rebuffing of American admonitions not to escalate against Iran’s proxy front. Trust is at a new low between the two leaders. Further fueling the anxieties in Washington is a long-standing disagreement with the Israelis about how and when to deal with the Iran nuclear problem.” See also U.S. sends more troops, warplanes to Middle East as bulwark against Iran (WaPo 9/30/24);
Biden and Netanyahu closer to consensus on Israel’s plans to attack Iran (Axios 10/10/24)
“President Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu moved closer to an understanding on the scope of Israel’s planned retaliation against Iran during their call on Wednesday, three U.S. and Israeli officials tell Axios. Why it matters: The Biden administration accepts that Israel will soon launch a major attack on Iran, but it fears that strikes on certain targets could dramatically escalate the regional war.” See also Netanyahu blocks defense minister’s U.S. trip to discuss possible Iran attack (Axios 10/8/24); One year after Oct. 7 attacks, Netanyahu is on a winning streak (Axios 10/6/24); US said seeking to install new Lebanese president, push aside weakened Hezbollah (Times of Israel 10/10/24)
Macron urges countries to ‘stop delivering weapons’ to Israel for war in Gaza (WaPo 10/6/24)
“French President Emmanuel Macron urged countries to stop providing weapons to Israel for its war in the Gaza Strip and expressed concern that the civilians of Lebanon could face a fate similar to that of Palestinians. “The priority is that we return to a political solution, that we stop delivering weapons to carry out fighting in Gaza,” Macron said in an interview with France Inter, a public radio station, that aired Saturday. France itself, Macron said, was not delivering any weapons. Macron’s call comes amid mounting public scrutiny of the high death toll in Gaza and Israel’s widening conflict with Hezbollah in Lebanon. Macron said Lebanon should not be allowed to “become a new Gaza,” referring to Israel’s ground and air offensive in the country. “The Lebanese people cannot, in turn, be sacrificed,” he added.” See also Ireland and Unifil reject Israel’s request to remove peacekeepers from Lebanese border outpost (Irish Times 10/4/24)
A Primer on Lebanon—History, Palestine and Resistance to Israeli Violence (Lara Deeb, Maya Mikdashi, Tsolin Nalbantian, Nadya Sbaiti//MERIP 10.4.2024)
“This primer situates the latest Israeli war on Lebanon and resistance to it within the broader context of Lebanon’s political development and its relationship to Palestine. The primer begins by offering a historical overview of Lebanon’s formation that describes the role of external and internal forces in shaping the country throughout the twentieth century (Part I and Part II). It then details how regular Israeli violence as well as Palestinian and Lebanese resistance movements and political parties fit into this trajectory (Part III). The primer ends with an explanation of the series of recent crises that are exacerbating the devastating effects of ongoing and escalating Israeli attacks on Lebanon (Part IV).”
Iranian missiles hit Israeli military sites, visuals show (WaPo 10/4/24)
“At least two dozen long-range Iranian ballistic missiles broke through Israeli and allied air defenses on Tuesday night, striking or landing near at least three military and intelligence installations, according to a review of videos and photos of the attack and aftermath. Videos verified by The Washington Post showed 20 missiles striking the Nevatim air base, in the southern Negev desert, and three striking the Tel Nof base, in central Israel. Analysts told The Post the visuals were consistent with direct impacts on the bases rather than debris from intercepted missiles. Other videos showed that at least two missiles landed near Tel Aviv in Cinema City Glilot, Hod Hasharon, close to Israel’s Mossad spy agency headquarters, leaving at least two craters.” See also Israel and U.S. repel 180-missile attack from Iran (Axios 10/1/24); White House vows consequences for Iran’s attack on Israel (WaPo 10/1/24)
For Israel’s weary army, war in Lebanon is an attempt to salvage its image (Sophia Goodfriend//+972 10/2/24)
“After detonating thousands of pagers carried by Hezbollah members in an attack that caught much of the world by surprise, Israel has now launched a bloody aerial and ground assault on Lebanon. Since Sept. 23, Israeli airstrikes have killed more than 1,000 people, including hundreds of women and children, in what has been described as one of the most intense air raids in modern history. Over one million are displaced across the country. And despite assassinating Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, Israel’s aggression shows no sign of slowing down. The Hamas-led October 7 attack dealt a resounding blow to Israel’s image as the Middle East’s ultimate security state, as has a year of protracted guerilla warfare in Gaza. Now, more fighting in Lebanon offers the opportunity for image restoration. As in Gaza, death and destruction abetted by sophisticated espionage networks and algorithmic weapons systems are critical to this makeover. Indeed, the Israeli and international press hailed the pager attacks and assassination of Nasrallah as proof of the army’s technological prowess.” See also Kill Lists (Sophia Goodfriend//LRB 10/10/24); Two killed in Kiryat Shmona, several hurt in Haifa as Hezbollah rockets batter north (Times of Israel 10/9/24);
Mossad’s pager operation: Inside Israel’s penetration of Hezbollah (WaPo 10/5/24)
“As an act of spy craft, it is without parallel, one of the most successful and inventive penetrations of an enemy by an intelligence service in recent history. But key details of the operation — including how it was planned and carried out, and the controversy it engendered within Israel’s security establishment and among allies — are only now coming to light. This account, including numerous new details about the operation, was pieced together from interviews with Israeli, Arab and U.S. security officials, politicians and diplomats briefed on the events, as well as Lebanese officials and people close to Hezbollah. They spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive intelligence. They describe a years-long plan that originated at Mossad headquarters in Tel Aviv and ultimately involved a cast of operatives and unwitting accomplices in multiple countries. The Washington Post account reveals how the attack not only devastated Hezbollah’s leadership ranks but also emboldened Israel to target and kill Hezbollah’s top leader, Hasan Nasrallah, raising the risk of a wider Middle East war.”
Killing Hezbollah leaders failed 30 years ago. It won’t work now (Elia Ayoub//+972 10/4/24)
“Nasrallah’s death also came at a time of unprecedented domestic weakness for Hezbollah, due to its unpopular involvement in the Syrian civil war and its violent politics in Lebanon. In this sense, Netanyahu’s decision to assassinate Nasrallah — turning him into a national and pan-Arab martyr — may prove to be Hezbollah’s greatest PR win in years.”
After Nasrallah (Adam Shatz//LRB 10/10/24)
“Hizbullah is not a personality-driven organisation, or claims not to be, but in Nasrallah it had a leader of unusual gifts, and his death is an enormous, if not a mortal, blow; it is also a huge setback for Iran. Iranian leaders have promised a ‘decisive reaction’ to the killing, and this can hardly be ruled out, but the fact that Khamenei called on ‘all Muslims’ to respond meant that Iran itself has no intention of doing so anytime soon…Netanyahu’s popularity in Israel, already buoyed by the pager attacks, is soaring. But Israel’s euphoria may prove short-lived. Like other secondary wars carried out in times of quagmire – the French bombing of Tunisia in the late 1950s, the American bombing of Cambodia in 1969-70 – the assault on Lebanon is unlikely to provide more than a fleeting consolation: a dazzling victory on the battlefield in a much larger, unwinnable war. Killing Nasrallah isn’t likely to hasten the defeat of Hamas in Gaza, or the return of the remaining hostages (in whose fate Netanyahu appears to have lost all interest, except as a talking point), much less the surrender of the Palestinian people to Zionist aspirations. Hizbullah will slowly rebuild, and Nasrallah and his cadres will be replaced by a new and no less embittered generation of leaders who will remember the furies unleashed by Israel in Lebanon: the killings, maimings and displacement caused by one of the most intensive bombing campaigns in the 21st century. Nasrallah’s death is as humiliating a setback for his movement as Nasser’s defeat in 1967 was for the Arab cause. But nothing feeds resistance like humiliation.”
In Egypt, displaced Palestinians live in limbo (New Statesman 10/5/24)
“A question intrudes itself: how many Palestinians have left Gaza for Egypt since October? The number I kept hearing from both Palestinian and Egyptian authorities is something like 150,000. Not all have registered at the Palestinian embassy, so the number could be even higher… Some of these, if they held passports for a third country, will have since moved elsewhere, but it seems safe to say that more than 100,000 remain in Egypt, almost all in the greater Cairo region…With very few exceptions, they are not allowed to work or study, cannot receive residency status and must live on the charity of others or meagre savings which, after a year, have now been completely exhausted. There is no way to legalise your status in Egypt in order to find work.”
Palestinians want to choose their own leaders – a year of war has distanced them further from this democratic goal (Maha Nassar//The Conversation 10/6/24)
“As a scholar of Palestinian history and politics, I see talk of reforming existing bodies or propping up a unity government made up of the same players as missing a larger point: Palestinians are increasingly frustrated by their political representation; they want the opportunity to choose their own leaders.” See also Gaza’s governance must remain in Palestinian hands (Said Zeedani//+972 10/8/24)
“Burning the Off-Ramps” (Alex Kane interviews Daniel Levy//Jewish Currents 10/10/24)
Daniel Levy: “ The basic way to understand US policy is to remember that alongside domestic political calculations—the lobby and campaign finance considerations—the US sees Israel as an ally for managing its interests in the region, even if it’s an ally that occasionally goes off on unfortunate tangents. The Biden administration leadership sees a geostrategic advantage in working with Israel to substantially degrade Axis groups, and perhaps attempt to put in place friendly regimes in Lebanon, Syria, and even Iran. If that happens, America can finally achieve the shared Trump-Biden vision of a new Pax Americana between Israel and Arab states to marginalize the Palestinians, manage the region, and prevent any hostile hegemon arising, while also serving to block Chinese and Russian interests. That would also help the US shift its attention and assets towards the Asia-Pacific and Indo-Pacific regions. Such Israeli-American fantasies of a Middle East reshaped around an Israeli hegemon, and around finishing the job of crushing the Palestinians, have failed before and they will fail again, but the US is apparently incapable of learning lessons. Hence, the conveyor belt of arms being delivered to Israel, as well as the deployment of 50,000 US troops to the Middle East and additional warships and aircraft carriers off the coast of Lebanon and in the Gulf—all attempting to restore Israel’s lost deterrence, power projection capabilities, and escalation dominance.”
GAZA
One year of Israel’s war on Gaza (Al Jazeera 10/8/24)
“At least 41,909 people killed…That’s one out of every 55 people in Gaza. 16,756 children killed, 11,346 women killed, 69% of the victims are women and children…At least 97,303 Palestinians injured in the last 365 days. That’s 1 out of every 23 people in Gaza…More than 10,000 people are missing or unaccounted for in the mass destruction of Gaza…114 hospitals and clinics rendered inoperative…At least 986 medical workers killed…520 bodies recovered from 7 mass graves created by Israeli forces inside hospitals…75% of Gaza’s population (1.7 million out of 2.3 million) have been infected with contagious diseases…At least 2.1 million people or 96% of Gaza’s population are facing high levels of food insecurity…95% of Gaza’s population has and no access to clean water for months…At least 175 media workers killed…10,000+ Palestinians are being held in Israeli prisons under grave conditions. 3,300+ are held without charge or trial.” See also Israel has bombed much of Gaza to rubble. What would it take to rebuild? (WaPo 10/6/24); UN Report Accuses Israel, Hamas of War Crimes and Crimes Against Humanity During Gaza War (Nir Hasson//Haaretz 10/10/24); Israel tallies a year of Gaza war: 40,000 targets bombed, 4,700 tunnels hit (Reuters 10/7/24);
Report: In One Year, More Than 100,000 Deaths in Gaza—Aided by $17.9 Billion From the US (Mother Jones 10/8/24)
“On October 7, 2024, the Costs of War Project at Brown University released two new reports. One report from the military-research group details how much the United States government has spent aiding the Israeli military between October 2023 and September 2024. The other gathers and evaluates previously published data to estimate the human cost of this past year’s unrelenting violence. In both cases, the researchers show staggering new findings. The Costs of War Project researchers estimate the cost to US taxpayers at over $17.9 billion, and the likely number of people killed at well over 100,000—which, even then, is a “very conservative, minimum amount of death.” As researchers begin to calculate the costs, the human and monetary toll is starting to become clearer.” See also Nowhere to Go: How Gaza Became a Mass Death Trap (NYT 10/7/24); US spends a record $17.9 billion on military aid to Israel since last Oct. 7 (AP 10/7/24); Gaza’s uncounted dead (WaPo 10/9/24);
‘Dead bodies everywhere’ in Jabalia camp as Israel besieges northern Gaza (Ibrahim Mohammad and Mahmoud Mushtaha//+972 Magazine 10/10/24)
“The Israeli army has launched a major new offensive in northern Gaza, besieging the Strip’s three northernmost cities and their surroundings. Early Sunday morning, the army ordered the approximately 400,000 residents remaining in the north of the Strip to move to the so-called “humanitarian area” in the south ahead of a new military operation. Many refused to leave their homes, and residents of Jabalia, Beit Hanoun, and Beit Lahiya have been under intense bombardment since Sunday afternoon, cut off from Gaza City to the south as tanks and drones shoot at people who try to escape. Over 120 Palestinians have already been killed in the area since the latest operation began as a result of airstrikes, artillery fire, and shooting by Israeli soldiers and quadcopter drones. No humanitarian aid is entering the besieged areas, and Israel has bombed Jabalia’s last functioning bakery. The army has also ordered the evacuation of all medical staff and patients from the three principal medical facilities in the area: Kamal Adwan Hospital and the Indonesian Hospital in Beit Lahiya, and Al-Awda Hospital in Jabalia. Residents of Jabalia refugee camp, the epicenter of the army’s current ground invasion, report that bodies are strewn across the streets, with ambulances unable to retrieve them.” See also ‘We Won’t Leave’: North Gaza Residents Staying Put as Israeli Army Steps Up Pressure (Haaretz 10/10/24); At least 28 killed in Israeli attack on school sheltering displaced in Gaza (Al Jazeera 10/10/24); As Israel Launches Massive Attack in Northern Gaza, Hospital Director Defies Israeli Evacuation Order (Drop Site 10/9/24); At least 400,000 people trapped by Israel’s latest Gaza offensive, says Unrwa (Guardian 10/9/24); ‘Catastrophic situation’ at children’s hospital as Israel renews Gaza attacks (Guardian 10/10/24)
A year of war: IDF data shows 728 troops killed, over 26,000 rockets fired at Israel (Times of Israel 10/7/24)
“According to the data [provided by the IDF], some 17,000 Hamas operatives and members of other terror groups have been killed by the IDF in the Gaza Strip since the beginning of the war, in addition to some 1,000 terrorists inside Israel on October 7, when gunmen rampaged through southern communities massacring some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducting 251 to Gaza…Since the beginning of the war, over 26,000 rockets, missiles, and drones have been launched at Israel from multiple fronts. The numbers included 13,200 projectiles fired from Gaza — at least 5,000 on October 7 alone — 12,400 from Lebanon, around 60 from Syria, 180 from Yemen, and 400 from Iran — the latter of which in two direct attacks on Israel on April 13 and October 1.”
The Killings They Tweeted: An Airwars Investigation Airwars 10/9/24
“In the largest public analysis of Israeli military strike footage, Airwars, in collaboration with Sky News, reviewed hundreds of clips of strikes the IDF said were targeting Hamas and other militant groups in Gaza that were posted on official military social media accounts in the first month of the war. Despite the grainy videos published with few details on targets or locations, Airwars matched 17 strikes to specific geo-coordinates where our researchers had tracked Palestinians killed or injured. In these strikes alone, more than 400 civilians were reported killed. The video above explains our findings in detail, while the interactive map below features all strike footage geolocated as well as those cases matched to the Airwars civilian harm archive.” See also Israel Bombs Mosque in Deir al-Balah, Gaza’s Last Standing City (Drop Site 10/7/24); One year and climbing: Israel responsible for record journalist death toll (Committee to Protect Journalists 10/4/24); Al Jazeera cameramen in critical condition after Israeli shooting in Gaza (Al Jazeera 10/10/24); I’m still reporting on Gaza. But the blood on our streets is no closer to drying (Mohammed R. Mhawish//+972 10/9/24)
How many hostages are still in Gaza since Hamas attack on Israel? What to know. (WaPo 10/9/24)
“The Israeli government estimates that 251 hostages were taken in the cross-border Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas attack that killed 1,200 people in Israel. According to the latest figures, 63 hostages are believed to still be alive and in captivity in the Gaza Strip, but Israel has not given the full basis for its estimates. Since the attack, 117 hostages held in Gaza have been freed; most, including 81 Israelis and two Americans, were released as part of a deal between Israel and Hamas in November. Others — including two other Americans — were released or rescued outside of the deal. The number of hostages who have died in captivity and the ages, genders and nationalities of those remaining in Gaza are unclear. Israel has estimated that the majority of those remaining have Israeli citizenship and are male. It’s unclear how many are members of the Israeli military. Four American hostages are still believed to be alive in Gaza and the bodies of three others are still being held there. While Hamas is thought to hold most of the hostages, some are believed to be held by other militant groups, including Palestinian Islamic Jihad, whose fighters also took part in the Oct. 7, 2023 attack. Israel blames Hamas for the deaths of some hostages, and has also said at least three were killed in its own operations. Hamas says Israeli strikes have killed some hostages. The Washington Post could not independently verify either side’s claims. Here’s what we know about the hostages still held in Gaza and the names of those who have been released.”
65 Doctors, Nurses and Paramedics: What We Saw in Gaza (Feroze Sidhwa//NYT 10/9/24)
“Using questions based on my own observations and my conversations with fellow doctors and nurses, I worked with Times Opinion to poll 65 health care workers about what they had seen in Gaza…This is what we saw. 44 doctors, nurses and paramedics saw multiple cases of preteen children who had been shot in the head or chest in Gaza…63 doctors, nurses and paramedics observed severe malnutrition in patients, Palestinian medical workers and the general population…52 doctors, nurses and paramedics observed nearly universal psychiatric distress in young children and saw some who were suicidal or said they wished they had died…64 doctors, nurses and paramedics observed that even the most basic medical necessities, like soap and gloves, were usually unavailable in Gaza…Together, Israel and the United States are turning Gaza into a howling wilderness.” See also Nearly 100 U.S. Health Workers Who Served In Gaza Demand Arms Embargo To Israel (Huff Post 10/2/24); UN inquiry accuses Israel of crimes against humanity in destroying Gaza’s hospitals (Al Monitor 10/10/24); ‘Death sentence’: Asbestos released by Israel’s bombs will kill for decades (Al Jazeera 10/8/24);
RIVER TO THE SEA
Israel’s Internal Contradictions (Meron Rapoport//The Nation 10/7/24)
“If you want to understand where Israel is at almost a year into its longest war, you might start by looking at two very different figures: Giora Eiland and Einav Zangauker. Eiland, a retired major general, is the former head of the Israeli National Security Council and has long been considered one of the most prominent “intellectuals” among the not very intellectual Israeli security apparatus. A frequent TV commentator, he does not come from a religious-messianic background, is a vocal critic of Benjamin Netanyahu and his politics, and generally presents as a moderate, sober thinker. Yet from the beginning of the war, Eiland led the way by calling to destroy Gaza…Almost a year after Israel launched its bloodiest attack ever on Gaza and on the Palestinian people as a whole, killing at least 40,000, driving almost 2 million from their homes, and leveling most of the Gaza Strip, Eiland and his military friends believe that Israel has not done enough—that it has been “too soft” on the Palestinians. And the Israeli political class and media agree…Einav Zangauker represents the current mood of the country at least as well as Eiland does. Zangauker’s son, Matan, was kidnapped on October 7 and is being held in Gaza. Zangauker is a resident of Ofakim, a small town in southern Israel, that was overrun during Hamas’s murderous attack. She describes herself as a Likudnik, as do the overwhelming majority of Ofakim residents. Yet Zangauker is today the undisputed leader of a huge wave of protests calling for a deal with Hamas that would include the release of the Israeli hostages in exchange for the release of Palestinian prisoners held by Israel as well as a ceasefire in Gaza…In her grief, anger, and despair, Zangauker embodies the feelings of many Israelis, hundreds of thousands of whom poured into the streets at the end of the summer demanding a “deal now.” With Eiland on one side and Zangauker on the other, Israel finds itself at a crossroads—one that could determine the fate not only of the Israeli hostages and the people in Gaza but also of the broader Middle East. Take one path, and there is endless war; take the other, and there is the possibility of “normality.” And yet, as deep as the divisions are between the two sides, there is one crucial matter on which they are fundamentally aligned: Neither side includes Palestinians as part of their equation. The Israeli public is not distressed by the violence its military is inflicting on Gaza; nor are they concerned about future relations with the Palestinians.” See also One Year on, Israel’s Hostage Families Vow to Keep Fighting as War Escalates (NYT 10/7/24; includes a video of Einav Zangauker); A year after the Nova massacre, survivors are still paralyzed with grief (Alice Austin//+972 10/7/24)
Israel’s Start-Ups Struggle to Lure VC Capital Amid Escalating Wars (Drop Site 10/10/24)
“Since October 7, data from Israel High-Tech, Venture Capital and Private Equity Data and Analytics (IVC), the Bank of Israel and the Israeli Innovation Authority, shows investment in the country’s tech sector is on the decline. Founders have been trickling out of the country and with workers across the country reporting for reserve duty in the IDF, 20% of whom are in the high-tech sector according to a July analysis, the labor market has been stretched thin. Amid all of this, the cost of war has cut into the government’s ability to buoy its tech sector—even leading some in the industry to call for an end to Israel’s wars.” See also Israel-UAE trade to hit $3.3B in 2024 as wars in Lebanon, Gaza continue (Al Monitor 10/5/24)
No rest in Umm al-Khair: Settler violence overshadows life (Al Jazeera 10/7/24)
“Every day, people wake up expecting to become homeless, Tariq [Hathaleen] said, sitting on a bench during a late-night watch in the community centre playground. “We live in continuous fear,” he said. “You don’t know what will happen – whether the settler that is coming to shepherd next to your house will decide to attack you or not.” Since late June, a string of violent or aggressive incidents have taken place in Umm al-Khair, with incursions by Israeli settlers, and sometimes the Israeli army, becoming a daily occurrence.” See also Mapping 1,400 Israeli settler attacks in the West Bank over the past year (Al Jazeera 10/10/24); West Bank: Armed settlers attack Palestinians on first day of olive harvest (Middle East Eye 10/6/24); Israeli settlers are seizing occupied West Bank land under the cover of war (Middle East Eye 10/5/24); At least four Palestinians killed by Israeli forces in West Bank’s Nablus (Al Jazeera 10/9/24)
A Year After October 7th, a Kibbutz Survives (Ruth Margalit//New Yorker 10/5/24)
“In Be’eri, where more than a hundred people were killed and thirty taken captive, former residents are attempting to rebuild.” See also ‘The land is full of blood’: An Israeli kibbutz where Oct. 7 never ends (WaPo on Kibbutz Be’eri 10/7/24)
How weapons from the Gaza war are killing Palestinians on Israel’s streets (Baker Zoubi//+972 10/1/24)
“Since the beginning of 2024, more than 180 Palestinians citizens of Israel have been murdered in attacks linked to organized crime, a figure that could be on track to match last year’s record of 244. And it’s not just the numbers that are shocking; it’s also the nature of the attacks. Whereas in the past, criminal killings were overwhelmingly shootings, in recent months there has been a sharp uptick in the use of explosive devices…For Palestinians across Israel, there is a sense that the adoption of such tactics means criminal organizations present a more lethal danger than ever before. And the proliferation of high-grade weaponry on Israel’s streets can be traced directly to the army’s year-long offensive in the Gaza Strip.”
Torture in Israel’s Prisons (Aryeh Neier//NYRB 10/17/24 issue)
“Most of the time, in my experience, detainees are tortured in police facilities before being transferred to regular jails and prisons, apparently to elicit information that will incriminate the detainee or others…The testimonies in “Welcome to Hell,” in contrast, describe guards torturing detainees in regular prisons over an extended period with no such motive. One detainee says that he was asked, “Where’s Sinwar?” But that’s about it. Nor does this abuse seem intended to punish disrespect to the guards or infractions of the rules. Such abuse tends to be sporadic, whereas these accounts describe prisoners suffering sustained torture over weeks and months…Another characteristic of torture in other countries is that it usually takes place when the detainee is isolated…The only witnesses are the torturer and his or her fellow torturers. And yet almost all the violence in Israel’s torture camps, according to the testimonies, takes place in full view of other detainees. Sometimes others are made to witness it.”
On Israeli Apathy (Mairav Zonszein//NYT 10/7/24)
“A year since the murderous Oct. 7 Hamas attack set off the war in Gaza, Israel is sinking deeper into an existential crisis. It is a shrunken country, with tens of thousands of Israelis displaced from northern towns and kibbutzim, as well as southern border villages, as it fights a multifront war that is only intensifying and expanding. And, in addition to having to cope throughout the year with loss, shock, rocket fire and overwhelming fear for their safety from Hamas, Hezbollah, the Houthis and Iran itself, that anxiety is compounded by turmoil from within…The way many Israelis protesting across the country see it — a group largely identified as the secular liberal elite — this is not just about saving the hostages; it is a battle over the state’s character and identity. This, then, is the state’s existential inflection point: between a democracy and authoritarianism…And yet, somehow, this battle is completely detached from the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and from Palestinians themselves, as if they do not breathe the same air we breathe, in Israel, the West Bank, Jerusalem and Gaza. The outrage in the streets is largely confined to the Israeli government’s failure to save the Israeli hostages. There is almost no outrage over the indiscriminate destruction of Gaza and the killing of over 40,000 people, many of them civilians, over the past year. Few are protesting Israel’s excessive use of force. It simply does not register that even if Israelis are in an existential crisis, Palestinians are in a battle for their very existence. Israeli disregard for Palestinian suffering, whether conscious or not, has been one of the most palpable and disturbing features of life in Israel since Oct. 7. Of course it existed well before then, but it is all the more stark and consequential now.” See also Seven people killed in shooting, stabbing terror attack in Jaffa (Times of Israel 10/1/24)
Unprepared for a Hamas Onslaught, Ignored by Their Commanders, Israel’s Women Soldiers Fought to the End (Haaretz 10/7/24)
“At the Nahal Oz army outpost, the operations room was completely unprotected. At Kerem Shalom and Yiftah, the unarmed spotters continued to work as bodies piled up. An independent panel has uncovered numerous failures by the IDF and the government – alongside the heroism and the comradeship of these largely unarmed women soldiers on the Gaza border.” See also ‘They told us a big attack wouldn’t happen’: the intelligence failures before 7 October (Guardian 10/7/24); 130 Israeli Soldiers Declare They Will Refuse to Serve Unless Gov’t Seeks Hostage Deal (Haaretz 10/9/24); ‘This Isn’t a Country I’ll Sacrifice My Life For’: Why 130 Israeli Soldiers Are Refusing to Serve (Haaretz 10/9/24)
U.S. SCENE
Pro-Palestinian ‘Uncommitted’ Group Comes Out Firmly Against Trump (NYT 10/8/24)
“Uncommitted, the national group of Arab Americans, Muslim Americans and Palestinian rights activists that emerged from primary-season voters protesting President Biden’s Middle East policy, took a big step Tuesday toward encouraging supporters to vote for Vice President Kamala Harris. In a video detailing the plans and suggestions of Trump advisers to expel or displace Palestinians from the West Bank and Gaza, Lexi Zeidan, a Dearborn, Mich., resident and co-founder of the group, stopped short of endorsing Ms. Harris. But she concluded, “We have to orient less toward who is the better candidate and more toward what is the better antiwar approach in building our collective power.” The message, posted on all major social media platforms, was a marked shift for the group, which has made significant demands of Ms. Harris with little result.” See also In Michigan, Harris meets Arab American leaders angry over Israel (Reuters 10/4/24)
Biden Sought Peace but Facilitated War (Nicholas Kristof//NYT 10/5/24)
“Instead of midwifing the landmark Middle East peace that he hoped for, Biden became the arms supplier for the leveling of Gaza — a war that killed more women and children in a single year than any other war in the last two decades, according to Oxfam. Biden has been calling for restraint for a year, but he marginalized himself by continuously providing the weapons that allowed his appeals to be ignored…It wasn’t a failure of vision or of hard work. Biden concocted a grand plan for a multipart deal that would deliver a cease-fire in Gaza, normalization of Saudi-Israeli relations, a path to a Palestinian state and a stronger Saudi-American relationship that would freeze China out of the region. But Biden was unwilling to forcefully use his leverage to get there, so Netanyahu ran rings around the president.” See also Biden’s Moral Failure in Israel (Peter Beinart // NYT 10/8/24); Joe Biden Chose This Catastrophic Path Every Step of the Way (Matt Duss//TNR 10/7/24)
Pro-Palestinian Group at Columbia Now Backs ‘Armed Resistance’ by Hamas (NYT 10/9/24)
“The pro-Palestinian group that sparked the student encampment movement at Columbia University in response to the Israel-Hamas war is becoming more hard-line in its rhetoric, openly supporting militant groups fighting Israel and rescinding an apology it made after one of its members said the school was lucky he wasn’t out killing Zionists. “We support liberation by any means necessary, including armed resistance,” the group, Columbia University Apartheid Divest, said in its statement revoking the apology.” See also Brown Rejects Protesters’ Push to Divest Over Israel Ties (NYT 10/9/24)
Pro-Palestinian Group Is Relentless in Its Criticism of Israel, and It Isn’t Backing Down (NYT 10/5/24)
“Ms. [Nerdeen] Kiswani bills herself as part of a bolder, new generation of Palestinian American activists who are calling for what she says earlier generations also wanted, but feared to say in public: the replacement of the state of Israel with a state called Palestine, covering all the land from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea. “We may look more moderate, or whatever, if we talk about a two-state solution,” she said. “But that’s been dead on arrival for years now. It’s already a one-state solution. It’s a state that’s controlled by Israel in every sense.” There was no point in softening her message, she said. “People from our community who tried to appease politicians, they were still marginalized. They were still called terrorists,” she added. “So if we’re going to receive that backlash regardless of what we say or do, then we might as well make the full demands of what we want for our people, which is complete and total liberation.”
Journalist’s distress over Israel-Gaza war spurred self-immolation, writings show (WaPo 10/6/24)
““I give my left arm to you,” Mena wrote on his personal website ahead of Saturday’s pro-Palestinian demonstration, referring to the children in Gaza who have lost limbs…Then, Mena, of Phoenix, ignited his left arm — becoming the second person this year to set fire to themselves in the nation’s capital to protest Israel’s military actions in Gaza.” See also Failing Gaza: Pro-Israel bias uncovered behind the lens of Western media (Al Jazeera 10/5/24)
PERSPECTIVES//LONG READS
A Year That Has Brought Us to the Breaking Point (Yousef Munayyer// TNR 10/7/24)
“What we have witnessed in Palestine over the last year has been a continuation of what we have witnessed in Palestine over the last century. Undoubtedly, the level of violence we are witnessing now is greater than before, and, importantly, it may well pale in comparison to the level of violence we will witness a decade from now. Hard as it may be to wrap one’s head around that possibility, it is nevertheless imperative for us to do so. Unless the patterns that created this year of genocide can be broken, we should expect them to repeat—and to become worse…Every red line up the ladder to genocidal violence has been erased by continued U.S. backing. Now genocidal violence itself is being normalized. Our leaders won’t say these words, but they have given their blessings to the actions that constitute the crimes those words describe. In doing so they are laying the groundwork for genocides to come in Palestine and yes, perhaps beyond Palestine as well.”
How Israel has made trauma a weapon of war (Naomi Klein//Guardian 10/5/24)
“But it does raise the question: why does it seem that so many prominent Jewish leaders want Israel to have suffered a modern-day Holocaust of its own, enough to indulge these false and dangerous comparisons? On one level, it makes little sense: Israel’s Staatsraison is its claim that it alone can guarantee Jewish safety in the face of Jew-hatred, cast as a primordial force in the human psyche that can rise up with genocidal fury at any moment. The 7 October attacks were brutal, but they did not represent an exterminatory threat to either Israelis or Jews as a people. Why, then, would Israel want to undercut its core mission by advancing a narrative that makes it seem less safe than it actually is? Here is one theory: the wound at the heart of Israel’s founding is that Palestinians have been forced to pay for Europe’s crimes. Forced to pay with their land. Their homes. Their freedom. Their blood. Over and over again, in what many Palestinian scholars and political leaders, from Hanan Ashrawi to Joseph Massad, have termed the “ongoing Nakba”. However, if Palestinians are the new Nazis, or worse than Nazis (as we have heard this year), and if 7 October is a new Holocaust, or an extension of it, that would even the score after the fact. Put differently, in the new national identity being forged around that traumatic day, Israel might be less physically safe than it has long claimed, but it believes it is more politically safe, since it would, within this logic, not be founded on the crime of ethnically cleansing a people who never posed an existential threat to the Jews. And that means it would be safe to finally finish the job of the Nakba, which looks very much like what is under way in Gaza and large parts of the West Bank.”
A Year of War Without End (Lina Mounzer//The Markaz Review 10/4/24)
“And yet I have come to the point where words fail. Not because the words themselves aren’t up to the task of describing the savagery. But because I’m coming to terms with the inability of those words to effect any change in some listeners. To convey the magnitude of loss and horror, to affirm the unique, irreplaceable humanity of those we’ve lost over the last year — and the magnitude of each individual loss — to those disinclined to see us as human. The failure is not that of language itself then but of the rotten substructure of the world within which this language is meant to function. For what is difficult to understand about a doctor in Gaza describing the amputation of limbs undertaken without anesthesia, or a doctor in Beirut saying that he’s “never had to remove more eyes”? What further eloquence might aid in the comprehension of such horror?”
Nothing Will Ever Be the Same Again (Noura Erakat//The Nation 10/7/24)
“Today, Day 367, it is almost impossible not to despair. “Catastrophe is not in the future, the Nakba is not the past,” historian Sherene Seikaly tells us. We are not on the precipice of apocalypse; we have been building life in its folds…Our collective labor has made an indelible impact: The United States and Israel are isolated globally, their influence reduced to the use of naked coercive force devoid of any legal or ethical persuasion. Their boundless destruction is matched only by their moral bankruptcy, now plain for those who want to see it…We must recognize our despair, and name it, to prevent its bottomless darkness from transforming our activist spaces into toxic places of harm. We must remember that surrender is not an option, and that history is more than even an epoch. We must turn to Palestinians for our greatest guidance and inspiration—they, who over 76 years, have been pummeled more than once, and who every time have risen like a phoenix to reconstitute themselves and continue forging a future with the fire of the most difficult sacrifice and the surety of collective victory. A genocide has threatened to erase Palestine, but it has ensured that Palestine now lives in each one of us, immortal. Nothing, and none of us, will be the same again.”
After a year of terror in Gaza, our souls feel suspended in time (Ruwaida Kamal Amer//+972 10/5/24)
“It is a terrible thing to witness the obliteration of your homeland. When I think about what we’ve lived through this past year, I feel like I’m going to lose my mind completely. It is a shock that I’m still unable to absorb. I try not to think at all, in the hope of maintaining my sanity until it ends. Seconds go by like hours. One night of this torment is difficult enough; our souls feel suspended in time, until morning comes and we have to endure another day. We search for one piece of news that might change our lives for the better. I long for the day when we no longer hear the constant noise of bombs, warplanes, and drones. The day the death stops.”
Palestine and Lebanon are living the same nightmare. We will rise out of it together (Mohammed R. Mhawish//+972 9/29/24)
“I am not in Lebanon, but I can picture the scene vividly. The air is thick with dust, and the deafening roar of explosions is only drowned out by the never-ending wail of sirens. The streets are full of people running for their lives, but there’s nowhere safe to go. Ambulances, overwhelmed and unable to reach the wounded, are helpless as the shelling tears neighborhoods apart. Civil Defense teams scramble to rescue survivors, but the sheer intensity of the bombardment renders their efforts futile. I can picture this because the scenes unfolding today in Lebanon are heartbreakingly familiar to me as a Palestinian journalist from Gaza. They echo what my hometown has lived through for generations, including the last year of Israeli genocide. I know the terror that grips those streets. I know what it’s like to wake up to the sound of bombs, to scramble for safety with nowhere to go, to hold your child close and wonder if you’ll live to see tomorrow.…For the people of Lebanon, Gaza is not a distant cause; it is a mirror of their own suffering. They understand too well the feeling of being abandoned by the world, the endless waiting for help that never comes. They know the pain of watching their children grow up under the shadow of war, of raising a family in the ruins of what once was. And even now, with bombs exploding around them, they stand with us, just as they always have.”
‘Living to death’: Poet Mosab Abu Toha on Gaza’s trauma, one year on (Al Jazeera 10/6/24)
“I was born in a refugee camp,” he says. “My father and mother were born in refugee camps. My grandfather was born in a refugee camp. I can’t ignore or unlive my background, the background of someone who was born in a refugee camp and who was wounded and who never left Gaza until he was 27. And whose house was bombed. And who was kidnapped by the Israeli army.”…“I want every single person who is living outside [Gaza] to imagine themselves being born in Palestine,” he says. “Being born in a refugee camp and living all their lives under occupation and under siege. To raise your children in a war zone not for one year, two years, three years, no – for me it’s been all my life.” See also from Mosab Abu Toha: The Pain of Travelling While Palestinian Mosab (New Yorker 9/21/24); Gaza’s Schools Are for Learning, Not for Dying (NYT 10/6/24); The Gaza We Leave Behind (New Yorker 10/7/24)
Must the Sword Devour Forever? (Seth Anziska//Jewish Currents 10/2/24)
“There is a gnawing and nightmarish sense that this latest war emerges as an extension of Gaza—its annihilatory model projected northward, even as the campaign in Gaza is itself an extension of Lebanese wars past…These wars have pushed the limits of international humanitarian law, creating dangerous new precedents. The violation of national sovereignty and territorial integrity is now an unremarkable phenomenon. Extrajudicial executions masquerading as targeted assassinations in densely populated neighborhoods claim large numbers of civilian lives, from Gaza’s Nuseirat to Beirut’s Haret Hreik; no one is held accountable. New, indiscriminate technologies of 21st-century warfare—from AI programs like Lavender, which generate endless lists of targets by algorithm, to exploding pagers and walkie talkies, which turned alleged Hezbollah members at the pediatrician’s office or the greengrocer into human grenades—continue to erase the distinction between combatant and civilian, an erosion of norms that even the permissive theorist of “just war doctrine” Michael Walzer denounced in the pages of The New York Times. The last 12 months may reflect a new chapter in Israeli warfare deployed against Palestinians and Lebanese, but they presage grotesque “innovations” coming to a theater near us all. What is normalized in wartime will shape our collective future.”
His Mother Was Killed by Hamas. Her Death Transformed His Life. (NYT 9/30/24)
“Israelis always tell me that when the hostages were brought into Gaza, people cheered,” he said. “I think the same people will cheer when we bring peace.” If the very militants who destroyed his kibbutz came to him now saying they were ready to negotiate for peace, Yonatan told me he would listen openly. “Come,” he said. “Even if you killed my mother before.”
‘I Have Watched My People Suffer in Ways That Would Shock the World’ (Lujayn, Mohammed R. Mhawish, Ahmed Abu Artema, Hani Almadhoun//The Nation 10/7/24)
“Now, as we reflect on this painful year, we return to some of the people we have met along the way—among them, an impossibly brave 14-year-old girl who has held on to her capacity for love and hope; a writer and father who survived six months in Gaza before fleeing to Egypt; and a poet, activist, and father who has persisted, day after day, despite enduring the ultimate loss…We urge you to read their words—to listen to the pleas and yearning within them, to the fear and despair, to the rage and sorrow and, yes, love. And we urge you to share their words, far and wide, so that the world cannot fail to hear them.”
What Was Possible Before October 7th, and What Remains Possible Now (Isaac Chotiner interviews Yezid Sayigh//New Yorker 10/7/24)
“To talk about what might be next for the region, I recently spoke by phone with the Palestinian writer and scholar Yezid Sayigh, a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace’s Malcolm H. Kerr Middle East Center, and an expert on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and Lebanese politics. During our conversation, which has been edited for length and clarity, we discussed why Hamas misjudged Israel’s response to October 7th, whether Israel has done any long-term planning beyond its military actions, and what the war in Gaza has revealed about international law.”
What Life Looked Like for Palestinians Before October 7 (Jacobin 10/7/24)
“Israel is fast turning Gaza into a wasteland, the result of decades of occupation and apartheid. Israeli journalist Amira Hass explains what life was like for Palestinians before the current genocide.”
Alive in Gaza (Zeina Azzam//Vox Populi)
“‘I’m still alive. I’m doing my best to stay alive.’My mind tries to process this message from a young friend in Gaza. I met Ahmed virtually through We Are Not Numbers (WANN), a writing program for youth in Gaza, a year and a half ago. I have mentored college-age students through WANN for almost eight years now, and Ahmed was the most recent one before the events of October 2023…Getting Ahmed’s messages makes Israel’s war on Gaza so real to me, so visceral…I have realized that I feel so much guilt about Gaza. I am helpless and impotent to do anything about the genocide. It seems that no amount of personal or community lobbying and protesting, writing articles or letters for the news or social media or to lawmakers, composing poems from the heart, sending donations to humanitarian organizations or GoFundMe appeals, or simply praying has made life in Gaza at all livable or secure. Nothing seems to stop Israel’s devastating war on Gaza and its people. We constantly hear of more death and destruction. It is unfathomable that no one in the world is doing what it takes to make this nightmare stop.”
To honour Jimmy Carter’s legacy, amplify his call for freedom in Palestine (Mustapha Barghouti//Al Jazeera 10/8/24)
“Jimmy Carter, the 39th president of the United States who turned 100 this month, has built a legacy of courage and moral clarity over his many decades in public service, fighting tirelessly for peace and human dignity at home and around the world. Now, as he nears the twilight of his life, we must take the time to reflect on one of his most courageous stances: his unwavering commitment to Palestinian dignity and self-determination…Now, as he enters his 100th year and tributes pour in to honour his many humanitarian achievements, we must not forget that he was one of the most important truth-tellers of our time. Carter was willing to see the brutality inflicted on the Palestinian people and refused to remain silent about it. That is a rare kind of courage, especially for a former US president, that should be recognised and remembered. The best way we can honour Jimmy Carter, his bravery and unwavering moral clarity is to carry forward his commitment to equal human rights for all people.”
Focus On: A Year of Genocide in Gaza (Al Shabaka 10/8/24)
“This Focus On highlights how Al-Shabaka has sought to respond to these gaps, drawing on Palestinian analysis from members of our policy network and guest contributors. From grounding October 7th in the broader context of Israeli settler colonialism, to interrogating Israel’s multifaceted war machine, to assessing rapidly evolving regional relations, this compilation of works represents Al-Shabaka’s ongoing effort to articulate the Palestinian condition in real time.”
Here in Gaza, a new year of hunger, humiliation, and loss begins (Ahmed Abu Artema//Middle East Eye 10/9/24)
“Living in a tent, even the simplest things become distant dreams…And there’s no guarantee of safety, as Israeli warplanes have repeatedly bombed tents, instantly killing their inhabitants. Palestinians are forced to clean up the remains and erect new tents atop such tragedies.I saw this process unfold once, and I was shocked. How could someone bear to live in a place where a slaughter had occurred just a few hours earlier; where a person’s body had lain in pieces? I shared my astonishment with a friend, who replied: “If he hadn’t put up his tent, someone else would have done so right away.” This war is changing us all. When will the volume of tragedy satisfy Israel’s appetite for punishing the Palestinian people?”
Rashid Khalidi, America’s foremost scholar of Palestine, is retiring: ‘I don’t want to be a cog in the machine any more’ (Guardian 10/8/24)
“As the Columbia University professor steps down, he addresses student protests, links between Ireland and Palestine and how ‘higher education has developed into a hedge fund’’