NEW FROM FMEP
Breakup: Will the Iran War Accelerate US Efforts to Craft an Independent Foreign Policy? (New podcast episode)
The Quincy Institute and Foundation for Middle East Peace (FMEP) co-hosted this webinar that examined how the war on Iran — which was conducted by the Americans and Israelis with an unprecedented degree of coordination — may accelerate the divergence of American and Israeli policy conduct in the Middle East. As the costs continue to accumulate for the Americans, and the Israelis continue to dig in, the question of whether a policy break which corresponds to each state’s different interests has gained new importance. And if that break ultimately develops, how will the process of extricating Israeli policy-making from Washington unfold? This webinar/podcast features Trita Parsi (Quincy Institute), Barbara Slavin (Stimson Center), Lara Friedman (FMEP), and was moderated by FMEP Fellow Ahmed Moor.
FMEP Legislative Round-Up June 26, 2026 (Lara Friedman)
- Bills, Resolutions; 2. Letters & Reports; 3. Hearings & Markups; 4. Selected Members on the Record; 5. Selected Media & Press releases/Statements
Settlement & Annexation Report: June 26, 2026 (Kristin McCarthy)
WEST BANK: Israel Seizes Land for Outpost Legalization; Smotrich Announces Millions for Illegally Seized Ancient Pool; New Report on Israel’s Seizure of the Hasmonean Palaces; New Lightrail for Settlers?; STATE-BACKED SETTLER TERRORISM: Key stories this week; BONUS READS
GLOBAL/REGION
Israel says IDF is staying in southern Lebanon, undermining Iran peace talks (The Guardian 6/24/26)
“The Israeli defence minister, Israel Katz, has said that Israeli troops would not withdraw from southern Lebanon, further complicating Iran peace talks as fighting in Lebanon continues to be an obstacle to permanent peace…“The IDF is prepared … and we are not retreating. We announced that in any case we are not withdrawing, and as of this moment – and this is a political achievement – there is no American demand for Israel to withdraw from Lebanon,” Katz said.” See also Israel-Lebanon talks extended an extra day as deal on IDF withdrawal remains elusive (TOI 6/26/26); Defense Minister Katz says Israel is ‘ready to finish the job’ if Iran attacks (Haaretz 6/26/26); Netanyahu and Katz say Israel will remain in Lebanon, Syria and Gaza ‘without time limit’ (MEE 6/26/26); Israel expands Lebanon occupation as Hormuz tensions continue (New Arab 6/26/26)
Israel Says It Has Trapped Hezbollah Fighters in an Underground Complex (NYT 6/24/26)
“The Israeli military says thousands of its troops have surrounded an underground Hezbollah fortress beneath the hills of southern Lebanon, trapping dozens of militants inside. The standoff is at the heart of intense clashes that have erupted in the area in recent days between U.S.-allied Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah.” See also Israeli attack kills famed turtle sanctuary ecologist in Lebanon (Guardian 6/20/26); Mona Khalil, Defender of Sea Turtles, Killed in an Israeli Strike in Lebanon (NYT 6/20/26);
The plot against Palestine Action (Jonathan Cook//+972 Magazine 6/19/26)
“It was virtually inevitable that, once the British government decided to actively support Israel’s mass slaughter of civilians in Gaza, an unprecedented, authoritarian crackdown on dissent back home would follow. That climate of official repression culminated this week with the Court of Appeal — the UK’s second highest court — upholding the government’s proscription last year of Palestine Action as a terrorist organization. The need to crush opposition to the British state’s complicity in Israeli atrocities in Gaza — which a consensus of international legal, scholarly, and human rights experts has determined amounts to a genocide — has led to many firsts in British legal history. But the proscription of Palestine Action is perhaps the most foundational, and the most dangerous. It is the first time that a direct action group, whose form of civil disobedience is damaging property rather than using violence against people, has been declared a terrorist organization, on a par with Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State group.” See also Archbishop of Canterbury calls for end to Israeli occupation of Palestine (The Guardian 6/25/26);
Sanctioned ICC judges sue Trump in US over ‘attack on judicial independence’ (MEE 6/26/26)
“A federal court in New York has summoned US President Donald Trump to respond to a lawsuit brought by three sitting judges of the International Criminal Court (ICC), who accuse his administration of punishing them with sweeping sanctions for their work on investigations involving Israel and the United States…It is the first time that ICC judges have personally gone to court to challenge their designation under Executive Order 14203, which Trump signed on 6 February 2025. The order declared a national emergency over the court’s investigations into US and Israeli nationals and authorised asset freezes and travel restrictions against foreign officials who take part in or support them. The three judges are among eight on the court who have been sanctioned, alongside ICC prosecutor Karim Khan, his two deputies, the United Nations special rapporteur for the occupied Palestinian territories and three Palestinian human rights organisations.”
GAZA
Israel continues to commit genocide by targeting children in Gaza, UN inquiry finds (The Guardian 6/23/26)
“Israel continues to commit genocide by deliberately targeting Palestinian children in Gaza, an independent UN inquiry has found. The report by the UN independent international commission of inquiry examined violations against Palestinian children since the start of the war in Gaza, and said about 30% of the people killed by Israeli forces have been children…The UN commission said in its report, released on Tuesday, that Palestinian children were deliberately targeted and killed during the war, including after a ceasefire came into effect in October 2025. It said this was a key element in establishing genocidal intent by Israeli authorities and security forces to destroy the Palestinian group, in whole or in part, in Gaza. “The evidence shows that Palestinian children have been deliberately targeted and killed by the Israeli security forces,” said Srinivasan Muralidhar, the commission’s chair, in a statement accompanying the report…It added that it believed children were targeted collectively because the Israeli security forces considered the civilian population as a whole to be associated with Hamas and other armed groups. Muralidhar said that by targeting children, Israel was undermining the capacity of the Palestinian people to exist and to determine their future.” See also U.N. Report Says Israeli Killings of Gaza Children Post-Truce Amount to Genocide (NYT 6/23/26);
‘Reproductive genocide’: Rapid decline in birth rates, rise in abortions amid Israel’s war on Gaza (New Arab 6/20/26)
“New data from Gaza has revealed that Israel’s war on the enclave has caused a sharp decline in birth rates and a rise in abortions, with experts decrying this as “reproductive genocide”. Gaza’s Ministry of Health revealed that only 2,004 births were registered in April 2026, compared to 6,076 births in November 2025, a decrease of around 67 per cent.”
Israel Bombs Palestinians in Beach Tents in Gaza (Abdel Qadar Sabbah//Drop Site 6/25/26)
“Israel’s attacks on Wednesday targeted several areas of Gaza’s coastline where thousands of displaced Palestinians live in dilapidated tent encampments. The encampments by the sea lie as far as possible from the “yellow line” where Israeli troops are stationed and are steadily encroaching further westward. Yet Israel has repeatedly bombed Gaza’s beaches, killing Palestinians living in the barest part of the enclave.” See also In Gaza, ‘slaughter continues unabated’ while the world turns away (Ahmed Dremly and Ibtisam Mahdi//+972 6/116/26); Al Jazeera cameraman Ahmed Wishah killed in Israeli strike on Gaza (Guardian 6/20/26);
‘Freedom, dignity, and a future’: Why Gazans are planning a mass mobilization (Muhammad Shehadeh//+972 Magazine 6/25/26)
“In the worn-out tents and overcrowded shelters of the besieged Gaza Strip, a call has crystallized in recent weeks for a mass mobilization to demand residents’ fundamental rights to “life, dignity, and freedom.” The protests, which organizers are planning in more than a dozen locations across Gaza on June 26, will likely attract thousands, if not more, given the deep anguish and despair that grips the entire population…It is difficult to estimate the size of what is being termed the “June 26 movement” on the ground, since Abdul Ati and other prominent activists advocating for the protests are based outside Gaza, having been displaced by Israel’s genocide or having left some years before. Some are affiliated with the Fatah party of Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, while others are politically independent. But public messaging has been carefully articulated to appeal to a broad audience. There is clear resentment expressed by some activists toward Hamas’ political leadership…At the same time, the June 26 movement’s public statements emphasize that “the occupation is our sole enemy,” reject the ethnic cleansing of Gaza, and demand a dignified life, democratic rule, and “restoring a social contract [where] the people’s will is the intrinsic and sole source of political legitimacy.”’
Palestinians in Gaza say bank account closures cut off access to vital funds (MEE 6/20/26)
“Palestinians in war-ravaged Gaza have accused the Bank of Palestine of freezing or closing their accounts without adequate explanation, leaving them unable to access salaries, aid and personal savings…They said they received little or no explanation from the bank and were given no clear pathway to challenge the decisions. Due to the chronic liquidity shortage in Gaza and widespread deterioration of banknotes, many Palestinians rely heavily on banking applications and digital wallets to access and transfer money.”
Exclusive: Internal Documents Show Trump’s “Board of Peace“ Moving to Crush Palestinian Self-Determination (Jeremy Scahill and Jawa Ahmad//Drop Site 6/23/26)
“Gaza proposals obtained by Drop Site show Trump’s board attempting to force a Palestinian surrender that Israel could not achieve in war.”
RIVER TO THE SEA
As the World Watched Gaza, Settlers Charged Ahead in the West Bank. A Clash Is Imminent (Haaretz 6/23/26)
“A revolution is taking place in the northern West Bank. A decades-long settler project is becoming a reality – fast. Settler representatives in the Israeli government are reaping political gains, while the IDF enables and supports the effort on the ground. The revolution started unfolding after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s right-wing government was sworn in 2022. It was accelerated after Hamas’ October 7 attack. At the heart of the drama is an effort to reestablish settlements evacuated under Israel’s 2005 disengagement plan, deep inside Palestinian-populated areas, where Israelis had largely been absent for nearly two decades. In total, settlers are taking over 18 strategic sites that cut through the largest contiguous Palestinian population area in the West Bank. Israel’s return to the area includes the deployment of military forces, the construction of bases to protect settlements, road building, land expropriations and the intimidation of Palestinians in their daily lives. Senior military officials understand the move could ignite the region. Settler leaders, however, celebrate it: “This is what redemption looks like.” See also As settlers rampage, IDF soldiers accused of aiding violence, theft against Palestinians (TOI 6/26/26); Palestinians warn West Bank antiquities bill designed to expand Israeli control (TOI 6/25/26); How the Jewish National Fund Became the Face of Israeli Expulsion (Haaretz 6/24/26)
Israeli former leaders and security chiefs threaten legal action over ‘Jewish terrorism’ (The Guardian 6/24/26)
“Dozens of Israelis from the country’s security, political and cultural elite have threatened legal action against their government over support for Jewish terrorism and an “ideology of ethnic cleansing” in the occupied West Bank, according to a leaked letter. Two former prime ministers, former heads of all the Israeli security services, former judges, a Nobel laureate and the country’s most revered living novelist were among the signatories to a “final warning” over violence against Palestinians. They demanded immediate action to “eradicate Jewish terrorism”, cataloguing years of attacks – including murder, sexual assault, theft, arson and desecration of the dead – by civilian and military perpetrators who acted with “almost complete impunity”. The campaign of extreme violence against Palestinians broke Israeli and international law, put Israel’s security at risk, isolated the country internationally and fuelled antisemitism around the world, they said…If the prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, and his defence and security ministers and security commanders do not condemn and stop the violence, the signatories say they will petition Israel’s high court to force their hand.” See also Palestinians decry Israeli push for control over ancient West Bank sites (Reuters 6/25/26);
‘His only crime is that he is a Palestinian doctor’ (Shatha Yaish//+972 Magazine 6/17/26)
“Fourteen Gazan physicians remain in Israeli prisons without charge, where they say they have been singled out for particularly severe abuse.” See also Israeli forces arrest Palestinian ‘doctor of the poor’ (The Guardian 6/25/26)
The Palestinians dying for work (Charlotte Ritz-Jack//+972 Magazine 6/12/26)
“Israel shut its borders to West Bank laborers after Oct. 7. But desperation means thousands are finding a way in — and Israeli police keep shooting them.”
The Haredi draft revolt threatening to bring Israel to a standstill (Eli Bitan//+972 Magazine 6/23/26)
“The battle over Haredi refusal to serve in the army is the most explosive civil issue in Israel today — one that threatens to shatter the right-wing bloc that has dominated Israeli politics almost continuously since the late 1970s. On the one side there is the Haredi demand, growing ever more forceful, for an unconditional exemption from conscription for all young Haredi men and women. On the other side is the strong desire among much of the rest of Jewish-Israeli society to break the ultra-Orthodox resistance to the draft — particularly amid a severe reserve duty crisis following years of war — and to see Haredi men “share the burden.”’
The Israeli right is marching under a new flag (Menachem Klein//+972 Magazine 6/15/26)
“Once confined to the margins, a movement seeking Jewish sovereignty over Al-Aqsa and an openly theocratic regime is going mainstream.” See also Hundreds of Bedouin left homeless as Israel ramps up Naqab expulsions (Oren Ziv//+972 6/24/26)
15 articles a day: The extent of the Israeli army’s media interference (Haggai Matar//+972 Magazine 6/17/26)
“In 2025, the military censor banned or redacted over 5,000 news reports, with suppression peaking during Israel’s war with Iran.”
U.S. SCENE
Mamdani-backed Candidates Sweep New York Democratic Primary, With Israel as Fault Line (Haaretz 6/24/26)
“Several candidates critical of Israel won their Democratic Party primary races in New York City on Tuesday, including Former New York City comptroller Brad Lander, who beat incumbent Representative Dan Goldman. The election comes as part of a show of strength by New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani, who endorsed candidates in several races widely seen as a test of Democratic divisions over Israel policy and the role of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, known as AIPAC.” See also Brad Lander Wins N.Y. House Primary in Which Israel Became a Top Issue (NYT 6/23/26); Claire Valdez, a Socialist Backed by Mamdani, Wins Key New York Primary (NYT 6/23/26); Rep. Adriano Espaillat Was Slow to Help Mahmoud Khalil. It Could Cost Him His Seat. (The Intercept 6/23/26); Darializa Avila Chevalier, a Mamdani Ally, Ousts Espaillat in Primary (NYT 6/23/26);
It’s Official: Palestine Has Changed US Politics Forever (Margaret DeReus//The Nation 6/25/26)
“As a Palestinian and Lebanese American, I have had to watch for decades as our nation’s Congress, with barely any dissent, funded the Israeli military to the tune of billions of dollars per year. The idea that supporting Israel no matter what was all but necessary if you wanted to hold national office in this country was perhaps the most enduring rule in politics, even as that support resulted in the continued killing, displacement, and oppression of millions of people, including my relatives. But the days of blank checks and blanket immunity for Israel are over. They’re never coming back. Anyone who doubted that undeniable reality need only look at Tuesday night’s elections in New York City, which saw pro-Palestinian candidates sweep to victory across the five boroughs. There were many factors behind these historic results, but one thing they confirmed without question is that support for Palestinian rights is driving unprecedented political change—and that nothing in American politics will ever be the same.” See also An Earthquake Just Hit New York Politics (Josh Nathan-Kazis and Alex Kane//Jewish Currents 6/24/26)
Supporters of Palestine Are Winning Inside the Democratic Party (Peter Beinart//Jewish Currents 6/25/26)
“What was politic four years ago is now impolitic, and vice versa. Progressive activists have mobilized Americans enraged by US support for Israel’s genocide in Gaza and shown Democratic politicians how electorally potent that rage is. Democratic candidates are either getting the message, or losing their jobs…Restricting US support for Israel is no longer politically perilous; it’s politically expedient…The Democratic debate on Israel now features a center comprising candidates who want to restrict arms sales and military aid, a left comprising candidates allied with the DSA and the Palestine solidarity movement, and a right comprising politicians allied with AIPAC. But the left’s influence on the center is growing and the right’s is diminishing.” See also Victories by Pro-Palestinian Democrats Show the Party’s Shift on Israel (NYT 6/24/26);
American pro-Israel activists may have just had their worst week ever (Ben Sales//TOI 6/25/26)
“After decades during which bipartisan support for Israel was taken for granted, this week showed that the US may be entering an era where the flipside is true: Opposition to Israel, or at least mistrust of it, is crossing party lines.”
A judge orders ICE to free a Wisconsin mosque leader, citing a ‘substantial’ free speech claim (AP 6/18/26)
“A federal judge ordered immigration officials to release the president of Wisconsin’s largest mosque from detention Thursday, finding that Salah Sarsour has raised a “substantial” claim that he was being targeted for speaking out in favor of Palestinian rights. Sarsour, a Palestinian-born legal permanent resident of the United States, was taken into custody by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents on March 30. The government has claimed he is a foreign policy threat, but Sarsour’s attorneys say he was actually targeted for speaking out against Israel.”
Half of Americans think the U.S. is ‘too supportive’ of Israel (JTA 6/24/26)
“A new survey found that 48% of American voters think the United States is “too supportive” of Israel, the highest since the pollster started asking the question in 2017. The survey published Wednesday by Quinnipiac University also found that 60% of respondents reported that military intervention in Iran was “not worth it” as opposed to 34% of voters who said it was “worth it.”…Broken down by party, 66% of Democrats think the U.S. is too supportive of Israel, while 9% think it is not supportive enough and 18% think U.S. support for Israel is about right. Among Republicans, 20% think the U.S. is too supportive of Israel, 69% think American support for Israel is “about right,” and 6% think the U.S. is not supportive enough. Among independent voters, 55% think the U.S. is too supportive of Israel, 34% think U.S. support for Israel is about right, and 7% think the U.S. is not supportive enough…Given a list of 10 issues and asked which, if any, they considered priorities in their decision-making process in the election for the U.S. House of Representatives, 41% of voters cited the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, above AI data centers (38%) and Donald Trump (38%). The high cost of living (70%) and health care (59%) topped the list.” See also Trump told Netanyahu ‘all the Jews are sick of you,’ days before Gaza deal, new book reveals (JI 6/23/26)
PERSPECTIVES//LONG READS
The Palestine movement must seek power over purity (Abed Abou Shehadeh//+972 Magazine 6/18/26)
“Nearly three years have passed since the beginning of the war in Gaza, and two decades since the split between Fatah and Hamas — a period in which Palestinian politics has been completely fragmented and hollowed out. These are also the two decades during which Israel has deepened its occupation and ethnic cleansing in the West Bank, committed grave crimes in Gaza, and continued to erode the civil status of Palestinian citizens within the Green Line. This reality requires us to acknowledge existing power imbalances and to understand the importance of building broad coalitions to achieve defined goals. We must also recognize that this is a long and complex struggle, one that requires achieving small victories across a range of political arenas, while continuously evaluating how we manage our resources to produce results on the ground. The debate that must be held now is about power. How can the pro-Palestinian camp integrate into centers of influence and decision-making, wherever they are? And how can we build bridges and act together — rather than at cross purposes — with potential partners?”
The Reality of Returning to Gaza (Athar Abu Samra//New Line Magazine 6/17/26)
“For nearly three years, I lived in Cairo, while Gaza existed for me through phone screens. I followed the war through calls with my family, voice notes from friends and the steady stream of news alerts that arrived at all hours of the day. Like many Palestinians stranded outside, I learned to measure time by the messages that did — and did not — arrive…When I finally returned, I expected to find a changed city. I expected destruction and grief. What I did not expect was how quickly my attention would shift to the details of daily life: finding water, charging a phone, cooking a meal and planning around shortages. From afar, these were details that rarely appeared in headlines. Living them was different…In the days after my return, relatives, neighbors and old friends came to welcome me home. I was happy to see faces I had not seen in years, yet nearly every visit carried a story of loss. Some spoke about children they had buried. Others described homes that no longer existed. Many had been displaced multiple times before settling in tents or temporary shelters. What struck me was not only the scale of what had happened but how deeply it had become woven into everyday life. Loss was no longer an exceptional event. It was part of ordinary conversation. As relatives continued to visit, I found myself listening more than speaking. By the time they left, I often realized that what remained with me was not a single dramatic story but the accumulation of many small tragedies that had quietly reshaped an entire society.”
New book paints the ADL as a neoconservative bastion dedicated to US and Israel interests (Yonat Shimron//Religion News Service 6/18/26)
“As Gelman writes in her critical account, the ADL — a national group founded in 1913 to combat antisemitism and other forms of discrimination — may have appropriated the language of civil rights, but its actions have mostly been in defense of state interests. After the FBI raid, the ADL was accused by San Francisco authorities of spying on civil rights activists and other leftist groups for at least 30 years — allegations the group denied but accepted in a court-ordered settlement. Gelman’s book, “The Anti-Defamation League and the Racial State,” published Tuesday (June 16) by the University of California Press, seeks to show that the organization was created to defend white Western authority, principally that of the U.S. and later Israel. Insisting Jews were part of that white Western heritage, it set about to promote their assimilation to American values.”
‘This sport has taught us not to lower our eyes in fear’ (Mohammed Zaanoun//+972 Magazine 6/22/26)
“In a displacement camp in Gaza City, boxing has become a lifeline for dozens of girls — who dream of one day representing Palestine on the international stage.“
Jews have historical ties to Palestine. Israel is still a settler-colonial project (Sleman Altehe//+972 Magazine 6/10/26, in partnership with Sabra)
“Before October 7, the view that Zionism and the State of Israel constituted a settler-colonial project was a relatively marginal position, confined to academic and activist circles. In the past two and a half years, however, settler colonialism has become a dominant framework for understanding the past and present in Palestine. For many supporters of Israel, this is a difficult characterization to accept, in part because they see it as imposing a rigid division: The Palestinians are natives, the Israelis are settlers. This discomfort does not exempt us from serious discussion. Are all Israelis settlers and all Palestinians natives? And does a historical connection to the land negate participation in a settler-colonial project in the present? To grapple with these questions, it is necessary to distinguish between historical indigeneity and settler colonialism as a political practice. Indigeneity, as it is mobilized in public debate, is presented as a claim about origin, precedence, and an ancient connection. Settler colonialism, by contrast, is not a story about origins but about power. It is a situation in which one group settles in a land already inhabited by another and seeks to establish a new political order through the dispossession, replacement, exclusion, or subordination of the local population. The pertinent question, therefore, is not “Who was here first?” but rather “What kind of regime has been created, by whom, and at whose expense?”’
The Anti-Politics of Disengagement (Elisheva Goldberg//Jewish Currents Summer 2026)
“Ariel Sharon’s 2005 settlement withdrawal solidified a consistent policy toward Gaza: Act alone, and make negotiation impossible.”