NEW FROM FMEP
The Jewish vote in Michigan, Florida, and Beyond (New Occupied Thoughts episode)
FMEP Fellow Ahmed Moor speaks with journalist Alex Kane (Jewish Currents) about the role that Palestine/Israel is playing in different elections around the country, the Jewish vote in Michigan and Florida, and how to think about the differences, similarities, and impacts of AIPAC versus J Street.
Navigating Bad-faith Accusations of Antisemitism (New Occupied Thoughts episode)
FMEP Fellow Peter Beinart speaks with researcher Ben Lorber about the “bad-faith disinfo[rmation] attacks” against Hasan Piker and others, which cast critiques of Israel as antisemitism. Peter and Ben look at the competition between the Left and the Right to explain Israel’s behavior and define anti-Israel politics, with the Left offering a structural critique of Israel, naming imperialism and ethnonationalism, versus the Right’s focus on what they identify as essentialist faults with Jewish character and identity. Ben and Peter also discuss how bad-faith accusations of antisemitism make it difficult to hold productive conversations about antisemitism, Israeli policy, and other political issues, how to think about “calling someone out” vs. “calling them in” over political disagreements; and how to think about political strategies for both short-term and long-term goals.
FMEP Legislative Round-Up September 3, 2026 (Lara Friedman)
- Bills, Resolutions; 2. Letters & Reports; 3. Hearings & Markups; 4. Selected Members on the Record; 5. Selected Media & Press releases/StatementsNote on HR 4795, passed by the House on 9/3/26:“What’s the big deal about HR 4795? As reported in the 8/1/25 edition of the Round-Up, under this bill, US universities MUST work with Israel/settlements or they will be punished for boycotting, even if they do not have a policy of boycotting.”
Settlement & Annexation Report: September 4, 2026 (Kristin McCarthy)
WEST BANK: Three New Settlements Inaugurated, Major “State Land” Declarations for Outpost Legalizations, New Seizure Order for Bi’ilin, Israel Expels Khirbet al-Taban; STATE-BACKED SETTLER TERROR; BONUS READS
GLOBAL/REGION
Netanyahu: Toppling Iranian regime is Israel’s ‘central mission,’ goal ‘within reach’ (TOI 9/3/26)
“Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Thursday that Israel’s “central mission” is to topple the Iranian regime, asserting that the goal was “within reach.” “The regime is now faltering. It is weaker than ever. It is fighting for its survival,” Netanyahu said during a Rosh Hashanah toast with the IDF General Staff Forum in Tel Aviv, crediting Israel’s military operations since the Hamas-led October 7, 2023, atrocities with ebbing the Iranian threat. “I am confident in our ability to remove this threat once and for all – in other words, to topple this regime,” Netanyahu said. “That is the central mission that still lies ahead of us, but it is close. It is not impossible. It is within reach.”…Netanyahu’s remarks came after Defense Minister Israel Katz warned earlier in the day that if Iran attacks Israel, the military will target all of the regime’s infrastructure, “including energy infrastructure.”’
Israel Says It Is Cementing Its Foothold in Southern Lebanon (NYT 9/4/26)
“The Israeli defense minister said Friday that the military’s capture of a strategic ridge in Lebanon a day earlier had consolidated its foothold in the south of the country, adding to concerns that Israel intends to prolong its monthslong occupation there. The Ali al-Taher ridge, about six miles from Lebanon’s border with Israel, sits above a sprawling underground base for Hezbollah, the Lebanese militant group that Israel has long fought.” See also Israeli flags and flattened homes: A rare look inside occupied southern Lebanon (CNN 9/3/26); Israel Says It Will Release Lebanese Prisoners, in Rare Sign of Progress (NYT 9/3/26);
Israel, Greece sign $3.5 billion air-defense deal: What to know (Al Monitor 8/31/26)
“Israel’s Defense Ministry announced a megadeal Monday worth $3.5 billion with its Greek counterpart to supply Athens with layered aerial defense systems. The deal will include the David’s Sling and SPYDER systems manufactured by Rafael as well as the Barak MX system produced by Israel Aerospace Industries, according to the ministry. Director General of the Israeli Defense Ministry Amir Baram and the head of the Greek Procurement Agency, Ioannis Bouras, signed the agreement, one of the largest in the history of Israel’s security industry and known in Greece as the Achilles Shield program, in Israel…Monday’s deal comes against the backdrop of growing tensions between Israel and Turkey over Ankara’s increasing involvement in Syria and its alleged attempt to establish a military base in northern Syria.”
Leaked Files Reveal Uganda’s Secret Drone Deals with Israel (Murtaza Hussain//Drop Site 9/1/26)
“Uganda’s parliament last month authorized an unprecedented deployment of Ugandan soldiers to Gaza as part of an international force proposed by President Donald Trump’s Board of Peace…The Ugandan government has so far offered no clear public explanation for why it volunteered for the mission, what role its soldiers would play, or what Kampala expects in return…The decision to send Ugandan troops did not emerge in a vacuum, but comes amid a rapidly expanding security relationship between Tel Aviv and Kampala that included the 2022 signing of a formal defense-cooperation agreement between the two countries. Internal documents reviewed by Drop Site News reveal for the first time the details of a years-long program by Israeli weapons manufacturer Elbit Systems, the country’s largest weapons maker, to equip the Ugandan military with an expanding fleet of Hermes surveillance drones, as well as a suite of advanced surveillance systems intended for use by Uganda’s Military Intelligence and elite Special Forces Command (SFC)—a branch of the country’s security establishment tied to the family of President Yoweri Museveni, and his son Muhoozi Kainerugaba.”
Ed Miliband promises ‘comprehensive reset’ of UK policy toward Israel (Guardian 9/1/26)
“Ed Miliband has promised to “reset” Britain’s policy on Israel, saying he will try to stop British companies helping build settlements in the West Bank. Speaking to the Commons for the first time as foreign secretary, Miliband said he would set out measures to prevent UK involvement in projects such as the illegal E1 plan, which critics say would split the West Bank in half.”
The Thousand Martyrs Cup: Football Returns to Palestine After Three Years of Genocide (Abubaker Abed//Drop Site 9/3/26)
“Last month, the Palestinian Football Association (PFA) announced the return of football to clubs across Palestine and Lebanon after a three-year hiatus marked by Israel’s genocide in Gaza, terrorism in the occupied West Bank, and a brutal war on Lebanon. The resumption of the football association’s leagues in Gaza, the West Bank, Jerusalem, and Palestinian refugee camps in Lebanon will open on September 4 with the Thousand Martyrs Cup, a two-month tournament named for the more than 1,000 Palestinian athletes killed by Israel since October 7, 2023. Over 240 clubs are participating in the tournament: 50 clubs in Gaza, 165 in the West Bank and Jerusalem, and 28 clubs in Lebanon.”
Israel’s military ‘justice’ system is working exactly as intended (Dan Owen//+972 Magazine 9/3/26)
“A handful of probes into high-profile massacres in Gaza are a smokescreen: Israel has convicted only two soldiers for harming Palestinians since Oct. 7…That publicity stunt matters because Israel has an obligation under international law to investigate suspected war crimes, and a failure to conduct genuine investigations may itself constitute a violation of international law. Indeed, Israel’s principal defense against international criminal proceedings is precisely that its domestic legal system is willing and able to address alleged violations.”
GAZA
Killed and wounded in Gaza (Drop Site 9/2/26)
“Over the past 24 hours, eight Palestinians were killed and 31 were injured in attacks across Gaza, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health…The total recorded death toll since October 7, 2023 has risen to 73,470 killed, with 174,540 injured. Since October 11, the first full day of the so-called ceasefire, Israel has killed at least 1,334 Palestinians in Gaza and wounded 4,429, while 815 bodies have been recovered from under the rubble.”
Israel ‘seeking Trump’s support for plan to expel Palestinians from Gaza’ (The Guardian 9/2/26)
“Israel’s defence minister has said his country is seeking Donald Trump’s support to approve plans to expel Palestinians from the Gaza Strip in what has widely been condemned as a potential war crime. Israel Katz said there was “no real solution for Gaza in the end without this migration” during a conference hosted by the Israeli news site Ynet and the newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth. He said the Israeli government was “organised and prepared to get them out by sea, by air, by every way possible”.’ See also Top Democratic Senator Slams ‘Confirmed’ Israeli Plan to Ethnically Cleanse Gaza (Haaretz 9/3/26);
Ben Gvir unveils ‘voluntary emigration’ plan to remove most Palestinians from Gaza (TOI 9/3/26)
“Far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir on Thursday unveiled a plan he said he hoped to advance if the coalition maintains control of power in the coming October 27 election. It is aimed at removing the vast majority of Gaza’s Palestinian population from the territory through what he termed “voluntary emigration,” including by establishing a dedicated government ministry…“Instead of illusions of peace now, we need actions of emigration now,” Ben Gvir said. “Instead of [Gazans] digging tunnels, it’s time to pack suitcases.”’ See also Far-right Israeli minister outlines plan for removal of all Palestinians from Gaza (Guardian 9/3/26);
Israel’s Restrictions on Engine Oil Threaten Gaza’s Ability to Generate Electricity (Mohanad El-Hemrwawi//Drop Site 9/1/26)
“As Israel continues to restrict the entry of engine oil and spare parts, Gaza’s strained network of generators, now its main source of electricity, is collapsing.”
Seeds of hope: how a local farming project is offering a lifeline to Gaza (The Guardian 9/4/26)
“The original project, founded in 2017, was situated near the eastern border of Gaza in al-Qarara, an area now completely flattened and inaccessible. Back then, Muhanna had a large home, olive trees, land of his own, and a successful seed bank operation with dedicated storage and equipment. Everything was destroyed early in Israel’s brutal military campaign, but after being displaced to Deir al-Balah in 2024, Muhanna and his daughter Hanadi, 38, are now hard at work, regrowing seed collections at Gaza’s only seed bank. Outside the tent where they currently live in a displacement camp, summer temperatures climb to almost 35C. Another tent houses their small but growing collection of open-pollinated, non-GMO seeds, including local wheat and vegetables such as okra and spinach…The project has two main aims. One is to collect and preserve the seeds of local plants that may thrive better in this landscape…The project’s other aim is to create a node for seed distribution for farmers who need to save every possible penny.”
No end to torture of Gaza doctor Abu Safia in Israeli prison: What to know (Al Jazeera 9/3/26)
“Jailed Palestinian doctor Hussam Abu Safia continues to face abuse in Israeli detention, according to his lawyer, raising renewed concerns about his safety inside prison. Israel abducted Abu Safia on December 27, 2024 from Kamal Adwan Hospital in northern Gaza for defying Israeli orders to evacuate the hospital – one of the last remaining functioning medical facilities in the Gaza Strip at the time…The jailed doctor’s latest testimony was conveyed by his lawyer Nasser Odeh, according to a statement on Wednesday by Physicians for Human Rights Israel (PHRI). Odeh visited Abu Safia in the Rakefet detention facility inside Nitzan Prison in central Israel on Sunday. Abu Safia said Israeli prison guards continued to beat him, deprive him of sleep and threaten him against sharing the conditions of his detention with his lawyer.” See also FMEP’s July 2026 podcast “The Urgent Threat to Dr. Abu Safiya’s Life: “They Brought Me Here to Kill Me” with PHR-I’s Naji Abbas.
RIVER TO THE SEA
Israelis shoot dead two Palestinian teenagers after settlers encircle village (The Guardian 9/3/26)
“Israelis have shot dead two teenagers in a Palestinian village encircled by settlers, and Israeli troops have razed an entire village outside Hebron, in the latest attacks in a surge of Israeli terror and ethnic cleansing across the occupied West Bank. The shootings targeted Khalil Abu Alia, 16, who was about to start 11th grade at the al-Mughayyir boys school, and 19-year-old Omar al-Nassan, who graduated from the same institution with top marks this summer. The teenagers were killed soon after sunset, when a group of settlers entered the village under police and military escort to steal dozens of sheep from a Palestinian home, village residents and Israeli activists said…Israeli soldiers and militants had already killed three other students from their school’s 470-strong student body this year…In the south Hebron hills, Israeli forces spent the day razing the homes of 12 Palestinian families who lived in the community of Khirbet al-Taban. All 70 residents are now homeless, including 28 children.” See also Two Palestinians Killed by IDF Fire During Settler, Army Raid on West Bank Village (Haaretz 9/2/26); Israel Razes Most of West Bank Village, Dozens of Palestinians Left Homeless (Haaretz 9/2/26); Three Times in a Week: Israeli Settler Raids Into West Bank Village End With IDF Shooting Palestinians (Matan Golan//Haaretz 9/4/26)
“It Feels Like a Death Sentence” (Basel Adra//Jewish Currents 9/3/26)
“For Palestinian families living in pastoral communities in the occupied West Bank, sheep and goats are much more than livestock. They provide milk, food, and income—and, for many, they are the only means of survival. In recent weeks, residents of the South Hebron Hills have reported two separate attacks in which settlers took hundreds of sheep and goats, worth tens of thousands of dollars. The thefts match a broader emerging pattern of settler attacks across the West Bank. The Israeli human rights group B’tselem reported this month that it had counted 17 incidents so far this year in which settlers stole livestock from Palestinian herders, an escalation from prior years. In many of the cases, including the two in the South Hebron Hills in recent weeks, Israeli authorities observed the thefts but did not intervene.” See also Report: 2,030 Israeli army and settler attacks in occupied West Bank in August (Drop Site 9/1/26);
These Generals Fought for Israel. Now They See ‘Jewish Terrorism’ as the Threat. (NYT 8/31/26)
“A growing number of former Israeli generals, intelligence officials and prime ministers are accusing settlers in the West Bank of committing ethnic cleansing with government support. “Once a society behaves this way,” one said, “that society is doomed.” See also Palestinian woman and NBC News team attacked by masked Israeli settlers in West Bank (NBC 8/29/16); Death toll from Israeli settler attacks spirals in ‘most violent’ year for West Bank (MEE 9/3/26); West Bank mosque said torched by settlers; 8 arrested for assaults on Palestinians, mosque arsons (TOI 9/1/26); Israel makes first arrest of settler involved in recent Qusra attack, police say (TOI 9/3/26); British activist who was detained by settlers to be deported after UK intervenes (TOI 8/31/26); Child wounded in settler raid of West Bank village; IDF arrests Palestinian local upon arrival (TOI 9/4/26);
Backed by the Government and Army, Israeli Settlers Gain a Foothold in West Bank’s Area B (Matan Golan//Haaretz 8/30/26)
“The Israeli government blames the violence on a ‘handful’ of extremists. Yet settlers have established 30 outposts in Area B, where the Palestinian Authority oversees civilian affairs, encouraged by elected officials and unchallenged by security forces”
How Israel manufactured a fuel shortage in the West Bank (Sami Sawalmeh//+972 Magazine 9/1/26)
“Long gas station lines are a symptom of deeper structural problems: banking restrictions, total dependence on Israeli supply, and a PA in financial crisis…With little meaningful strategic reserve, even relatively short disruptions can quickly become shortages. Together, these pressures have turned an everyday commodity into a scarce resource, illuminating the extent of the West Bank’s broader political and economic dependency on Israel.”
‘I’ve Never Seen Such Medical Neglect’: A Palestinian Teen’s Ordeal in Israeli Prison (Haaretz 8/29/26)
“The Israeli military detained a healthy Palestinian 16-year-old for ‘throwing objects.’ Now he’s gone through two open-heart surgeries and the partial amputation of one of his legs – all because he was denied proper medical treatment in prison…This past Monday he was taken off the ventilator. Three days before that he had undergone open-heart surgery that lasted hours, his second heart-valve replacement operation. The valve had become infected as a result of scabies, a skin infestation that Mohammed had contracted previously in prison. Because this horrific skin disease wasn’t treated properly at the time, the infection spread to Mohammed’s entire body, initially attacking the urinary system and then his heart, leg and apparently also his brain. A healthy youth until his arrest, he dreamed of becoming a veterinarian, was fond of horseback riding and loved animals. Now he is a disabled amputee recovering from two complicated cardiological procedures, facing possible cognitive impairment and a very uncertain future.” See also Ben Gvir posts video mocking Palestinian female inmates’ complaints about conditions (TOI 8/30/26); Israel Charges 12 Guards in Beating Death of Palestinian Prisoner (NYT 9/1/26);
New Maps Show How Israel Has Thwarted Hopes for a Palestinian State (David Kirkpatrick//New Yorker 8/29/26)
“The breakneck expansion of settlements in the West Bank has rendered American talk of a two-state solution increasingly irrelevant.”
Netanyahu claims defense officials intentionally failed to wake him in hours before Oct. 7 attack (TOI 9/2/26)
“Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday claimed that senior IDF and defense officials deliberately chose not to wake him hours before Hamas’s October 7, 2023, onslaught because “they knew that, as prime minister of Israel, I would have immediately given the order to put the entire military on alert” and would thereby have prevented the invasion.” See also Sara Netanyahu pushes conspiracy theory that left-wing leader Golan had advance knowledge of Oct. 7 (TOI 9/1/26); Jewish Zionist politician joins Arab party Ra’am in push to defeat Netanyahu in the upcoming elections (JTA 8/31/26);
The myth of Israel’s Arab doctors (Baker Zoubi//+972 Magazine 8/31/26)
“Celebrated as proof of Israeli liberalism and vilified by the right, Palestinian physicians are in fact being quietly shut out of the profession.”
U.S. SCENE
House to universities: Don’t you dare boycott Israel (Blaise Malley//Responsible Statecraft 9/3/26)
“The House passed legislation Thursday that would put federal funding at risk for universities that participate in certain boycotts of Israel, despite warnings from critics that the measure could chill political expression and effectively extend anti-boycott protections to Israeli settlements in occupied territories. The Protect Economic and Academic Freedom Act, introduced by Reps. Virginia Foxx (R-N.C.) and Josh Gottheimer (D-N.J.), would bar colleges that receive federal funds from engaging in what it defines as a “nonexpressive commercial boycott” of Israel, including “refusals to deal” or terminating business relationships in order to limit commercial ties without a “valid business reason.” The law would require these institutions to submit annual certification that they were giving students and faculty access to academic programs in Israel on the same terms as programs in other countries. The legislation, which passed in a 237-169 vote, could put universities in a precarious position. “The goal here is to basically say every university not only cannot refuse cooperation with Israel but must actively seek every opportunity to cooperate with Israel,” Lara Friedman, the President of the Foundation for Middle East Peace, told RS ahead of the vote. “And if they’re not doing that, they’re pro-BDS and anti-Israel.”’ See also What Huckabee is doing about dead Americans in the West Bank (Blaise Malley//Responsible Statecraft 9/2/26)
US issues harsher censure of ‘West Bank violence,’ without explicitly blaming Israel (TOI 9/3/26)
“The United States on Wednesday went slightly further in condemning surging West Bank settler violence than it has in the past, urging legal action, though it did not use the word “settler” and avoided criticizing Israel for not cracking down on the phenomenon…Previous statements from the State Department on the subject were slightly more vague and largely stressed the importance of maintaining stability in the West Bank, though this one does not mention either Israel or the Palestinians by name.” See also As Israeli settler attacks mount, Trump avoids public pressure on Netanyahu (Al Monitor 9/3/26);
“Board of Peace” Billionaire Backs AIPAC Fund Targeting Pro-Palestine Candidates (Jonah Valdez//The Intercept 9/3/26)
“Marc Rowan, a Trump appointee overseeing Gaza’s redevelopment, has given $1.5 million to AIPAC’s super PAC this cycle.”
Cisco probably violated Middle Eastern and Muslim employees’ civil rights, US agency finds (Alice Speri//Guardian 8/31/26)
“The US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the agency tasked with enforcing federal anti-discrimination laws, has found that Cisco, the global tech company, probably violated the civil rights of Middle Eastern, Muslim and other company employees. The determination, reached earlier this summer and first reported by Politico Pro, is believed to be the first by the federal agency finding a major company at fault in connection to pro-Palestinian advocacy that swept campuses and workplaces in recent years. Complaints filed by employees in December 2024 detailed how, following the 7 October 2023 attacks in Israel, a Cisco internal communications platform was filled with racist and Islamophobic messages, which escalated after more than 1,700 employees signed a public letter challenging the tech giant’s ties to the Israeli government. The posts celebrated the killings of Palestinian civilians, called them animals, and targeted individual Cisco employees who had spoken up for Palestinian rights.” See also PEN America Staffer Who Led Work on Palestine is Resigning (Josh Nathan-Kazis//Jewish Currents 9/3/26); Mark Ruffalo Defended by Joaquin Phoenix, Hannah Einbinder and More Than 180 Jewish Figures After Paramount Accuses Him of Using ‘Antisemitic Tropes’ — Read the Open Letter (Variety 9/1/26);
Could Jewish Democrats Actually Cost Abdul El-Sayed a Senate Seat? (Mari Cohen, Alex Kane, and Josh Nathan-Kazis//Jewish Currents 9/1/26)
“Just over 1% of eligible voters in Michigan are Jewish, but the question of how they’ll vote in a US Senate race this fall has, over the past week or so, become one of the biggest political stories in the country…Abdul El-Sayed, who opposes military aid to Israel, survived a historic barrage of AIPAC spending to eke out a narrow victory in the Democratic primary in early August. Since then various Jewish establishment figures have sworn they will support Mike Rogers, the Trump-backed, election-denying Republican nominee, instead. This idea that Michigan Jews might vote Republican has seized lots of national attention…”
US Militaries get millions to do military research for Israel (Mila Halgren & Alex Rewegan//Responsible Statecraft 9/3/26)
“Over a thousand pages of internal university and U.S./Israeli military documents reveal a sweeping, decades-long program to sponsor military research collaborations with at least 30 U.S. universities, from Cornell to the University of California at San Diego, since at least 2009. Projects are conducted in collaboration with the Israeli military and sometimes explicitly incorporate environmental conditions in Palestine into the work…These projects are not funded by traditional academic grants. Instead, they are procured as “defense articles and services,” paid for with U.S. taxpayer dollars via the Foreign Military Financing (FMF) program – the same mechanism Israel uses to purchase F-35 fighter jets and other U.S. defense exports.”
PERSPECTIVES//LONG READS
To Save My Home, I Fly the American Flag (Loui Ridi//NYT 9/2/26)
“Since Aug. 9, my home in the West Bank village of Qusra has been under siege. Dozens of Israeli settlers have surrounded it as well as other homes in my village, throwing objects at my house, destroying the fence around my property, and even cutting off our water and electricity in an apparent effort to drive out my family and our neighbors and take our village over. I live in the United States full time, but built this house in Qusra, where my mother and much of my family still live. When Israeli settlers began attacking our village, I was in Toledo, Ohio, where I live, so my brother and nephew went to stay at the Qusra house to prevent them from seizing it. As access to our village started to be cut off, my brother called me to tell me he and my nephew had begun rationing food. I decided then that they wouldn’t face this alone. I packed my bags and began my journey to the West Bank carrying the only defense I could think of: an American flag. I’m a U.S. citizen, and have been for the past 17 years. But I was born and raised in the West Bank, in Qusra, where I am writing from now…As I sit in my home now, surrounded by violent settlers and with even more said to be making their way to our village, the American flag continues to fly from my roof. I will keep flying it as a signal to the American people and the U.S. government to take action against this violence, end the siege on Qusra, and impose sanctions on these settlers. The hope that it might afford my family a measure of protection that our Palestinian identity alone could not speaks to the profound dehumanization of my people. My life should not suddenly become more valuable because I am an American citizen — and yet, that’s exactly what has happened. The attention my family has received is a reflection of my passport, not the righteousness of my fight.”
Israel Isn’t Debating a Palestinian State. It’s Preparing for Expulsion (Amira Hass//Haaretz 9/1/26)
“Gadi Eisenkot, the election frontrunner and leader of the Yashar party, has a stance on a Palestinian state that is ultimately irrelevant. What is at stake today is not a “diplomatic solution,” but the very existence of the Palestinian people between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea. The Israeli forces striving to “erase” them recognize no limits or restraints. Their supporters are too numerous for us to rely solely on the steadfastness and resilience of a people that has already endured expulsion plans carried out by Israel. The world stands by…Too many Jews in Israel have been conditioned to believe that the problem is the very presence in this land of a Palestinian people with roots, historical and economic continuity, cultural capital and material assets, a rich agricultural heritage and a profound love of homeland. “Erasure” is the nightmare solution being written into reality every day…Israeli policy is directed toward making life unbearable for Palestinians wherever they live, so that their emigration can be described as an act of free will.”
Reading Palestinian Polls—and Misreading Palestinian Politics (Yousef Munayyer//Arab Center DC 9/3/26)
“The latest poll from the Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research (PCPSR), carried out in August 2026, shows some surprising results: support for Hamas has plummeted to just 24 percent—down from 35 percent in the previous poll in October 2025, shortly after the ceasefire with Israel in Gaza was announced…Looking at how Palestinian respondents answered questions about all political parties, not just Hamas, is essential for understanding Hamas’s 11 percentage-point decrease in support. Political support for the Fatah Party, Hamas’s most important rival, was notably unchanged between the two polls. This implies that respondents who stopped supporting Hamas did not gravitate to Fatah. Instead, most Palestinians seem alienated by both parties—a trend in Palestinian public opinion that has been on the rise for the better part of the last two decades. Politically, the biggest beneficiary of this shift is likely to be Marwan Barghouti, the Fatah leader imprisoned by Israel, who represents an alternative to both Hamas and the Fatah establishment led by Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas. Abbas personally continues to poll terribly: only 14 percent of respondents said that they would vote for him, and 79 percent said that they wanted him to resign.”
The Stranglehold of Memory (Omer Bartov & Arnon Grunberg//Boston Review 9/2/26)
“A conversation with Omer Bartov on the fate of Zionism, the “non-debate” about the uniqueness of the Holocaust, and impunity for Israel’s genocide in Gaza.”
Israel’s War in Gaza Exposes the Very Human Problem Behind Dangerous AI (Hagai El-Ad//Haaretz 9/3/26)
“Prof. Daniel Blatman’s recent, chilling op-ed in Haaretz examines the usage, over the past century, of what Hannah Arendt called “language rules.” Starting with tehcir (“removal” – the Ottoman term for the Armenian genocide), continuing to Umsiedlung (“resettlement” – the Nazi term for which no Jew needs a dictionary to understand its meaning) and all the way to “enhanced interrogation techniques” (Bush-administration newspeak for legalized torture). As Blatman writes, these “coded expressions … allowed the perpetrators themselves to continue functioning without having to lie. They gave the murderers words, terms and sentences they could live with.” In other words, to evade humanity’s alignment directives, to commit inhuman acts, we hollowed words of their meaning, or perhaps assigned them new “meaning.” Either way, we did it to escape our own values while pretending that our moral compass still points north, toward justice…For Israelis today all this is uniquely salient because we have placed ourselves at the terrible intersection between “language rules” throughout our public discourse (as Blatman shows, by manipulatively employing terms such as “voluntary migration,” “operational activity” and “humanitarian zone”) and the industrialized use of AI, with systems like The Gospel and Lavender, to kill Palestinians in Gaza on a horrific scale. We are trailblazers. That is, we are in the lowest of hells.”
‘Survival of the nation’: Israel’s obsession with dead soldiers’ sperm (Nathalie Rozanes//+972 Magazine 9/4/26)
“Before October 2023, PMSR [Postmortem sperm retrieval] was a rare and ethically contested practice in Israeli society, with a handful of requests per year. Over the past three years, however, extracting sperm from killed Israeli soldiers has become institutionalized and normalized as a growing national phenomenon…Now state funded and overseen by the Health Ministry, PMSR is performed at Israel’s four major hospitals, where the sperm is also frozen and stored. According to Dr. Eran Altman, director of the sperm bank at Rabin Medical Center, around 250 Israeli soldiers and security personnel had undergone posthumous sperm retrieval procedures by the beginning of this year — a quarter of all male soldiers killed since October 7…But in the context of Israel’s obstetric violence against Palestinian women and infants in the region, PMSR as a state policy carries ideological weight: part of a state project to advance Jewish biological continuity by all means, even beyond death, alongside parallel genocidal efforts to erase Palestinian life.”
To Save Gaza, Resist Hamas (Ahmed Fouad Alkhatib//NYT 9/3/26)
“The Palestinian national project has a rare chance to evolve toward nation-building, peace and coexistence alongside a Jewish Israel that is not about to be exterminated. Chants of “from the river to sea” and the like are destructive conceits…Once security issues are credibly addressed and Gaza is placed on a new path, Israel would no longer have the justification it has used for decades to restrict the free movement for people and trade and to treat Gaza as an occupied nation. U.S. and international pressure could push Israel to change its approach to Gaza…A Palestinian miracle on the Mediterranean is within reach if Gaza rejects Islamism, Jihadism, Hamas and stale nationalist notions, all of which have left it devastated.”
Qusra Under Siege (David Shulman//NYRB 9/24/26)
“Another Palestinian village in the West Bank has been attacked by Israeli settlers. The lack of response by the army and police reveals how deeply corrupted they are by the colonialist agenda.”