NEW FROM FMEP
Getting Serious about Accountability for Genocide and Apartheid: Sanctions, US law, the ICC and Universal Jurisdiction (Occupied Thoughts podcast)
FMEP Fellow Ahmed Moor speaks with Omar Shakir, Executive Director of Democracy in the Arab World (DAWN), about accountability. They discuss holding key figures in the U.S. administration accountable (such as former Secretary of State Antony Blinken, sanctions on Israel, and universal jurisdiction laws. This conversation was recorded on November 4th, the last day of Ahmed Moor’s fellowship with FMEP, which began in 2025 and continued in 2026.
FMEP Legislative Round-Up November 13, 2026 (Lara Friedman)
- Bills, Resolutions; 2. Letters & Reports; 3. Hearings & Markups ; 4. Selected Members on the Record ; 5. Selected Media & Press releases/Statements
GLOBAL/REGION
Israeli spy chief in D.C. as Netanyahu presses Trump to resume war (Axios 11/13/26)
“The director of the Israeli spy agency Mossad is in Washington Friday for talks with senior Trump administration officials about the war in Iran, according to three sources with knowledge of the matter…The visit by Roman Gofman, one of Benjamin Netanyahu’s closest confidants, comes as the Israeli prime minister is pressing President Trump to resume the war against Iran.” See also Trump tells Vance to turn his focus away from Iran: ‘We don’t need a deal’ (CNN 11/12/26); Trump says he’d consider it a defeat if Iranian regime not toppled by end of his term (TOI 11/13/26);
Dozens of nations, organizations demand Israel let more winter supplies into Gaza (TOI 11/13/26)
“The United Kingdom, Qatar and Jordan led a coalition of more than 50 countries and organizations on Friday, calling on Israel to provide immediate entry of critical items for shelter, fuel, water, sanitation and health to Gaza, as the World Health Organization (WHO) warned that surging respiratory illnesses in the enclave would worsen after heavy rains flooded tens of thousands of tents housing displaced Palestinians.
The 53 signatories said too many people in Gaza “risk exposure to hypothermia, respiratory infections, waterborne diseases and other preventable illnesses” with winter’s arrival.”
EU will examine Israel association agreement after massive public petition (Politico 11/12/26)
“The European Commission will examine its association agreement with Israel after more than 1.1 million EU citizens signed a petition asking it to do so…While the examination is unlikely to lead to any substantial changes to the status quo, the number of signatures shows the prominence of the issue of EU-Israel relations among the EU public — and will force the Commission to give an official response…The European Left Alliance, an umbrella group for 11 left-wing political parties, started the petition almost two years ago. The group said the EU should suspend its trade and political dialogue with Israel over what it sees as the country’s failure to prevent genocide in Gaza.” See also More than 50 British MPs demand fresh sanctions on Israel over Gaza aid obstruction (MEE 11/12/26);
France denies entry for Israeli settler leader: What to know (Al Monitor 11/11/26)
“Yossi Dagan, head of the Samaria Regional Council settler organization, said Wednesday that he was denied entry to France last week over his involvement in West Bank settlement construction…According to a statement issued by the council Wednesday, French immigration authorities stopped Dagan for questioning upon his arrival at the Paris airport. After questioning him at length, they informed him that he would not be allowed to enter the country, the statement said. A French diplomatic source told Al-Monitor on condition of unanimity, “Mr. Dagan is subject to an administrative ban on entering French territory because of his active role in implementing the settlement policy in the West Bank. Settlement activity is contrary to international law and undermines the two-state solution.”’ See also Israel bars entry to French far-left leaders over ‘anti-Israel incitement’ (TOI 11/12/26); Ireland: Watchdog accused of stalling probe into Microsoft hosting Israeli military app (MEE 11/12/26); Six Dutch parties condemn local arms company’s deal with Israeli gunmaker (MEE 11/12/26);
France, US push rival UNIFIL plans ahead of Lebanon mandate expiry (Al Monitor 11/12/26)
“With the mandate of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) set to expire on Dec. 31, France and the United States are advancing fundamentally different plans to prevent a security vacuum in southern Lebanon. UNIFIL, which has been deployed in southern Lebanon since 1978 to monitor the cessation of hostilities with Israel, is set to begin winding down its mission under UN Security Council Resolution 2790. Adopted in August 2025, the resolution calls for the termination of UNIFIL’s mandate at the end of 2026, followed by the complete withdrawal of its troops from southern Lebanon by the end of 2027. The UN force currently comprises approximately 7,500 peacekeepers, with major European contributors including Italy, Spain and France. Its annual budget stands at roughly $600 million, financed by UN member states. The US and Israel oppose extending its mandate, arguing that UNIFIL has failed to prevent Hezbollah from building up its military infrastructure and capabilities in southern Lebanon despite nearly two decades of deployment…France has warned that UNIFIL’s departure with no international security arrangement as a substitute would leave the Lebanese military vulnerable and jeopardize efforts to implement the June 2026 Israel-Lebanon agreement.”
Macklemore Says U.S. Concert Venues Refused to Book ‘Free Palestine’ Tour (Haaretz 11/8/26)
“Rapper Macklemore said on Friday that nine venues across the United States have refused to allow him to host a concert as part of his “Free Palestine Tour,” charging that his anti-Israel political views are the reason. The tour was announced in late September, after the rapper was dropped from Ed Sheeran’s U.S. stadium tour following pro-Palestinian statements he made onstage. Shows have already taken place in several European cities, but the rapper said in a social media post published Friday that he won’t be able to move forward with planned concerts in some U.S. cities, over the stadium owners’ refusals.”
GAZA
Israeli airstrike on Nasser hospital in Gaza kills surgeon and five others (The Guardian 11/12/26)
“An Israeli airstrike on Nasser hospital in southern Gaza killed six people, including a surgeon and a disabled man, and wounded 28 others, according to the hospital director. The Israeli military carried out the attack on the hospital, in Khan Younis, early on Thursday saying in a statement it had struck a Hamas commander and other fighters there, without providing evidence. The strike destroyed part of the surgery department, and caused extensive damage to several floors. Services were suspended in four departments: radiology, laboratories, surgical operations and inpatient surgical wards, according to Dr Ahmed al-Fara, hospital director…Among the dead was Rizk Abu Shaira, 52, a general surgeon who had featured in American Doctor, a documentary about doctors operating in Gaza…Nasser hospital is one of the last functioning healthcare facilities in Gaza, after Israeli bombing made most of the strip’s facilities unusable. Last year Israel also struck the hospital, killing five journalists in a double-tap strike on a location often used by reporters for filming. In all, the hospital has been attacked seven times since the war on Gaza began…About 90% of Gaza’s health infrastructure has been destroyed or damage by Israeli bombing, systematic destruction UN experts called “medicide”. Attacking healthcare facilities and staff is illegal under international humanitarian law, though these facilities can lose their protected status if they are used for military purposes.” See also Palestinian surgeon Dr Rezq Abu Shaeera featured in ‘American Doctor’ film killed in Israeli strike on Nasser Hospital (New Arab 11/12/26);
At Least Ten Killed in Israeli Strikes and Gunfire Across Gaza, Sources Say (Haaretz 11/12/26)
“Israeli strikes and gunfire killed at least 10 Palestinians across the Gaza Strip on Thursday, according to Gaza’s Government Media Office and other local reports.”
‘The cold is lethal’: storms leave thousands in Gaza without shelter (The Guardian 11/11/26)
“Tens of thousands of Palestinians have been left in waterlogged and damaged tents after deadly storms at the weekend, while 150,000 new shelters are held outside Gaza awaiting Israeli approval to enter, aid agencies have said. At least four Palestinian children and woman were killed as heavy rains and wind battered fragile, leaky tents. Thousands have been left without shelter and sanitation infrastructure has been destroyed, with sewage spewing into people’s tents…The UK-based charity Medical Aid for Palestinians said it was concerned about a rise in health problems because families were living in flooded tents with nowhere else to go…According to the UN, 940,000 people in Gaza are in areas at risk of flooding in makeshift tents without protection from heavy rainfall. The flooding threat has been heightened as facilities for pumping out storm water are not operating due to a lack of power.” See also ‘A slow genocide accelerated’: How Gaza’s winter ‘crisis’ is manufactured by Israel (Middle East Eye 11/12/26)
Witnesses recount struggle to save people buried in ‘horrifying’ Gaza landslide (The Guardian 11/9/26)
“Witnesses have described the frantic struggle to save three members of a family buried by a landslide triggered by high winds and heavy rain in Gaza. A sand bank overlooking a camp for displaced families south of Deir al-Balah collapsed on Sunday, killing five people and crushing at least three tents…Among the casualties were an eight-year-old, a six-year-old and their mother. Sahhar, whose own shelter was badly damaged in the landslide, said the children’s father was outside the family tent and so survived…“The father started shouting: ‘Save my children! Save my children!’ People came and started digging [but] there was a huge boulder on top of the victims. The young men had to break it into pieces so they could reach the people buried underneath.”’ See also Israel Delays Gaza Sewage Plant Repairs Despite Board of Peace Pressure (Haaretz 11/9/26)
Fresh concerns raised over Gaza doctor held by Israel for 23 months without charge (The Guardian 11/11/26)
“An independent professor who reviewed the medical records of a prominent Gaza doctor held in an Israeli prison without charge for nearly 23 months has raised serious concerns about his health. Hussam Abu Safiya was detained at work on 27 December 2024 and later held in solitary confinement at Rakefet, a notorious underground prison. During a visit by a lawyer from Physicians for Human Rights Israel (PHRI) in the summer, the doctor told of harsh conditions, untreated medical problems and severe food shortages. Witnesses said he had become almost unrecognisable. Nearly 700 days after his arrest, Israeli authorities have yet to bring any formal charges against Abu Safiya, who is the director of Kamal Adwan hospital in northern Gaza…“Continuous food deprivation and weight loss, repeated beatings and injuries, with inadequate medical care, can definitely cost Dr Abu Safiya his life,” [Prof. Amit] Tirosh said. “According to PHRI records, more than 100 prisoners died in Israeli facilities between 2023 and 2025 … a threat to his life unfortunately cannot be ruled out.”’ See also Israel’s High Court Allows Restrictions on Red Cross Prison Visits Despite Past Ruling (Haaretz 11/11/26);
‘I want to see my family before I die’: The perilous journey home to Gaza (Ruwaida Amer//+972 Magazine 11/12/26)
“After remaining closed for nearly two years, the Rafah Crossing finally reopened in February 2026. In the months since, according to the EU Border Assistance Mission for the Rafah Crossing Point, 7,892 Palestinians have exited through it and 7,466 have returned to Gaza. But the crossing has operated intermittently, with abrupt closures and shifting restrictions disrupting movement in both directions. Palestinians who have travelled through Rafah in recent months describe lengthy searches, restrictive baggage requirements, interrogations, and the threat of detention by Israeli forces…The arrests have compounded fears among Palestinians seeking to reunite with their families, forcing many to weigh their longing for home against the risk of imprisonment, the loss of their livelihoods, or the interruption of essential medical treatment.”
RIVER TO THE SEA
‘Because I Went Through This, I Want to Talk About Peace’ (Josh Nathan-Kazis//JC 11/10/26)
“When the Palestinian journalist Abed Abu Shehadeh arrived home in Jaffa on Sunday after nearly five days in Israeli detention, people cheered from the rooftops and carried him down the street on their shoulders. Abu Shehadeh’s abduction by Israeli officers during a late-night raid of his home last Tuesday drew international attention, and condemnation from press freedom advocates and US political figures. Abu Shehadeh addressed a crowd of dozens at a gathering shortly after his release from a police facility in Petah Tikva. “We can’t be afraid,” he began, speaking in Arabic. “We are part of a people, part of a cause. What are we demanding? We demand justice. We demand our rights. We demand equality for everyone…AAS: We can’t be afraid, yes. I mean that there is an ongoing campaign to keep us frightened and alone, to stop us from talking about politics, from expressing our thoughts. There’s also a campaign to stop us from voting, to put the seeds of fear, to stop us from going and taking our part in the election. And I think that the answer to this is that we can’t be afraid…And the other thing that I talked about is equality and freedom and peace. And that there are two groups of people on this land, and we need to talk about a better future. I think it surprised both my Palestinian and Israeli friends that after five days of incarceration this is what I would choose to talk about. Because I saw [that] what I went through is a direct outcome of not talking about peace. More violence, more death and destruction, more imprisonment. Because I went through this, I want to talk about peace. I want to talk about reconciliation. I want to talk about equality. Because I don’t want anyone to go through what I went through.’”
Journalist’s Arrest Adds to Fears Israeli Security Agency Is Being Politicized (NYT 11/12/26)
“A former elected member of the Tel Aviv-Jaffa City Council, Mr. Abu Shehadeh has not been charged with a crime. The Israeli authorities have not publicly offered a reason for his arrest, though court records reviewed by The New York Times show that he was accused of being in contact with an unnamed “foreign agent.” His highly publicized arrest — a week after Israel’s national elections — came as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his allies have claimed that foreign actors illegally funneled large amounts of money to bribe Arab citizens to vote for Arab political parties. Critics say that Mr. Netanyahu and his allies are seeking to undermine the legitimacy of the record gains by Arab parties in the Parliament, or the Knesset, by contending without basis that Arab voters stole the election. Mr. Abu Shehadeh’s arrest has intensified warnings from prominent analysts and former security officials that the Israeli security services are overstepping their authority and becoming dangerously politicized in trying to promote the prime minister’s objectives.” See also Israel’s Palestinian Citizens Aren’t Foreigners (Rachel Leah Jones and Libby Lenkinski//JC 11/9/26); 3 years after Bedouin hero rescued 30 people on Oct. 7, Israel destroyed his family’s homes (JTA 11/11/26);
Israeli opposition hurries to seize control as new Knesset is sworn in (The Guardian 11/10/26)
“Opposition lawmakers have wasted no time after Israel’s new Knesset was sworn in, deploying their majority to seize control of the legislature from Benjamin Netanyhau and his allies. Although they are still too divided to form a government, the opposition requested a vote for a new speaker, who sets the Knesset’s agenda. Once Netanyahu loyalist Amir Ohana has been replaced, the six opposition parties will be able to work on key legislation even if they fail to broker a coalition. Priorities include setting up a state commission of inquiry into the 7 October 2023 attacks and introducing term limits for Israel’s prime ministers, which could block Netanyahu from taking power again. He has ruled Israel for 19 of the last 30 years…Netanyahu responded to the swearing in of the new Knesset on Tuesday with a racist attack on two Palestinian-led opposition parties, whose voters were essential to unseating his coalition, calling their lawmakers “terror supporters”. Eisenkot denounced his speech as a “delusional, divisive, hate-filled and shameful” exploitation of a state occasion, that showed the prime minister was unfit for office…Eisenkot has admitted the path to power is “extraordinarily complex”, because of incompatible election promises made by different parties, but described ousting Netanyahu as a national emergency that could require breaking promises.” See also Israel’s president picks Yashar leader Gadi Eisenkot to form government (The Guardian 11/7/26); Eisenkot Controls the Knesset, Netanyahu Is Still Prime Minister: What Each Bloc Is Planning to Do (Haaretz 11/12/26); Eisenkot warns Netanyahu against launching war during coalition talks (Jewish Insider 11/12/26);
Settlers Wound Five Palestinians in West Bank Village, Reports Say (Haaretz 11/12/26)
“Five Palestinians were wounded, one seriously, in a settler attack on the West Bank village of Atara, north of Ramallah, on Thursday, according to the Israeli rights group Yesh Din and the Palestinian news agency Wafa. Yesh Din said settlers armed with clubs and stones entered the village after Israeli security forces evacuated parts of Kfar Tarfon, an outpost established on village land…Wafa reported that settlers arrived in Atara before dawn, damaged several homes and smashed vehicle windows. Residents confronted them, and some of the settlers retreated. As the attack unfolded, Israeli troops entered the village, blocked its entrances and fired tear gas. Yesh Din also reported that many settlers barricaded themselves inside Palestinian residents’ homes. Yesh Din accused the army of leaving settlers from the outpost to attack villagers, “thereby giving full backing to the violence.” It said the state continued to fail to enforce the law against the settlers.” See also Israeli soldier accused of smearing faeces on Palestinian detainee’s face (MEE 11/12/26)
‘They want all of Jericho’: Settlers establish foothold inside West Bank city (Oren Ziv//+972 Magazine 11/13/26)
“For the first time since 1968, Israeli settlers have moved into a Palestinian urban center, forcing families out and vowing to dismantle the Oslo Accords.”
In Jericho, Israeli Settlers Violently Seize and Occupy Palestinian Homes (Katrine Dige Houmøller//Drop Site 11/7/26)
““They beat all of us. Children, women, and men,” Mustafa Kaaba said, standing on a dusty street in the city of Jericho in the occupied West Bank. The night before, November 4, armed Israeli settlers burst into his home and the homes of his neighbors, ransacking them, violently forcing the families out, and warning them not to return…According to residents, at least 13 Palestinian households were driven from their homes in Jericho by some 30 Israeli settlers, some of them masked, who rampaged through the neighborhood. The next morning, the settlers made their occupation known. They hung Israeli flags from the balconies and entrances of multiple houses—a standard marker of a Palestinian home taken over by settlers. Armed men patrolled between the newly occupied homes—with rifles slung over their shoulders or pistols tucked into their waistbands. Israeli women and children wandered along the gravel roads…The expansion of Israeli settlements and outposts across the occupied West Bank over the past three years has been rapid and increasingly violent. More than 6,400 Palestinians, including over 3,100 children, were displaced between January 2023 and August 2026 as a result of settler attacks and restrictions on access to their land, according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. At least 48 Palestinian communities were completely emptied of their residents during that period.”
‘Every drawer was opened’: Palestinians report looting amid Israel’s Hebron siege (Basel Adra & Mosab Shawer//+972 Magazine 11/10/26)
“For 11 days, Israeli soldiers had free rein over hundreds of Palestinian homes in the Al-Jilda and Deir Bahha neighborhoods of Hebron, in the southern occupied West Bank, whose residents had been forced out as part of a large-scale military operation. When families were eventually permitted to return, many of them found their homes ransacked and their belongings missing…When the family returned, they found damaged furniture, broken electronics, and missing valuables. “Every drawer and every cupboard had been opened. The gold was gone, the savings boxes [containing cash] were gone, bags had been opened, the sofa was broken, while the table, the refrigerator, the glass, and the doors were damaged. Even the laptop and printer were broken.”’
Jewish Burial Society Blocks Palestinian Families’ Only Access Road, Citing Ancient Cemetery (Haaretz 11/11/26)
“An Israeli organization that oversees Jewish burial has restricted access along the only road leading to the homes of about 20 Palestinian families in Silwan, East Jerusalem, arguing that the route forms part of an ancient Jewish cemetery. The Jerusalem Hevra Kadisha erected a large iron barrier about a month ago near the Sambuski Cemetery, blocking passage through much of a dirt parking area used by families living nearby. Residents dispute the burial society’s claim that the parking area contains graves, citing historical photographs and excavation work previously carried out there by the Jerusalem municipality. According to the residents, the dirt road is the only vehicular access to homes where families have lived for many years. They rely on it not only for parking but also for deliveries and municipal and emergency services.”
Unable to pay teachers, PA cuts West Bank students’ classes for fourth year running (TOI 11/10/26)
“For the fourth year running, hundreds of thousands of students attending Palestinian Authority schools across the West Bank are learning only part-time, their educational prospects curtailed by a financial crisis that has no end in sight.”
IDF Judge Releases Palestinian Reporter for Lack of Evidence – Then Immediately Orders Him Detained Again (Haaretz 11/13/26)
“Samer Khuwaira was released from a prolonged administrative detention less than a year ago. Two weeks ago, after daring to speak about the horrors he endured in prison, he was arrested again” See also Over 55 Palestinians Arrested in the West Bank by the IDF This Week (Haaretz 11/13/26); IDF fires teargas on Palestinian family reuniting with 15-year-old son after month in Israeli jail (TOI 11/13/26);
U.S. SCENE
What Trump meant when he said the U.S. is cutting aid to Israel (NPR 11/9/26)
“For months, U.S. and Israeli officials have been negotiating a plan to shift U.S. aid to Israel from the State Department to the Pentagon. It would integrate parts of the Israeli and American defense industries, and facilitate new joint projects. “It doesn’t mean that the U.S. and Israel are going to stop working together. It doesn’t mean the U.S. is going to stop funding things,” says Mairav Zonszein, senior Israel analyst at the International Crisis Group, based in Tel Aviv . “It’s just going to be repackaged, reframed — and possibly not include the same kind of congressional oversight.” If approved, the new framework — outlined in the National Defense Authorization Act, or NDAA, for fiscal year 2027 — would make the U.S.-Israeli financial relationship part of Pentagon procurement. Joint future projects would include collaboration on missile defense, cybersecurity, biotechnology and drones. The American Israel Public Affairs Committee, or AIPAC, which supports the new arrangement, says it includes “a $50 million increase” in U.S. funding for Israel compared to fiscal year 2026…”This would not only enable the Israel lobby to protect this money that the U.S. sends to Israel each year from the collapse in public support for U.S. funding for Israel, but it would also likely allow it to increase significantly,” says Annelle Sheline, a former State Department official who is now a research fellow at the Quincy Institute in Washington D.C.”
Democratic senators seek to remove US-Israel defense cooperation from spending bill (The Forward 11/12/26)
“A group of 12 senators who are Democratic or caucus with the Democrats are lobbying against expanded defense cooperation between the United States and Israel, saying the Netanyahu government’s policies, particularly in Gaza and the West Bank, run counter to U.S. interests. In a letter to congressional leadership and ranking committee members led by Sen. Chris Van Hollen of Maryland, the lawmakers argued that the 2027 National Defense Authorization Act, as currently written, would “further entrench concerning aspects of the U.S.-Israel defense and intelligence relationship at a time when the Israeli government’s actions are increasingly undermining U.S. interests and values.”…The letter — which was signed by Democratic Sens. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts and Tammy Duckworth of Illinois and Independent Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont, among others — is the initiative of Van Hollen, who has emerged as one of Israel’s fiercest critics in Congress and recently called to “end the American taxpayer blank check to the government of Israel.”’ See also Van Hollen leads push to remove U.S.-Israel cooperation provisions from defense funding bill (Jewish Insider 11/10/12); Chris Van Hollen launches challenge against Chuck Schumer to lead Senate Democrats (CNN 11/12/26);
Progressives Lay the Groundwork to Force a Vote on Ending Some Arms Sales to Israel (Drop Site 11/10/26)
“Progressives in Congress are already pressuring House leadership for a vote next session on the Block The Bombs Act, which would end U.S. sales for at least some weapons to Israel. The organizing comes as history’s most pro-Palestinian Congress will sit in 2027, and the Congressional Progressive Caucus (CPC) will expand its power as its membership grows to unprecedented numbers…The current Block The Bombs bill, which has 82 cosponsors, was introduced in September 2025 and would stop the president “from selling, transferring, or exporting certain defense articles or services to Israel, except in specified circumstances.” The sales would be allowed only if Congress passes legislation specifying how the weapons would be used and Israel agrees to the terms. The precise scope of next session’s legislation is unclear.”
AIPAC Wanted to Shape the Debate. Now It Is the Debate. (Politico 11/8/26)
“Though other groups had attempted to push that policy leftward — J Street starting in the 2000s and Justice Democrats in the 2010s — the new group brought more super PAC cash to the effort than ever before. At the outset, it was a handful of donors on a text chain trying to figure out where their money should go. Dubbing themselves American Priorities, to reflect their opposition to military aid to Israel and their argument that the money would be better spent at home, they explicitly set themselves the goal of taking on one of the most powerful and well-funded groups in American politics…The lesson American Priorities took from those races was to get in early and spend where it could be decisive — and the group would not find itself on the losing side of a 2026 primary again.” See also Michigan’s midterms cemented a new political consensus on Palestine (Ali Harb//+972 Magazine 11/9/26)
Tons of “Bunker-Buster” Bomb Parts for Israel Go Through JFK Airport (Noah Hurowitz//The Intercept 11/9/26)
“An Israeli airline shipped thousands of pounds worth of parts for controversial “bunker-buster” bombs through John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York during the height of the Israeli–U.S. war against Iran, according to a new investigation by a left-wing research group.Challenge Airlines, a cargo hauler based in Israel, made three flights this spring carrying the bomb casings for BLU-109s — a 2,000-pound munition that has been tied to numerous mass-casualty attacks on civilian neighborhoods in the Gaza Strip, Lebanon, and Iran in recent years — according to open-source data obtained by the Movement Research Unit and reviewed by The Intercept.”
Where the incoming Democratic freshmen stand on Israel (Jewish Insider 11/8/26)
“The new cohort of lawmakers varies widely on Israel policy issues — a handful come in with hard-line anti-Israel stances, while many others seem to support a continued U.S.-Israel relationship in some form, potentially with new conditions on or scrutiny of U.S. aid. And some others, especially those backed by the Democratic Majority for Israel, have been consistent champions of a strong U.S.-Israel relationship.” See also John Fetterman to be challenged for Senate seat by democratic socialist born in Gaza (The Guardian 11/9/26)
The DOJ Official Who Spent 19 Months Terrorizing Colleges Is Resigning (Mother Jones 11/5/26)
“Misery loves company, and for the past 19 months, American colleges have had plenty of both, largely thanks to Harmeet K. Dhillon, the Justice Department’s assistant attorney general for civil rights, who has spent her entire tenure treating campuses like crime scenes…Since starting the job in April 2025, Dhillon has bragged about opening more than 100 investigations into university admissions practices, accusing colleges of discrimination for maintaining race-conscious programs and of antisemitism for allowing pro-Palestinian activism on campus.” See also Campus antisemitism crackdown faces uncertain future after Democratic sweep, Dhillon exit (Jewish Insider 11/6/26); Trump Subpoenas Teachers Union for Info on Pro-Palestine Students (The Intercept 11/13/26)
The Jewish Democratic Vote Slipped. Or Did It? (Josh Nathan-Kazis//Jewish Currents 11/12/26)
“At the end of last week, I thought that I more or less understood how Jews had voted in the US midterm elections. Polls showed that around 70% voted for Democrats in congressional races around the country, with some bumpiness in a few hot districts. Business as usual. But the data and discourse have gotten confusing over the past few days—there are now conflicting polls out there, and lots of hacks on the internet are making big claims about what it all means. On Wednesday, I called my colleagues Alex Kane and Mari Cohen, who together and separately reported extensively on the election cycle around the country, and asked them—with the benefit of a week of hindsight—to explain to me how the Jews voted. Our conversation, edited for length and clarity, is below.”
As Israel Moves Right, Israel’s Liberal Newspaper Bolsters Its U.S. Presence (NYT 11/10/26)
“Haaretz has more than doubled the size of its American bureau, including hiring correspondents to cover beats like national politics and young American Jews.”
What Ballot Measures Told Us About America (Ben Case//Jacobin 11/11/26)
“Providence, Rhode Island, is the first US city to enact a binding divestment law by popular vote, targeting investments in countries and companies engaged in severe human rights abuses like genocide, ethnic cleansing, and apartheid — a campaign explicitly focused on divesting from Israel. It won by a landslide, with 75 percent of the popular vote. The effort was led by a local coalition that included Jewish Voice for Peace; Democratic Socialists of America; Reclaim Rhode Island, a housing justice and generally progressive organization; and American Federation of Teachers Local 6516, representing graduate workers at Brown University…Following the initiative win, Providence becomes the largest US city yet to approve divestment from Israel. It will join at least six other cities around the country in passing some form of divestment legislation — Hayward and Richmond in California; Dearborn, Michigan; Medford, Massachusetts; Belfast, Maine; and most recently Cambridge, Massachusetts. Providence does not have a proportionately large Muslim or Arab population, but it does have a sizable Jewish population. The overwhelming victory for divestment at the ballot cements beyond a doubt the swing happening in the American public not only away from Israel but toward decisive action against its genocidal policies.” See also Providence Built a Winning Movement to Divest From Israel (Zack Kligler & Zohar Gitlis//Jacobin 11/10/26)
Palm Beach County’s Israel Bonds Holdings Hit 24% of Portfolio Last Month (Waqas Ahmed//Drop Site 11/12/26)
“Palm Beach County, Florida, the world’s largest government investor in Israeli government bonds, held nearly a quarter of its investment portfolio in Israeli bonds before $67.5 million of the securities matured on November 1, far exceeding its own investment limits. The county did not reinvest the proceeds because its existing holdings were already above the permitted ceiling, according to its interim comptroller. The repayment reduced the county’s exposure but left 22.5% of its portfolio invested in Israeli government debt, still above the allowed investment cap of 15%. The investments had prompted months of protests by residents, who have also faced arrests and removal from public meetings while attempting to challenge the county’s financial support for Israel. At a September 15 budget hearing, Palestinian American legal scholar and human rights attorney Noura Erakat was arrested and charged with misdemeanor trespassing after refusing orders to leave the chamber.”
PERSPECTIVES//LONG READS
‘NAZA’ Is a Window Into a World Even Gazans Can’t Reach (Mohammed Sawwaf//NYT 11/7/26)
“I watched “NAZA” while an Israeli drone flew above my head. I watched the film — a documentary by the Israeli directors Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor that has become the subject of international controversy and attention — on my laptop, sitting inside a building that is somehow still standing in southwestern Gaza. To the left of the building is a bombed-out apartment block. In front, a camp for displaced people. Nearby there’s what’s left of a destroyed university, which is now being used as a shelter. Throughout the area, we can hear the sound of the “zannana,” the Israeli surveillance drone that never stops flying above us here in Gaza. We call it “zannana” in Arabic because of the constant sound it makes: zzzzzzz. It watches us. Sometimes it bombs us…I watched “NAZA” twice…By the time I finished it, I was no longer asking myself whether this film should have been made. For me, the answer is yes. It offered a window into a world I could not reach myself: I can reach the rubble, but the filmmakers who made “NAZA” can reach the person who determines which house can become rubble. I can film an injured child after a bombing. They can question the person who took part in the decision that led to it. The two accounts don’t cancel each other out; one completes the other…Yet, even knowing what I know, hearing members of elite intelligence units speak about how they surveilled us made me feel I was suffocating. By their own admission, they track our every movement. Our phones. Our calls. Our messages. Where a person is…It’s why, as the film went on, I no longer watched “NAZA” as a journalist but as a person trying to survive.
The 2026 midterms just ended Israel’s influence over American politics (Margaret DeReus//The Hill 11/11/26)
“As someone who has spent more than 20 years working for U.S. policies to advance Palestinian rights and freedom, this election night was a moment I sometimes feared I’d never see in my lifetime. Today, I believe I will look back on Nov. 3, 2026, as a turning point in the story of our country and the struggle for human rights for every person around the world…There should be no doubt in anyone’s mind that the question of our country’s relationship to Israel and to Palestinians will define the 2028 Democratic primary for president — and potentially the Republican presidential primary as well.”
Defeating Zionism to Free Palestine (Noura Erakat & John Reynolds//The Intercept 11/6/26)
“Three years on from the onset of Israel’s genocide in Gaza, we are at a crucial hinge point. The world today, when it comes to Palestine, stands at the crossroads: meaningful support for liberation and decolonization, or the normalization of colonial expansion and erasure…We see part of our task now as one of continuing to build on the recent “mainstreaming” of condemnations of Israeli apartheid and genocide, but in a way that decisively resists the drift toward narrower, liberal articulations and insists on the importance of radical, anti-colonial, and anti-imperial analysis and praxis. In our work as critical legal scholars, we situate apartheid and the shape it has taken as a category in international law, and we explore the limits and potential of legal tactics, arguments, and institutions to dismantle Israeli apartheid and end the genocide in Gaza. We argue that while legal actions should be pursued in the service of political and social movements, legal logic is insufficient in itself — and can risk narrowing or distorting the horizon of Palestinian liberation. In our view, the proliferating condemnations of Israel by major human rights organizations and mainstream figures in recent years have belatedly reflected the popular consensus and a political reality that Palestinian activism had made undeniable. They also fit, to varying degrees, within a wider pattern of containment.”
They Once Commanded Israel’s Army. Now They Protect Palestinians From Masked Soldiers and Settlers (Haaretz 11/6/26)
“Last month, Israeli media reported the arrest of two Israeli activists who had joined Palestinians harvesting olives in the village of Duma, in the Nablus district. While such arrests are not unusual, the media attention was extraordinary. The reason: One of those detained was Brig. Gen. (ret.) Joel Feldschuh, a former fighter pilot and former CEO of El Al. Feldschuh, 77, took part in the olive harvest as part of a new initiative launched in recent months by Maj. Gen. (res.) Eyal Ben-Reuven. Under its auspices, former senior figures from Israel’s security establishment and business sector go out to protect Palestinians in the West Bank from settler violence. They include Israel Defense Forces major generals and brigadier generals, as well as former senior officials from the Shin Bet and Mossad – hardly the typical profile of human rights activists. Longtime activists who accompany Palestinian and Bedouin communities suffering from settler and soldier harassment and terror, and are often dismissed as “anarchists,” are now receiving the backing of a group that can hardly be accused of subversion. These men are part of the security establishment itself, and they are taking to the field because they can no longer stand by and watch.”
Once a Household Name, This Anti-Zionist Actress Is Leaving Israel (Haaretz 11/10/26)
“Dropped without notice by her Israeli agent for using the word ‘genocide’ online, and fired by drama schools over her activism, actress and director Einat Weizman says there’s no place left for her art in Israel”
Abdul El-Sayed’s victory has laid bare a truth about America’s view on Israel (Peter Beinart//The Guardian 11/5/26)
“Among the things that Abdul El-Sayed’s victory in the Michigan Senate race revealed is this: the debate over US policy toward Israel does not primarily pit the left versus the right. It pits the top versus the bottom. There was no grassroots enthusiasm in the state for maintaining US military aid and weapons sales to Israel. That view no longer commands support even among ordinary Republicans. There was instead a massive infusion of pro-Israel money, mostly from extremely wealthy people.”
Israel Targets U.S. Conservatives in Influence Operation (Murtaza Hussain//Drop Site 11/11/26)
“A company acting on behalf of the Israeli government signed a contract last month with an American company that advertises its access to a database of more than 25 million “verified conservatives” to help Israel influence U.S. public opinion, according to newly disclosed federal documents…The contract comes as the Israeli government contends with increasing hostility from sections of the Republican base over Israel’s role in drawing the U.S. into a wildly unpopular war in Iran. Starboard is an important partner for any effort to influence conservatives in the U.S.”
Netanyahu’s election-eve crypto pitch was no offhand remark (Aharon Porath 11/11/26)
“Yet the prime minister’s crypto scheme did not come out of the blue, as the reactions suggested. For years, members of his family and inner circle have maintained ties to prominent figures in the digital currency industry, some of whom have also played important roles in his election campaigns. Meanwhile, at least in the United States, the industry itself has become an increasingly influential political force, with investors and entrepreneurs seeking to translate their financial clout into favorable government policies. Netanyahu’s announcement may have offered little in the way of a credible solution to international sanctions. But coming just days before an election, it raises another possibility: that the prime minister was less interested in circumventing the global banking system than in courting a potentially valuable constituency.”
Nobel Peace Laureate Navi Pillay: ‘Israelis, Crimes Are Committed in Your Name. I Beg You: Get on the Right Side of History’ (Nir Hasson interviews Navi Pillay//Haaretz 11/13/26)
“Pillay, a Nobel Peace Prize laureate and one of the most prominent figures in the realm of international law, speaks with neither anger nor hatred, but with intellectual curiosity. In her various roles, she has spent decades confronting the full range of human atrocities. Israelis, she emphasizes, are no different from other peoples who have revealed their dark sides…But in Israel’s eyes, Pillay is an enemy of the state and the Jewish people. In a report published in September 2025, a commission chaired by her determined that Israel had committed genocide in the Gaza Strip. That made her the world’s most senior jurist to conclude that its actions in Gaza amounted to genocide. So when she won the Nobel Peace Prize last month, alarm swept through Israel…Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office called her “a bigot who built her career around inventing and propagating blood libels against the one and only Jewish state.”…Pillay calls the reactions “outrageous.” They are also why she has decided to speak to an Israeli news outlet. “If you’ve been told that that report makes me a Goebbels, read the report yourself. You know, I grew up as a simple, poor girl in South Africa and suffered like all children of color under apartheid. So I know what it feels like to be discriminated against. I fully supported the struggles of Jewish people all over the world. Jews are right when they say there’s a long history of oppression. I expect criticism of my work, but it should be fact-based, not emotional, not racist.”’