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NEW FROM FMEP
Humanizing and Historicizing the World in a Time of Genocide (New Occupied Thoughts podcast episode)
FMEP Fellow Peter Beinart speaks with UC Berkeley History Professor Ussama Makdisi, who was personally named and targeted by Members of Congress in the recent House of Representatives hearing ostensibly on antisemitism in higher education. Beinart and Makdisi discuss the “surreal” experience of being denounced in Congress as well as the truth and power of the widespread mobilization of people from a wide range of backgrounds, faiths, and generations calling for justice and an end to the genocide in Gaza. They also discuss the long and relatively under-researched history of interconnections among Muslims, Christians, and Jewish communities in the Middle East, the importance of reading history, and the shocking brutality of the genocide in Gaza.
Settlement & Annexation Report: July 25, 2025 (Kristin McCarthy)
- Violence, Anarchy in Northern West Bank as Outpost Settlers Reign Terror on Palestinians & Israeli Force; 2. Red Alert: Planning Committee to Convene on E-1 Settlement Plan; 3. Ramallah Area Settler Violence Reaches Extreme, Settlers Murder U.S. Citizen; 4. Another Bedouin Community Displaced in Jordan Valley By Unabated Settler Terrorism; 5. Israel Sidesteps Palestinian Authority to Renovate Ibrahimi Mosque/Cave of the Patriarchs; 6. Bonus Reads
FMEP Legislative Round-Up July 25, 2025 (Lara Friedman)
- Bills, Resolutions; 2. Letters & Reports; 3. Hearings & Briefings; 4. Selected Members on the Record; 5. Selected Media & Press releases/Statements
GAZA
We are starving (Ruwaida Amer//+972 Magazine 7/21/25)
“I am so hungry. I’ve never meant those words in the way I do now. They carry a kind of humiliation that I can’t fully describe. Every moment, I find myself wishing: If only this were just a nightmare. If only I could wake up and it would all be over. Since last May, after I was forced to flee my home and take shelter with relatives in Khan Younis refugee camp, I’ve heard those same words uttered by countless people around me. Hunger here feels like an assault on our dignity, a cruel contradiction in a world that prides itself on progress and innovation. Every morning, we wake up thinking only of one thing: how to find something to eat. My thoughts go immediately to our sick mother, who had spinal surgery two weeks ago and now needs nutrition to recover. We have nothing to offer her. Then there’s my little niece and nephew — Rital, 6, and Adam, 4 — who ask for bread all the time. And we adults try to withstand our own hunger just to save whatever scraps we can for the kids and the elderly…Our bodies are breaking down. We feel constantly weak, unfocused, and off-balance. We grow irritable easily, but most of the time we just stay silent. Talking uses up too much energy…We rarely leave the house anymore, afraid our legs might give out. It already happened to my sister: while searching on the streets for something, anything, to feed her children, she suddenly collapsed to the ground.” See also Palestinians Are Collapsing in Gaza’s Streets From Israeli-Imposed Starvation Campaign (Abdel Qader Sabbah and Sharif Abdel Kouddous//Drop Site 7/21/25); Doctors and health officials report wave of hunger deaths in Gaza (Financial Times 7/23/25); The World Must See Gaza’s Starvation (Mohammed Mansour//NYT 7/24/25); ‘We faced hunger before, but never like this’: skeletal children fill hospital wards as starvation grips Gaza (The Guardian 7/23/25); Gaza Officials Report 9 Hunger-related Deaths in Past 24 Hours, Raising Total to 122 (Haaretz 7/25/25); As Hunger in Gaza Deepens, People Are Exchanging Their Most Prized Possessions for Food (Haaretz 7/23/25);
‘Death has more dignity than this life’: Israel’s starvation campaign ravages Gaza (Ahmed Ahmed//+972 Magazine 7/25/25)
“At least 122 people, including more than 83 children, have died of starvation in Gaza since Israel’s war began in October 2023, according to Gaza’s Ministry of Health — 54 of them since Monday alone. Now, more than 100 international aid organizations have warned that Gaza is facing “mass starvation,” with the UN reporting that one in every five children in Gaza City is malnourished, as cases continue to rise every day. Despite the limited entry of humanitarian aid trucks since late May, ongoing Israeli attacks on civilians seeking aid at Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) sites — combined with the obstruction of humanitarian organizations trying to deliver life-saving assistance — have continued to drive up the death toll and left the majority of the population without access to food.” See also UN body says Israeli forces have killed over 1,000 aid-seekers in Gaza since May, as hunger worsens (AP 7/23/25); Nearly 100 people killed seeking aid in Gaza on Sunday, Palestinian officials say (NPR 7/20/25); Another Kind of Weapon: Our Reporter Got Into Gaza. He Witnessed a Famine of Israel’s Making. (Afeef Nessouli, Steven W. Thrasher//The Intercept 7/21/25); Eleven-minute race for food: how aid points in Gaza became ‘death traps’ – a visual story (The Guardian 7/22/25); UN Palestinian refugee staff and doctors fainting from hunger in Gaza, says UNRWA (Reuters 7/22/25); ‘For Pity’s Sake, Stop This Now’: Gaza Hunger Crisis Takes Front Page Across Global Media (Haaretz 7/24/25); Severe malnutrition in under-5s has tripled at Gaza City clinic, charity reports (The Guardian 7/25/25); ‘Hungry aid staff fainting’ as starvation spreads in Gaza and truce hopes fade (The Guardian 7/24/25); Gaza suffering man-made mass starvation, says WHO chief (The Guardian 7/23/25);
“Finish the job”: Trump says Israel must “get rid” of Hamas (Axios 7/25/25)
“President Trump signaled on Friday that after the breakdown in negotiations for a Gaza ceasefire and hostage deal, he believes Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu should escalate the war in order to “get rid” of Hamas.”
US and Israel ditch ceasefire talks as Trump envoy points finger at Hamas (The Guardian 7/24/25)
“The US is withdrawing its negotiating team from Gaza ceasefire talks in Qatar after Donald Trump’s special envoy, Steve Witkoff, pointed the finger at Hamas for a “lack of desire to reach a ceasefire”. “While the mediators have made a great effort, Hamas does not appear to be coordinated or acting in good faith,” Witkoff said on Thursday. “We will now consider alternative options to bring the hostages home and try to create a more stable environment for the people of Gaza.”…According to a Haaretz report, Israeli sources described the teams’ recall as a coordinated move designed to pressure Hamas. Hamas said it was surprised by Witkoff’s remarks, adding that the group’s position had been welcomed by mediators and had opened the door to reaching a comprehensive agreement.” See also U.S. blames Hamas for crisis in ceasefire talks, eyes “alternative” hostage plans (Axios 7/24/25)
Israel is Attacking Deir al-Balah, Gaza’s Last Standing City (Hamza M.Salha & Sharif Abdel Kouddous//Drop Site 7/22/25)
“Israel’s military campaign in Deir al-Balah on Sunday marked the first time since the beginning of the war 21 months ago that Israeli troops launched a major offensive on the city, located in central Gaza. Unlike every other major city or town in Gaza—including Gaza City, Khan Younis, Jabaliya, Rafah, Beit Lahia, and elsewhere—Deir al-Balah is the only city in Gaza that had not yet been subject to a major Israeli ground operation or suffered widespread devastation. The displacement orders issued by the Israeli military on Sunday cover about 5.6 square kilometres (2.1 miles) of Deir al-Balah, spanning four neighborhoods that house between 50,000 and 80,000 people, including some 30,000 people sheltering in dozens of displacement sites, according to UN estimates. In addition to tens of thousands of displaced Palestinians, Deir al-Balah is also where the headquarters of several UN agencies and international NGOs are based. On Monday, the World Health Organization (WHO) said Israeli forces raided its main staff residence in Deir al-Balah, forcing women and children to forcibly displace on foot toward the coast…The affected displacement area is also home to critical water infrastructure, including the Southern Gaza Desalination Plant, three water wells, a water reservoir, as well as a wastewater pumping station…The latest directive means that nearly 88% of Gaza is now under displacement orders or within an Israeli “militarized zone,” meaning that over two million people are supposed to squeeze into a fragmented 12% of the enclave.” See also WHO says Israeli forces hit its staff residence and main warehouse in Gaza (The Guardian 7/21/25); Israeli Strikes Hit W.H.O. Site After Military Expands Gaza Offensive (NYT 7/22/25);
Israel’s Destruction of Gaza: Almost Nothing Is Left of Khan Yunis, Satellite Photos Show (Haaretz 7/23/25)
“Satellite photos show that thousands of homes in Gaza’s second-largest city and its environs have been destroyed in recent months. Displaced resident: ‘This isn’t just fighting, it’s wholesale destruction. Everything is gone’” See also IDF Reiterates Ban on Gazans Entering the Sea, Last Remaining Source of Relief for Many Palestinians (Haaretz 7/13/25); ‘The Danger to His Life Is Now Acute’: Following IDF Threats, Al Jazeera Reporter Pleads for Protection (Haaretz 7/24/25);
Israel Is Now Blaming the UN for Its Famine. Here’s the Reality. (Ryan Grim//Drop Site 7/24/25)
“The Israeli government has pivoted to a new deflection: The famine in Gaza is not the result of Israel’s publicly announced March 2 blockade of all food entering Gaza, nor is it connected to the Israeli- and U.S.-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), which replaced the UNRWA aid system Israel shut down with its own militarized version in late May. Instead, according to the new Israeli campaign, the blame lies with the United Nations. “Hundreds of aid trucks have entered Gaza with Israel’s approval, but the supplies are standing idle, undelivered,” the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs declared on X. “The reason? The UN refuses to distribute the aid.”…The focal point of the Israeli accusation against the UN is a collection of some 900 aid trucks that have already crossed into Gaza but which have been unable to distribute the aid. Yet Israel has actively prevented the UN from distributing aid. Tamara Alrifai, a spokesperson for UNRWA, told Drop Site that Israeli restrictions on the movement of the organization’s staff have made distribution impossible. “Claiming that the UN isn’t picking up food and other urgent supplies, and promoting images that these goods are just sitting near the crossing is disingenuous to say the least,” she said. “Since the collapse of the ceasefire, the government of Israel tightened its already stringent restrictions even more, giving even less permission to the UN to move around the Gaza Strip.… The rule is that a UN convoy moves after getting consent. We as the UN have not been getting sufficient permission to move.”’ See also Israel Refuses to Renew Visa of Top U.N. Humanitarian Official for Gaza (NYT 7/21/25); Israel Denies Visa Extension for Top UN Official Over Gaza War Criticism (Haaretz 7/20/25); Israel trying to deflect blame for widespread starvation in Gaza (The Guardian 7/25/25); Gazans Are Dying of Starvation (NYT 7/24/25); Responding to GHF collaboration offer, UN says it won’t work with groups that place Gazans at risk (TOI 7/23/25);
Aid Groups Blame Israel’s Gaza Restrictions for ‘Mass Starvation’ (NYT 7/23/25)
“More than 100 aid agencies and rights groups, including Save the Children and Doctors Without Borders, warned on Wednesday that “mass starvation” was spreading across Gaza, adding to calls for Israel to lift restrictions on humanitarian aid to the besieged enclave. The joint statement is the latest attempt to draw attention to a growing hunger crisis in Gaza. It was released after the European Union and at least 28 governments, including Israeli allies like Britain, France and Canada, on Monday condemned the “drip feeding of aid” and said that civilian suffering had “reached new depths.”” See also USAID analysis found no evidence of massive Hamas theft of Gaza aid (Reuters 7/25/25); 28 Western nations say Gaza war ‘must end now,’ suffering has ‘reached new depths’ (TOI 7/21/25); Israel to Allow Humanitarian Airdrops Over Gaza (NYT 7/25/25); Gaza Humanitarian Foundation Head Boasts Success as Palestinians Starve (The Intercept 7/24/25); The for-profit companies behind Israeli-U.S. nonprofit Gaza aid plan (WaPo 7/21/25)
US government review found no evidence of widespread Hamas theft of Gaza aid (CNN 7/25/25)
“An internal US government review found no evidence of widespread theft by Hamas of US-funded humanitarian aid in Gaza, contradicting the State Department’s claims that were used to justify backing a controversial private organization that took over aid distribution in the enclave. The analysis, conducted by the US Agency for International Development (USAID), looked into 156 incidents of waste, fraud, and abuse reported by partner organizations between October 2023 and May 2025. The review of the incidents, which was first reported by Reuters, “found no affiliations” with sanctioned groups or foreign terrorist organizations, according to a presentation seen by CNN. “There was no indication that there was a systemic loss due to Hamas interference or theft or diversion,” a source familiar with the report told CNN.”
Hamas facing financial and administrative crisis as revenue dries up (WaPo 7/21/25)
“Hamas is facing its worst financial and administrative crisis in its four-decade history, facing stiff challenges in mustering the resources it would need to continue to fight Israel and rule Gaza.”
REGION//GLOBAL
“He’s a madman”: Trump’s team frets about Netanyahu after Syria strikes (Axios 7/20/25)
“As smoke and debris swirled over the Syrian presidential palace, the chatter in the West Wing grew louder: Benjamin Netanyahu is out of control…”Bibi acted like a madman. He bombs everything all the time,” one White House official told Axios, referring to Netanyahu by his nickname. “This could undermine what Trump is trying to do.” A second senior U.S. official also pointed to the shelling of a church in Gaza this week, which led President Trump to call Netanyahu and demand an explanation. “The feeling is that every day there is something new. What the f***?” A third U.S. official said there’s growing skepticism inside the Trump administration about Netanyahu — a sense that his trigger finger is too itchy and he’s too disruptive. “Netanyahu is sometimes like a child who just won’t behave.”’ See also Trump ‘caught off guard’ by Israeli strikes on Syria last week (The Guardian 7/22/25); White House confirms Trump objected to Israeli strikes in Syria (Axios 7/21/25); Israel, Syria hold first high-level talks in 25 years amid US de-escalation push (Al Monitor 7/25/25)
Macron: France to recognize Palestine as a state (Al Monitor 7/24/25)
“Macron said in a post on X that he will make the announcement at the United Nations General Assembly in September. He said the move is in line with France’s “commitment to a just and lasting peace in the Middle East,” and he demanded a ceasefire in Gaza, the release of hostages from the enclave, the delivery of aid to people there and the “demilitarization” of Hamas. The French leader said a Palestinian state should be demilitarized and recognize Israel.” See also U.S. slams France’s plan to recognize Palestinian state (Axios 7/24/25);
Houthi attacks take toll on Israel’s Red Sea port (WaPo 7/21/25)
“Officials at Israel’s only Red Sea port warned the government Sunday that it was at risk of a complete shutdown without financial assistance, citing the economic impact of months of attacks by Yemen’s Houthi fighters on commercial shipping in the region…Although a complete shutdown of the privately operated port would not represent a sweeping change, given its already diminished capacity and the rerouting of activity to Mediterranean ports, it would be a win for the Houthis and point to the ongoing impact of their campaign, especially relative to Israel’s other adversaries in the region.”
US to withdraw from UNESCO over ‘anti-Israel rhetoric’ (Al Monitor 7/22/25)
“The Trump administration said Tuesday it will withdraw the United States from the United Nations’ educational, science and cultural organization, citing its inclusion of Palestine as a member state. “Continued involvement in UNESCO is not in the national interest of the United States,” State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce said in a statement, describing the organization as having a “globalist, ideological agenda” at odds with the administration’s “America First” foreign policy…The Trump administration withdrew from UNESCO in 2017, citing resolutions on religious sites in Jerusalem and the West Bank it said were biased against Israel as well as a decision to label Hebron in the Israeli-occupied West Bank as a Palestinian site. The Biden administration formally rejoined the agency in 2023, citing China’s growing influence as one of the agency’s largest donors.”
Belgian police question two Israelis over war crimes accusations (The Guardian 7/21/25)
“Belgian authorities have said they briefly held and questioned two Israeli citizens who attended an electronic music festival last week, after pro-Palestinian groups accused them of war crimes.
Prosecutors said they had received legal complaints alleging that two Israeli soldiers responsible for “serious violations of international humanitarian law” in Gaza were spotted at the Tomorrowland festival near the northern city of Antwerp…The office said it had taken action after concluding that Belgian courts had extraterritorial jurisdiction over alleged war crimes.” See also I’m afraid to go home’: Canadian IDF soldiers fear fallout from war crimes probe (TOI 7/20/25); Israeli cruise ship turned away from Greek island by Gaza war protest (The Guardian 7/22/25);
RIVER TO THE SEA
Far-right Israeli politicians and settlers discuss luxury ‘Gaza riviera’ plan (The Guardian 7/24/25)
“A group of far-right Israeli politicians and settlers met in parliament this week to discuss a plan to displace Palestinians from Gaza, annex the territory and turn it into a hi-tech, luxury resort city for Israelis…The plan, seen by the Guardian, would require Gaza’s existing population of about 2 million to be emptied out. Legal experts warn that forcible displacement on such a scale would be tantamount to ethnic cleansing. Michael Sfard, one of Israel’s leading human rights lawyers, said: “This is a plan for ethnic cleansing. Under international law, this would amount to a crime against humanity because deportation is a war crime when committed on a small scale and a crime against humanity when it is committed on a massive scale.” The plan was discussed on Tuesday in the Knesset during a conference called “The riviera in Gaza: from vision to reality”. Among the speakers was the minister of finance, Bezalel Smotrich, who is one of two Israeli ministers to have had sanctions placed on them by the UK and other countries, and the settler activist Daniella Weiss.” See also [Israeli Heritage] Minister [Amichai Eliyahu] says Israel racing ahead to wipe out Gaza, will make it Jewish (TOI 7/24/25); As Gaza starves, Israel’s far right sees a dream coming true (Ishaan Tharoor//WaPo 7/24/25)
The Last Standing Palestinian Shepherding Community in This Area – Not Yet Evicted by Settlers (Hagar Shezaf//Haaretz 7/23/25)
“Since the war began, neighboring villages have faced one of the most extensive expulsion waves ever in the West Bank. One after the other, the small shepherding communities that used to live along the road between Duma and Ras Ein al-Auja – following the establishment of outposts that made their lives miserable. The last blow on the area came a couple of weeks ago, when the villagers of Muarrajat were expelled, leaving the villagers of Ras Ein al-Auja as the last shepherd community still living there. They are looking ahead in fear, and with reason: Now, left alone, settlers can devote all of their attention to them. This includes daily harassment, trespassing, preventing access to grazing pastures and stealing flocks of sheep or other livestock.”
Israeli Settlers Take Over Spring, Damage Wells That Supply Water to 30 Palestinian West Bank Villages (Hagar Shezaf//Haaretz 7/25/25)
“Israeli settlers seized the Ein Samiya spring in the West Bank and vandalized Palestinian pumping stations that supply water to 30 villages in the Ramallah area, diverting the water to a nearby pool.”
IDF Kills 14-year-old Palestinian Boy in West Bank, Health Ministry Says (Jack Khoury//Haaretz 7/24/25)
“A 14-year-old boy was killed by Israeli fire in the northern West Bank on Wednesday, the Palestinian Health Ministry in the West Bank said. The boy, reportedly killed at the entrance to the town of Arraba, west of Jenin, was named by Palestinian media as Ibrahim Hamran. Hamran is the third teenager killed by IDF fire in the past week. On Tuesday, the Palestinian Health Ministry stated that 16-year-old Ibrahim Nasser was killed by IDF fire in Qabatiya.” See also Knesset votes 71-13 for non-binding motion calling to annex West Bank (TOI 7/23/25); 8 U.S. states to advance law requiring use of ‘Judea and Samaria’ in official documents (yNet 7/20/25);
Ayman Odeh’s Failed Impeachment Is a “Win-Win” for the Right (Elisheva Goldberg//Jewish Currents 7/22/25)
“Experts say the attempt was a means of suppressing the vote of Palestinian citizens of Israel and delegitimizing their political participation.” See also ‘We and Our People in Gaza Are One’: Over 10,000 Protest Gaza War and Hunger Crisis in Major Arab Israeli City (Haaretz 7/25/25);
U.S. Nonprofits Funnel Millions to Israeli Army Volunteers (The Intercept 7/19/25)
“The Intercept reviewed five years of tax documents that show 2023 was the most lucrative year on record for lone soldier [mostly Jewish non-Israelis who serve in the IDF] programs. After Israel began calling up hundreds of thousands of reservists in the wake of Hamas’s October 7 attack, U.S. donors poured funding into the organizations. Each year from 2002 to 2020, between 3,000 and 4,000 lone soldiers served in the Israeli military, about a third of them from North America. Since October 7, 2023, it is estimated that 7,000 lone soldiers from the U.S. alone have either signed up or returned to Israel to serve.” See also ‘Israeli military says eight soldiers wounded in car-ramming attack (Al Monitor 7/24/25)
Israel brutally detaining Gaza hospital director as ‘bargaining chip,’ says lawyer (Shatha Yaish//+972 Magazine 7/22/25)
“Held without charge for 7 months, Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya has been beaten, starved, isolated, and cut off from his family. His freedom is nowhere in sight.” See also Another Doctor Is Dead in Gaza (New Yorker 7/19/25)
U.S. SCENE
Columbia University agrees to pay more than $220M in deal with Trump to restore federal funding (WaPo 7/24/25)
“Columbia University announced Wednesday it has reached a deal with the Trump administration to pay more than $220 million to the federal government to restore federal research money that was canceled in the name of combating antisemitism on campus. Under the agreement, the Ivy League school will pay a $200 million settlement over three years, the university said. It will also pay $21 million to resolve alleged civil rights violations against Jewish employees that occurred following the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attack on Israel, the White House said…The school had been threatened with the potential loss of billions of dollars in government support, including more than $400 million in grants canceled earlier this year…Columbia has since agreed to a series of demands laid out by the Republican administration, including overhauling the university’s student disciplinary process and applying a contentious, federally endorsed definition of antisemitism not only to teaching but to a disciplinary committee that has been investigating students critical of Israel…As part of the agreement, Columbia agreed to a series of changes previously announced in March, including reviewing its Middle East curriculum to make sure it was “comprehensive and balanced” and appointing new faculty to its Institute for Israel and Jewish Studies. It also promised to end programs “that promote unlawful efforts to achieve race-based outcomes, quotes, diversity targets or similar efforts.” The university will also have to issue a report to a monitor assuring that its programs “do not promote unlawful DEI goals.”’ See also Trump puts pressure on Harvard and others to pay up, after Columbia deal (WaPo 7/25/25);
Columbia Deal a ‘Threat’ to Higher Ed, Experts Warn (Inside Higher Ed 7/25/25)
“The Trump administration’s landmark settlement with Columbia University threatens the institution’s independence and academic freedom, higher education experts say. Many warn that the agreement marks a threat not only to higher education, but also to democracy at large…“Columbia’s reforms are a roadmap for elite universities that wish to regain the confidence of the American public by renewing their commitment to truth-seeking, merit and civil debate,” [Education Secretary Linda McMahon] added. “I believe they will ripple across the higher education sector and change the course of campus culture for years to come.” But some higher education faculty, legal experts and free speech advocates say the settlement is unlawful, pointing to the quick investigation, vague allegations and unprecedented way federal funds were retracted before Columbia had a chance to appeal. Some went as far as to compare the executive actions to past power grabs by authoritarian leaders in countries like Hungary, Turkey and Brazil. Columbia’s capitulation “represents the upending of a decades-long partnership between the government and higher education in which colleges and universities nevertheless retained academic freedom, institutional autonomy and shared governance,” said Lynn Pasquerella, president of the American Association of Colleges and Universities. “It signals a rise in authoritarian populism in which higher education is positioned as the enemy in a fight against corrupt, inefficient and elite institutions that are out of touch with the needs of the working class.”…“Whether you applaud or despise the terms of the deal, the way in which the government is operating, and getting universities like Columbia to make these deals is fundamentally coercive,” said David Pozen, a constitutional law professor at Columbia. “Therefore, it poses a significant threat to the future of higher education as well as the rule of law.” Pozen and others fear that this will only further embolden Trump to take similar strikes at more institutions.” See also Columbia suspends, expels and revokes diplomas of students involved in Butler Library takeover (JTA 7/22/25);
Netanyahu tried to court young Trump fans — here’s why it didn’t work (Arno Rosenfeld//The Forward 7/23/25)
“Support for [Israel] is flagging among nearly every young demographic in the United States, with a recent poll finding that unfavorable views toward Israel among younger Republicans have jumped 42% since 2022. And while the loose constellation of male content creators that comprises the manosphere may be fond of Trump, their politics are increasingly aligned against Israel…The brand of hostility toward Israel among the sort of young men that cheered Trump’s multiple appearances on “Full Send” and similar podcasts is often crude and simplistic, mixing concern over civilians in Gaza with antisemitic tropes and outright hostility toward Jews.” See also ‘Modern-day Hitler’: MAGA Podcasters Slammed by Influencers on Left and Right for Hosting Netanyahu (The Forward 7/23/25);
Did Biden Really Send a Billion Dollars to Sabotage Netanyahu? Inside a Conspiratorial GOP Report From a Parallel Reality (Ben Samuels//Haaretz 7/24/25)
“ The House Judiciary Committee report alleging that the Biden administration misappropriated nearly $1 billion in taxpayer funds to fuel political dissent in Israel is riddled with misinterpretations of how federal governments distribute money to nonprofits, according to experts and an independent analysis by Israeli disinformation watchdogs. Beyond the sheer monetary figure included, the House report further directly accused the Biden administration, Israeli NGOs and American groups long supportive of Israel’s democratic aspirations of being fundamentally anti-democratic. A closer look at the report itself shows that the figures within – and subsequently promoted by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his Likud party as evidence of a Biden-backed coup do not match reality.” See also Netanyahu’s Party Accuses Biden Administration of Attempted Coup in Israel After GOP Releases NGO Report (Haaretz 7/19/25)
Democrats demand U.S. investigation of American’s death in West Bank (WaPo 7/24/25)
“Nearly 30 Senate Democrats are urging the Trump administration to investigate the recent death of a U.S. citizen in the West Bank…Sayfollah Kamel Musallet, 20, of Tampa, was killed July 11 while visiting family in the occupied West Bank. Palestinian health authorities and Musallet’s family have said Israeli settlers are responsible for his death.” See also U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee Visits Palestinian Village After Church Arson, Vows ‘Harsh Consequences’ for Those Responsible (Haaretz 7/19/25); Ocasio-Cortez’s Office Is Vandalized After Vote on Funds for Israel (NYT 7/22/25); Youth wing of the Democratic Party passes amendment opposing Israel’s ‘ongoing genocide in Gaza’ (JTA 7/22/25);
Nation’s largest teachers union rejects move to cut ties with ADL (Jacob Kornbluh//The Forward 7/20/25)
“The leadership of the nation’s largest teachers union on Friday voted to reject a resolution severing ties with the Anti-Defamation League — a move that capped weeks of internal debate over the ADL’s stance on Israel and its role in shaping how schools address antisemitism…Earlier this month, NEA members passed a resolution to stop working with the ADL and prohibit the use of any educational materials, including “its curricular materials or its statistics.” While the resolution did not mention Israel, it reflected a growing rift between progressive organizations and the longtime Jewish civil rights group related to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the war in Gaza. In response, the ADL spearheaded a show of support, rallying nearly 400 Jewish groups from across the political spectrum — including Hillel International, the Jewish Federations, the Reform movement and the Jewish Council for Public Affairs — to sign a letter defending the organization.” See also National Education Association rejects ADL boycott proposal (JI 7/20/25)
Revealed: Harvard publisher cancels entire journal issue on Palestine shortly before publication (Alice Speri//The Guardian 7/22/25)
“The Guardian spoke with four scholars who had written for the issue, and one of the journal’s editors. It also reviewed internal emails that capture how enthusiasm about a special issue intended to promote “scholarly conversation on education and Palestine amid repression, occupation, and genocide” was derailed by fears of legal liability and devolved into recriminations about censorship, integrity and what many scholars have come to refer to as the “Palestine exception” to academic freedom.”
A Columbia genocide scholar says she may leave over university’s new definition of antisemitism (WaPo 7/24/25)
“For years, Marianne Hirsch, a prominent genocide scholar at Columbia University, has used Hannah Arendt’s book about the trial of a Nazi war criminal, “Eichmann in Jerusalem: A Report on the Banality of Evil,” to spark discussion among her students about the Holocaust and its lingering traumas.
But after Columbia’s recent adoption of a new definition of antisemitism , which casts certain criticism of Israel as hate speech, Hirsch fears she may face official sanction for even mentioning the landmark text by Arendt, a philosopher who criticized Israel’s founding…“A university that treats criticism of Israel as antisemitic and threatens sanctions for those who disobey is no longer a place of open inquiry,” she told The Associated Press. “I just don’t see how I can teach about genocide in that environment.” Hirsch is not alone. At universities across the country, academics have raised alarm about growing efforts to define antisemitism on terms pushed by the Trump administration, often under the threat of federal funding cuts…Ahead of a $220 million settlement with the Trump administration announced Wednesday, Columbia agreed to incorporate the IHRA definition and its examples into its disciplinary process. It has been endorsed in some form by Harvard, Yale and dozens of other universities. While supporters say the semantic shift is necessary to combat evolving forms of Jewish hate, civil liberties groups warn it will further suppress pro-Palestinian speech already under attack by President Donald Trump.”
PERSPECTIVES//LONG READS
Do You Have a Son in the IDF? You Might Be the Parents of a War Criminal (Hagai El-Ad//Haaretz 7/20/25)
“Do you have a son who serves on an Israeli missile boat? Maybe you have a son who’s a war criminal. Artilleryman? Sniper? And of course – first and foremost, a pilot? Think about it: You might be the parents of a war criminal. If your son weren’t, he wouldn’t bomb undisciplined hungry people who showed up an hour early. People who came an hour early because they are hungry, hungry because we starved them.”
Why American Jews No Longer Understand One Another (Ezra Klein//NYT 7/20/25)
“The consensus that held American Jewry together for generations is breaking down. That consensus, roughly, was this: What is good for Israel is good for the Jews. Anti-Zionism is a form of antisemitism. And there will, someday soon, be a two-state solution that reconciles Zionism and liberalism. Every component of that consensus has cracked…Many older Jews I know are shocked and scared by Mamdani’s victory. Israel, to them, is the world’s only reliable refuge for the Jewish people. They see opposition to Israel as a cloak for antisemitism…Many younger Jews I know voted for Mamdani. They are not afraid of him. What they fear is a future in which Israel is an apartheid state ruling over ruins in Gaza and Bantustans in the West Bank…For decades, American Judaism, built on the liberalism of the diaspora, has been interwoven with Zionism. What happens when the ideals of the one become incompatible with the reality of the other?”
Why the reluctance to recognize Israel’s genocide in Gaza? (Kenneth Roth//The Guardian 7/24/25)
“Although the Netanyahu government has displayed a shocking indifference to Palestinian civilian life there, it has not tried to kill all Palestinians. Rather, it has killed enough of them, and imposed conditions of starvation and deprivation that are sufficiently severe, to force them to flee, if things go according to plan. The far-right Israeli ministers Bezalel Smotrich and Itamar Ben-Gvir have openly articulated that goal, as has Netanyahu. There is little doubt that Israel’s actions are sufficient to meet the requirements for genocidal conduct.”
Gaza is starving. Where are the American Jewish leaders? (Rabbi Jill Jacobs//The Forward 7/23/25)
“It is time for American Jewry to take an accounting of how many of our communal institutions and leaders are continuing to defend and support a war that has left an unbearable path of death and destruction in its wake…Every person of conscience should be horrified by the death and destruction in Gaza…But our own fear must not distract us from the reality that the biggest threat to Israel, and indeed to Judaism itself, is coming from Israel’s governing coalition.”
Normalizing Israeli Impunity and Dominance: The Arab Role (Tariq Dana//Al Shabaka 7/22/25)
“The October 7, 2023, Al-Aqsa Flood operation aimed to revive Palestinian armed resistance and reassert the cause in Arab and global consciousness after years of marginalization. It dealt a major blow to Israel’s deterrence, rupturing its image as a secure colonial outpost entrusted with protecting Western strategic interests. It also exposed cracks in its militarized social contract that rests on the regime’s ability to protect its settler population. While the operation imposed new political realities on the Israeli regime, it has come at a staggering cost to Palestinian life: Israel’s genocidal assault on Gaza has unleashed one of the worst humanitarian crises in recent memory. Yet the anticipated wave of Arab solidarity following the operation failed to materialize or translate into concrete policy shifts. Instead, the moment laid bare the entrenched ties between Arab regimes and Israel’s settler-colonial project that are rooted in mutual interests, regime preservation, and a shared antagonism toward Palestinian resistance. This commentary argues that these alliances—sustained by repression and strategic-economic cooperation and reinforced by Western complicity—transformed a potential turning point for isolating the Israeli regime into an opening for intensified colonial expansion and regional dominance.”