NEW FROM FMEP
FMEP Legislative Round-Up November 6, 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: November 6, 2026 (Kristin McCarthy)
WEST BANK: Israel Removes First Bedouin Community from E-1 Site; Settlers Move Into Jericho Homes; Settlers Attack IDF to Stop Outpost Removal; Yesh Din Publishes “Annexation Files”; EAST JERUSALEM: Court Blocks Govt Funding to Ateret Cohanim’s Project in Silwan; BONUS READS
How Israel Used the Election as Cover to Attack Hebron (Occupied Thoughts podcast)
FMEP Fellow Peter Beinart speaks with Hebron resident & activist Issa Amro about what is happening now in the West Bank and specifically in Hebron, where Israel recently launched a major incursion that forced thousands of people from their homes. They discuss how Israel’s behavior in Hebron has changed and the impact of settler outposts moving into Palestinian-controlled parts of the West Bank (Area B). They also discuss what kind of international sanctions can end Israel’s occupation.
Jewish Anti-Zionism (Occupied Thoughts podcast)
FMEP Fellow Ahmed Moor speaks with Shaul Magid and Zev Mishell about their new book, Jewish Anti-Zionism: A Historical Anthology (Princeton University Press 2026). They discuss the definitions of Zionism and anti-Zionism, the history of Jewish opposition to Zionism, and how those arguments have been projected into the present day.
GLOBAL/REGION
Trump says he’d ‘rather not destroy’ Iran but may ‘have to’: ‘You’ll know soon enough’ (TOI 11/6/26)
“US President Donald Trump on Thursday said he would “rather not destroy” Iran and that his decision on the matter will be clear “soon enough,” amid reports that Washington and Tehran were reviewing proposals regarding the Iranian nuclear program. Trump’s remarks — the latest of numerous times he has threatened to bombard the Islamic Republic — came two days after his Republican Party was trounced in the US midterm elections, a defeat he and Vice President JD Vance have attributed to the unpopular Iran war and its fallout. But US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who has faced scrutiny since the midterms, defended the war, hailing it as a “historic” bid to keep Iran from gaining nuclear arms. Trump has said he is standing by Hegseth.” See also Major Losses Could Spur Trump to Escalate War Before Year’s End (Trita Parsi//Responsible Statecraft 11/4/26)
Israeli Claims of Iranian Chemical Weapons Divide U.S. Officials (NYT 11/3/26)
“Israel has shared intelligence with the United States asserting that Iran is considering the use of chemical weapons against its adversaries, information met with alarm by some American officials and deep skepticism by others, according to U.S. and regional officials. Some American officials see the Israeli intelligence as part of a pressure campaign by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government to persuade the Trump administration to return to major combat operations against Iran. Other officials believe the threats should be taken seriously, given the recent array of warnings about Iran’s preparations to attack American interests. Israel has shared some of the information with officials in Gulf countries. Several doubted that Iran was developing plans to use chemical weapons and believe Israel is trying to push the United States and its partners to return to a more intense phase of the war.”
Trump says US to end $4 billion in annual military aid to Israel by end of 2026 (TOI 11/3/26)
“US President Donald Trump on Tuesday said that the United States will cease providing $4 billion in annual military aid to Israel by the end of this year, in comments that reportedly caught Israeli security and financial officials off guard…Trump’s declaration appeared to almost certainly be false, given that the 10-year memorandum of understanding on US military assistance to Israel, which gives the Jewish state $3.8 billion annually, doesn’t expire until the end of September 2028…Officials in the [Israeli] Finance Ministry said on Tuesday they were surprised by Trump’s announcement, the Walla news site reported…Officials in the [Israeli] Defense Ministry and the military were also reportedly surprised by the announcement.” See also Netanyahu Says End of U.S. Aid Shows ‘Strength’ of Israel-U.S. Relations in First Response (Haaretz 11/6/26); Huckabee: ‘Not sure’ if US aid to Israel will end immediately or at end of 2028 (TOI 11/6/26); Trump aid bombshell could set off scramble to reprioritize upcoming arms buys (TOI 11/4/26);
Democrats’ midterm sweep tests US-Israel ties as Eisenkot vows reset (Al Monitor 11/4/26)
“The Democrats’ victories in the House and Senate deal a severe blow to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s hopes of pressing ahead with his Iran and Gaza policies without US pushback, particularly on military aid and the prospect of renewed strikes on Iran. Israeli political sources told Al-Monitor the outcome is a personal defeat not only for President Donald Trump but also for Netanyahu, whose political fortunes have been closely tied to the president’s…Among the immediate issues at stake for Israel with the Democrats’ takeover of Congress are the confrontation with Iran, Trump’s Gaza peace plan and the possibility of sanctions over escalating settler violence in the West Bank, especially targeting the banking system. With control of the House and Senate, Democrats will have new leverage over war funding, oversight hearings and legislation on all three. The main long-term concern is US security assistance to Israel, which is due to expire in 2028.” See also Tony Blair Meets Netanyahu, Herzog to Advance Trump’s Gaza Plan (Haaretz 11/6/26); Inspired by UK sanctions on Israel, US Democrats want to work with Labour (Middle East Eye 11/4/26)
Food grown in illegal West Bank settlements being sold in Australia as ‘produce of Israel’ (Guardian 11/4/26)
“Millions of dollars of food grown in illegal Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank has been shipped to Australia labelled as “produce of Israel”, a new analysis of trade data has shown. The human rights legal organisation Global Echo has analysed commercial documents and official trade data from the Israeli government and the Australian Bureau of Statistics, showing at least US5m(A7.2m) of organic dates grown in illegal settlements across the West Bank have been shipped to Australia over the past eight years…The proportion of settlement goods is higher in more recent years.”
GAZA
In Gaza, the specter of famine is returning (Ahmed Dremly//+972 Magazine 11/3/26)
“Israeli officials continue to claim that food is abundant in Gaza. But although a limited number of commercial and humanitarian aid trucks have resumed entering the Strip intermittently since the so-called “ceasefire” in October 2025, fresh produce and meat remain scarce and unaffordable for many displaced Palestinians. According to the Palestinian Authority’s Crossings and Borders Authority, the number of commercial trucks entering Gaza in October fell by more than 50 percent compared to September, while the overall number of trucks entering the Strip fell by more than a quarter. And now, a funding shortfall within one of Gaza’s largest suppliers of food aid threatens to deepen the hunger crisis. Last month, the UN’s World Food Programme (WFP) announced significant cuts to its assistance in the Strip: Having previously provided support for 1.6 million Palestinians, it is now only able to support 1.1 million. The news has raised fears of a return to famine as food provisions shrink and community kitchens scale back their operations. The cuts come as winter approaches, threatening to compound the hardships facing hundreds of thousands of Palestinians. According to the UN, almost 1 million residents are living in makeshift shelters at medium-to-high risk of flooding, as Israel continues to prevent reconstruction in the enclave.” See also “This is Catastrophic”: Gaza Hit Hard by UN Food Cuts and Lack of Humanitarian Aid (Abdel Qader Sabbah//Drop Site 11/2/26);
Palestine (Drop Site 11/2/26)
“Over the past 48 hours, Israeli attacks killed 13 Palestinians—11 in new attacks and two who died of wounds they sustained in earlier attacks—and injured 38 others across Gaza, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health. Two bodies were also recovered from beneath the rubble…Israel kills five Gaza police officers, bringing police death toll since ceasefire to 75: Israeli drone strikes killed five Palestinian police officers in the Al-Mawasi area of Khan Younis, southern Gaza, on Sunday. Gaza’s Interior Ministry said the strikes deliberately targeted police officers and personnel while they were on duty, bringing the number of personnel killed since the October 2025 “ceasefire” to 75.” See also Reports: Israel Kills Four in Gaza, Including Woman and Boy Shot Dead (Haaretz 11/5/26)
A $63 Million Cigarette Seizure Highlights the Lucrative Business of Smuggling Goods Into Gaza (Haaretz 11/5/26)
“In the last two weeks, five attempts to smuggle cigarettes were seized at crossings between Egypt and Israel. Hamas vowed to stop taxing imports to Gaza, which profited them millions of shekels monthly, after local merchants striked”
RIVER TO THE SEA
Arab parties’ backing gives Eisenkot edge over Netanyahu for PM: What to know (Al Monitor 11/5/26)
“Israel’s Arab political parties the Joint List and Raam announced Thursday they will back Yashar leader Gadi Eisenkot to form the next government, strengthening his bid for the prime minister’s office. Their move came despite some Jewish opposition parties saying they will not serve in a government with Arab parties due to sharp differences over Palestinian statehood, Hamas and the Gaza war. The Central Elections Committee finished the official vote count Wednesday and presented the results to President Isaac Herzog, who began meeting party representatives to hear their recommendations for who should form the next government. Under Israeli law, he must choose the candidate he believes has the best chance of forming a stable majority, not necessarily the leader of the largest party…With the support of the Arab parties, Eisenkot has secured the backing of 67 Knesset members out of 120. The Joint List’s endorsement, a notable step for a party that has not traditionally backed Jewish candidates, helped Eisenkot secure recommendations from six opposition parties, while Netanyahu’s bloc was weakened by a surprise refusal from an ultra-Orthodox party and longtime ally.” See also Herzog says he’ll task a would-be PM on Sunday, after Eisenkot is recommended by 67 of 120 MKs (TOI 11/6/26); Eisenkot Secures Parliamentary Majority, Paving Clearest Path to Forming Gov’t (Haaretz 11/5/26);
‘Off the Rails’: Shin Bet Chief Accused of Helping Netanyahu Undermine Election (Haaretz 11/4/26)
“Political uproar has erupted in Israel on Tuesday night after Shin Bet chief David Zini sought to investigate Arab lawmakers over alleged foreign interference despite a lack of evidence, while keeping senior officials in the agency and Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara in the dark about the probe. The Arab-led Joint List party said Zini had “gone off the rails,” accusing him of helping turn the Arab public’s vote into a security threat…Zini also sought to question under caution Abbas, Joint List lawmaker Ahmad Tibi and Balad chairman Sami Abu Shehadeh, even though no evidence had been presented against them. He also sought to question another lawmaker for whom there is purported evidence of receiving hundreds of thousands of shekels.”
Israel’s election commission rejects Netanyahu claims of voting fraud (Guardian 11/4/26)
“Israel’s election commission on Wednesday confirmed the final results of last week’s vote that stripped Benjamin Netanyahu’s far-right coalition of its governing majority, rejecting claims of mass fraud promoted by the prime minister. The main challenger, Gadi Eisenkot, said Netanyahu had launched a “pogrom against democracy” in attempting to hold on to power by discrediting valid votes and weaponising security forces against parties led by Palestinian citizens of Israel. Hours earlier, Israel’s attorney general said she had blocked a demand from the Shin Bet security service to interrogate senior politicians from the Palestinian-led parties because she had not been presented with any evidence of wrongdoing…The Shin Bet chief, David Zini, handpicked for the role by Netanyahu, had ordered the interrogations and sought to classify the investigation as a security file, which would have allowed harsher conditions including barring the politicians from having legal counsel.” See also After losing his majority, Netanyahu tries to delegitimize election results (Axios 10/29/26); Netanyahu accused of smearing Arab voters to hold on to power (The Guardian 10/29/26); Stop the Steal? Netanyahu Borrows a Page From Trump’s Playbook (NYT 11/5/26);
Israeli Police Detained Palestinian Journalist Abed Abu Shehadeh in Late-Night Raid (Josh Nathan-Kazis//Jewish Currents 11/4/26)
“Israeli police and Shin Bet officers abducted Palestinian journalist and political analyst Abed Abu Shehadeh late Tuesday during a raid of his home in Jaffa…Arab48 reports that 15 masked officers swept into Abu Shehadeh’s home, ransacked his house, and detained him. On Wednesday, an Israeli court extended Abu Shehadeh’s detention until Sunday, under suspicion of contact with a foreign agent. The court reviewed secret evidence against Abu Shehadeh that was not shared with his attorneys, and the details of the allegations against him remain sealed. Abu Shehadeh’s arrest and interrogation come amid a desperate effort by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his allies to discredit the Palestinian vote in the recent general elections in Israel, in which Palestinian-led parties won an unprecedented 19 seats…Abu Shehadeh told his lawyers that police and Shin Bet interrogators had questioned him about an interview he conducted with Azmi Bishara, a key founder of the Balad party, who fled Israel in 2007 while under investigation for allegedly passing information to Hezbollah.” See also Newly Elected Jewish House Members Call for Release of Detained Palestinian Journalist (JC 11/6/26)
Why Israel’s election was a moment of Palestinian unity (Abed Abu Shehadeh//+972 Magazine 11/5/26)
“Never before have so many Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank, including political prisoners, urged Palestinian citizens of Israel to vote. There are several reasons for this: the failure of the Palestinian national project in the West Bank and Gaza, the sclerosis and dysfunction in the Palestinian political arena, and the refusal of Arab states to take concrete action to stop the genocide in Gaza (or worse, to even assist Israel). However, it seems that the most important was their understanding of just how messianic and dangerous the current Israeli government is for the future of all Palestinians. Over the past three years, we have also witnessed unprecedented advances in Bezalel Smotrich’s “Decisive Plan” to annex and ethnically cleanse the West Bank. Yet during his election campaign, Smotrich went further. No longer content with deepening Israeli control over the occupied territory, he promised to export the practices he had adopted in the West Bank across the Green Line, targeting Palestinian communities inside Israel. But the blurring of the Green Line may also set in motion developments opposite to those Smotrich envisions. As the politics of occupation spread into Israel, a political movement in the opposite direction begins to take shape: Palestinians in the occupied territories become actors with a stake in, and influence over, the politics of Palestinian citizens in Israel.” See also ‘You need the power of all your votes’: Bedouin women secure success for Arab parties in Israeli election (The Guardian 10/31/26); Palestinian Bedouin women in Israel are leading a quiet revolution (Samah Salaime//+972 Magazine 11/6/26);
Israel has ‘historic’ opportunity to change direction, says leader of Arab coalition (The Guardian 11/2/26)
“The leader of Israel’s main Palestinian coalition, which holds the balance of power after Tuesday’s elections, has said the country is facing a historic opportunity to change direction. Yousef Jabareen, the head of the Joint List, said he was ready to join forces with the “Change” bloc to oust Benjamin Netanyahu and his far-right coalition, and to wrest control of the Knesset. Turnout among Arab Israelis (Palestinians with Israeli citizenship, 20% of the population) more than doubled to about 80%, transforming the political landscape. Palestinians in the occupied West Bank and Gaza had no vote. Jabareen said the first demand of the roughly 840,000 Palestinian Israeli voters was to get rid of the Netanyahu government, and in particular its most extreme members, Itamar Ben-Gvir, the national security minister, and Bezalel Smotrich, the finance minister.” See also Netanyahu’s Son Says Arab Citizens Are Israel’s ‘Greatest Threat’ After Nuclear Iran (Haaretz 10/30/26);
After settlers enter Jericho area, Palestinian residents flee homes, say they are afraid to return (TOI 11/5/26)
“A resident of Ein ad-Duyuk at-Tahta, a suburb of Jericho that settlers entered yesterday after claiming they purchased eight homes in the Palestinian city, tells The Times of Israel that homeowners in the vicinity have been afraid to return to their homes since the settlers set up residence. According to residents, the IDF blocked access to the area after the settlers’ arrival yesterday…According to an Israeli activist who asked not to be named, 65 permanent residents fled their homes yesterday after settlers pelted them with stones…The settler organization Nachala claims to have purchased the houses, though it is unclear how the purchases could have been carried out, given that the land does not belong to the Palestinian residents of the area.”
Settlers establish outpost inside Palestinian city of Jericho, on border of PA-run area (TOI 11/4/26)
“Several dozen settler activists take up residence in eight homes in the Palestinian city of Jericho, which they say they purchased with the cooperation of the Benyamin Regional Council, a state-funded settlement municipal authority. The Nachala settlement organization and the Benyamin regional council say they jointly coordinated the project to buy the properties in secret, while IDF forces escorted the families to their new homes today.” See also Most Israelis think settlements policy should change to avoid more sanctions, poll finds (The Guardian 11/2/26);
Israel’s 11-Day Escalated Assault on Hebron (Monjed Jado//Drop Site 11/4/26)
“Baher Sultan returned to his home in Hebron’s Khallet al-Maghariba neighborhood on Monday, nine days after Israeli soldiers arrived at his front door and ordered his family to leave…The house they returned to had been ransacked. Sultan said soldiers had occupied the home for several days, rifling through cupboards, breaking windows and door locks, and damaging household furniture and other belongings…The Israeli army’s 11-day assault on Hebron followed an October 23 attack by two Palestinian gunmen on a military checkpoint in the city that killed two Israeli soldiers before the two gunmen were shot dead…The Israeli military sealed all the entrances to the city before moving in, displacing nearly 5,000 Palestinians, demolishing buildings, and disrupting schooling for some 80,000 students. Families in the Al-Jalda and Deir Bahha neighborhoods were all ordered to flee, while residents of other neighborhoods were subjected to a strict military cordon…The Israeli army withdrew from the occupied neighborhoods at dawn on November 2, saying it had completed its operations after confiscating a grand total of four weapons.”
Settler Violence Spikes During Illegal Outpost Removals in West Bank, IDF Sources Say (Haaretz 11/3/26)
“Attempts by the Israeli military to remove illegal settler outposts are increasingly met with violence from Israeli settlers, including roadblocks, tire burnings and stone-throwing targeting Israeli soldiers, Haaretz has learned…According to a military source familiar with Monday’s incident, settlers obtained advance information about the planned operation before security forces arrived at the site.”
‘They Competed in Cruelty’: Palestinian Doctor Recalls 127 Days in Israeli Prison (Amira Hass//Haaretz 11/5/26)
“The 127 days that Mazen Rantisi, a Palestinian family physician, was held in an Israeli prison were long enough for him to come out looking like the other Palestinians who have left Israeli prisons over the past three years. He walked out emaciated, wearing flip-flops, a gray sweatpants and a white T-shirt (the clothes and shoes in which prisoners are arrested are not returned to them), scratching incessantly; his gaze conveyed several things at once: shock, sadness and anxiety, bewilderment that the world continues as usual, and joy. Only a bleeding bruise on his forehead distinguished him from the others. His period of incarceration – between his arrest on June 21 and his release less than two weeks ago, on October 25 – was also long enough that when he went for a walk in his Ramallah neighborhood, he unwittingly walked with a stooped back and bowed head. This is the torturous posture that the Israel Prison Service imposes on Palestinian prisoners, while their legs and hands are chained, when they move from one place in the prison to another.His period of incarceration – between his arrest on June 21 and his release less than two weeks ago, on October 25 – was also long enough that when he went for a walk in his Ramallah neighborhood, he unwittingly walked with a stooped back and bowed head. This is the torturous posture that the Israel Prison Service imposes on Palestinian prisoners, while their legs and hands are chained, when they move from one place in the prison to another.
‘King of Samaria’: How a Settlement Council Head Is Running Israel’s West Bank Policy (Haaretz 10/31/26)
“Yossi Dagan gets cabinet ministers to listen, billions in funding to flow and foreign politicians to embrace his cause. For the head of the Samaria Regional Council, every road, outpost and international alliance serves one goal: West Bank annexation”
Our aim is that children are protected’: besieged West Bank school fortifies its defences against settler violence (The Guardian 11/3/26)
“This year, parents in al-Mughayyir had to be persuaded to send their children back to school. Israeli settlers had killed five teenage students last academic year – one of them at the school gates. To reassure parents, teachers of the public secondary school gave a tour of the facilities, which they had spent the summer break fortifying. Metal fences now towered over the schoolyard’s walls and the door had been replaced by a sturdy metal gate. A new wall shielded the classrooms from a hilltop where last academic year a settler had shot dead two people, including a student. Al-Mughayyir, a town of about 3,000 people north-east of Ramallah in the occupied West Bank, is under a siege by Israeli settlers. Armed settlers regularly raid the village, assaulting residents, attacking homes and seizing livestock.”
U.S. SCENE
In Michigan, the Pro-Palestine Movement Claims Its Biggest Prize Yet (Mari Cohen & Alex Kane//Jewish Currents 11/4/26)
“The election of the Rhodes Scholar, doctor, and Medicare for All expert, who galvanized the American left with his blunt rebukes of political attacks against him and a singular focus on Michiganders’ economic woes, gives the pro-Palestine left its most prominent perch in Washington yet. El-Sayed, who has advocated for cutting all aid and arms sales to Israel and vocally opposes the concept of a Jewish ethnostate, succeeded after overcoming nearly $40 million in AIPAC spending and an unabashedly anti-Muslim campaign led by his Republican opponent, Mike Rogers. GOP officials accused El-Sayed of being a terrorist—or, in the repeated words of President Donald Trump, a “jihadist”—whose election would lead to the deaths of Americans. In at least some areas, the conspiracy theories seemed to take hold: Jews for Abdul canvasser Susannah Goodman told Jewish Currents that many Jewish and non-Jewish voters in Oakland County, part of the Detroit metropolitan area, appeared to believe the Rogers campaign’s canard that El-Sayed intended to implement sharia law in Michigan. El-Sayed also overcame an extraordinary last-minute intervention by Rep. Haley Stevens, his AIPAC-backed Democratic primary opponent who had immediately endorsed him following her loss. Stevens endorsed Rogers on the Sunday before election day, citing what she called El-Sayed’s campaign of “hate” and his “obsessive” criticism of Israel.” See also Abdul El-Sayed Wins Senate Seat With Pro-Palestine Campaign (The Intercept 11/3/26); Mike Rogers Campaign Spokesperson Is a Registered Agent for Israel, Documents Show (Drop Site 11/1/26);
The Election Cycle That Shattered the Pro-Israel Consensus (Alex Kane//JC 11/3/26)
“In the span of two years, the party’s voters lurched from ousting progressive critics of Israel to favoring them in primary elections across the country, driven by anger at US complicity in the Gaza genocide and the US war on Iran. In the process, these voters—and the electeds they’ve chosen to represent them—have reshaped the national conversation on Israel/Palestine far beyond Capitol Hill. “It’s no longer a niche issue,” said Yousef Munayyer, the head of the Palestine/Israel Program at Arab Center Washington DC. “US support for Israel is seen as an issue that’s hitting people in their pocketbooks, and that elevates its potential to create change in ways that were not previously possible.”’ See also Abdul El-Sayed Won His Senate Seat With a Mandate on Palestine. Can He Deliver? (Jonah Valdez//The Intercept 11/5/26); There is a showdown looming in the Democratic party over support for Israel (Moustafa Bayoumi//The Guardian 11/6/26)
Abdul El-Sayed Shows Opposition to Israel Is No Barrier to Winning Battleground States (Haaretz 11/4/26)
“El-Sayed won despite AIPAC spending more than $30 million to defeat him in the Democratic primary and another reported $9 million on behalf of Rogers in the general election. He managed to turn this spending against the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, presenting its opposition to him as evidence that he was on the right side of history.” See also Aipac spent $55m on losing congressional candidates in midterm elections: Report (Middle East Eye 11/5/26: “The largest portion of those funds, about $32m, was spent trying to defeat Democratic Senator-elect Abdul El-Sayed in Michigan.”)
6 DSA candidates are elected to the House in a historic night for their movement (NPR 11/4/26)
“Six DSA candidates in reliably blue congressional districts have won their races, according to race calls by the Associated Press. They are Darializa Avila Chevalier and Claire Valdez in New York; Melat Kiros in Colorado; Angela Gonzales-Torres in California; Donavan McKinney in Michigan; and Chris Rabb in Pennsylvania…On top of emphasizing a core value set aimed at bettering the working class, many DSA candidates tapped into voter frustrations with the larger political system. Candidates swore off campaign donations from corporations and pro-Israel lobbying groups. They fiercely condemned the war in Gaza and called for the U.S. to stop supplying Israel with military aid.”
Vance: GOP lost midterms due to Iran war, voters want ‘change’ in Israel relationship (TOI 11/4/26)
“US Vice President JD Vance said Wednesday that two of the reasons for Republicans’ heavy losses in the midterm elections a day earlier were the Iran war and the American relationship with Israel…“The main problem is that many people who voted for Trump/Vance in 2024 voted for Democrats in 2026,” Vance wrote on X. The vice president went on to cite respected pollsters, including one who predicted the sweeping Democratic gains. The pollster “asked those voters who had abandoned us what would cause them to come back on our team. The top four answers, accounting for nearly all of the responses, were: 1) End the [Iran] war. 2) Focus on cost of living/inflation. 3) Put America First. 4) Change our relationship to Israel.”’
Providence voters approve ballot initiative that would back divestment from Israel (TOI 11/4/26)
“Voters in Providence, Rhode Island, have approved a ballot measure that could result in the city divesting public funds from Israel, in a major victory for the Israel boycott movement…The ordinance calls for the capital city to refrain from investing in “foreign countries conducting ethnic cleansing, apartheid, illegal military occupation, or genocide.” Though the ballot language does not mention Israel by name, it was heavily supported by local pro-Palestinian groups and opposed by some Jewish and pro-Israel groups…The vote makes Providence the largest municipality yet to vote in favor of some form of Israel divestment, following the lead of Somerville, Massachusetts, whose voters approved a nonbinding divestment measure last year. Providence is home to an estimated 15,000 Jews, or around 7% of its population. Progressive Jewish groups, including the local chapter of Jewish Voice for Peace, were among the ballot measure’s advocates.”
Supermajority of Jewish Americans think Israel and Aipac drive antisemitism (MEE 11/5/26)
“The poll commissioned by J Street, a US-based pro-Israel think tank, shows a deep gap between how Jewish American voters view organisations like Aipac and Israel’s occupation of the West Bank and Gaza Strip, compared to how the state of Israel and its allies in the US portray antisemitism. The poll says 66 percent of Jewish voters in the US believe that Aipac’s campaign spending against candidates who criticise Israel actually increases antisemitism in the country. In addition, 60 percent believe that Jewish organisations that label harsh criticism of Israel as antisemitic are exploiting concerns about antisemitism to defend unpopular Israeli government policies. Notably, 80 percent of Jewish voters believe that Israel’s actions in the occupied West Bank and Gaza are increasing antisemitism in the US.”
A New Class of Jewish Democrats Could Reshape Congress’ Approach to Israel (Haaretz 11/3/26)
“Five Jews are likely to enter Congress for the first time after this week’s election. In addition to Biss in Illinois and Lander in New York, the other probable Jewish freshmen are Micah Lasher in New York, Scott Wiener in California and Jeremy Moss in Michigan…The fresh representatives promise to lend new votes – and add Jewish credibility – to legislation that could curtail arms sales to Israel, introduce sanctions in response to West Bank violence and reshape the U.S.-Israel relationship. Together, the five men – all in their 40s and 50s, with identities forged in liberal Jewish communities – embody the shifting trends on Israel in American politics. Moss holds the most traditional pro-Israel views, and he has been quietest on the issue on the campaign trail. The other four have advanced varying critiques of the Israeli government and its operations in Gaza, at times facing pushback from both the left and right within their party; those four have endorsements from J Street, the liberal pro-Israel lobby that this year backed phasing out military aid to Israel, including for defensive weapons.” See also Wiener to hold Pelosi’s House seat after race in which both candidates condemned Israel (JTA 11/5/26); New York Republicans Courted Jewish Voters Over Israel and Mamdani. They Still Lost (Haaretz 11/5/26)
ADL chapters go on the offensive against slate of new far-left Dem House members (JI 11/3/26)
“The representatives-elect condemned by local ADL branches include New York’s Claire Valdez, Brad Lander and Darializa Avila Chevalier; New Jersey’s Adam Hamawy; Illinois’ Daniel Biss; Pennsylvania’s Chris Rabb; and Colorado’s Melat Kiros. The statements directly calling out new lawmakers mark an unusually confrontational and political posture for the anti-hate group.” See also This grandson of Holocaust survivors is headed to Congress. The ADL has concerns about his antisemitism record. (The Forward 11/4/26);
CAIR ends operations in Florida as domestic terrorist designation takes effect (Florida Phoenix 11/5/26)
“The Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR) has suspended operations in Florida, the organization has announced. It did so after a federal judge rejected an emergency request Wednesday by the Muslim civil rights organization to stop the state from designating the group and its state chapter as domestic terrorist organizations, allowing the designation to take effect while its legal challenge, litigated by the ACLU and the Southern Poverty Law Center, continues…[Florida Governor Ron] DeSantis and other members of the Florida Cabinet voted to designate CAIR and CAIR Florida as domestic terrorist organizations on Sept. 29. They contend the group operates as a front for Hamas and the Muslim Brotherhood. Attorneys for CAIR have vehemently denied the allegation, contending its mission, “rooted in faith, is to enhance the public’s understanding of Islam, protect civil rights, promote justice and empower American Muslims.” The designation in late September came months after DeSantis signed legislation approved by the Legislature earlier this year that gave five Florida executive officials — the head of domestic security (the commissioner of the Florida Department of Law Enforcement), the governor, and the three members of the state Cabinet — power to designate and eliminate groups operating in the United States without filing any legal charges or submitting their case to a jury.” See also Fergie Chambers Faces Extradition to U.S. Despite Never Being Indicted, Says Lawyer (The Intercept 11/2/26)
PERSPECTIVES//LONG READS
Democrats Would Be Insane Not to Break With Israel Now (Hamid Bendaas//The Nation 11/5/26)
“Throughout the 2026 primaries, candidates who recognized Israel’s genocide and called for a weapons embargo against Israel won with the odds stacked against them—including in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, New York, Colorado, Florida, and California. Nowhere was this clearer than in the critical swing state of Michigan, where the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) spent over $30 million—a record amount for one organization to spend in a single Democratic primary in US history—to defeat Dr. Abdul El-Sayed. El-Sayed was able to overcome that record spending because of his moral clarity in recognizing Israel’s genocide, a position that 80 percent of Michigan Democratic primary voters agree with…It could not be clearer: Unyielding support for Israel is electoral poison, and candidates who back Palestinian rights, oppose genocide, and call for a decisive break with Israel will win. Democrats—the honest ones, anyway—know this. The question then becomes: What are they going to do about it, now that they have so much more political power?”
Major Losses Could Spur Trump to Escalate War Before Year’s End (Trita Parsi//Responsible Statecraft 11/4/26)
“As much as the Iran war is the key reason Trump and the GOP were crushed tonight, it is important to recognize that the pressure for war is now likely to increase. This does not mean that Trump will restart the war. But the balance of pressure for and against war will likely favor escalation. Trump was under a degree of pressure to strike a deal before the midterms, hoping to soften the blow in the polls. But now that the midterms are over, that pressure will dissipate somewhat. Gas prices are still high, but the political cost has already been paid. There won’t be another point on the political calendar for some time when that cost can be exacted again. But two other factors will intensify. First, pro-war elements in Israel and in Washington will see the next two months as the last period in which Trump has wide maneuverability to restart the war. By January, the Democrats will control both chambers, will control the purse, and can begin impeaching Trump’s secretaries, including Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth. While Trump’s freedom of maneuver will not be completely constrained, it will be significantly reduced…Secondly, while Trump’s decision to start the war in February was driven by hubris and criminally erroneous Israeli advice, another emotion may dominate his thinking going forward: vengeance.”
I spoke up for Palestine. ICE has detained me because of it (Ya’akub Vijandre//USA Today 10/24/26)
“I was shackled and, after a few weeks, transferred to an Immigration and Customs Enforcement processing facility in Folkston, Georgia, far away from my family, my community and my home, in what I believe to be retaliation for my protected speech on Palestine, upholding due process rights and refusing to betray my community. The government claimed that my advocacy, social media activity and commentary were an indication I “engaged in terrorist activity.” In reality, I was simply protesting the mistreatment of political prisoners and speaking against the genocide in Gaza. More than 20 members of Congress have since called for my release, raising serious concerns about the government’s reliance on my political and religious expression.”
The Most Dangerous Way to Misread the Midterm Results (M. Gessen//NYT 11/6/26)
“The experience of other countries shows that autocratic leaders are peculiarly difficult to unseat, and not just because they have a tendency to undermine the voting process itself. The more instability voters live with — the higher the gas prices, the more tenuous their access to health care, the more palpable the threat of war — the stronger the autocrats’ appeal, even when it was their policies that caused the instability. I have just returned from Israel, where an unpopular autocrat’s party won the largest number of votes even though the worst security failure in the nation’s history took place on his watch, even though he has dragged his country into one forever war and started several others, even though he is under investigation for corruption…The classic mistake the opposition to such leaders makes is to affirm the terrifying worldview but argue for a more measured, reasonable solution. This is what much of the anti-Netanyahu opposition did, what the Hungarian opposition used to do…By now, we know what does work. We saw it in Hungary. We saw it in New York when Zohran Mamdani came out of nowhere to wipe the floor with the sitting mayor and the former governor. We saw it in midterm campaigns across the country, but perhaps nowhere more clearly than in Texas, in James Talarico’s winning campaign for the Senate and Gina Hinojosa’s for the governorship. What works is opposing the autocratic worldview itself. It’s asserting that while life really is hard and the world really can be scary, we need not live in fear and isolation. Rather than conjuring an imaginary past, it’s promising an achievable future.”
An Israeli professor plotted to massacre Palestinians. Social media rejoiced (Fadi Shabita//+972 Magazine 11/4/26)
“On Oct. 5, Israeli prosecutors indicted Shahar Nevo, a 59-year-old mathematics professor at Tel Aviv’s Bar-Ilan University, for allegedly plotting to kill hundreds of Palestinian citizens of Israel and residents of the occupied West Bank. According to the indictment, Nevo spent more than three years developing a plan to recruit 72 Jewish attackers who would be divided into 12 armed cells, in order to carry out simultaneous attacks on Palestinian communities. He estimated that 600 to 700 people would be killed, including women and children, and hoped that the violence would drive the remaining population to flee to Gaza, Lebanon, and Jordan. Two days after the indictment, two of Israel’s largest news outlets, Mako and N12, published the story on Instagram. I examined 2,482 comments and replies on Mako’s post, along with 62 visible top-level comments (those responding directly to the post, rather than to another commenter) on N12’s post, and found two distinct but equally troubling responses.”
On Ghassan Kanafani (Fady Joudah, Mahmoud Darwish, Ghassan KanafanI//LARB 10/25/26)
“An essay and translations considering the influential Palestinian writer, thinker, and activist. I. An Attempt to Mourn a Volcano (Mahmoud Darwish 1972) II. Afterword & Foreword (Fady Joudah 2026) III. A Gazelle Heralding an Earthquake (Mahmoud Darwish 1976) IV. Half the World (Ghassan Kanafani 1961). All translations by Fady Joudah.”
The permanence of ‘NAZA’ (Saleem Albeik//+972 Magazine 11/2/26)
“We already knew about Israel’s mass killing in Gaza. But the film’s box office records are a testament to the power of cinema — and its capacity to endure.”
What Now: On Palestine, Freedom, and Our Global Future (Tareq Baconi//Al Shabaka 11/4/26)
“The following is an excerpt from What Now: On Palestine, Freedom, and Our Global Future, written by Al-Shabaka analyst Tareq Baconi and published by Washington Square Press on November 3, 2026.”
Haley Stevens and a “Violent, Chauvinist Power” (Ta-Nehisi Coates//Vanity Fair 11/2/26)
“Stevens’s defection from the Democratic vote isn’t a story about party intrigue. It is a story about Stevens waking up and choosing violence. In supporting Mike Rogers, she has allied herself with an odious culture war in the US, tied to the very real war in Gaza.”