1. New from FMEP

2. Global/Region

3. Gaza

4. River to the Sea

5. U.S. Scene

6. Perspectives//Long Reads

NEW FROM FMEP

Iran War – A regional tour d’horizon (New Occupied Thoughts episode)

FMEP President Lara Friedman speaks with Middle East policy journalist, analyst, and author Omar Rahman about the Iran War and its impacts in the region. Their conversation explores: Iran-U.S. diplomatic efforts to achieve a ceasefire, and challenges to ending this war; the Trump Administration’s blockade of Iran’s blockade of the Straits of Hormuz; the impact of the Iran War on the policies/interests/unity of Gulf states; Israel’s war on Lebanon and its impacts for the region; and the rapidly expanding/shifting Overton window with respect to support for Israel in the U.S.

The Iran Blockade and Israel’s War Logic (New Occupied Thoughts episode)

FMEP Fellow Ahmed Moor holds a quick conversation with FMEP President Lara Friedman in which they discuss the U.S.’s “blockade of a blockade” in the Strait of Hormuz and the lack of thinking that seems to characterize it; the Israeli effort to undo Oslo, undo the Gaza “disengagement”, and undo the withdrawal from Lebanon; and the question of whether Israel considers Turkey to be a peer competitor.

FMEP Legislative Round-Up April 17, 2026 (Lara Friedman)

1. Bills, Resolutions; 2. Letters; 3. Hearings & Markups; 4. Selected Members on the Record; 5. Selected Media & Press releases/Statements

Settlement & Annexation Report: April 17, 2026 (Kristin McCarthy)

1. WEST BANK: 34 New Settlements; 2. EAST JERUSALEM: Demolitions and Evictions in Silwan, Eviction in Old City, First Jerusalem Outpost; 3. STATE-BACKED SETTLER TERRORISM; 4. BONUS READS

GLOBAL/REGION

Trump announces 10-day ceasefire in Lebanon after ‘excellent conversations’ (The Guardian 4/16/26)

“Donald Trump has announced a 10-day ceasefire in Lebanon to be followed by a meeting between Israeli and Lebanese leaders next week, in a deal that it is hoped will bring progress toward a parallel peace agreement between the US and Iran…Netanyahu said the ceasefire offered an opportunity for a “historic peace agreement”, but insisted that the disarmament of Hezbollah remained a precondition. “We have an opportunity to make a historic peace agreement with Lebanon,” Netanyahu said in a televised speech, adding that Israel would maintain a 10km (6.2-mile) “security zone” along the border in southern Lebanon…The terms of the ceasefire, as provided by the US state department, prohibit Israel from offensive military actions in Lebanon. But they appear to leave more room for “self-defense,” including “against planned, imminent, or ongoing attacks”.’ See also Netanyahu: Long ‘road to peace’ begins, as Trump says Israel ‘PROHIBITED’ from bombing Lebanon (TOI 4/17/26); Trump announces Lebanon-Israel ceasefire, will invite Aoun and Netanyahu to White House (Al Monitor 4/16/26); Leaked Documents Reveal Details of the Secret Saudi Arabia–Pakistan Mutual Defense Pact (Drop Site 4/13/26); How Pakistan’s army chief became an unlikely peacemaker in the Iran war (The Guardian 4/17/26); Iran says strait of Hormuz ‘completely open’ to commercial vessels as oil prices fall (The Guardian 4/17/26); Rubio Hosts Israel and Lebanon for Rare Meeting Shadowed by U.S.-Iran War (NYT 4/14/26);

Trump Says He ‘Prohibited’ Israel From Bombing Lebanon; Netanyahu: Hezbollah a Threat (Haaretz 4/17/26)

“Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Friday that, due to a request from U.S. President Donald Trump, Israel would give a chance to “a political and military solution in coordination with the Lebanese government.” He admitted that the Hezbollah threat to Israel’s north remains, “I say honestly: We haven’t finished the job yet.” He noted that Hezbollah’s capabilities to launch rockets and drones still exist. “There are things we plan to do against the remaining rocket threat and against the drone threat. We also have another goal, which is the dismantling of Hezbollah. This will not be achieved tomorrow,” Netanyahu clarified. Later on Friday, Trump announced that the United States will not allow the continuation of bombings in Lebanon. “Israel will not be bombing Lebanon any longer. They are PROHIBITED from doing so by the U.S.A. Enough is enough!!!” the U.S. president wrote on his social media network, Truth Social…Only minutes after Trump’s post, an Israeli drone ‌strike killed one person ⁠in southern Lebanon, the first full day of the U.S.-brokered truce, paramedics in the area and the head of a local hospital ⁠told Reuters.” See also Forced into a corner by the U.S., Netanyahu agrees to a cease-fire in Lebanon (NYT 4/16/26); Netanyahu Says War With Iran Is ‘Not Yet Over’ (NYT 4/12/26)

‘Everything is gone’: Israel destroys entire villages in Lebanon (The Guardian 4/12/26)

“The Israeli military has demolished entire villages as part of its invasion of south Lebanon, rigging homes with explosives and razing them to the ground in massive remote detonations…The demolitions came after Israel’s minister of defence, Israel Katz, called for the destruction of “all houses” in border villages “in accordance with the model used in Rafah and Beit Hanoun in Gaza” to stop threats to communities in northern Israel. The Israeli military destroyed 90% of homes in Rafah, in south Gaza. The tactic of mass destruction of homes in Gaza, where Israel has been accused of committing genocide, was described as domicide by academics, a strategy that is used to systematically destroy and damage civilian housing to render entire areas uninhabitable. The Israeli military has said they are targeting Hezbollah infrastructure such as tunnels and military facilities, which it claims the armed group has embedded in civilian homes, through these demolitions. Israel has said that it will occupy vast swathes of south Lebanon, establishing a “security zone” in the entire area up to the Litani River, and that displaced people would not be allowed to return to their homes until the safety of Israel’s northern cities is guaranteed, prompting concern there will be long-term displacement. Rights groups, however, have said these mass remote detonations could amount to wanton destruction: a war crime. The laws of war prohibit the deliberate destruction of civilian homes, except when necessary for lawful military reasons.” See also Israel escalates attacks on medics in Lebanon with deadly ‘quadruple tap’ (The Guardian 4/16/26); Tens of thousands return to south Lebanon after ceasefire, defying Israeli warnings (Middle East Eye 4/17/26); I Just Want to Be Back’: Thousands Rush South in Lebanon Under Cease-Fire (NYT 4/17/26);  Israeli strike severs last bridge linking southern Lebanon to rest of country, Lebanese security official says (Reuters 4/16/26); ‘

Israel’s “Black Wednesday” Massacre Leaves Lebanese Families Giving DNA to ID Loved Ones’ Remains (Alaa Serhal//The Intercept 4/17/26)

“Last week, after Iran and the U.S. agreed to a ceasefire, Israel pressed on in its Lebanese front with a ferocious blitz of airstrikes. The toll was staggering, leaving demolished buildings and infrastructure, along with the attendant skyrocketing casualties — the violence rending people into unrecognizable forms…After the Iran–U.S. truce, Israel launched more than 100 strikes on Lebanon in just 10 minutes, with the Israeli government taking to social media to brag about its assault. The latest round of hostilities between with Israel had already brought weeks of ravages to Lebanon, but last week’s onslaught, dubbed “Black Wednesday” by the Lebanese, razed densely populated neighborhoods in the capital. At least 357 were killed and more than 1,000 were injured, according to the health ministry. A week later, dozens of people are still missing.”

Once a Fringe Idea, Support for Settlement of Lebanon Goes Mainstream in Israel (Maya Rosen//Jewish Currents 4/14/26)

Uri Tzafon [the far-right movement pushing for Jewish settlement of southern Lebanon]’s vision of establishing Israeli settlements in Lebanon has advanced significantly over the last six weeks. What was considered a fringe curiosity in 2024 is transforming into the new Israeli conventional wisdom—backed by an organized movement with broad support from politicians and the media. Even as negotiations could force Israel to halt its bombardment of Lebanon, the next time Israel attacks, Uri Tzafon will be one step closer to building civilian settlements atop the ruins of Lebanese villages. Uri Tzafon’s informal, oft-repeated motto is “occupation, expulsion, settlement.” It has advanced the idea that Israel must move its northern border to the Litani River—which bisects Lebanon about 15 miles north of the current Israeli boundary—and occupy a depopulated southern Lebanon, comprising some 10% of Lebanon’s total territory…These aspirations are being translated into policy: On March 24th, Defense Minister Israel Katz announced that the military would control southern Lebanon up to the Litani, and prevent the return of hundreds of thousands of residents. A week later, he said that all homes near the border would be destroyed, “like in Rafah and Beit Hanoun,” in order “to permanently remove border-adjacent threats.” Israel has now issued evacuation orders for about 15% of Lebanon’s territory, part of its campaign to ethnically cleanse the southern part of the country, specifically of Shiite Muslims. (Hezbollah is a Shiite organization.)…Over a million people have already been displaced from southern Lebanon, and over 2,000 people have been killed, with nearly 6,000 injured.” See also “I Want to Occupy”: Inside the Israeli Movement Pushing to Raze and Settle Southern Lebanon (Theia Chatelle//The Intercept 4/11/26)

Meloni suspends Italy’s military cooperation agreement with Israel (Al Monitor 4/14/26)

“Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said on Tuesday that her government has decided to halt the automatic renewal of its defense agreement with Israel “in light of the current situation,” likely meaning that the agreement will not be renewed…The announcement is more political than practical. Italy halted military cooperation with Israel after the 2023 Hamas attack and ensuing Gaza war, which many European countries hold in violation of international law. Italy no longer sells weapons to Israel, does not purchase weapons from Israel and does not conduct joint military training or drills with the Israeli military…Like Spain and France, Italy has denied American planes carrying military equipment permission to pass through its airspace.” See also With Orban’s defeat in Hungary, Israel loses European shield (Al Monitor 4/13/26); Israeli ambassador meets with France’s Marine Le Pen, extending outreach to Europe’s far-right (JTA 4/16/26);

Prominent Palestinian human rights advocate barred from entering France (Le Monde 4/16/26)

“Shawan Jabarin, the general director of Al-Haq, a West Bank-based NGO that is currently under US sanctions, was scheduled to speak before the European Parliament’s human rights committee in Strasbourg this past Tuesday. However, French authorities denied his visa application.”

GAZA

Gaza ‘heading towards famine’ as bread shortages deepen amid Israeli curbs (Middle East Eye 4/13/26)

“Significant shortages of bread and essential supplies, including food and fuel, have returned to the Gaza Strip as Israel continues to tighten restrictions on the entry of goods and aid. In recent days, Palestinians in the enclave have been forced to queue for hours to obtain subsidised bundles of bread from the few bakeries still operating, each costing three shekels (around $1). Free bread distributed by aid groups remains scarce and out of reach for many. Residents also report rising vegetable prices, while eggs, chicken and meat have nearly disappeared from the market.”

“My Daughter Went Out to Learn, Not to Fight”: Gaza Grieves More Children Killed by Israel (Drop Site 4/16/26)

“Seven more Palestinians were killed in separate Israeli attacks on Gaza on Tuesday alone, including five killed in an airstrike near Shati refugee camp in Gaza City, one killed by Israeli fire in Beit Lahia, and another child—14-year-old Adam Ahmed Halaa—killed in an Israeli attack near the Jabaliya refugee camp. Since Israel signed a “ceasefire” deal with Hamas in October, it has violated the agreement on a routine basis, killing Palestinians in near daily attacks; preventing sufficient amounts of food, medicine, building materials, and other life essentials from entering the territory; and restricting the number of Palestinians allowed to leave Gaza through the Rafah crossing for medical evacuations or to return from abroad. As part of the agreement, Israeli ground troops withdrew to what is known as the “yellow line” but have continued to encroach further west, sometimes by hundreds of meters in Gaza’s narrow territory, and currently occupy close to 60% of the Strip.” See also Israeli fire kills 11 in Gaza, including two children, medics say (Reuters 4/14/26); Israeli Strikes Kill Average of 47 Women and Girls Daily During Gaza War, UN Says (Haaretz 4/17/26); Israeli Fire Kills Eight in Gaza, Wounds 29, in Past 24 Hours, Medics Say (Haaretz 4/15/26);

US and Hamas hold first direct talks since Gaza truce as ceasefire process stalls (CNN 4/15/26)

“The US and Hamas held their first direct talks since the Gaza ceasefire as part of efforts to advance the fragile US-brokered agreement, two Hamas sources said. A delegation led by senior US advisor Aryeh Lightstone met chief Hamas negotiator Khalil al-Hayya in Cairo on Tuesday night, according to the sources. Lightstone was joined by Nickolay Mladenov, the US-backed Board of Peace’s High Representative for Gaza, officials said…Al-Hayya, who survived an Israeli assassination attempt in the Qatari capital Doha last September, pressed Lightstone about the need for Israel to fully implement its commitments to the first phase of the agreement — including an end to strikes and the entry of more humanitarian aid — in order to move to the next phase, the sources said…Meetings between Hamas, representatives of the Board of Peace and international mediators have aimed to reach an agreement over the next phase of the ceasefire deal: the disarmament of Hamas, the deployment of an international force to Gaza, and the withdrawal of Israeli forces from the devastated territory. But multiple sources said those talks repeatedly stalled over demands that Hamas agree to disarm before Israel has fulfilled its phase one commitments.”

Second Contractor Steps Forward to Blow the Whistle on Israeli Attacks at Gaza Aid Site (Drop Site 4/13/26)

“Between May and October 2025, over 2,600 Palestinians were killed and more than 19,000 wounded at or near the distribution sites and UN convoys, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry. Israeli soldiers were accused in the majority of the shootings, though security contractors also fired on Palestinians at the aid sites, according to the Associated Press, CBS News and other outlets. The Israeli military has long denied that the attacks on Palestinian aid seekers were the result of deliberate targeting. In statement after statement, the Israeli military has denied killing aid seekers, claiming instead they fired “warning shots” in their attempts at crowd control. GHF has likewise claimed the killings happened outside their aid sites. Accounts by Palestinian eyewitnesses have long contradicted these claims. Only one security contractor apart from [David] McIntosh [interviewed for this article] has spoken out on the record previously—Anthony Aguilar, a retired Special Forces officer who worked as a security contractor with UG Solutions. Aguilar said he witnessed security contractors firing on crowds…When he arrived in Gaza, McIntosh said he saw Israeli soldiers regularly and indiscriminately fire on unarmed Palestinians seeking aid, use stray dogs for target practice, and fire dangerously close to or directly at the GHF contractors themselves.”

RIVER TO THE SEA

Palestinian leader Marwan Barghouti facing ‘escalating abuse’ in Israeli jails (The Guardian 4/15/26)

“The jailed Palestinian leader Marwan Barghouti is at immediate risk in Israeli jails, where he has been attacked three times in as many weeks, including in one assault last month where prison guards set a dog on the 66-year-old, his lawyer has said…His lawyer, Ben Marmarelli, said in a statement after a prison visit where Barghouti provided details of the most recent attacks that the Palestinian leader faced a “clear pattern of escalating abuse: violence, medical neglect, and treatment that places him at immediate risk” in jail.”

Israeli Settler Violence: A Strategy to Displace Palestinians from their Land (Yara Asi//Arab Center DC 4/10/26)

“On April 9, 2026, news broke that the Israeli government had recently authorized the construction of 34 new settlements in the West Bank—nearly six times the number approved in the thirty years following the 1993 Oslo Accords. The announcement comes after a month in which Palestinians in the West Bank experienced some of the most dangerous conditions in recent memory…The impunity afforded to perpetrators by the Israeli government is no accident. The attacks are not merely isolated acts of violence by rogue civilians, but deliberate tactics to terrorize and displace Palestinians as part of a wider strategy of land seizure enabled by the State of Israel itself. Since October 7, 2023, an estimated 59 Palestinian communities in the West Bank have been displaced as a result of settler violence and harassment. Frequently, settler outposts are erected in their place…It is no coincidence that genocide, mass displacement, settler violence, and land seizures are occurring at the same time. For decades, Israeli leaders across the political spectrum have supported policies to force Palestinians out of historic Palestine, creating a new reality on the ground and erasing not just Palestinian ties to the land but also perhaps even the very idea of Palestinians.”

Brief, arbitrary abductions: A new tool of Israeli intimidation in Masafer Yatta (Basel Adra//+972 Magazine 4/15/26)

‘“A particularly disturbing trend has intensified in recent months: soldiers simply taking Palestinians in what some would term abductions, which clearly constitute unlawful detentions,” The Human Rights Defenders Fund, a legal aid group, noted in a statement. These arrests occur “without any involvement of law enforcement agencies, bypassing the legal procedures that normally require an arrest or detention to be reported to the police and the detainee brought to a police station,” the statement continued. “By taking Palestinians in this manner, soldiers and settlers can harass or abuse Palestinians without oversight.” In the Rujum ‘Ulya area of Masafer Yatta, some 35 people have been arrested in this fashion over the past two months. The vast majority were detained by settlers wearing military-style uniforms, taken to nearby army bases rather than police stations, and held for hours — where they endured beatings and humiliation — before being released far from their homes.”

70 Palestinians in a Garbage Truck: The Outcome of Israel’s Factory of Desperation (Haaretz 4/16/26)

“On Monday night, Israeli police opened the back of a garbage truck at a West Bank checkpoint and found around 70 Palestinian men packed inside its waste compartment. Bodies pressed against metal, men unfolding one by one, hands raised as a voice cuts through in Arabic: “Eskot.” Be silent. The official framing by Israeli authorities followed quickly. The men were described as “illegal entrants,” attempting to “infiltrate central Israel.” They were taken for questioning. The driver, a Palestinian citizen of Israel, was arrested for driving without a proper license. What would it take for you to climb into that truck? To step into a space meant for waste, to stand there without air or certainty, knowing that if you are caught, you could be arrested, beaten, or worse? For these men, the motivation may have been a week without income. No permit to work in Israel. Rent due. Children waiting. No alternative…Since October 7, 2023 Israel has revoked tens of thousands of Palestinian work permits.”

Barbed Wire and Tear Gas: Back to School in Umm al-Khair (Maya Rosen//Jewish Currents 4/14/26)

“Monday was the first day schools reopened in the southern West Bank since the start of the US-Israeli war on Iran six weeks ago. When children from the village of Umm al-Khair set out for the school just outside their village at around 7:30 am on Monday morning, they found the path blocked by barbed wire, which settlers had laid on Sunday night. As adults from the village called Israeli police for assistance clearing the path, the children, a group of around 20 between the ages of five and 14, sat down in the field and opened their schoolbooks. Israeli troops, summoned by settlers from an adjacent settlement, soon arrived and shot tear gas toward the group of children. Video of the incident reviewed by Jewish Currents shows children running and screaming from a cloud of gas. Later, Red Crescent responders arrived and gave the children an impromptu lesson on treating the effects of tear gas and stun grenades.” See also Israeli forces fire teargas at schoolchildren holding West Bank sit-in (The Guardian 4/13/26)

After Expelling 120 Families, Israeli Settlers Turn Stream Into Holiday Attraction (Haaretz 4/12/26)

“Chocolate-covered matza, children’s cheers, head coverings and kippot, and wet sandals filled the reserve north of the deserted Ras Ein al-Auja community throughout the Passover holiday. Visitors slid down the Auja water slide, where the words “We have returned to the water cisterns” were painted in blue. Above it flew a flag reading “And let them make Me a sanctuary,” while armed soldiers stood guard nearby. Not far away lay the desolate remains of homes once inhabited by about 120 families, who fled last January after repeated settler harassment drove them out. Hundreds of vehicles lined the road. From one of them, a woman in a long dress stepped out, eager to enter what has become a major attraction in settler tourism. Many of the men were armed, and their excitement was palpable…The operators of the “Hilltop News” WhatsApp group also celebrated what they described as “the return to the water cisterns.””All this was made possible thanks to a few Jews who, with great devotion, expelled the Arab invaders from there…,” they wrote…” See also Rabbi Honored by Israel Lives in Illegal West Bank Home on Private Palestinian Land (Haaretz 4/17/26);

The Extremes of Israeli Public Opinion (Isaac Chotiner interviews Dahlia Scheindlin//New Yorker 4/15/26)

“To better understand the state of public opinion in Israel, I recently spoke by phone with Dahlia Scheindlin. A polling expert, Scheindlin is a policy fellow at the Century Foundation, a columnist for Haaretz, and the author of “The Crooked Timber of Democracy in Israel.” During our conversation, which was edited for length and clarity, we discussed why Jewish Israelis are opposed to a ceasefire despite thinking the war is not going well, the complicated political calculations facing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and why so much of the Israeli public thinks military force is the only way to solve international problems.” See also Why the ceasefire in Lebanon won’t stop Israel’s expansionist ambitions (Dimi Reider//+972 Magazine 4/16/26); For Israel, War Is the Only Answer (Mairav Zonszein//NYT 4/13/26)

Israel says Thunberg more influential ‘antisemite’ than Fuentes (Responsible Statecraft 4/15/26)

“Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg is the world’s second most dangerous antisemite, several spots ahead of white nationalist Nick Fuentes, according to a new report from the Israeli government. The report contains an analysis of 10 “prominent influencers in the global anti-semitic and anti-Zionist arena in 2025, who were selected based on both the severity of their actions/statements and the scope of their influence.” While outside organizations have created similar rankings of antisemitic influencers, this appears to be the first one published by the Israeli government. As evidence of Thunberg’s antisemitism, the Israeli government pointed to her use of “terms such as ‘genocide,’ ‘siege’ and ‘mass starvation’ in reference to Israel’s actions in Gaza…In a separate section about American influencers, the Israeli government report also singles out Ms. Rachel, a YouTuber with nearly 20 million subscribers who makes educational videos for toddlers, as one of the most influential supposed antisemites. Ms. Rachel’s misdeeds include publishing “content dealing with the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, highlighting alleged harm to civilians and children, and condemning Israeli military actions.” The report also says Ms. Rachel has “promoted fundraising campaigns for emergency aid for children in Gaza and other conflict zones.”’

U.S. SCENE

The Dam Breaks: Democratic Senators Overwhelmingly Reject Arms Sales to Israel (Matt Sledge//The Intercept 4/15/26)

“Democratic senators overwhelmingly voted to block bomb and bulldozer sales to Israel on Wednesday, in a reflection of the Jewish state’s plummeting stock among party rank-and-file and growing anger over the war with Iran. The Democratic votes on the pair of resolutions from Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., were not enough to overcome universal opposition from Republicans. Still, the votes represented a watershed moment in the party’s relationship with Israel and the government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Israel had continued to enjoy strong support from Democratic leaders, despite outrage from the base over the war on Gaza. Sanders said the votes signaled that party leaders are finally taking note…Some of the most notable names to vote in favor of blocking military transfers to Israel on Wednesday are potential 2028 presidential contenders. New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker and Arizona Sens. Mark Kelly and Ruben Gallego were among the Democrats to vote for both the resolutions.” See also Democratic Senators Face Pressure on Israel Arms Sales Vote (Josh Nathan-Kazis//Jewish Currents 4/14/26); In major shift, all but 7 Senate Democrats vote to block weapons sales to Israel (JTA 4/16/26);

No more US military aid to Israel (Bernie Sanders//The Guardian 4/15/26)

“But for Netanyahu, Gaza was not enough. Iran was not enough. He is now waging a full-blown war of expansion against Lebanon. That war has not only killed more than 2,000 people, but has resulted in Israel occupying 14% of Lebanese territory. The Israeli defense minister, Israel Katz, has announced that all Lebanese border villages will be demolished – his exact words – following the “model in Gaza”. Bezalel Smotrich, the finance minister, has warned that Dahiyeh, a suburb of south Beirut, “will look like Khan Younis” – a city in Gaza that Israel reduced to rubble. These are not threats. They are promises. Given the horrific and illegal behavior of the Netanyahu government over the last three years, the American people have had enough…That is why this Wednesday, I will be forcing the Senate to vote on two Joint Resolutions of Disapproval – the only formal mechanism Congress has to block an arms sale. The first would block the sale of $151.8m in 1,000-pound bombs. The second would block $295m in bulldozers – the machines used to demolish homes in the West Bank and Gaza and make a Palestinian state physically impossible. These are not defensive weapons. They are the instruments of ethnic cleansing. The time is long overdue for members of Congress to listen to the American people and end US military aid to the extremist Netanyahu government.” See also About 90 People Detained at N.Y.C. Protest Over Arms Sales to Israel (NYT 4/13/26); Let’s Finally Do Something About the Bulldozer That Killed My Daughter (Cindy Corrie//The Nation 4/15/26)

In Democratic Primaries, Leading Candidates Oppose Selling Iron Dome Interceptors to Israel (Alex Kane//Jewish Currents 4/17/26)

“For progressive Democrats, the de facto position on US military ties to Israel in recent years has been to oppose US military aid, except in the case of notionally defensive missile interceptor systems like Iron Dome. This spring, that’s started to break down: One of the two leading contenders in the Senate Democratic primary in Michigan, the physician Abdul El-Sayed, says that he opposes not just military aid, but all US arms sales to Israel, including Iron Dome. He’s one of a large crop of left-wing candidates who are serious contenders in ongoing Democratic primaries and are pushing for the US to stop selling any weapons to Israel. The US government sells weapons to Israel, and other allies, that it procures from US weapons manufacturers. Today, Israel pays for much of that weaponry with the billions in military aid it receives from US taxpayers. Opposition to using US aid to pay for notionally defensive weapons like Iron Dome has been fringe in the Democratic Party. But Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez publicly adopted that position two weeks ago, sending a jolt through progressive politics and reorienting the broader US foreign policy debate around Israel. Now, progressives are increasingly saying they oppose US military aid, but want to allow Israel to continue to buy defensive weapons like Iron Dome from the US government with its own money. Democratic Reps. Rashida Tlaib and Rep. Ilhan Omar have long gone a step further, pushing to end not just US military aid to Israel, but all US arms sales to the Israeli military. But their lonely position may soon have more backing in Congress.” See also J Street says Israel should fund its own defense (The Forward 4/14/26); ‘No More Exceptions’: J Street Backs Phasing Out All U.S. Aid to Israel by 2028 (Haaretz 4/13/26) Most American Jews oppose AIPAC spending in Democratic primaries, survey finds (JTA 4/14/26); After AIPAC-backed primary loss, Tom Malinowski endorses rival who says Israel committed genocide (The Forward 8/11/26); In Further Blow to AIPAC, Democrat Who Accused Israel of Genocide Wins NJ Special Election (Haaretz 4/17/26); I’m a Jewish candidate for New York comptroller. Our state must divest from Israel bonds (The Forward 4/10/26); Brad Lander joins call to end U.S. aid to Israel, in quest to replace Rep. Dan Goldman (The Forward 4/10/26);

Judges Fired After Blocking Deportations of Pro-Palestinian Students (NYT 4/11/26)

“The Trump administration has fired two immigration judges who dismissed high-profile deportation cases against international students who had advocated for Palestinians. The firings of the judges, Roopal Patel and Nina Froes, marked the latest efforts by the Trump administration to reshape the country’s immigration courts. The administration has dismissed dozens of immigration judges and, according to those on the bench, has put judges under pressure to deny asylum claims and order deportations. Unlike federal judges in the independent judicial branch, immigration judges work for the Justice Department and are hired and fired by the attorney general. The two judges, who were terminated alongside four colleagues on Friday, oversaw two high-profile cases filed by the government against the students, Rumeysa Ozturk and Mohsen Mahdawi.” See also ‘You’re bombing children’: JD Vance heckled over Gaza, Iran at Turning Point event (TOI 4/17/26)

How Civil Rights Victories of the Past Turned Into Weapons of the Present (Ziad Abu-Rish//Inside Higher Ed 4/15/26)

“The use of civil rights law to suppress campus speech critical of Israel is the result of a 20-plus-year campaign to reinterpret Title VI.”

Inside the Radical Zionist Group Linked to an N.Y.C. Assassination Plot (NYT 4/14/26)

“When law enforcement officials disrupted a plot to assassinate a Palestinian activist in New York last month, they said the man behind it belonged to a little-known group, a modern-day offshoot of the once-notorious extremist organization, the Jewish Defense League. The attack was averted because the man, Alexander Heifler, 26, discussed his plans to kill the activist, Nerdeen Kiswani, 31, with an undercover detective who had infiltrated the new group, the J.D.L. 613 Brotherhood, the authorities said.
The disrupted plot has drawn attention to a current of chronically online Jewish radicalism in the New York area — one that combines far-right Zionism and the obsession with masculinity that prevails in the “manosphere.”’

Former Tufts student detained over pro-Palestinian op-ed self-deports as part of Trump admin deal (Politico 4/17/26)

“Rumeysa Ozturk, who was arrested by immigration authorities outside her Massachusetts home last year and detained over an op-ed she wrote in the Tufts student newspaper, completed her Ph.D. in child development in February and recently returned to her home country of Turkey, the American Civil Liberties Union announced. Ozturk departed under a settlement with the Trump administration, after an immigration judge rejected the administration’s bid to deport her, the ACLU said…The terms of Ozturk’s departure will likely end ongoing legal wrangling over her case and avoids the possibility of a 10-year prohibition on return to the U.S. if her deportation was ordered and upheld. “After 13 years of dedicated study, I am very proud to have completed my Ph.D. and to return home on my own timeline,” Ozturk said in a statement. “The time stolen from me by the U.S. government belongs not just to me, but to the children and youth I have dedicated my life to advocating for. … I am choosing to return home as planned to continue my career as a woman scholar without losing more time to the state-imposed violence and hostility I have experienced in the United States — all for nothing more than co-signing an op-ed advocating for Palestinian rights.”’

PERSPECTIVES//LONG READS

‘My life has become a rollercoaster’: Francesca Albanese on death threats, danger and dread after accusing Israel of genocide (The Guardian 4/14/26)

“Albanese was not the first person to describe the Israeli military campaign as a genocide, but she was the first person with the initials UN in her title to do so. She has used her megaphone consistently over the past two years not just to condemn the Israeli government and its military, but also the constellation of western states and corporations that have abetted them. Her message, delivered emphatically in person and in a series of UN reports, is that we are living in an interlocking system that has shown itself capable of mass killing…For her public stance, Albanese’s life has been threatened and her family put in danger. She has faced the prospect of arrest in Germany for her choice of words. Donald Trump’s administration has named her a “specially designated national”, a term usually reserved for terrorists, drug traffickers and the occasional murderous dictator…Trump’s executive order sanctioning Albanese prohibited any American person or entity from providing her with “funds, goods or services” – a description so broad it has been compared to a “civil death”. Her apartment in Washington, bought when she and her family were living in the US capital, has been seized. She can no longer use a credit card anywhere in the world, as almost all such transactions are processed by US-based services…She accuses pro-Israel activists based in Geneva of hounding her husband, Massimiliano Calì, a senior economist at the World Bank, in a campaign that led to him being removed from his lead position running its Syria file…Calì and the couple’s 13-year-old daughter, a US citizen, are suing Trump and top administration officials in federal district court in Washington for the breach of their constitutional rights under the first, fourth and fifth amendments and seizure of property without due process.”

How Many Israelis Does It Take to Kill 300 Lebanese in 10 Minutes? (Amira Hass//Haaretz 4/14/26)

“How many Israelis are needed to kill more than 300 Lebanese and wound more than 1,000 in 10 minutes and a hundred airstrikes? Military experts would surely know how to answer this question, based on the number of fighter jets and drones that departed on their mission on April 8, the first day of the cease-fire with Iran. They would know how to calculate the number of pilots, navigators, ground crew members and intelligence personnel directly involved in the planning and execution. They would include the chief of staff and the General Staff, as well as the prime minister and the defense minister who approved it. A layperson might suggest expanding the list. It should include: 1. The devoted parents who raised their children on love of homeland and readiness to contribute to the state until the last drop of blood of Palestinians, Lebanese and Iranians. 2. The schoolteachers who taught them not to ask questions when they are inside a tank or cockpit. 3. The university faculty who boast that students choose to study with them between one bombing and another of entire residential neighborhoods…”

What Benjamin Netanyahu and the Israeli right really mean when they invoke ‘Greater Israel’ (Daniel Levy//The Guardian 4/13/26)

“When it’s invoked on the Israeli right, “Greater Israel” is often seen as a purely territorial concept: an attempt to increase the size of territory that Israel claims as its own. This is certainly integral to its meaning. After all, Israel has been expansionist and entailed the displacement and dispossession of Palestinians since its inception, and this process has now accelerated considerably…However, Greater Israel should be seen as a geopolitical and strategic concept as much as a territorial one. The acquisition and control of land is, in many respects, the obvious and easy part. Israel’s prime minister is pursuing something both more ambitious and more sophisticated than the simple control of territory – a project of dominion that is made up of new alliances, underwritten by hard power dependency…In recent speeches, Netanyahu has started referring to Israel not only as a “regional superpower”, but “in some respects, a global superpower”. Israel is looking to place itself at the centre of a regional alliance that could be sustained even if US power draws down. Netanyahu has promised that the hexagon alliance would be deployed against the “radical Shia axis … and the emerging radical Sunni axis”. Israel has not been shy in naming the next “threat” to be addressed: Turkey.”

A Body That Outlived Its Heart (Abdullah Hany Daher//Jewish Currents 4/15/26)

“Over time, I have realized I am no longer the same person. The grief that at first flowed with my tears now has calcified in my chest with no release. And the fear that once dominated my body has begun to fade. In the beginning, when the bombs fell, the trembling of my jaw would not stop. My body shook on its own, my breath breaking even as I sat motionless. But now I no longer have the strength to fear, as if everything I have endured has drained the last drop of my ability to feel. I don’t flinch at the news of an entire family being killed. I don’t shake at the sound of nearby bombing. I am not searching for my tears anymore. It is as if I have become another wall of Gaza, shattered, but still there. The pain has not ended, but its shape has changed. The question “Why am I alive and they are not?” no longer torments me. A harsher question has replaced it: “Am I truly alive, or just a body moving with a dead heart?” A heart that no longer trembles, no longer rages, no longer breaks, but instead stands in a terrifying silence.”

Queer Palestine: An interview with Sa’ed Atshan (Jad Khairallah//Rekto:Verson 4/9/26)

Atshan: “The queer Palestinian movement is fundamentally anti-Zionist and anti-imperial, given that queer liberation is fundamentally anti-colonial. At the same time, decolonization is fundamentally queer. Sometimes purity politics vis-a-vis anti-imperialism loses sight of the latter. The present context of genocide in the Gaza Strip and incremental genocide in the West Bank is undeniable and demands urgent action from the international community, primarily to end Israeli crimes and hold the state and its perpetrators accountable. There is no contradiction between that urgency and affirming the struggle of LGBTQ people in Palestine for dignity, both in the short and long term. Queer strategies may differ depending on the context and the severity of violence, but queer resistance must never cease altogether.’”

Confessions of a Campus Radical: Steven Salaita on censorship, political violence, antisemitism, and why he returned to the academy. (Evan Goldstein and Len Gutkin//Chronicle of Higher Education 4/3/26)

Salaita: “What I object to most is how the demand to disavow violence does not exist for those on the pro-Israel side. They can discuss Israeli politics and policies and Palestinian society without having to disavow Israeli violence. The constant demand for disavowal speaks to a particular marginalization of Palestinian realities. It suggests a moral hierarchy in which Palestinians have to account for themselves in ways that the more powerful party does not.”

Why I will not stand for Israel’s Holocaust Remembrance Day siren (Orly Noy//+972 Magazine 4/13/26)

“Tomorrow, for the first time since I immigrated to Israel at the age of nine, I will not stand for the siren on Israel’s Holocaust Remembrance Day. Across the country, a two-minute siren rings out on that day every year, bringing traffic to a halt and people into silent attention. Out of reverence for the victims of the most terrible tragedy in Jewish history, I can no longer take part in these state rituals. I refuse to join ceremonies conducted by a state that has become a kingdom of death — one whose entire essence desecrates the memory of the victims it claims to honor…A state that commits genocide cannot meaningfully commemorate the Holocaust. Each ceremony it holds in its name defiles the memory of the victims.”

PHOTOS: How hypermilitarism pervades everyday life in Israel (Nissi Peli//+972 Magazine 4/10/26)

“Contemporary Israeli society is characterized by hypermilitarism. This form of militarism is not merely a political philosophy: it is a state of being that fundamentally structures the self, shaping our imagination, thoughts, desires, relationships, and sense of our collective as Israelis. Almost everything is perceived and understood in military terms, values, and imagery, while a permanent state of emergency and war become the natural order. This ideology spans the Israeli spectrum from the spiritual and theological militarism of hilltop youth and religious settlers, to the secular, liberal militarism that is prominent among the Israeli bourgeoisie. At almost any point in life, Israelis see themselves and those around them through a military lens: as soldiers-to-be (as pre-service youth, and later as potential reservists), active-duty soldiers, or former soldiers…Much has already been said about the sociology of militarism in Israel: how high-ranking military officials regularly go on to become successful politicians, how journalists receive their training in military media units; how cafés and bars and trains are crowded with armored soldiers and civilians, and how the education system participates in militaristic indoctrination and the army’s recruitment efforts. What often goes under the radar, however, is the way that militarism permeates everyday life in Israel in its more banal forms — a phenomenology of the militarized everyday.”

A Stunning New Verdict Rewrites the Rules of Corporate Morality (M. Gessen//NYT 4/17/26)

“For the first time in France, and possibly for the first time ever, anywhere, an entire corporation had been put on trial and found criminally liable for enabling terrorism…The court had concluded that between 2013 and 2014, the cement maker paid about $6.5 million to the Islamic State and other terrorist groups in Syria, to facilitate the company’s operations there. Lafarge — now owned by the Swiss conglomerate Holcim — will have to pay about $1.3 million in fines for the crime of financing terrorism and $5.3 million for violating international sanctions. In another case, Lafarge is facing charges of complicity in crimes against humanity. If that case goes to trial and Lafarge is again found guilty, a new chapter in the prosecution of war crimes may begin.”

Can a renewed Joint List survive until Israel’s elections? (Samah Salaime//+972 Magazine 4/14/26)

“The leaders of Israel’s four Arab parties say they agree on the importance of a unified electoral alliance. Yet they remain divided on the terms of the pact…Within Palestinian society, a supermajority supports the reestablishment of a Joint List. The desire for unity is so strong that no politician in the Arab community today is willing to be responsible for the alliance’s failure. That reluctance, borne partly of guilt and partly of fear of public criticism, is an encouraging sign and has become a powerful political force in its own right…Now, the bad news: their ideological orientations of the four Arab parties, ranging from secular Palestinian nationalism and socialism to Islamist and accommodationist approaches, leave them divided on the terms of a revived Joint List. The dispute is less about the allocation of Knesset seats than about electoral strategy and, crucially, whether to join an anti-Netanyahu coalition government. And that may prove far more difficult to resolve.”

These US Jews wanted to show solidarity with Palestinians. Israel deported them. (Religion News 4/13/26);

“Since Jan. 1, 2025, at least 52 international activists have been deported, according to the Human Rights Defenders Fund, a nonprofit legal group that represented them in deportation hearings. Dozens of others have been notified by email that their Electronic Travel Authorizations were revoked, which means they will not be able to reenter Israel once they leave. The exact number of deportations is not known. Israel’s Population and Immigration Authority did not respond to RNS’ request for comment by the date of publication. Of those 52 deportations, at least a dozen were U.S. Jews who had volunteered with various nonprofits to accompany Palestinians during last year’s olive harvest or this year’s sheep grazing season…Many attended Jewish day schools and summer camps in the U.S. Nearly all have traveled to Israel before and have deep connections there. Some have parents who are rabbis or Jewish educators. But as a group, they are also sharply critical of Israel’s occupation of the West Bank and Gaza and of what they call the system of apartheid that grants Jews legal supremacy over Palestinians.”

Four New Poems by Zena Agha (The Key 4/17/26)

“These poems were written during the fever dream of maternity leave—moving between the intimate and the political, confronting the grief and joy of becoming a parent during global catastrophe and facing the question of what it means to herald life in a time of genocide. In these selected works, I navigate two parallel but overlapping ruptures: the birth of a child and the ongoing genocide in Gaza. Two Teeth and Four Teeth track the passage of time—not by weeks and months, but by the slow, insistent emergence of the baby’s teeth as war rages on. Those events became intimately intertwined—and these poems explore the disorientation of that.”

 

1. New from FMEP

2. Global/Region

3. Gaza

4. River to the Sea

5. U.S. Scene

6. Perspectives//Long Reads

NEW FROM FMEP

Iran, the DNC, and Prospects for a Ceasefire (New Occupied Thoughts episode)

FMEP Fellow Ahmed Moor speaks with foreign policy analyst Matt Duss about whether the US has lost the war on Iran and whether the Israelis drove the US’s entry into the war. They talk about prospects for Democratic party intervention on the war and the ways in which US policy towards Israel policy may be changed over time, looking at party politics as well as elections.

Israel’s Death Penalty law – the evolution of apartheid (New Occupied Thoughts episode)

FMEP fellow Ahmed Moor speaks with Sawsan Zaher, an independent Palestinian human rights lawyer based in Haifa. Their conversation includes the background of Israel’s recently-passed Death Penalty law; The way in which the Israeli judiciary supports the regime there; The role of the Supreme Court, including whether it may strike down the law, and how the Court has evolved in the past twenty five years.

Challenging Anti-Palestinian Repression – in the UK & Europe (New Occupied Thoughts episode)

FMEP President Lara Friedman speaks with Dr. Amira Abdelhamid, Director of Research & Monitoring at the European Legal Support Center (ELSC) [also on X]. The ELSC is the first and only independent organization defending and empowering the Palestine solidarity movement across Europe through legal, research, and advocacy support. Lara and Amira talked about the ELSC, it’s work challenging anti-Palestinian repression in the UK and Europe, and about the recently launched database, Britain’s Index of Repression and the previously launched database, Germany’s Index of Repression [check out both databases here — developed/published in partnership with Forensic Architecture and Forensis], as well as ELSC’s recent report: On All Fronts: The Multi-Sited Repression of Palestine Solidarity in Britain.

Censorship, Repression, and Migration of Jewish Israelis (New Occupied Thoughts episode)

FMEP Fellow Ahmed Moor speaks with journalist Oren Ziv (+972 Magazine/Local Call & Activestills) about the dynamics of reporting on war and living in Israel. Drawing on a recent article Oren published on +972, “‘Our coverage is not truthful’: How Israel is censoring reporting on the war,” the two discuss the realities of the war with Iran and the challenges of reporting on it inside of Israel amidst direct government censorship and harassment of journalists and activists by police as well as deputized, armed vigilantes. They talk about the ways that the Israeli administration normalizes permanent war with Iran and Hezbollah for the Jewish Israeli public, similar to the ways that permanent war with Palestinians has been normalized, how different sectors of Jewish Israeli society relate to information about the genocide in Gaza and abuse of Palestinians more broadly, and solidarity activism and organizing among Israelis.

FMEP Legislative Round-Up April 10, 2026 (Lara Friedman)

1. Bills, Resolutions; 2. Letters; 3. Hearings & Markups; 4. Selected Members on the Record; 5. Selected Media & Press releases/Statements. See also FMEP Legislative Round-Up April 3, 2026

GLOBAL/REGION

US-Iran talks in Pakistan uncertain as sides trade accusations (Al Monitor 4/10/26)

“A cloud of uncertainty hung Friday over the scheduled start of talks in Pakistan between the United States and Iran, with no announcement yet on the arrival of negotiators and both sides accusing the other of failing to properly implement a fragile ceasefire. US President Donald Trump has voiced displeasure at Iran’s handling of the strategic Strait of Hormuz, which was meant to be reopened under the deal, while Tehran has reacted angrily to Israeli attacks in Lebanon, insisting that it too falls under the agreement — something Washington disputes. Islamabad was nonetheless pressing ahead with its preparations for the high-stakes talks, which official sources say will cover several sensitive points, including Iran’s nuclear enrichment and the free flow of trade through the strait. Iran has suggested that its participation could hinge on a halt in Israeli attacks on Lebanon: “The holding of talks to end the war is dependent on the US adhering to its ceasefire commitments on all fronts, especially in Lebanon,” said Esmaeil Baqaei, Iran’s foreign ministry spokesman. Iranian officials have said the Israeli strikes had rendered the Pakistan talks “meaningless”.’ See also Netanyahu says there is no ceasefire in Lebanon as Israel launches fresh strikes (The Guardian 4/9/26);

The deadliest 10 minutes in decades: Lebanese reel from Israeli strikes that killed hundreds (The Guardian 4/9/26)

“It took Israel only 10 minutes to carry out one of the worst mass-killings in Lebanon since the end of the country’s civil war in 1990…The flood of wounded came after Israel bombed more than 100 targets across Lebanon in those 10 minutes on Wednesday, killing more than 300 people and wounding 1,165, according to an initial count by Lebanon’s civil defence… The Israeli military said it had hit Hezbollah “command and control centres” in the bombing campaign, which it dubbed “Operation Eternal Darkness”. But residents and Lebanese officials said the strikes, which used 1,000lb bombs in densely packed residential areas of Beirut, mainly killed civilians. Lebanon’s prime minister, Nawaf Salam, accused Israel in a statement of targeting “densely populated residential neighbourhoods” and killing unarmed civilians in breach of international law.” See also ‘Black Wednesday’: Israeli Strikes in Lebanon Worst Since 1982, Locals Say (Haaretz 4/9/26); Lebanon Mourns After Israeli Onslaught Kills More Than 300 People (NYT 4/9/26); Israel’s War in Lebanon Has Not Stopped (Isaac Chotiner interviews Maha Yahya//New Yorker 4/9/26)

US and Iran agree to provisional ceasefire as Tehran says it will reopen strait of Hormuz (The Guardian 4/8/26)

“The US and Iran agreed to a two-week conditional ceasefire on Tuesday evening, which included a temporary reopening of the strait of Hormuz, after a last-minute diplomatic intervention led by Pakistan, canceling an ultimatum from Donald Trump for Iran to surrender or face widespread destruction. Trump’s announcement of the ceasefire agreement came less than two hours before the US president’s self-imposed 8pm Eastern time deadline to bomb Iran’s power plants and bridges in a move that legal scholars, as well as officials from numerous countries and the pope, had warned could constitute war crimes.” See also Disagreement Over Lebanon’s Inclusion in Cease-Fire Threatens to Unravel It (NYT 4/8/26); Vance Says Lebanon Was Never Part of Cease-Fire Deal (NYT 4/8/26); European Leaders Demand That U.S. Cease-Fire With Iran Include Lebanon (NYT 4/9/26); Trump ceasefire leaves Netanyahu flustered as Iran gains politically (Al Monitor 4/8/26); Donald Trump says ‘a whole civilisation will die’ if Iran ignores demands (The Guardian 4/7/26);

Netanyahu announces negotiations with Lebanon after U.S. pressure (Axios 4/9/26)

“Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Thursday that he has instructed his Cabinet to launch direct negotiations with Lebanon as soon as possible. However, an Israeli official told Axios that Israel would not observe a ceasefire in Lebanon. Why it matters: Netanyahu’s statement follows Wednesday calls with President Trump and White House envoy Steve Witkoff. Senior U.S. officials said Witkoff asked Netanyahu to “calm down” the strikes in Lebanon and open negotiations. It was also a shift for Trump, who gave Netanyahu a green light to continue the war in Lebanon shortly before announcing the ceasefire with Iran on Tuesday. State of play: Iran claims Lebanon was part of the ceasefire deal, that the U.S. and Israel are now in violation, and that it might abandon peace talks or keep the Strait of Hormuz closed as a result. The Pakistani mediators also say Lebanon was included. The U.S. and Israel deny that the ceasefire applies to Israel’s offensive against Hezbollah in Lebanon. Israel massively escalated that offensive within 24 hours of the ceasefire agreement. Israeli strikes on Wednesday killed at least 254 people, according to Lebanese Civil Defense.” See also US to host Lebanon-Israel talks next week in first such meeting (Al Monitor 4/9/26); Netanyahu Says He Ordered Talks With Lebanon About Disarming Hezbollah (NYT 4/9/26);

Iran’s Schools and Hospitals in Ruins, Times Analysis Shows (NYT 4/10/26)

“The Times confirmed damage by using high-resolution satellite imagery and by verifying footage from state media or social media sites, including X, Telegram, Instagram and Facebook. The analysis was limited to schools and health care facilities that were damaged on or after Feb. 28, the first day of the war. The Times’s analysis shows that the damage was often caused by strikes in crowded neighborhoods — especially in Tehran, a capital of 10 million people that is as densely populated as New York City. The Times was not able to verify the total number of people killed at schools and health care facilities. At least 1,701 civilians have been killed in Iran as of Tuesday, according to the Human Rights Activists News Agency. Among them are students, teachers and health care workers.”

Israel’s Message to a Broad Swath of Lebanon: Shiites Must Go (NYT 4/1/26)

“In private calls to local leaders across southern Lebanon, Israeli military officials have assured several Christian and Druse communities that they could remain in the evacuation zone. They have pressed them, however, to force out any Lebanese from neighboring Shiite Muslim communities who have sought refuge among them as Israeli bombardments flatten Shiite towns, according to local Christian, Druse and Shiite leaders who spoke to The New York Times. The Shiites make up the majority of southern Lebanon. Local leaders took the messages as a clear signal: Israel is trying to force out one group in the south — Shiites, who are from the same sect as Hezbollah, the Iranian-backed militant group that Israel is trying to vanquish.” See also How Israel Is Taking Control of Southern Lebanon (NYT 4/3/26); Israel vows to occupy swathes of southern Lebanon to expand buffer zone (The Guardian 3/31/26);

Gulf Funds Are Recalibrating American Investments, Including Backing for Paramount Merger, as Iran War Rages On (Drop Site 4/5/26)

“Gulf sovereign wealth funds are undertaking a sweeping review of American investments, driven by a combination of commercial necessity and political recalibration driven by the Iran war, according to sources familiar with deliberations around the high-level financing deals. In particular, the planned merger between Paramount Skydance and Warner Brothers Discovery, made possible as a result of Gulf financing, is getting a new look.” See also There Are Now Over 50,000 American Troops in the Mideast (NYT 3/29/26); One gunman killed during attack near Israel’s consulate in Istanbul (Al Monitor 4/7/26); Turkey detains 11 over ISIS-linked attack on Israeli Consulate: What to know (Al Monitor 4/8/26); Houthis join the Iran war, launch missile at Israel (Axios 3/28/26); Serbia Poised to Produce Drones With Israeli Arms Giant Elbit Systems (Haaretz 4/7/26);

How Trump Took the U.S. to War With Iran (NYT 4/7/26)

“The black S.U.V. carrying Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu arrived at the White House just before 11 a.m. on Feb. 11. The Israeli leader, who had been pressing for months for the United States to agree to a major assault on Iran, was whisked inside with little ceremony, out of view of reporters, primed for one of the most high-stakes moments in his long career. U.S. and Israeli officials gathered first in the Cabinet Room, adjacent to the Oval Office. Then Mr. Netanyahu headed downstairs for the main event: a highly classified presentation on Iran for President Trump and his team in the White House Situation Room, which was rarely used for in-person meetings with foreign leaders. Mr. Trump sat down, but not in his usual position at the head of the room’s mahogany conference table. Instead, the president took a seat on one side, facing the large screens mounted along the wall. Mr. Netanyahu sat on the other side, directly opposite the president. Appearing on the screen behind the prime minister was David Barnea, the director of Mossad, Israel’s foreign intelligence agency, as well as Israeli military officials. Arrayed visually behind Mr. Netanyahu, they created the image of a wartime leader surrounded by his team…The presentation that Mr. Netanyahu would make over the next hour would be pivotal in setting the United States and Israel on the path toward a major armed conflict in the middle of one of the world’s most volatile regions. And it would lead to a series of discussions inside the White House over the following days and weeks, the details of which have not been previously reported, in which Mr. Trump weighed his options and the risks before giving the go-ahead to join Israel in attacking Iran.” See also Israel, seeking wider war, hits Iranian railways, bridges as Trump deadline nears (Al Monitor 4/7/26); Iran’s IRGC intel chief killed as Israel expands targeted strikes: What to know (Al Monitor 4/6/26); Israel Strikes Iran’s Largest Petrochemical Complex (NYT 4/4/26);

Israeli Missile Interceptors Have Dwindled to “Double Digits”: Trump Administration Official (Drop Site 4/9/26)

“On the eve of the tenuous ceasefire reached between the United States, Israel, and Iran, the number of ballistic missile interceptors left in Israel’s arsenal had dwindled to “double digits,” according to a Trump administration source with knowledge of the situation. The critical shortage had led Israeli military officials to be significantly more selective when confronting ballistic missile attacks from Iran as well as from Yemen, which recently entered the conflict in a limited fashion. “They’re having to pick and choose what they shoot down,” the official told Drop Site.”

GAZA

Hamas rules out disarmament before Israel meets ceasefire terms (Middle East Eye 4/6/26)

“Hamas’s military spokesman, Abu Obeida, said on Sunday that the group’s disarmament in Gaza would not be discussed before Israel fulfils its obligations under the first phase of the US-led ceasefire agreement.” See also Trump’s Board of Peace Gives Hamas Disarmament Deadline (NYT 4/6/26);

Israeli Airstrike Near School Kills at Least 10 Palestinians in Gaza, Medics Say; WHO Staffer Also Killed (Haaretz 4/6/26)

“At least 12 people were killed and several others wounded by Israeli forces across the Gaza Strip on Monday, health officials said, in the latest violence overshadowing the fragile U.S.-backed Gaza ceasefire deal. According to health officials, an Israeli airstrike killed ⁠at least 10 people ‌and wounded several others outside a school housing displaced Palestinians. According to medics and residents, some Palestinians had ⁠clashed with members of an Israeli-backed militia, who they said attacked the school in an attempt to abduct ⁠some people.”  See also Israeli-Backed Militia Launches Deadly Attack on Gaza Refugee Camp Under Cover of Airstrikes (Drop Site 4/7/26); Israel bombed Gaza on 36 of the past 40 days while the war raged in Iran (Al Jazeera 4/9/26);

32 Outposts, 10 Miles of Ground Barrier: IDF Builds New Border Line Inside Gaza. Here’s How It Looks (Haaretz 3/26/26)

“The separation line between the Israel Defense Forces and Hamas in the Gaza Strip – the Yellow Line – is becoming entrenched as a physical border. In recent months, the IDF has established new outposts along the line, carrying out infrastructure work and transferring equipment and facilities, according to an analysis of recent satellite images. At the same time, the army is implementing a large-scale engineering project: constructing a ground barrier stretching for many kilometers along the line. The separation line leaves more than half of the Strip in IDF hands, and there is currently no detailed mechanism regulating a withdrawal from it. The IDF’s entrenchment along the line has had a deadly impact on Gaza’s population. The area around the line is an active firing zone, with ongoing Israeli airstrikes, artillery shelling and small-arms fire. According to the UN, more than 200 Palestinians, many of them civilians, have been killed in its vicinity…Some 2.1 million Gazans are now crowded into less than half the area they lived in before the war, trying to survive in harsh conditions amid rubble they cannot clear. Hundreds of thousands live in tents or in structures damaged by bombings.” See also Israeli-Backed Militia Launches Deadly Attack on Gaza Refugee Camp Under Cover of Airstrikes (Drop Site 4/7/26); Outgoing UNRWA chief seeks probe into killing of hundreds of staff in Gaza war (New Arab 3/31/26)

RIVER TO THE SEA

Israel’s New Death Penalty Law Only Applies to Palestinians (Sawsan Zaher//New Lines Magazine 4/1/26)

“n March 31, the Knesset, Israel’s parliament, passed a law that mandates the death penalty for both Palestinian residents of the West Bank, which has been under military occupation since 1967, and Palestinians who are citizens of the state of Israel, where they make up 20% of the population. The law explicitly excludes Jewish settlers residing in the West Bank; the prescribed method of execution is hanging…In the West Bank, Palestinians are tried in military courts, where the conviction rate is above 99%. The new law amends the Israeli Military Order to mandate the death penalty if the accused is convicted of “causing death with intent, where the act is an act of terrorism defined in the Counterterrorism Law.” In Israel, where Palestinian citizens make up around 20% of the population, the criminal code has been amended to mandate the death penalty for persons convicted of “causing death with the intent to deny the existence of the State of Israel.” While in theory the vague wording of this motive could apply to all citizens, in practice it refers only to Palestinian citizens…Israel describes itself as a democracy, but has codified two separate criminal paths that are based on the nationality and ethnicity of the convicted person…By codifying the death penalty for a specific ethnic group, the state moves from military elimination in the field to judicial elimination in the courtroom. It transforms the logic of genocide into a formal legal procedure, granting the sovereign power the “legal” authority to terminate the lives of those it has already stripped of their humanity.” See also Israel passes law to give death penalty to Palestinians convicted of lethal attacks (The Guardian 3/30/26); Israel’s death penalty law marks a new phase in its dehumanisation of Palestinians (Yuli Novak//The Guardian 4/2/26); ‘Apartheid’: Arab countries including UAE, Jordan decry new Israeli law (Al Monitor 4/2/26); What Israelis can learn from the nightmares of an Iranian hangman (Orly Noy//+972 Magazine 4/9/26); ‘They already shoot us for no reason. Now they have a death penalty’ (Jared Hillel//+972 Magazine 3/31/26);

[Israeli] Government approves a record 34 new settlements, as it acts to deepen hold on West Bank (TOI 4/9/26)

“The security cabinet approved the establishment of 34 new West Bank settlements in a meeting two weeks ago, The Times of Israel has confirmed. The approval of the new settlements — brand new settlements as well as illegal ones retroactively legalized — constitutes the largest number of settlements approved by any government at one time, the Peace Now organization said. According to the i24 News site, which first reported the story earlier Thursday, some of the slated new settlements are located in areas of the northern West Bank isolated from other Israeli settlements but deep among Palestinian population centers…A map published by i24 showed that the new settlements are spread across the entire West Bank…The Yesh Din organization, which campaigns against the settlements, alleged that the approval of the new settlements is designed to advance the “ethnic cleansing” of the West Bank.” See also Israeli Settlers Establish New West Bank Outpost – Accompanied by IDF Soldiers (Haaretz 4/6/26);

Evictions in East Jerusalem surge as Palestinians lose court fight against far-right group (TOI 4/9/26)

“Zuhair Rajabi is not packing. Late last month, Rajabi, who describes himself as “the spokesperson” of the Batn al-Hawa section of the East Jerusalem neighborhood of Silwan, received an eviction notice ordering him to vacate his home. Several neighbors were also told they would need to leave. His home, where he has lived all his life, was built by his father in the early 1960s, when the area was still part of Jordan. Eventually, he and his six brothers inherited the property. “The whole family is 52 people,” he told The Times of Israel, sitting in his living room, which showed no sign of the pending eviction order…Rajabi said he has no intention of leaving the home voluntarily. In response, authorities told him that they would arrive sometime after Passover to remove him by force.” See also First Time in a Century: Israel Police Block Jerusalem’s Latin Patriarchate From Palm Sunday Mass at Church of the Holy Sepulchre (Haaretz 3/29/26);

Standing at the Gates of Hell (Raja Shehadeh//Boston Review 3/31/26)

“Israel’s right wing, led by Itamar Ben-Gvir, Minister of National Security and a settler himself, unabashedly encourages the use of pogroms against villages spanning from the Jordan Valley to Israel’s 1948 border—acts that constitute the ethnic cleansing of Palestinians. And armed settler militias, often operating with support from the army, attack and harass Palestinian communities across the West Bank in an effort to make life so unbearable for them that they will be forced out. Since the latest war’s onset, the settlers have become more emboldened than ever before. According to the Israeli monitoring group Yesh Din, there have been more than 257 reports of settler violence against Palestinians in the West Bank since the first U.S. airstrikes on Iran, including shootings, physical assaults, property damage, and threats. In this span, settlers have killed seven Palestinians, one of whom died after inhaling tear gas fired by Israeli soldiers amid a settler attack. In these attacks (and all the others over the decades in the West Bank), settlers take advantage of the approximately 898 military checkpoints and obstacles that severely restrict Palestinian mobility—permanent checkpoints, iron gates that close off villages, earth mounds, and roadblocks—knowing that, in the wake of their violence, ambulances will not be able to reach the victims in time.” See also The Strategy Behind the West Bank Pogroms: Deir Yassin (Hagai El-Ad//Haaretz 4/1/26); Hollow Oscar: “A year after No Other Land won international acclaim, the world remains content to sit back and watch.” (Adam Adra//Humans of Masafer Yatta 4/8/26); A strategy ‘to make life intolerable’: Israeli settlers are driving Christians out of West Bank (The Guardian 4/5/26); At least 3 Palestinians hospitalized in multiple settler attacks on West Bank villages (TOI 4/6/26);

Israeli leaders are condemning settler attacks. It’s a smokescreen (Oren Ziv//+972 Magazine 4/2/26)

“The recent wave of denunciations from ministers, army chiefs, and right-wing pundits aims to obscure the fact that settler violence is state policy.” See also IDF Suspends Reserve Battalion Whose Soldiers Detained CNN Crew in West Bank (Haaretz 3/30/26); Jewish diaspora leaders urge Israeli president to stop West Bank settler violence (The Guardian 4/2/26);

Sources: Shin Bet Chief Does Not View Jewish Attacks on Palestinians as Terror (Haaretz 4/10/26)

“The Shin Bet security service’s Jewish Division is in a deep crisis that worsened since Shin Bet chief David Zini took office, several sources told Haaretz. Zini views violence by settlers and extreme-right activists in the West Bank as insignificant. He does not call attacks on Palestinians in the West Bank as “Jewish terror,” but rather as “cases of friction” between Jews and Palestinians…According to the sources, Zini has made Jewish terror a low Shin Bet priority, even though data from 2026 presented in internal discussions shows that, for the first time, there are more Jewish than Palestinian terror incidents.”

Top Palestinian Children’s Rights Group  Shutters After Being Targeted By Israel (Truthout 4/7/26)

“top Palestinian children’s rights group has announced that it has been forced to shut down due to Israel’s recent attacks and bans on human rights organizations, removing a critical voice shining light on Israel’s atrocities against children in Gaza and the West Bank. Defense for Children International-Palestine (DCIP) announced that it has ceased operations on Tuesday. “After 35 years of defending Palestinian children’s rights, we are not able to overcome operational challenges resulting from Israel’s targeted criminalization of Palestinian human rights organizations,” the group said. Israel has relentlessly attacked and vilified human rights groups for decades, and in 2024, passed legislation mandating that humanitarian groups providing aid to Palestinians in Gaza to register their groups with Israel’s Ministry of Diaspora Affairs and Combating Antisemitism or be forced to end their operations.”

Israeli police are violently suppressing our growing anti-war protests (Iddo Elam//+972 Magazine 4/1/26)

“As dissent over the Iran war spreads to the political center, demonstrators face crackdowns while opposition lawmakers are still nowhere to be seen.” See also Colette Avital Says She ‘Went to Protest So the Iran War Will End.’ Police Then Threw Her to the Ground (Haaretz 4/6/26); Israeli Support for Iran War Wanes After Early Enthusiasm, Poll Shows (Haaretz 3/29/26)

U.S. SCENE

AOC vows to block future US military aid to Israel, including for defensive systems (The Guardian 4/2/26)

“In a statement on social media, Ocasio-Cortez said that Israel was fully capable of funding “Iron Dome and other defensive systems”, and that “consistent with my voting record to date, I will not support Congress sending more taxpayer dollars and military aid to a government that consistently ignores international law and US law”.’ See also Ro Khanna says he’ll reject Iron Dome funding, joining AOC (JI 4/3/26); DNC Shoots Down Resolutions Calling Out AIPAC and Limiting Arms to Israel (The Intercept 4/9/26)

60% of Americans have an unfavorable view of Israel, up sharply since 2022, survey shows (JTA 4/9/26)

“Six in 10 Americans say they have a very or somewhat unfavorable view of Israel, up 20 points since 2022, according to a new Pew Research Center survey released this week. About half of them say they have a “very unfavorable” view of Israel, a proportion that has tripled in the last four years. The survey of 3,500 U.S. adults conducted late last month, weeks into the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran, offers the latest signal that anti-Israel sentiment is surging among Americans. Multiple previous polls have shown that Americans newly sympathize more often with the Palestinians over the Israelis…The latest poll replicated the partisan divide widely detected in polling, with about 80% of Democrats saying they have an unfavorable view of Israel, compared to 40% of Republicans. Nearly half of Democrats under age 50 said they have a “very unfavorable” view of Israel.” See also Most American Jews disapprove of US military action against Iran, new poll shows (JTA 3/30/26); A second poll of US Jews finds the same result: Most oppose the war in Iran (The Forward 3/30/26);

US Sanctions: Criminalizing Palestinian and Global Justice Work (Tariq Kenney-Shawa//Al Shabaka 3/31/26)

“In February 2021, Defense for Children International–Palestine (DCIP) reported that Israeli interrogators had raped a 15-year-old Palestinian boy in detention. Rather than investigate the allegation, Israeli forces raided DCIP’s offices and later designated it—along with five other Palestinian human rights groups—as a “terrorist organization.” While such abuses and crackdowns are not new, this moment marked a decisive escalation: the shift from harassment of Palestinian civil society to its outright criminalization with the full support and participation of the US. In 2025, the Trump administration designated six Palestinian organizations under counterterrorism frameworks before advancing even further, sanctioning leading human rights groups for engaging with the International Criminal Court. These measures move beyond targeting individual actors to undermining the very infrastructure of international accountability. This policy brief argues that the campaign by the US and the Israeli regime against Palestinian civil society and international law carries global consequences, threatening mechanisms designed to hold state violence in check. It offers the following recommendations for how Palestinian organizations and their allies can adapt, defend themselves, and pursue justice in an increasingly hostile environment.”

‘Human tragedy’: Leqaa Kordia on how ICE jail echoes life in occupied Palestine (Alice Speri//The Guardian 4/1/26)

“A Palestinian woman who was released last month after spending a year in a Texas immigration detention center told the Guardian in an exclusive interview that she sees “a lot of similarities” between the treatment of people in Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody and that of Palestinians living under Israeli occupation. Leqaa Kordia, who was detained by ICE following her arrest at a protest against Israel’s war in Gaza, says that she will continue to speak up about the rights of Palestinians, but that she now also sees it as her duty to denounce the “human tragedy” of immigration detention in the US.”

Man charged with US firebomb plot is linked to group whose leaders back violence against Palestinians (The Guardian 4/9/26)

“A man who has been charged with plotting to firebomb a pro-Palestine activist’s home is tied to a group whose leaders support violence against Palestinians and have platformed a convicted terrorist who fundraises for a violent settler movement in the occupied West Bank…Alexander Heifler, who law enforcement officials say is a JDL 613 member, was arrested last month after FBI and New York police department agents foiled an alleged plot to attack the home of the activist Nerdeen Kiswani with molotov cocktails.”

Inside the Holocaust Museum’s quiet changes (Politico 4/5/26)

“In the first year of President Donald Trump’s second term, the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington quietly removed from its website educational resources about American racism and canceled a workshop about the “fragility of democracy.”’

Mahmoud Khalil wants to reassure you (Arno Rosenfeld interviews Mahmoud Khalil//The Forward 4/7/26)

“Speaking extensively about Hamas, Oct. 7 and his preferred political solution to the conflict, Khalil sought to reassure American Jews that the protest movement he participated in and helped lead at Columbia University recognizes “absolutely a Jewish connection” to Israel and does not seek to drive Jews out of the region. “The Jewish people are part of the land and they should remain that way,” Khalil told me. “I want to liberate everyone.”…in repeated interviews, Khalil condemned antisemitism and violence against Israeli civilians, and spoke with passion about the important role of Jewish students he had demonstrated alongside…Khalil, like the Palestinian student breakaway group at Columbia, is adamant that targeting civilians is unacceptable. “I grew up in a community that valued human rights and valued principles beyond religion, beyond race,” he said. “I would never, in any context, justify the killing of a civilian for any reason.”

President of Wisconsin’s largest mosque detained by US immigration agents (The Guardian 4/2/26)

“The president of Wisconsin’s largest mosque was detained by federal immigration agents, drawing accusations from local officials and religious leaders that the arrest was motivated by his statements against Israel. Salah Sarsour, a Palestinian-born legal permanent resident of the United States, was taken into custody by nearly a dozen US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents on Monday in Milwaukee after he left his home, according to the Islamic Society of Milwaukee…[his attorneys] believe Sarsour, 53, was targeted for speaking out against Israel and for a conviction as a minor by Israeli military courts, which have faced scrutiny over allegations of limited due process and high conviction rates of Palestinians. Israel rejects those claims.”

PERSPECTIVES//LONG READS

Sovereignty Without Defense: The Army, the State, and Hezbollah’s Weapons (Ziad Abu-Rish//The Public Source 3/27/26)

“As Israel broadens its aerial bombardment of Lebanon and attempts a ground invasion of the South, the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) have yet to meaningfully respond. Echoing the dominant U.S.-Israeli framing, some commentators continue to blame Hezbollah’s military operations against Israel as the root issue undermining Lebanon’s sovereignty. Fundamentally, however, the issue of sovereignty has much more to do with the history of the Lebanese state and the question of who protects Lebanon from external threats — most notably Israeli hegemony and expansionism.

Gaza’s Rubble Is the Grave of Our Future (Ghada Abdulfattah//NYT 4/10/26)

“It has been six months since the cease-fire was announced in Gaza, when the war was officially stopped. But it hasn’t stopped, not really. The Israeli airstrikes are less constant, but they still kill us — there was a drone strike that killed a man and injured a child just this week. When I talk to people abroad, they ask me if I can still hear Israeli drones at night. Once, I tried to record the buzzing as one hovered above my home, proof of the sound that has become a part of Gaza the way the sound of my own breathing is a part of me. War, in and of itself, has become indivisible from Gaza: It’s in the landscape, in the harsh conditions that make up our days, in our bodies. Outside the strip, people speak about the future: about reconstruction, about a “new Gaza.” I’ve seen renderings that imagine it as a city like Dubai, with glittering seaside skyscrapers. But from here, it’s hard to imagine the new Gaza. The war does not feel finished. It continues to live within us. We can’t escape it.

“Trump Caved”: Trita Parsi explains the shaky US-Iran ceasefire. (Josh Nathan-Kazis//Jewish Currents 4/8/26)

“The US war on Iran halted Tuesday night in a fashion far different from the one promised at the outset by leaders in both the US and Israel. The Iranian government remains in place, its military remains capable, and it still appears to have hundreds of pounds of highly enriched uranium. Iran is in a position of relative strength: The basis for planned negotiations, according to President Trump, is an Iranian proposal whose terms include an end to all sanctions against the country, and permanent Iranian control of the Strait of Hormuz. (An anonymous White House official claimed to the New York Times on Wednesday that the terms Trump was referring to come from some other, unspecified Iranian proposal.) The Israeli leadership, for its part, is reeling. Benjamin Netanyahu helped push the White House to start this war, but appears to have been nowhere near the agreement to end it. Israel has stopped its attacks on Iran, but continues to bombard Lebanon, where Israeli military incursions have displaced more than a million people in recent weeks. Late in the day on Wednesday, Iran reportedly closed the Strait of Hormuz in response to Israeli strikes in Lebanon, and the state of the ceasefire grew uncertain as Iranian officials accused the US and Israeli side of violations, including Israel’s continuing attacks. To understand the wobbly ceasefire and what it means for the US, Iran, and Israel, Jewish Currents spoke early Wednesday with Trita Parsi, an Iran expert who is the executive vice president of the Quincy Institute and former president of the National Iranian American Council.”

At Synagogues, Tensions Are Boiling Over (Eyal Press//New Yorker 3/30/26)

“The American Jewish community responded to the [1973] Yom Kippur War, which killed nearly three thousand Israeli soldiers, by flooding Israel with donations; doctors and students volunteered to join the war effort. It would not have been unreasonable to assume that, after October 7th, this dynamic would repeat and that the determination to bring home the Israeli hostages—twelve of whom were U.S. citizens—would galvanize a new generation. There was no such unity. For some American Jews, the atrocities perpetrated by Hamas, followed by the eruption of pro-Palestinian protests on college campuses, sparked a renewed sense of collective identity and Ahavat Yisrael—love for the Jewish people. For others, Israel’s merciless assault on Gaza, which has killed more than seventy-two thousand Palestinians, and the increased settler incursions into the West Bank alienated them from the Jewish establishment and from Zionism itself…This past October, a survey by the Washington Post found that forty-six per cent of American Jews supported the war in Gaza and forty-eight per cent opposed it. Thirty-nine per cent believed that Israel had committed genocide.” See also The Orthodox world has abandoned its values by abandoning Palestinians (Rachel Landsberg and Esther Sperber//The Forward 3/27/26)

Blaming Settler Violence on Messianic Racism Misses the Real Story (Haaretz 4/4/26)

“In recent months, incidents of Jewish violence in the West Bank have become routine. What once happened quietly, in the shadows, is now carried out in the open. Human rights organizations are no longer needed to document or expose it. Telegram channels of the so-called hilltop youth broadcast everything themselves: 20 Palestinians dead, and 20 instances in which security forces remained silent. It may be hard to believe, but things were once different. About 15 years ago, the first “price tag” attacks against Palestinians were widely condemned across much of the religious Zionist mainstream. Prominent rabbis visited burned mosques, expressed shock, issued formal denunciations. Today, that restraint has largely disappeared. Acts once associated with fringe groups now receive institutional backing.”

What Does Judaism Look Like Without Zionism? (NYT 4/6/26)

“Has the entanglement of Jewishness and Zionism ever felt more fraught? As Israel, fresh off the wholesale destruction of Gaza, drops more bombs across the Middle East, a Michigan synagogue is attacked by a Lebanese American man whose brother was killed in an Israeli strike half a world away. Noxious conspiracy theories about Jewish power and Zionism bubble up from far-right YouTube shows and even, according to some readings, in the resignation letter of a national security official. This conflation of Jews and Israel is dangerous antisemitism. And yet it’s harder to fight back as the mainstream Jewish establishment insists that Zionism is nearly as integral to Jewish identity as circumcision…In this muddled moment Molly Crabapple’s terrific “Here Where We Live Is Our Country” unearths the story of a Jewish political movement that opposed ethnic nationalism of all stripes and that fought antisemites head-on — sometimes literally beating them on the head. It’s an authoritative history of the Jewish Labor Bund, better known simply as the Bund, the early-20th-century socialist movement that broke with the Bolsheviks, fought the Zionists and tried to resist the fascists.”

When Jewishness Means Genocide (Arielle Angel and Daniel May//Jewish Currents 4/9/26)

“What happens to the concept of antisemitism in an environment where people increasingly hate Jews not for who they are, but for what they do? What could it mean to “fight” antisemitism in the shadow of Israeli impunity and Zionist power, especially when Israel and formal Jewish diaspora leadership insist that the Jewish state and the Jewish people are one and the same? To answer these questions, we spoke to Elad Lapidot, a Jerusalem-born Jewish philosopher living in Europe, where he is a professor for Hebraic studies at the University of Lille, France, and the director of the Berlin Center for Intellectual Diaspora.”

The humiliating ordeal of traveling abroad as a West Bank Palestinian (Ghaith J.//+972 Magazine 4/7/26)

“When Israel closed Allenby Bridge without warning, my journey to Istanbul turned into 36 hours of missed flights, uncertainty, and endless waiting.”

In the West Bank, ‘protective presence is not protecting anyone anymore’ (Charlotte Ritz-Jack//+972 Magazine 3/27/26)

“For decades, Israeli and international activists have put their bodies on the line to prevent the expulsion of Palestinian communities. But if they no longer deter violent settlers and soldiers, can they still make a difference?”

Fifty years on, does Land Day still matter for Palestinians in Israel? (Noor Dadosh//+972 Magazine 3/30/26)

“Sociologist Nabih Bashir reflects on the enduring legacy of the 1976 uprising against land confiscation, at a time of war, fragmentation, and political impasse.”

On TikTok, Palestinians in Israel are a scroll away from organized crime (Samah Watad//+972 Magazine 4/7/26)

“Videos of luxury cars, cash, masked motorcyclists, and veiled threats have drawn over 100 million views, amplifying criminal power far beyond the street.”

Inside the Israeli army’s propaganda wing (Illy Pe’ery//+972 Magazine 4/8/26)

“Psy-op campaigns, selective leaks, exclusive reporter access: Soldiers and journalists reveal how the IDF Spokesperson’s Unit controls public discourse and promotes Israel’s narrative abroad.”

 

1. New from FMEP

2. Global/Region

3. Gaza

4. River to the Sea

5. U.S. Scene

6. Perspectives//Long Reads

NEW FROM FMEP

How Gaza Broke the Art World (New Occupied Thoughts episode)

Fellow Ahmed Moor speaks with David Velasco, the former editor-in-chief of the art magazine Artforum. Ahmed and David discuss David’s decision in October 2023 to publish a letter from cultural workers in support of Palestinian liberation and an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and in opposition to violence against all civilians, regardless of identity. David was fired following the publication of that letter. Ahmed and David discuss the concept of solidarity in the art world, the role of money in culture, and how they understand voluntary complicity and capitulation in the early stages of genocide.

FMEP Legislative Round-Up March 27, 2026 (Lara Friedman)

1. Bills, Resolutions; 2. Letters; 3. Hearings & Markups; 4. Selected Members on the Record; 5. Selected Media & Press releases/Statements

GLOBAL/REGION

Trump extends deadline for Iran to open strait of Hormuz by 10 days (Guardian 3/26/26)

“Donald Trump has extended his deadline for Iran to open the strait of Hormuz by 10 days to 6 April after saying talks are “going very well”. The president made the statement on Thursday in a social media post, saying: “As per Iranian Government request, please let this statement serve to represent that I am pausing the period of Energy Plant destruction by 10 Days to Monday, April 6, 2026, at 8 P.M., Eastern Time,” Trump said on his Truth Social platform. “Talks are ongoing and, despite erroneous statements to the contrary by the Fake News Media, and others, they are going very well.” Later Trump told Fox News: “I gave them a 10-day period, they asked for seven.” He also continued to declare victory in the war, adding: “In a certain sense, we have already won.”’ See also Iran vows to destroy Middle East water and energy facilities if US attacks power plants (Guardian 3/22/26); Trump tells Iran it has 48 hours to open Hormuz or US will ‘obliterate’ its power plants (Guardian 3/22/26); Israel and U.S. Running Low on Interceptors as Iran War Drains Stocks, U.K. Think Tank Says (Haaretz 3/26/26); U.S. Can Only Confirm About Third of Iran’s Missile Arsenal Destroyed, Sources Say (Haaretz 3/27/26);

U.S. Circulates Iran Peace Plan While Sending Troops to the Middle East (NYT 3/25/26)

“The United States circulated a 15-point peace plan, diplomats said, demanding what would amount to a complete termination of Iran’s nuclear program and sharp limits on the reach and size of their missile arsenal. It bore strong resemblance to the U.S. demands in February, during negotiations that collapsed when the United States and Israel struck Iran on Feb. 28. But the Iranian government, in a statement issued through state television, declared it would not end the conflict unless the United States paid war reparations and recognized “Iran’s exercise of sovereignty over the Strait of Hormuz,” suggesting it would continue to decide which ships pass through the narrow strait and which remained bottled up, unable to deliver oil or fertilizer. The messages between the two countries were being passed by Pakistan, which was trying to assemble peace talks in the capital of Islamabad, proposing dates as soon as this weekend. But neither Iran nor the United States would confirm such discussions, each wanting to avoid seeming the overeager party in a conflict where each wants to demonstrate it holds the upper hand.” See also Pentagon weighs sending 10,000 more combat troops to the Middle East (Axios 3/26/26); US to deploy at least 1,000 troops from the 82nd Airborne Division to the Middle East (AP 3/24/26); Gulf states’ scepticism over alleged US-Iran talks signals a distrust of Trump (Guardian 3/26/26);

Israel Races to Hit Iran Hard While It Still Can, Officials Say (NYT 3/25/26)

“With the growing potential for talks between the United States and Iran, the Israeli military is striking as many key targets as it can, concerned the war could soon be brought to a halt, two senior Israeli officials and two people briefed on the matter said. On Tuesday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered that every effort be made over the next 48 hours to destroy as much of the Iranian arms industry as possible, according to the two officials…The haste reflected a concern in the Israeli government that President Trump could announce peace talks at any moment, the officials and the two people briefed on the matter said.” See also Israel hedges, intensifies Iran and Lebanon strikes ahead of Trump talks (Al Monitor 3/24/26); Israel Races to Cripple Iran’s Arms Production Before War Ends (WSJ 3/26/26); Israel suspects Trump betting on 3 Iran officials, including Ghalibaf, to end war (Al Monitor 3/27/26); Israel Launches Wave of Strikes on Beirut, Attacks Steel Plants in Iran (Haaretz 3/27/26); [Israel Defense Minister] Katz warns strikes on Iran to intensify as regime keeps up missile fire at Israeli civilian areas (TOI 3/27/26)

Iran rejects US ceasefire plan and submits its own amid push for talks (Guardian 3/25/26)

“Iran dismissed a US ceasefire proposal on Wednesday and countered with a negotiation plan of its own as intermediaries sought to keep diplomatic channels between the warring countries open. Iranian state TV quoted an anonymous official as saying Tehran had rejected the plan it had received via Pakistan, saying it would “end the war when it decides to do so and when its own conditions are met”, and until then would continue fighting across the region.” See also Iran Blasts Trump’s Claims of Direct Talks as “Fake News” Aimed at Manipulating Markets (Jeremy Scahill//Drop Site 3/23/26); White House downplays reports Iran rejected Trump peace proposal (Axios 3/25/26);

Saudi Arabia urging US to ramp up Iran attacks, intelligence source confirms (The Guardian 3/27/26)

“Saudi Arabia has urged the US to ramp up attacks on Iran, a Saudi intelligence source has confirmed, while it is weighing a decision on whether to join the fight directly. The Saudi source confirmed reporting in the New York Times that said the kingdom’s de facto leader, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, has urged Donald Trump not to cut short his war against Iran, and that the US-Israeli campaign represented a “historic opportunity” to remake the Middle East. The intelligence source said Riyadh was not just calling for the military campaign to be continued, but to be intensified. Trump appeared to confirm the report about the crown prince’s role, telling journalists on Tuesday: “Yeah, he’s a warrior. He’s fighting with us.”’ See also No disagreement with United States on Iran, German minister says (Haaretz 3/27/26);

War on Iran (Drop Site 3/26/26)

“U.S.-Israeli attacks on Iran continue: Heavy U.S.-Israeli airstrikes continued in Iran on Thursday with strikes on Tehran, Isfahan, and Mashad, according to the AP. At least 1,937 people have been killed in Iran during the U.S.-Israeli war, Iran’s Deputy Health Minister Ali Jafarian told Al Jazeera. He said 240 of the dead were women and 212 were children. At least 24,800 people have been injured. Israel says Iranian naval commander killed in strike: Israeli defense minister Israel Katz said the Iranian naval commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), Alireza Tangsiri, was killed along with other “senior officers of the naval command” in a strike overnight. Iran has not yet confirmed Tangsiri’s killing.” See also “They’ll get mowed down”: Trump rebuffed Netanyahu idea to call for Iran uprising (Axios 3/25/26);

5m tonnes of CO2 emitted in just 14 days of US war on Iran, analysis finds (Guardian 3/21/26)

“The US-Israel war on Iran is a disaster for the climate, according to an analysis that finds it is draining the global carbon budget faster than 84 countries combined. As warplanes, drones and missiles kill thousands of people, level infrastructure and turn the Middle East into a gigantic environmental sacrifice zone, the first analysis of the climate cost has found the conflict led to 5m tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions in its first 14 days…The US-Israeli axis claims to have bombed thousands of targets inside Iran, and Israel has hit hundreds more targets in Lebanon. Reports from inside both countries show extensive destruction of infrastructure. Destroyed buildings constitute the largest element of the estimated carbon cost…Fuel is the second biggest element, with US heavy bombers flying from as far away as the west of England to carry out raids over Iran…One of the most shocking images of the war has been the dark clouds and black rain that fell over Tehran after Israel bombed four major fuel storage depots surrounding the city, setting millions of litres of fuel ablaze…There are also the bombs, missiles and drones themselves, the use of which has been extensive on all sides.” See also Tehran’s toxic cloud: satellite images show oily fires burned for days (Guardian 3/23/26);

More Than 1 Million People in Lebanon Have Been Displaced. These Are Their Stories. (The Intercept 3/22/26)

“Israel’s wave of attacks on Lebanon are the deadliest conflict in the country since the 1975–1990 civil war. According to the Lebanese Ministry of Public Health, Israeli airstrikes have killed more than 1,000 people, 118 of them children, and displaced 1 million others. Israel says it is targeting Hezbollah but has consistently struck residential buildings in the south and east of the country, the southern suburbs of Beirut, and, recently, parts of central Beirut as well. Nowhere seems safe, especially for those whose apartments are in evacuation zones that encompass nearly 600 square miles, according to the United Nations. As of mid-March, as many as 1 in 5 people in Lebanon have been displaced by Israeli military operations.” See also Israel deliberately targeting medical facilities in south Lebanon, say health workers (Guardian 3/21/26); Displaced by War, Many Seek Shelter in Beirut (NYT 3/26/26); Why Israel Is Attacking Lebanon (Isaac Chotiner interviews Maha Yahya//New Yorker 3/20/26)

Israel says it will seize parts of southern Lebanon as ‘defensive buffer’ (Guardian 3/24/26)

“Israel said on Tuesday it would seize parts of southern Lebanon to create what it called a “defensive buffer”, while Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to continue striking Iran, dimming hopes of de-escalation even as Donald Trump talked up the prospects of a deal to end the conflict. During a meeting with the military chief of staff, Israel defence minister Israel Katz said Israeli forces would “control the remaining bridges and the security zone up to the Litani”, a river in Lebanon that meets the Mediterranean about 30km (20 miles) north of Israel’s border. Katz’s remarks appeared to suggest the presence of Israeli troops could become prolonged, with Hezbollah, the powerful Iran-backed armed group, calling the move an “existential threat” to the Lebanese state.” See also Israel used white phosphorus to scorch earth in south Lebanon, researcher says (Guardian 3/25/26); Israel Orders Military to Intensify Demolitions in Southern Lebanon (NYT 3/22/26); Israel Strikes Across Lebanon Amid Fierce Ground Fighting in the South (NYT 3/21/26);  Lebanon Expels Iranian Envoy as Rift With Tehran Deepens (NYT 3/24/26);

About 200 injured in Iranian missile strikes near nuclear facility in Israel (Guardian 3/21/26)

“Iranian missile strikes have wounded about 200 people in southern Israel, after air defence systems failed to intercept projectiles that hit two cities close to a nuclear facility…In Tel Aviv, 15 more people were injured on Sunday in a separate attack involving a cluster bomb. The attacks are adding to mounting pressure on Israel’s air defence systems, with Iranian strikes increasingly testing their limits.”

GAZA

‘There’s no ceasefire’: Gaza paramedic and father of two killed as civilian death toll since October passes 650 (Guardian 3/23/26)

“Since the ceasefire was announced on 10 October last year, Israel has killed 677 and injured a further 1,800 Palestinians, according to Gaza’s health ministry. Israeli strikes in Gaza have averaged about 10 a day across the territory over the past five months.” See also Sidelined by War With Iran, Gaza Residents Remain in Limbo (NYT 3/23/26); Palestinians struggle as Gaza endures severe fuel and gas shortages (Al Jazeera 3/24/26); State Department sends $1.25B from other programs to Board of Peace (Semafor 3/26/26); Plan to Disarm Hamas in Gaza Is Detailed at U.N. (NYT 3/24/26);

What Happens When You Can’t Get a Death Certificate in Gaza (Mahmoud Mushtaha//Wired 3/23/26)

“For families of the missing, systemic obstacles to identifying remains and locating people in Israeli detention has created a kind of social and legal purgatory.”

Hassan Took a Bike Ride. Now He’s One of the Thousands Missing in Gaza (Mahmoud Mushtaha//Wired 3/23/26)

“In a place denied access to basic forensic technology—and where people disappear into Israeli detention—the fate of thousands remains unknown. One of them is an autistic teenager.”

Israeli soldiers torture one-year-old Gaza child to force confessions from his father (Anadolu Agency 3/23/26)

“Israeli soldiers subjected a one-year-old child in central Gaza to torture to pressure his father into making confessions during an interrogation, Palestine TV reported Sunday, citing Palestinian journalist Osama Al-Kahlout. It aired footage showing injuries to the child, identified as Karim, after he was detained by Israeli forces near the Al-Maghazi refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip. Witnesses said the child’s father, Osama Abu Nassar, was traumatized after the death of a horse he used for income. While taking his child to buy supplies, he was caught up in gunfire near his home and was forced by Israeli soldiers to leave his 18-month-old son on the ground and approach a nearby military checkpoint, where he was stripped and interrogated. The forces tortured the child in front of his father, including burning one of his legs with cigarettes, pricking him and inserting a nail into his leg, as confirmed by a medical report. The report said the child suffered burn marks from cigarettes and puncture wounds in his leg caused by the nail. The child was released about 10 hours later and handed over to his family through the International Committee of the Red Cross in Al-Maghazi, while the father remains in Israeli detention.”

RIVER TO THE SEA

Israeli settlers carry out series of West Bank attacks as security forces stand by (Guardian 3/22/26)

“Israeli settlers have carried out a series of attacks across the occupied West Bank, setting homes and vehicles on fire and wounding several Palestinians in what witnesses described as coordinated raids on communities. The violence, reported across at least half a dozen locations overnight from Saturday into Sunday, comes amid a wider surge in tensions in the territory…Human rights organisations say such attacks often occur with little accountability. The Israeli human rights group B’Tselem has accused the government of enabling settler violence “as part of a strategy to cement the takeover of Palestinian land”. The UN has said Israeli policies in the West Bank risk forcibly displacing Palestinian communities.” See also The Military Arm of the Campaign to Judaize the West Bank Has Been Given a Free Hand (Haaretz 3/27/26); Palestinians in the West Bank Are Now Experiencing Multiple Settler Attacks Per Day (Drop Site 3/27/27);

‘Erasing the lines’: How settler outposts are seizing new regions of the West Bank (Oren Ziv and Ariel Caine//+972 Magazine 3/24/26)

“Since October 7, settlers have worked in tandem with the Israeli army to expel at least 76 entire Palestinian communities, while settlers have simultaneously established 152 new outposts. Among these outposts, at least 22 have been established in Area B, including 12 in the “Agreed-Upon Reserve” (a plot of 167,000 dunams in the southern West Bank that is designated as Area B). One outpost has also appeared inside Area A. According to mapping by +972 Magazine, Local Call, and The Nation, based on data collected by the Israeli organizations Kerem Navot and Peace Now, the settlers living in these outposts have taken control of around 98,000 dunams (almost 25,000 acres) in Area B and Area A. In total, settlers living in outposts now wield effective control over roughly 1 million dunams (250,000 acres) across the West Bank. This dynamic has been building for a long time. For decades, settlers expanded herding outposts across Area C — which constitutes 60 percent of the West Bank — using grazing to take over vast tracts of Palestinian agricultural land…Now, the settlers have shifted their focus toward Area B and the peripheries of larger Palestinian towns. The objective is to encircle them, restrict Palestinians’ access to surrounding farm land and open space, and consolidate territorial contiguity between settlement blocs while pushing Palestinians into fragmented cantons within the major cities.” See also 257 incidents of settler violence carried out against Palestinians in 25 days, says watchdog (TOI 3/26/26); Palestinian Man Shot Dead, 14 Wounded in West Bank Settler Raids as Five New Outposts Established (Haaretz 3/27/26);

15 Palestinian Families Evicted From East Jerusalem Homes After Legal Battle, Properties Handed to Settler Group (Haaretz 3/26/26)

“Fifteen Palestinian families were evicted from their homes in Silwan in East Jerusalem on Tuesday and Wednesday after a long legal struggle. Their apartments were transferred to a right-wing organization dedicated to establishing a Jewish presence in East Jerusalem’s Palestinian neighborhoods…Most of the neighborhood’s Palestinian residents, who have lived there since the 1960s, claim they purchased the land without knowing it was Jewish-owned…The law allows Jews to claim property belonging to them in East Jerusalem, but does not allow Palestinians who left extensive property in West Jerusalem to do so.”

Israel’s death penalty bill for Palestinian prisoners moves to final vote (Guardian 3/25/26)

“Israel’s parliament has advanced a contentious bill to impose the death penalty on Palestinians convicted of terrorism to its final vote, after the Knesset’s national security committee approved the measure on Tuesday…Under the proposals, those sentenced to death would be held in a separate facility with no visits except from authorised personnel, with legal consultations conducted only by video link. Executions would be carried out within 90 days of sentencing. The measure allows courts to impose the death penalty without a request from prosecutors, and without requiring unanimity, instead permitting a simple majority decision. Military courts in the occupied West Bank would also be empowered to hand down death sentences, with the defence minister able to submit an opinion. For Palestinians under occupation, the bill would close off avenues for appeal or clemency, while prisoners tried inside Israel could see their sentences commuted to life imprisonment.” See also Judge: Palestinian Minor Who Died in Israeli Prison Was ‘Likely Starved,’ but Case Closed (Haaretz 3/24/26)

I represent a Palestinian woman in Israeli prison. Now I can’t reach her (Janan Abdu//+972 Magazine 3/23/26)

“Israel locked down its prisons at the start of the Iran war, barring almost all lawyer visits and leaving my client without a voice beyond her cell.”

From Sde Teiman, the truth about Israel’s military justice system has been set free (Michael Sfard//+972 Magazine 3/21/26)

“Last week, Israel’s top military lawyer dropped all charges against five soldiers from Force 100 who were accused of beating a Palestinian detainee and tearing his rectum by stabbing it with a sharp object — an act that was partially caught on CCTV camera in footage that was later leaked. In doing so, he exposed once and for all the great Israeli lie about the existence of a professional, independent investigative and prosecutorial system seeking substantively to hold rogue soldiers to account…The truth is that a law enforcement system that genuinely strives to hold soldiers accountable when they kill, humiliate, or abuse Palestinians has never existed in Israel, or at least not for several decades. The truth is that what exists is a system that effectively provides immunity for soldiers when their victims are Palestinians, and even strives for that outcome. And the truth is that the rare instances of accountability that the system does produce are intended to conceal this reality and fend off the claim that there is no punishment in Israel for harming Palestinians. In other words, the military enforcement systems have long wanted to proceed without enforcement, while still appearing as though they were fulfilling their purpose, by sacrificing a few cases, usually minor ones, in which indictments were filed. These indictments were never meant to enforce the law but rather to serve as a symbolic performance of enforcement — an exception designed to obscure the rule.”

The Battle to End Palestinian Self-Determination (George Zeidan//FP 3/25/26)

“As the war between Israel, the United States, and Iran escalates, Palestinians are facing immediate and visible consequences on the ground. For Palestinians, the danger is not only that they become a secondary issue in a rapidly evolving regional order. It is that policies once considered “red lines,” including displacing populations from Gaza or annexing the West Bank, could quietly advance. Without international accountability, the possibility of Palestinian self-determination will continue to erode—and along with it the potential for improved human rights and regional stability…Taken together, these actions fragment Palestinian geography, confine communities to isolated enclaves, and consolidate Israeli control over land. By arming settlers, expanding their operational reach, and subjecting civilians to escalating coercion, Israel is accelerating a process of de facto annexation without the need for formal declaration. The war with Iran will eventually end, but the political consequences it sets in motion may last much longer. Ultimately, what is at stake is the broader question of Palestinians’ right to self-determination. Without sustained international pressure on Israel, the window is closing for a just and durable political future for Palestine, and for the broader regional stability that would come along with it.”

[IDF Chief of Staff] Zamir said to warn cabinet that IDF will ‘collapse in on itself’ amid manpower shortage (TOI 3/26/26)

“Military Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir reportedly warned the “IDF is going to collapse in on itself” during a security cabinet meeting this week, as the army deals with mounting operational demands and a growing manpower shortage. “I am raising 10 red flags in front of you,” Zamir told ministers, according a Channel 13 news report on Thursday.”

The Iron Dome is intercepting our chances of a normal future (Guevara Bader//+972 Magazine 3/25/26)

“Over the past few decades, Israeli engineering has produced something close to the ultimate technological marvel: a multi-layered missile defense system that can turn incoming projectiles into a fireworks display in the night sky. But beneath this protective canopy, an inconspicuous yet consequential transformation has taken hold that is more perilous than the missiles themselves: The Iron Dome has eliminated Israelis’ fear of war. A technology designed to preserve life has fostered a sense of near-total immunity, turning the catastrophe of war into a tolerable disruption if not a sterile consumer product — something absorbed into daily life with indifference, somewhere between the evening news and a food delivery. When fear of war recedes, so too does the public’s motivation to bring it to an end. In this environment, technological security does not shorten wars but helps sustain them as a permanent condition. Israel, in the Iron Dome era, no longer presents itself as a vibrant civilian society that also maintains a military; instead, it takes pride in essentially being a massive military base around which civilian life is organized.” See also Why ​most Israelis ​back the ​conflict​ with Iran, even as international support wanes (The Guardian 3/26/26)

U.S. SCENE

2028 Dem hopefuls scramble for distance from AIPAC (Politico 3/24/26)

“Democrats eyeing White House runs in 2028 are preemptively breaking up with AIPAC. Sen. Cory Booker, who received donations bundled by the American Israel Public Affairs Committee as late as December, told POLITICO that he’s sworn off the group’s funds (and other PAC money). California Gov. Gavin Newsom said he never has and “never will” take donations from the group. Sen. Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.) vowed last week that he “wouldn’t take AIPAC money” anymore…Their retreat underscores how rapidly AIPAC has become a bogeyman for Democrats seeking to criticize the Israeli government, particularly with the Netanyahu administration’s involvement with President Donald Trump’s operation in Iran. Many former AIPAC-friendly Democrats see the historically bipartisan group as becoming more and more aligned with Netanyahu’s right-wing government in recent years. Its emergence as an early touchstone in the shadow 2028 presidential primary reflects a calculation among leading Democrats that liberal voters’ hard shift away from the longtime U.S. ally will stick.”

How Does TrackAIPAC Actually Track AIPAC? (The Intercept 3/26/26)

“The social media outfit TrackAIPAC’s signature anti-endorsement cards have become a fixture of the 2026 midterms. The ubiquitous graphics show a disapproved candidate’s face in grayscale over a smoky red backdrop. To the right, a number denoting their pro-Israel funding glows. Controversially, not all of that money comes from the American Israel Public Affairs Committee. “It’s as broad as possible, and that’s by design,” TrackAIPAC co-founder Casey Kennedy told The Intercept. Instead of just AIPAC, the group tracks spending from across the pro-Israel lobby…Depending on whom you ask, TrackAIPAC is a hero for pushing pro-Israel spending into the forefront of voters’ minds, a scourge peddling antisemitic tropes, or a well-intentioned activist group with an imperfect, ever-evolving model…TrackAIPAC’s growing influence has set off a debate over its messaging and methodology, part of a broader conversation about outside spending in politics refracted through the lens of Israel.”

Newsom Says He Regrets Remarks Comparing Israel to ‘Apartheid State’ (NYT 3/24/26)

“Gov. Gavin Newsom of California, a Democrat widely seen as a likely 2028 presidential candidate, said in a newly published interview that he regretted describing Israel as an apartheid state, just weeks after using the term…At another point, when asked if he considered himself a Zionist, Mr. Newsom repeated the question before saying, “I revere the state of Israel.”’

The Justice Department’s Oct. 7 task force is unraveling, report says (The Forward 3/25/26)

“A Justice Department task force meant to investigate the perpetrators of the Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas terror attacks has shed much of its staff and resources as the Trump administration has upended the federal judiciary, according to a new report in the Washington Post…According to the Post, the task force’s struggles are due at least in part to its top staffers being caught up in Trump’s broader purge of Justice Department officials…The moves have reportedly left the task force without prosecutors with national security experience, hampering its goal to root out American connections to the Hamas attacks (which included 40 Americans among its approximately 1,200 victims).” See also Trump administration sues Harvard over ‘hostile’ environment for Jewish students (JI 3/20/26); 120 Harvard Jewish Affiliates Condemn Justice Department Antisemitism Lawsuit (The Crimson 3/26/26);

PERSPECTIVES//LONG READS

A Critical Mass of U.S. Jews Is Now Disgusted With Israel’ (Haaretz 3/26/26)

“What Jewish Currents editor Arielle Angel has to say about Israel is tough to hear. But she reflects a growing anti-Zionist movement aiming to dismantle the Jewish-American establishment and rebuild it around a new vision.”

From Gaza to Iran (Amjad Iraqi//LRB 3/20/26)

“The images​ from Iran since 28 February have been dismayingly familiar. The Islamic Republic’s leaders are being killed off. US military officers are using AI to pick their targets. Government buildings, police stations and other public institutions have been destroyed; an air strike hit a primary school during morning classes, killing 168, almost all of them schoolgirls. Israeli leaders cheer on the offensive with messianic zeal. The war ‘allows us to do what I have yearned to do for forty years’, Benjamin Netanyahu said on 1 March, ‘smite the terror regime hip and thigh’. The aim isn’t merely to weaken Iran’s rulers, but to bring about the collapse of the Iranian state. It’s no surprise that Operation Roaring Lion (Israel’s name for its campaign) and Operation Epic Fury (as the US calls its own) bear the hallmarks of Israel’s offensives on the Gaza Strip. For more than two years, Israel has radically reshaped its policy of managing conflict by what it calls ‘mowing the lawn’. Since 7 October 2023, its political and military leaders have embraced a much more ambitious and devastating approach, which has been tested in Gaza, then replicated in Lebanon and to some extent in Yemen. Palestinians and their supporters have long likened the occupied territories to a ‘laboratory’ where Israel experiments with military tactics, surveillance technologies and methods of population control, before applying them elsewhere. War with Iran is a long-held ambition of Netanyahu’s, but Gaza is where he and his generals designed the playbook that is now being followed in that war.”

The Iran War Is About Palestine (Jonathan Shamir//Jewish Currents 3/24/26)

“Today, three decades after he first cast Iran as the engine behind anti-Israel sentiment, Netanyahu has finally gotten his war. Israel posits the war as defense against an existential threat, but as ever, what is driving it is the impulse to suppress and displace the Palestine question. Seen this way, the Iran war once again reveals Israel’s most fundamental interest, which has remained unchanged for decades: to prosecute the question of Palestine on its own terms, whether through the continued system of apartheid or outright genocide. Netanyahu is once again proving that he would sooner redraw the map of the Middle East than push back Israel’s borders—preferring to crater Tehran and Isfahan than concede a single dunam in the West Bank.”

Israel has crushed Unrwa in Gaza – and the rest of the world has done nothing (Philippe Lazzarini, commissioner-general of UNRWA//The Guardian 3/21/26)

“Having endured more than two years of relentless physical, political and legal attacks, most fiercely in Palestine, Unrwa has reached breaking point. The risks to Palestinians’ rights and the stability of the region are immense…In December 2023, amid the escalating brutality of the war in Gaza, I wrote to the president of the UN general assembly that in my 35 years of working in complex emergencies, I had never had cause to report the killing of 130 personnel, nor to predict the killing of many more. Hundreds of Unrwa premises in Gaza have been damaged or destroyed. The parliament of Israel adopted legislation to end the agency’s presence in occupied East Jerusalem, including by forcibly shutting schools and health clinics, and cutting off the supply of water and electricity to our premises. The Unrwa headquarters in East Jerusalem was seized, looted and set on fire, with senior Israeli officials celebrating the destruction on site and online. A deputy mayor of Jerusalem even threatened to “annihilate and kill all members of Unrwa”. It is incomprehensible that a UN entity has been allowed to be crushed as Unrwa has, in violation of international law, with total impunity, and with staff and Palestinian communities paying an unacceptable price.”

Trump’s sanctions against a UN human rights expert show free speech is dying (Sandra L Babcock, Susan M Akram, Asli Bali, Thomas Becker and James Cavallaro//Guardian 3/242/6)

“We are North American university professors and human rights lawyers who teach, write, and speak about the human rights of people around the world, including Palestinians living in the occupied West Bank and Gaza. In a country that purports to value democracy and human rights, we never imagined that we could face civil penalties or imprisonment for our work. That sense of security has evaporated after the Trump administration issued a series of executive orders and memoranda that aim to stifle speech and demonize dissent – particularly when it comes to Israel’s crimes against Palestinians living in Gaza. Let us be clear: the evidence that Israel has committed war crimes is overwhelming.

From Palestine to Lebanon, A War Without Limits and the Wages of Impunity (Maya Mikdashi//Jadaliyya 3/22/26)

“In Lebanon, Israel’s war of impunity is being waged against three fronts: the battlefield, the country’s social fabric and its political society. Militarily, Israel is doing what it has done in Gaza and previously in Lebanon: assassinations, the destruction of entire landscapes and indiscriminate bombardment against a people that have no air defenses, no bomb shelters and no air force—in conjunction Israel has launched a ground invasion. It is also trying to break the Lebanese army by calling on it to collaborate in fighting Hizballah…Israel is targeting Lebanon’s social fabric, inflicting mass punishment to weaken public support for Hizballah—a strategy it also pursued unsuccessfully during the 2006 war…In pursuit of this permanent war, and while they still have the unconditional support of the US government and its politicians, Israel has decided to be a country buffered by depopulated wastelands, with no people, party or government capable of mounting any modicum of resistance to either the occupation of their own land, or that of Palestine. This goal requires not only the ethnic cleansing of Palestinians, but also, at this point, of South Lebanon. Israel’s vision for the Middle East—ethno-sectarian cantons—is an existential threat to Lebanon and its system of governance. However, even if Israel occupies South Lebanon, and Hizballah is somehow neutralized, resistance will grow like weeds under every boot print in the ground.”

Jewish and Arab-American Solidarity Is More Important Than Ever (Jamie Beran & Maya Berry//Common Dreams 3/24/26)

“​​Our country is at war. The American-Israeli attack on Iran has plunged the Middle East and the Arab world into chaos, displacing millions and causing thousands of casualties. Here at home, this war has consequences for the safety of Jewish and Arab American communities. Last week, a man drove a car containing explosives into a synagogue just outside of Metro Detroit. Reports indicate he held Jews responsible for the death of several members of his family in an Israeli airstrike in Lebanon. At the same time, multiple congressional Republicans have decided anti-Muslim bigotry will be a key part of their strategy for the midterms. This, after their language dehumanizing Palestinians and Arabs, went generally unchallenged. This moment requires solidarity.”

Joe Kent’s Resignation Was Brave. His Analysis Is Faulty. (Peter Beinart//Jewish Currents 3/24/26)

“His resignation letter also contains some essential truths. In it, he declares that “Iran posed no imminent threat to our nation.” That should be obvious given that Tehran possesses no nuclear weapons and no missiles capable of hitting the US, that it tried to avoid war despite being struck repeatedly in recent years by Israel and the US, and that it complied with the stringent nuclear inspections required by the 2015 nuclear deal. Kent also writes that “we started this war due to pressure from Israel and its powerful American lobby,” a reality that was corroborated by Secretary of State Marco Rubio himself. Unfortunately, Kent’s letter includes other assertions about Israel’s role in America’s wars in Iraq and Syria that are not only unconvincing, but suggest a myopic and conspiratorial view of US foreign policy. Opponents of this criminal war can applaud his resignation without endorsing his most outlandish claims, which cast Israel as the sole cause of America’s imperial violence in the Middle East, and suggest that the US was duped into its own wars…These are not the statements of a man who is merely outraged by Israel’s well-documented crimes. They suggest a willingness to speculate, without evidence, about the most fantastical of hidden treacheries, and a refusal to acknowledge that the United States might have motivations for dominating the Middle East that don’t originate in Tel Aviv. Opponents of America and Israel’s war should welcome Kent’s resignation. But they should take care to avoid the habits of mind from which it sprung.”

The Paraguay Scheme: Israel’s secret plan to deport Gazans in the ‘70s (Ben Reiff//+972 Magazine 3/26/26)

“A new podcast series lifts the veil on the Mossad’s failed attempt to expel 60,000 Palestinians soon after occupying the Gaza Strip. Almost six decades later, Israel’s methods and objectives remain eerily similar.“

Is Israel’s Economy Collapsing? (Maya Rosen interviews Joel Beinin//Jewish Currents 3/25/26)

“Over the last two years, a major debate has been playing out among observers of the Israeli economy. Some have argued that international pressure, alongside the high cost of ongoing war, has pushed the Israeli economy to the brink of collapse. According to these scholars, Israel is facing a crisis comparable to what the South African apartheid regime faced in its final years. The economist Shir Hever, for example, refers to Israel as having a “zombie economy” that “is not aware of . . . its impending demise.” Hever argues that “the level of crisis of the Israeli economy is severely underestimated because the Israeli government is working hard to try to hide the information,” pointing to the emigration of educated Israelis abroad, manpower deficiencies faced by the military, labor shortages, business closures, and Israel’s significant debt…On the ground, though, Israel’s political and war machines grind on, seemingly undeterred by these developments—and perhaps even buoyed by them. It is true that certain smaller sectors, such as tourism, construction, and agriculture, are reeling from the war and international boycotts. However, sales of Israeli arms and surveillance technology—cynically marketed as “battled-tested”—are booming, with even supposedly Palestine-supportive countries like Ireland rushing to buy. Alongside other foreign investments, this has contributed to the flourishing of the Israeli stock market…”

1. New from FMEP

2. Global/Region

3. Gaza

4. River to the Sea

5. U.S. Scene

6. Perspectives//Long Reads

NEW FROM FMEP

Sde Teiman & Permission to Rape (Occupied Thoughts episode)

FMEP Fellow Peter Beinart is joined by Sari Bashi (Executive Director, Public Committee Against Torture in Israeli) to discuss the dismissal of charges against five Israeli soldiers who were filmed violently abusing a Palestinian detainee in the Sde Teiman facility – as well as the torture of Palestinians in Israeli custody more generally.

The Gulf Countries and the American Security Umbrella – What Comes Next? (Occupied Thoughts episode)

FMEP Fellow Ahmed Moor speaks with analyst Annelle Sheline about the history of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), which includes Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates. They discuss the state of the American “security umbrella” from the perspective of leadership in Qatar and Saudi Arabia and the perspective that American military bases are liabilities. They also look at prospects for greater regional integration due to greater insecurity.

FMEP Legislative Round-Up March 20, 2026 (Lara Friedman)

1. Bills, Resolutions; 2. Letters; 3. Hearings & Markups; 4. Selected Members on the Record; 5. Selected Media & Press releases/Statements

Settlement & Annexation Report: March 20, 2026 (Kristin McCarthy)

1.WEST BANK: New Enclave in Hebron, Officer Invades Area A to Remove Archaeological Artifact, Outpost Demolitions & Hilltop Youth Protest; 2. STATE-BACKED SETTLER TERRORISM; 3. Further Reading

GLOBAL/REGION

Trump rules out ceasefire with Iran, says Israel will agree to end war when he’s ready (TOI 3/20/26)

“US President Donald Trump on Friday ruled out a ceasefire with Iran, as American officials said more US Marines were headed to the Middle East in a possible sign of a coming ground operation three weeks into the war. A possible target for the troops could be Iran’s Kharg Island, with the White House telling AFP the United States could “take out” the vital oil hub at any time if Trump chose. The Axios news outlet reported that Trump was considering an occupation or blockade of the island to pressure Tehran to reopen the crucial Strait of Hormuz.” See also Iranian Officials Say They Have Been Ignoring Witkoff’s Private Requests to Talk (Jeremy Scahill//Drop Site 3/16/26); Jared Kushner Solicits Funds for His Firm While Working as Mideast Envoy (NYT 3/13/26);

On 20th day of war, Netanyahu says Iran can no longer enrich uranium, build missiles (TOI 3/20/26)

“Iran can no longer enrich uranium or manufacture ballistic missiles, said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday. “After 20 days, I can tell you — Iran today has no ability to enrich uranium, and no ability to produce ballistic missiles,” said Netanyahu in Jerusalem, speaking at his first in-person press conference since the launch of the US-Israel campaign against Iran on February 28. “We are continuing to crush these capabilities. We will crush them to dust, to ashes,” he said in a Hebrew statement to open the bilingual press conference. Iran “is weaker than ever” while Israel is a regional power “and some would say a world power,” he says.” See also Netanyahu transcript: ‘We have to be more powerful than the barbarians, or they will crash our gates, destroy our societies’ (TOI 3/20/26); Fragment from downed Iranian missile impacts in Jerusalem’s Old City; (TOI 3/20/26);  Iranian cluster bombs kill Thai worker in Israel, 4 Palestinian women in West Bank (TOI 3/19/26); IDF Data: Over 90 Percent of Iranian Missiles Fired at Israel Have Been Intercepted (Haaretz 3/20/26);

Israel strikes Iran’s South Pars gasfield hours after forces kill intelligence minister (The Guardian 3/18/26)

“Israel struck Iran’s giant South Pars gasfield on Wednesday, marking a major escalation of the war, hours after Israeli forces killed the regime’s intelligence minister and launched some of the most intense airstrikes in Beirut for decades. The attack on the Pars site in the Persian Gulf, which Iran shares with Qatar and constitutes the world’s largest natural gasfield, prompted Tehran to warn neighbouring states that their energy infrastructure could be targeted “within hours”, and triggered furious rebukes from Qatar and other nations in the region.” See also Israel strikes Iran natural gas facility in coordination with U.S. (Axios 3/18/26); Iran says it will show ‘zero restraint’ if energy infrastructure is targeted again (The Guardian 3/19/26); For Iranians, Bombing of Gas Field Worsens Already Dire Energy Crisis (NYT 3/18/26);

Iran expands energy targets beyond Gulf as Red Sea and East Med come into play (Al Monitor 3/19/26)

“Iran is widening the geographic scope of energy strikes as it trades blows with the United States and Israel. On Wednesday and Thursday, Tehran looked beyond its immediate Gulf neighborhood to target infrastructure along the Red Sea and in the eastern Mediterranean — a shift that could further destabilize already strained global energy markets…After initially targeting a select number of oil and gas facilities across Gulf countries during the first two weeks of the war, Iran’s campaign against regional energy infrastructure has intensified and broadened in recent days. The shift came after President Donald Trump announced US strikes on Iran’s Kharg Island export hub last Friday, followed by Israel’s attack on the South Pars gas field on Wednesday. In response, Iran has escalated retaliatory measures, including a major strike on Qatar’s Ras Laffan liquefied natural gas export complex. At the same time, Iran is extending its reach. On Thursday, a drone hit Saudi Arabia’s Samref refinery in the western port city of Yanbu, where the export terminal briefly halted crude loadings, per reports…Meanwhile, an Iranian missile also struck Israel’s Haifa refinery on Thursday, one of the first reported hits on Israeli energy infrastructure during the current conflict.” See also Saudi Arabia reserves right to take military action against Iran, foreign minister says (TOI 3/20/26);

Israel Blew Open an Energy War With Iran That Trump Will Find Hard to Stop (Ben Samuels//Haaretz 3/19/26)

“The past 24 hours in the U.S.–Israel war against Iran marked the most significant escalation for all affected parties since the war’s launch. The conflict, already rapidly redefining the global status quo, has not only threatened to upend global energy markets and shake U.S.–Gulf ties, but also brought the latest public airing of the dirty laundry between Washington and Jerusalem. Israel’s targeting of Iran’s South Pars gas field on Wednesday was a brazen move after it had earlier told the U.S. that it would not target fuel depots or any other energy infrastructure. Iran’s expansion of retaliatory strikes – most crucially on Qatar’s Ras Laffan Industrial City and natural gas facilities vital to the global energy market – is a significant indication that the Iranian regime is willing to match escalation with escalation, and treats the conflict as existential with little interest in an off-ramp. What appeared to be most significant, however, was U.S. President Donald Trump’s first apparent attempt at toning things down in nearly three weeks. Trump forcefully insisted that both the U.S. and Qatar lacked any advance knowledge of Israel’s strike on South Pars. This is despite various reports claiming that the U.S. had advance knowledge and did not block the strike in order to send a message to Iran that efforts to block oil trade via the Strait of Hormuz would not be tolerated…Despite his threats, the clearest message from Trump’s comments was his apparent disapproval of Israel’s actions (even if made retroactively and cynically).” See also After Tehran strikes, Trump says Israel won’t attack Iran gas fields anymore (Axios 3/19/26); Israeli Officials Said U.S. Was Told About South Pars Attack (NYT 3/19/26); Trump Says U.S. and Qatar Not Involved in Strike on Iran’s South Pars Gas Field (NYT 3/19/26);

U.S. Dispatches Marines and Warships to Middle East (NYT 3/20/26)

“About 2,500 additional Marines aboard three warships are heading to the Middle East, U.S. military officials said Friday, as the Trump administration’s war on Iran continued to prompt Iranian retaliatory strikes largely closing the Strait of Hormuz…Marine Expeditionary Units can rapidly put detachments of troops and vehicles on the ground. Keeping a force of them in the region allows commanders to quickly launch small-scale ground operations with infantry Marines.”

As Israel Calls for an Uprising in Iran, Basij Militias Vow to Crush Opposition to the State (Drop Site 3/17/26)

“The Israeli military announced Tuesday that it had carried out an airstrike in Tehran assassinating the commander of the paramilitary Basij force, Gholamreza Soleimani. The Basij, otherwise known as the Basij-e Mostazafin, or “Mobilization of the Oppression” are a volunteer militia operating under the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) that is critical to the Islamic Republic’s internal security and has been blamed for carrying out some of its most extreme domestic oppression. The strike came on the same day Israel assassinated Ali Larijani, the head of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council and a leading political figure in the country…Israel has publicly said these bombings are aimed at provoking a revolution or coup via aerial bombardment…The following dispatch, filed by a reporter in Tehran, features interviews with members of the Basij…If people do rise up against the government inside Iran, the Basij have vowed to forcefully confront anyone they see as supporting the U.S. and Israel.” See also Netanyahu Hopes Strikes on Iran Will Lead to Uprising and Regime Change (NYT 3/18/26); Israel says it killed Iran’s intelligence minister (Axios 3/18/26); Israel kills Iran’s national security chief (Axios 3/17/26); Ali Larijani, Iran’s De Facto Political Leader, Killed by Israel (NYT 3/17/26);

Trump aides foresee Iran endgame divide: “Israel doesn’t hate the chaos” (Axios 3/18/26)

“Several U.S. officials described Trump as the most bullish person in the White House on going to war with Iran. He also appears more aligned with Netanyahu’s maximalist objectives than many of his aides. Officials in Washington, Tel Aviv and Tehran all know any split between the allies could define the outcome of the war…The only clear point of friction over more than two weeks of war came when Israel bombed Iranian oil storage tanks. Stabilizing the global oil market is a bigger priority for the U.S. than for Israel, officials say. The White House asked Israel not to target oil again without a clear green light from Washington. “Israel doesn’t hate the chaos. We do. We want stability. Netanyahu? Not so much, especially in Iran. They hate the Iranian government a lot more than we do,” a White House official said.”

Israel planning massive ground invasion of Lebanon, officials say (Axios 3/13/26)

“Israel is planning to significantly expand its ground operation in Lebanon, aiming to seize the entire area south of the Litani River and dismantle Hezbollah’s military infrastructure, Israeli and U.S. officials say. Why it matters: This could be the largest Israeli ground invasion of its northern neighbor since 2006, dragging Lebanon to the epicenter of the escalating war with Iran. “We are going to do what we did in Gaza,” a senior Israeli official said, referring to the flattening of buildings Israel says Hezbollah uses to store weapons and launch attacks.” See also Israel Intensifies Strikes on Beirut, Targeting Areas Once Considered Safe (NYT 3/18/26); Israel’s plan to expand Lebanon ground campaign fuels fears of prolonged occupation (The Guardian 3/16/26); As Israel prepares to implement the ‘Gaza model’ in Lebanon, where is the international reaction? (Ben Reiff//The Guardian 3/18/26);

Narrow opening: Can Lebanon’s push for talks shift Israel’s war calculus? (Al Monitor 3/20/26)

“Indirect contacts between Israel and Lebanon are ongoing after Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam said Thursday that his government is ready to immediately enter direct negotiations with the Israeli side to end the war. In an interview with CNN, Salam said, “To help put an end to the Lebanese conflict. I would like to reaffirm to President [Donald] Trump our readiness to enter into immediate negotiations.” He called the United States a “strategic partner” and said Trump, “more than anyone else,” could “play a decisive role” in ending the war. Although Israel, for the moment, refuses to halt military operations in southern Lebanon against Hezbollah as rocket and missile strikes continue, sources say Israel is nevertheless leaving the door open to negotiations.” See also Israel faces stiff Hezbollah resistance as it attempts to push deeper into Lebanon (The Guardian 3/18/26);

Dozens of Medical Workers Killed as Israel Hits Lebanon (NYT 3/14/26)

“Since March 2, Israeli airstrikes have killed at least 31 health professionals and wounded 51 others, the Lebanese health ministry said on Saturday. Israel has carried out at least 37 attacks against emergency medical workers, the ministry said. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the director general of the World Health Organization, condemned the attacks on health care workers and said it marked “a tragic development in the escalating Middle East crisis.” The deaths illustrate the conflict’s intensity and the strain on a health system caring for over 2,000 civilians injured since the violence began. Some 826 people have also been killed.” See also Israel Killed Over a Dozen Lebanese Paramedics in Three Days, Now Claiming That Ambulances Are “Hezbollah” Targets (Drop Site 3/16/26)

UK security adviser ‘attended’ US-Iran talks and judged deal was within reach (The Guardian 3/17/26)

“Britain’s national security adviser, Jonathan Powell, attended the final talks between the US and Iran and judged that the offer made by Tehran on its nuclear programme was significant enough to prevent a rush to war, the Guardian can reveal. Powell thought progress had been made in Geneva in late February and that the deal proposed by Iran was “surprising”, according to sources…Powell’s attendance at the Geneva talks, as well as at a previous set of meetings earlier in the month in the Swiss city, helps in part to explain the UK government’s reluctance to back the US attack on Iran, a reluctance that has put the UK-US relationship under unprecedented strain. The UK saw no compelling evidence of an imminent threat of an Iranian missile attack on Europe, or of Iran securing a nuclear weapon. This is the first time it has become clear that Britain was so closely involved in the talks, and so had good reason to decide whether diplomatic options had been exhausted and a US attack was necessary.” See also U.K. Allows U.S. to Use Bases to Hit Iranian Forces Menacing Strait Traffic (NYT 3/20/26); Oman claims Israel pushed US into Iran war when deal was possible (The Guardian 3/19/26);

Trump Officials Bypass Congress to Sell Weapons to U.A.E., Kuwait and Jordan (NYT 3/20/26)

“The Trump administration has declared a wartime emergency to bypass Congress and push through more than $23 billion in weapons sales to allies in the Middle East, the second time since the start of the war with Iran that it has circumvented the normal congressional approval process.”

UN Report Calls 2025 Israeli Strike on Iran’s Evin Prison a War Crime (Haaretz 3/16/26)

‘”We ‌found reasonable grounds to believe that, in carrying out the airstrikes on Evin prison, Israel committed the war crime of intentionally directing attacks against a civilian object…,” Sara Hossain, chair of the Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on Iran, told the UN Human Rights Council. She said 80 people, including one child and eight women, had been killed.”

GAZA

Gaza Aid Reduced by 80 Percent Since Start of Iran War as Food Prices Surge (Haaretz 3/19/26)

“According to figures held by the American-run Civil Military Coordination Center in Kiryat Gat, the number of trucks entering the Gaza Strip has fallen by 80 percent since the war against Iran began…Reports from the Gaza Strip indicate a sharp surge in food prices due to shortages…Hospitals in the Gaza Strip are also reporting shortages in medical supplies.” See also The Israeli-made Disaster in Gaza Is Far From Over – Let All Aid in Before Palestinians Starve (Haaretz 3/19/26);

Trump’s mediators offer Hamas formal proposal to give up its weapons in Gaza (NPR 3/19/26)

“Mediators have given Hamas a formal proposal to lay down its weapons, a senior U.S. official told NPR. The proposal calls for Hamas and all other militant groups in Gaza to hand over all weapons, making an emerging governing authority responsible for all the arms…Nickolay Mladenov, the high representative in Gaza for President Trump’s Board of Peace, said in a social media post the mediators in the conflict agreed to a framework that would lead to reconstruction of Gaza and “a negotiated resolution of the Palestinian question.” “It is now on the table. It requires one clear choice: full decommissioning by Hamas and every armed group, with no exceptions and no carve-outs,” the Bulgarian diplomat, who is a former U.N. Middle East envoy, wrote on X.”

Hamas sits out Iran war as Gaza, Gulf interests take priority (Al Monitor 3/14/26)

“Despite rushing to condemn what it described as Israeli “brutality and savagery” and “American support” for it, Hamas has so far chosen not to join the conflict, other than announcing its backing of the Islamic Republic. The situation in Gaza and internal factors have shaped Hamas’ calculus and informed its decisions on the war still raging in the Gulf. Hamas reiterated this position on Saturday, issuing a strongly worded statement calling on Iran to stop targeting neighboring countries.”

Sandstorm Batters Gaza, Slamming Makeshift Shelters (NYT 3/14/26)

“A sandstorm swept across Gaza on Saturday, slamming tents and other makeshift shelters with forceful gusts in an enclave where most of the population has been displaced by war… Millions of Palestinians have remained without proper housing, living in tents or damaged buildings, since a fragile cease-fire went into effect in October, two years after the deadly Hamas-led attack on Israel ignited the war. About 80 percent of the buildings in Gaza were damaged or destroyed during the war, according to the United Nations. By some estimates, two-thirds of Palestinians in Gaza are living in 1,000 displacement sites across the enclave, which are often overcrowded.”

RIVER TO THE SEA

Israeli police kill two young Palestinian boys and their parents in West Bank (The Guardian 3/15/26)

“Israeli police have killed two young Palestinian brothers and their parents in the occupied West Bank, shooting all four in the head and face as the family returned from a Ramadan shopping trip. Mohammed, five, Othman, seven, who was blind and had special needs, their mother, Waad Bani Odeh, 35, and father, Ali Bani Odeh, 37, were driving through their home town of Tamoun late on Saturday when Israeli forces opened fire. Israeli forces target Palestinians with near total impunity in the occupied West Bank, where the last attack that led to a homicide indictment was a 2019 shooting, according to legal data compiled by the Israeli human rights group Yesh Din…The Bani Odeh family were killed just hours after Israeli settlers shot and killed Amir Moatasem Odeh, 28, in Qusra south of Nablus. The attackers also stabbed his father, Moatasem Awda, who was taken to hospital in serious condition. There has been a surge of Israeli violence against Palestinian civilians in the occupied West Bank since Israel and the US launched their war on Iran at the end of February. Over two weeks Israeli settlers have shot six civilians dead during invasions of Palestinian olive groves, villages and grazing land, and one man died after inhaling military-grade teargas used by the Israeli army.” See also Family Outing in West Bank Ends in Hail of Israeli Gunfire (NYT 3/15/26); With Chilling Composure, an 11-year-old Palestinian Boy Recounts His Family’s Final Moments (Haaretz 3/20/26);

‘I thought we were going to be raped’: A night of settler terror in the Jordan Valley (Oren Ziv//+972 Magazine 3/17/26)

“On the night of March 12, Israeli settlers raided the residential compound of the Abu Al-Kbash family in the Palestinian herding community of Khirbet Humsa in the northern Jordan Valley. They then forced residents and international protective presence activists into a tent, where they were tied up and abused for about an hour. Around 10 adults and seven children were held inside the tent, according to witnesses. The attackers beat them with clubs, poured cold water on them, threatened them, and sexually assaulted one of the residents. Four Palestinians and two international activists were later taken to hospital in the nearby city of Tubas. The attack comes amid escalating violence and displacement in the northern Jordan Valley, where Palestinian herding communities have faced mounting pressure from Israeli settlers and the military. In recent weeks alone, at least four communities in the area have been forced to leave their homes.” See also Palestinian Man Recounts Brutal Sexual Assault by Israeli Settlers (NYT 3/18/26); Israeli Settlers Sexually Assaulted Palestinian Man in Jordan Valley, Witnesses Say (Matan Golan//Haaretz 4/16/26)

How Israel Used the War in Gaza to Accelerate Settlements in the West Bank (Isaac Chotiner interviews Yehuda Shaul//New Yorker 3/14/26)

“Yehuda Shaul: “We see the massive acceleration of the policy of ethnic cleansing in the West Bank that goes beyond the forcible transfer of Palestinian communities to Israeli settlers. The goal in the West Bank is to create a homogenous ethnicity in a space that is being cleansed of Palestinians, and to expand the Israeli footprint there. That’s why I call it ethnic cleansing, and I don’t use this term lightly…We’re talking about more than sixty Palestinian herding-and-farming communities across the West Bank being forcibly displaced by settlers, according to Peace Now and Kerem Navot, because of settler violence in the past several years, mainly after October 7th…For me, the issue is very simple. This idea of squeezing a growing demographic of people into a shrinking territory with the belief that technological superiority will allow you permanent domination is the bubble that exploded on October 7th. If anyone wants to prevent another October 7th, if anyone wants to protect and defend the lives of Israelis and Palestinians, then you must give Palestinians freedom. The security of Jewish self-determination is interlinked and intertwined with achieving Palestinian self-determination. And what’s happening in the West Bank on a daily basis is eroding this possibility. So we are basically heading toward escalation and increasing conflict.” See also UN rights report condemns displacement of Palestinians in West Bank (AP 3/17/26)

Under Cover of War, Israel Speeds Up Seizures of Palestinian Land (Maya Rosen//Jewish Currents 3/19/26)

“Early this year, Israel’s High Court halted a military plan to build a wall that would slice through the northern Jordan Valley, cutting off a vast area of agricultural land, and the thousand Palestinians who live on it, from the rest of the West Bank. Since the start of the new Iran war, the plan is back on. The wall, which the military refers to as the “Crimson Thread,” is part of a larger project aiming to build a 300-mile barrier from the very north of the country in the Golan Heights to the very south by the Red Sea, which would redraw the map of the West Bank with devastating consequences…Under the cover of war, and as missiles fall on Palestinian communities granted no protection, violence has exploded in the northern Jordan Valley, and across the West Bank. “The war with Iran has created distraction and an opportunity for increased settler violence and pressure on Palestinian communities to unfold with less international scrutiny,” said Belal Bani Odeh, a resident of the town of Tammun in the northern Jordan Valley, and a relative of a family murdered near the village by undercover Israeli soldiers on March 15th. According to the Israeli human rights group Yesh Din, there were 170 distinct incidents of settler violence in 85 different Palestinian communities during the first 17 days of the war.” See also Jewish-American woman deported from Israel after witnessing child struck by car in West Bank (JTA 3/16/26);

Under Cover of War, Israel’s Right Pushes to Expand Borders – and Settle Lebanon (Haaretz 3/19/26)

Amid war with Iran, what was once considered a far-fetched initiative has turned into a systematic campaign supported by lawmakers and the right-wing press: expansion of Israel’s northern border as far as the Litani River.”

Exposed from above, silenced from within: Palestinians in wartime Israel (Samah Watad and Baker Zoubi//+972 Magazine 3/19/26)

“Shelters and protected spaces have become a central component of Israel’s civil defense system, especially since October 7 and the subsequent escalations with Iran, which have extended the threat of missile fire to nearly every part of the country. However, in Arab communities — and even in Arab neighborhoods within binational cities — significant gaps remain between the protections provided to Jewish and Palestinian citizens. A new study by two local organizations, Sikkuy–Aufoq and Injaz, reflects the scale of the disparity: Out of 11,775 public shelters nationwide, only 37 are located in Arab localities — roughly 0.3 percent — and eight of those are unusable…This means that hundreds of thousands of Arab citizens (who comprise around 20 percent of Israel’s population) live in communities without public shelters and instead are forced to take cover in interior rooms, hallways, or stairwells — spaces that offer little protection from direct hits or even falling shrapnel. This vulnerability is not only a wartime failure, but the result of decades of discriminatory planning, chronic underinvestment, and policy decisions that have left Arab towns largely outside the state’s protection infrastructure…In this sense, the issue is not simply the shortage of shelters. It is that safety itself has been shaped by systems from which Palestinian citizens were long excluded: land allocation, permitting, and market-driven development.” See also Jewish Calls for Genocide Go Unpunished in Israel. Arab Citizens, Meanwhile, Are Arrested for Talking About Iran (Hadeel Abu Salih//Haaretz 3/19/26)

Wartime closures at Jerusalem holy sites raise fears of lasting shift among Palestinians (Daoud Kuttab//Al Monitor 3/20/26)

“As Ramadan drew to a close and Muslims begin marking Eid al-Fitr, the near-total closure of Jerusalem’s Old City and its holy sites has triggered growing concern among Palestinians — not only over immediate restrictions but over what they see as a deeper shift in control over access to worship. While many religious leaders say they understand the security risks posed by the current US and Israeli conflict with Iran, and the threat of missile attacks, they warn that the sweeping shutdown of sites like Al-Aqsa Mosque and the Church of the Holy Sepulchre risks setting a lasting precedent.” See also ‘The saddest day for Muslim worshippers in Jerusalem’: al-Aqsa mosque closed at Eid (The Guardian 3/20/26); Cops forcefully clear Eid prayers outside Jerusalem’s Old City amid Iran war closure (TOI 3/20/26);

U.S. SCENE

Trump Administration Sues Harvard Over Accusations of Antisemitism (NYT 3/20/26)

“The Trump administration sued Harvard University on Friday over claims that the school was violating the civil rights of Jewish and Israeli people, an escalation of the government’s yearlong clash with the Ivy League university. The administration has spent months investigating Harvard and trying to force a settlement on the university, the largest target in the White House’s campaign to remake American higher education. But the lawsuit Friday — more than six months after a judge blocked the administration’s opening push to strip Harvard of federal research funding — represented a new threat to the nation’s wealthiest university.” See also Dueling letters from Jewish groups dispute prevalence of antisemitism at UCLA (The Forward 3/17/26); UC Jewish community paints disparate pictures of campus antisemitism (LA Times 3/17/26);

Efforts to shut down pro-Palestinian speech face series of setbacks in court (The Guardian 3/19/26)

“Pro-Israel groups have filed hundreds of lawsuits or legal actions in an effort to silence some of this speech, with the vast majority filed since 2023 in response to the protest movement surrounding Israel’s recent war in Gaza. The most important rulings to have come out of these cases, experts say, have found that speech and slogans at the heart of the controversies are protected by the first amendment. A number of the rulings also state that the speech at issue is not antisemitic and does not violate the civil rights of Jewish students. Together, those decisions are delivering a blow to pro-Israel groups’ legal campaign to shut down protests and criticism of Israel through the courts. “The courts have said, ‘We agree, this is first amendment protected speech,” said Radhika Sainath, an attorney with Palestine Legal, which filed briefs in many of the cases. That, she continued, has resulted in “wins for Palestinian rights because they are starting to create a body of law”…Along with first amendment experts from the American Civil Liberties Union, New York Civil Liberties Union, Palestine Legal and a former US attorney, the Guardian reviewed key rulings issued through the end of 2025 that the experts said are shaping legal precedent.” See also In antisemitism settlement, UC Berkeley agrees bans on Zionists ‘can violate university rules’ (JTA 3/20/26)

Democratic voter support for Israel plummets to historic low (The Forward 3/16/26)

“Support for Israel among Democratic voters has plummeted by more than half over the past three years, with only 13% of Democrats now expressing a positive view of Israel while 57% hold a negative view, according to a new NBC News poll. The numbers mark a stunning shift since the immediate aftermath of the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attack against Israel, when Democrats were evenly split in their outlook toward Israel: one-third had a favorable view, one-third had a negative view and one-third were neutral. They reflect a broader softening of support for Israel among all voters, including Republicans, though the most dramatic movement has taken place among Democrats, independents and younger Americans…Overall, the NBC poll found that American voters overall are about evenly split in sympathy for Israelis and Palestinians — 40% to 39%. But that marks a dramatic shift compared to 2013, when only 13% of voters sympathized with the Palestinians.” See also Jewish progressive prevails in closely watched Illinois primary, blasting AIPAC in victory speech (JTA 3/18/26); Illinois Results: Daniel Biss Beats Kat Abughazaleh in Blow to Left and AIPAC Alike (The Intercept 3/17/26); AIPAC spends $20M in Illinois, boosting Israel’s critics and spending against a Jewish leader (JTA 3/16/26);

Trump ramps up press pressure over Iran war coverage (Axios 3/17/26)

“The Trump administration is ramping up its attacks on the press as it struggles to control its messaging about the war in Iran. The big picture: History suggests that when press freedoms are targeted during times of war, they’re rarely reinstated. The big picture: Over the past few weeks, the administration has threatened news outlets with regulatory retaliation and blocked access over their coverage of the war with Iran. FCC chair Brendan Carr on Saturday threatened to revoke broadcast licenses if war coverage did not “operate in the public interest.” His comments came shortly after the president criticized the press on Truth Social for its coverage, alleging the media “actually want us to lose the War.”’ See also The Pentagon wants an extra $200 billion for the Iran war and beyond (NPR 3/19/26); See also FBI and IRS to investigate nonprofit groups for domestic terrorism links, sources say (CBS News 3/18/26)

Joe Kent, a Top U.S. Counterterrorism Official, Resigns Over the Iran War (NYT 3/17/26)

“One of the United States’ top counterterrorism officials resigned on Tuesday, citing his opposition to the war in Iran and what he said was Israel’s influence over the Trump administration’s policies, a sign of emerging divisions in the Republican coalition. The official, Joe Kent, is the first senior member of the administration to quit over the war…“I cannot in good conscience support the ongoing war in Iran,” Mr. Kent, the director of the National Counterterrorism Center, wrote in a letter to Mr. Trump. “Iran posed no imminent threat to our nation, and it is clear that we started this war due to pressure from Israel and its powerful American lobby.”’ See also Joe Kent, now under investigation, insinuates to Tucker Carlson that Israel might have killed Charlie Kirk to stoke Iran war (JTA 3/19/26)

PERSPECTIVES//LONG READS

These aren’t AI firms, they’re defense contractors. We can’t let them hide behind their models (Avner Gvaryahu//The Guardian 3/15/26)

“Gaza was the laboratory. Minab is the market. The result is a world in which the most consequential targeting decisions in modern warfare are made by systems that cannot explain themselves, supplied by companies that answer to no one, in conflicts that generate no accountability and no reckoning. That is not a failure of the system. That is the system….When reported verification times for AI-assisted targets are measured in seconds, we are no longer talking about human judgment with algorithmic assistance. We are talking about rubber-stamping a machine’s output. And when that machine’s data is a decade out of date, the consequences are written in rows of small coffins.”

Longing for My Tehran (Orly Noy//NYRB 3/14/26)

“Watching Israeli news channels has become unbearable. Support for the war is wall-to-wall; I have not seen a single journalist ask why this latest attack was necessary when only nine months ago, at the end of the last war with Iran, Benjamin Netanyahu declared that Israel had achieved a “historic victory that will stand for generations.” The Zionist opposition parties have also lined up in favor: their leader in the Knesset, Yair Lapid, tweeted that for now “there is no coalition and opposition—there is only one people and one IDF, and we all stand behind it.” Yair Golan, the head of the Democrats party and supposedly the leftmost figure on the Zionist political spectrum, also expressed his support: “The IDF and the security forces are operating with strength and professionalism; they have our full backing.” The police, which have been operating in the spirit of Itamar Ben-Gvir since the Kahanist minister assumed control of the Ministry of National Security, have violently dispersed the few small antiwar demonstrations that have taken place…Throughout my many years as a political activist, I have grown accustomed to feeling anger at Israeli society. But now it does not anger me—it frightens me.”

This Magazine Is Unapologetically Palestinian – and Entirely in Hebrew (Haaretz 3/17/26)

“Sabra magazine could easily confuse anyone. The Hebrew-language online publication takes its name from a word that most Jews immediately associate with Zionism and being born and raised as Israeli, yet the magazine’s writers and subject matter are almost entirely Palestinian…The magazine is clear about its mission on its homepage: “Sabra is an independent, nonprofit and non-partisan Palestinian magazine, committed to the values of human rights and to the professional and ethical standards of journalism. The magazine is also committed to the rights of the Palestinian people, to ending the occupation, to full equality for Palestinian citizens, and to the right of return.”…Journalist and activist Mariam Farah is the site’s editor-in-chief…”We felt there was a need to speak directly with Israeli society. Let’s tell our own story in Hebrew. So that people will understand us without assumptions, even in the language itself. Simply the truth. Not some translation of the truth, and not someone explaining the truth. This is our truth, and we are the ones telling it.”’

Joe Kent’s Resignation Letter Is Dangerous Because It’s Half True (Michelle Goldberg//NYT 3/18/26)

“Given Israel’s deep involvement in almost every aspect of this war, it takes care and subtlety — both in short supply in our politics — to tease out the difference between reality and conspiracy theory. A major distortion in Kent’s letter is that it presents Trump as a naïve victim of the Israelis rather than an eager collaborator…Still, Israel clearly encouraged him and now threatens to prolong the war, since unlike Trump, it seems determined to destroy the Iranian state.”

1. New from FMEP

2. Global/Region

3. Gaza

4. River to the Sea

5. U.S. Scene

6. Perspectives//Long Reads

NEW FROM FMEP

The Escalating Drive Toward Greater Israel – a View from Ramallah (Occupied Thoughts podcast)

FMEP President Lara Friedman speaks with Ramallah-based Palestinian journalist/analyst/commentator Nour Odeh. They discuss the situation in the West Bank today; trends in West Bank settler and IDF terror and ethnic cleansing dating from before 10/7/23, escalating through 2.5 years of genocide, and now escalating again during the Israeli-U.S. war on Iran; the situation in Jerusalem and the Haram al-Sharif; the implementation of Israel’s Gaza playbook in Lebanon and Iran; the role of the international community; the state of Palestinian domestic politics and the national movement for Palestinian rights and self-determination; and how all of this is playing out with respect to grassroots attitudes and activism around the globe.

Iran, Gaza and accountability (Occupied Thoughts podcast)

FMEP Fellow Ahmed Moor speaks with Ben Rhodes, former Deputy National Security Advisor to President Obama, about the US & Israel’s attack on Iran and the subsequent war. They look at the role that Israel is playing in American decisions around this war as well as the relationship that Zionism and other ideologies and points of view play or can play in American foreign policy decision-making more broadly. They also address the idea of American exceptionalism, the need for and absence of accountability in American wars, and the ways that American coercive behavior overseas — including narratives, technology, tactics, and even equipment — is currently being deployed on the domestic population of the US.

FMEP Legislative Round-Up March 13, 2026 (Lara Friedman)

1. Bills, Resolutions; 2. Letters; 3. Hearings & Markups; 4. Selected Members on the Record; 5. Selected Media & Press releases/Statements

Settlement & Annexation Report: March 13, 2026 (Kristin McCarthy)

WEST BANK: Mount Ebal, Sha’arei Tikva Expansion, Court Rejects One “Relocation” Plan; 2. SETTLER & STATE TERRORISM; 3. Further Reading

GLOBAL/REGION

War on Iran (Drop Site 3/13/26)

U.S. and Israeli airstrikes pound Iran for the fourteenth day: A series of heavy airstrikes hit areas in and around Tehran on Friday, and blasts were heard in several neighborhoods…One strike hit near a large rally in the capital where thousands gathered for the annual Quds Day (Jerusalem Day) demonstration, a state-organized rally in support of Palestinians. The rally took place despite the Israeli military issuing an earlier warning on its Farsi-language X account for people to evacuate the area…Casualty count: At least 1,444 people have been killed and 18,551 injured in US-Israeli attacks on Iran since the war began on February 28, according to Iran’s Health Ministry. Iranian Red Crescent says over 21,700 civilian sites hit during war: The head of the Iranian Red Crescent said more than 21,720 civilian sites have been targeted during attacks on the country by the U.S. and Israel, including 17,353 residential units, 4,122 commercial properties, and 160 medical centers. The organization also said 69 schools and 16 Red Crescent branches were struck, and that 21 rescue vehicles and 19 ambulances were targeted.” See also UN: 3.2 million displaced in Iran (DropSite 3/12/26); Rescue Efforts in Tehran After a Triple Strike Hit Apartment Buildings, Killing 40 (Drop Site 3/11/26); ‘Nothing Will Remain of Tehran,’ Iranians Say Amid Heavy Bombing (NYT 3/10/26); Iranian school was on U.S. target list, may have been mistaken as military site (WaPo 3/11/26);

Record pace of strikes in Iran bombing campaign: analysis (Airwars 3/6/26)

“The first days of bombing in Iran saw far more sites targeted than any recent U.S. or Israeli military campaign, an Airwars analysis has found. By comparing publicly released targeting figures from both the U.S. and Israeli militaries with historic data, the analysis found the initial days of the campaign hit significantly more targets per day than any campaign in recent decades. Even in the opening days of Israel’s unprecedented bombardment on Gaza after October 7th, it appears that around half the number of targets were hit compared to the first days in Iran.”

Netanyahu says he doesn’t know if Iranians will oust regime, threatens new supreme leader (TOI 3/13/26)

“Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu admitted Thursday that he was not certain that the Iranian people would bring down the Islamic Republic once Israel and the US create the conditions for them to do so…Asked whether Israel would go after Khamenei’s son and successor, Mojtaba Khamenei, Netanyahu replied: “I wouldn’t take out a life insurance policy on any of the leaders of the terror organizations.” He dismissed the younger Khamenei as a “puppet” of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps who “cannot show his face in public.” The new supreme leader, who has not appeared in public since the start of the war, is thought to have been wounded in an airstrike. On Thursday, Iran’s state media read out a defiant statement attributed to Mojtaba Khamenei — purportedly his first statement since being named supreme leader on Sunday — but he has not been seen or heard since the war started.” See also After urging Iranians to rise up against regime, Trump admits overthrow a ‘very big hurdle’ (TOI 3/13/26); Trump calls Iran leaders ‘deranged scumbags’ as Middle East violence spirals (The Guardian 3/13/26); Trump says Iran war is ‘very complete, pretty much’ as economic toll rises (The Guardian 3/9/26); Vague and contradictory Trump says Iran war ‘won’, but not ‘won enough’ (The Guardian 3/9/26); We attacked Iran with no clear plan for regime change, Israeli security sources say (The Guardian 3/12/26); Top Iranian nuclear scientists killed, Israel says (The Guardian 3/12/26); Exclusive: US intelligence says Iran government is not at risk of collapse, say sources (Reuters 3/11/26); US responsible for deadly missile strike on Iran school, preliminary inquiry says (The Guardian 3/11/26); U.S. weighs sending special forces to seize Iran’s nuclear stockpile (Axios 3/7/26);

Middle East war creating ‘largest supply disruption in the history of oil markets’ (The Guardian 3/12/26)

“Oil markets are facing the “largest supply disruption in history” as the war in Iran continues to block tankers from shipping millions of barrels of crude each day, the world energy watchdog has warned. The International Energy Agency (IEA) said the supply shock ignited by Iran’s effective blockade of the strait of Hormuz meant the world faced a deeper crisis than after the Yom Kippur war of 1973 and the 2022 outbreak of war in Ukraine. In an attempt to calm concerns over oil supplies, the IEA ordered the largest release of government reserves in its history on Wednesday, when its 32 members unanimously agreed to release 400m barrels of emergency crude. In addition, the US agreed to release 172m barrels of crude oil from its strategic petroleum reserve, in the boldest attempt yet by the White House to bring down oil prices. Before this week, there have only been four other coordinated releases of strategic supplies since the IEA’s founding in 1974, underlining the seriousness of the current crisis.” See also Iran escalates attacks on infrastructure and transport networks across the Gulf (The Guardian 3/11/26); ‘Severe water stress’: why desalination plants are the Gulf’s greatest weakness (The Guardian 3/11/26); Turkey Says NATO Defenses Shot Down a Third Iranian Missile (NYT 3/13/26);

‘Dark, like our future’: Iranians describe scenes of catastrophe after Tehran’s oil depots bombed (The Guardian 3/8/26)

“Thick black smoke was still rising in the sky, soot covered the streets and cars, balconies filled with black gunk, and the toxic air had filled the lungs as Tehran woke up after a night of airstrikes on the city’s oil depots on Sunday. In messages and voice notes sent to the Guardian, people described the situation in their homes and on the streets, some calling it “apocalyptic”. With the sun blotted out, disoriented people in Iran’s capital had to turn on their lights to see through the gloom. Four oil depots and a petroleum logistics site in and around Tehran were hit. Local authorities said six people were killed and 20 wounded at one of the sites…As rain poured down on the city of 10 million people on Sunday morning, authorities warned of toxic acid rain and many residents woke up with pain in their throat and eyes burning.” See also Bombing of Iran’s oil infrastructure to have major environmental fallout, experts warn (The Guardian 3/10/26); In Tehran, Iranians Struggle to Breathe After Israeli Oil Facility Strikes (Drop Site 3/10/26);

Scoop: U.S. asks Israel to halt strikes on Iran’s energy infrastructure (Axios 3/10/26)

“The Trump administration asked Israel on Monday not to carry out further strikes on energy facilities in Iran, particularly oil infrastructure, according to three sources familiar with the matter…The Israeli strikes blanketed Tehran — a city of 10 million — in toxic black smoke and acid rain, raising urgent health warnings for ordinary Iranians.” See also Scoop: U.S. dismayed by Israel’s Iran fuel strikes, sources say (Axios 3/8/26);

Why the Iran war has caught Gulf states in a bind (Hind Al-Ansari//+972 Magazine 3/12/26)

“Since the war’s outbreak, Iranian drones and missiles have killed at least 17 people in the Gulf and wounded dozens. Several oil and gas facilities have also been struck, including storage tanks in Oman’s Salalah Port — the country’s largest — where thick black smoke billowed into the sky on Tuesday afternoon…For GCC [Gulf Cooperation Council] states, this war exposed a paradox they have long understood but dreaded confronting: Decades of dependence on the United States as their main security guarantor, at astronomical financial costs, does not insulate them from the consequences of American military decisions. On the contrary, it turns them into direct targets for U.S. adversaries, while Israeli strategic interests take precedence over their security concerns. At the same time, a verbal confrontation with U.S. President Donald Trump and his administration, especially given its unpredictability, could lead to significant political and domestic implications that may harm their national interests in the long run: compromising strategically established networks in Washington, and, without a clear post-war plan, inflaming domestic attitudes against the United States even further.” See also Civilians Killed by Strikes in Gulf States Are Almost All Migrant Workers (NYT 3/10/26);

Spain recalls Israel ambassador, calls Iran war ‘flagrant illegality’: What to know (Al Monitor 3/11/26)

“Spain has recalled its ambassador to Israel to Madrid, the official state gazette announced Wednesday — a move that effectively downgrades diplomatic relations between the two countries. The decision comes as Madrid has been forcefully pushing back against the US-Israeli attacks in Iran. “This war was not provoked by Spain. It was a war driven unilaterally by two nations,” Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez told El Diario Wednesday. “We are not going to resolve the situation of instability in the Middle East with such a flagrant illegality.”…Over the past decade, Spain has emerged as one of Israel’s most vocal critics within the European Union, alongside Ireland. That stance has become more pronounced under Sanchez, who hails from the Spanish Socialist Workers’ Party and has been in office since 2018.”

Israel’s renewed war on Lebanon is about more than just Hezbollah (Elia Ayoub//+972 Magazine 3/11/26)

“At the time of writing, Israel’s attacks in Lebanon have killed 570 people, wounded over 1,400, and displaced close to 800,000…Even before October 7, officials were openly threatening Lebanon…Such statements have been accompanied by increasingly bold moves by Israel’s settler movement. For Lebanese watching events across the border, the idea that parts of their country could one day be annexed or settled by Israel no longer sounds like fringe discourse. A few weeks before this escalation, Israeli settlers — including children — crossed into southern Lebanon under Israeli military protection, planted trees, and returned to Israel, repeating a feat they first attempted in December 2024. And earlier this year, Israeli aircraft sprayed glyphosate, a chemical used to destroy vegetation, over farmland in southern Lebanon. For many Lebanese familiar with footage of Israeli settlers in the West Bank destroying Palestinian olive trees and even killing farm animals, the parallels have been difficult to ignore. Practices long associated with the expansion of settlements into Palestinian territory appear to be edging northward…Hezbollah is currently facing criticism from much of the Lebanese public over its decision to join the war following the assassination of Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. Yet this backlash should not be mistaken for the beginning of the party’s disintegration. The underlying source of its support remains unchanged: Southern Lebanon has no conventional means of defending itself against Israel…Israel continues to strike Lebanon with near impunity while the Lebanese army remains unable to intervene decisively. The people of southern Lebanon are essentially being told by Israel and the United States to accept their fate.” See also Israeli Leaflets Over Beirut Invoke Gaza’s Destruction and Stoke Fear (NYT 3/13/26); Lebanon asks U.S. for direct peace talks with Israel to end fighting (Axios 3/9/26);

Israel strikes Beirut and orders south Lebanon evacuation as conflict mounts (The Guardian 3/12/26)

“Israel issued a sweeping new displacement order for southern Lebanon, instructing residents up to 25 miles away from their border to head north, and striking the centre of Beirut in a sharp escalation of its fight with Hezbollah.” See also IDF Fire Kills 773 in Lebanon Since War Began, Health Officials Say; Two Wounded in Northern Israel (Haaretz 3/13/26); Israel kills dozens in Lebanon after failed mission to find pilot’s remains (The Guardian 3/7/26); Middle East crisis live: More than 100 children killed by Israeli strikes in Lebanon, health ministry says (The Guardian 3/13/26); Israel Strikes Central Beirut, Expanding Conflict Zone (NYT 3/12/26);

Iran Weighs Tactical Shift in Persian Gulf Strikes While Intensifying Attacks on Israel (Jeremy Scahill//Drop Site 3/9/26)

“Iran is considering reducing its strikes in most Arab nations that house U.S. military bases while expanding attacks against Israel, a senior Iranian official told Drop Site. Iran’s political and military leaders believe their ballistic missile and drone operations targeting U.S. bases and infrastructure have largely achieved their intended aim of degrading major radar systems and depleting stockpiles of interceptors, said the official, who requested anonymity because he is not authorized to discuss internal deliberations.” See also Iran’s new supreme leader vows revenge on U.S., Israel (Axios 3/12/26); Hackers join U.S. and Israel’s fight with Iran (Axios 3/11/26); Iran-linked group says it hacked US company in retaliation for Minab school bombing (The Guardian 3/12/26); Iran’s Mojtaba Khamenei Vows Strait of Hormuz Closure, Attacks on U.S. Mideast Bases (Haaretz 3/12/26); Iranian cluster bombs cause damage but no injuries at multiple sites in central Israel (TOI 3/13/26); Iran Has Fired Widely Banned Cluster Munitions at Israel (NYT 3/11/26)

GAZA

The war is between Israel and Iran. Why should people in Gaza pay the price?’ (Ahmed Dremly & Ibtisam Mahdi//+972 Magazine 3/10/26)

“News that Israel had closed Gaza’s border crossings for “security reasons” immediately after launching strikes on Iran spread rapidly across the Strip on social media. For many residents, the announcement triggered fears of an immediate spike in food prices, especially given the already limited quantities of aid and commercial goods entering Gaza since the ceasefire…The consequences of the border closures extend beyond rising food prices: for the more than 18,000 patients in Gaza awaiting medical evacuation, including around 4,000 children, each delay can mean a slow and painful deterioration, if not a death sentence…Since the start of the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran, Israeli forces have killed 14 Palestinians in Gaza — bringing the total number of casualties since the October ceasefire to 648, according to Gaza’s health authorities…For many Gazans, these attacks have revived fears that Israel could renew a large-scale assault on the Strip, with U.S. President Donald Trump’s peace plan now reportedly stalled due to the outbreak of war.” See also Seven Palestinians Killed in Sunday IDF Strikes, Including Two Women and Two Girls, Health Ministry Says (Haaretz 3/9/26);

Israeli-backed Palestinian militias step up operations against Hamas in Gaza (The Guardian 3/13/26)

“Pro-Israel Palestinian militia have launched repeated raids, clandestine assassination and abduction operations deep inside parts of Gaza controlled by Hamas in recent months, with new operations launched recently despite the outbreak of conflict with Iran. The militia, which are all based in eastern parts of Gaza that are under Israeli control after a ceasefire came into effect in October, have received significant logistic support from Israel since last year but appear to have increased their firepower, allowing new and more aggressive attacks in recent weeks. Israeli strikes in Gaza, which had averaged around 10 a day across the devastated territory over the last five months, have continued even as Israeli jets carry out bombing campaigns in Iran and Lebanon.”

Israeli military drops charges against soldiers accused of Gaza detainee abuse (The Guardian 3/12/26)

Israel’s top military lawyer has dropped all charges against five soldiers accused of the violent abuse and rape of a Palestinian detainee from Gaza. The military advocate general, Itay Offir, said prosecutors lacked key evidence after the victim was sent back to Gaza, and that the conduct of senior officials had affected the chance of holding a fair trial. Medical records show the detainee was taken to hospital in the summer of 2024 with injuries including broken ribs, a punctured lung and rectal damage, according to Israeli media reports on the indictment. The detainee had been held at the Sde Teiman military detention centre, which has become notorious for torture. After the first arrests of Israeli soldiers in connection with the attack, a far-right mob including a minister and lawmakers broke into the base demanding the men’s release. Israeli media broadcast a video of the attack soon after. Offir’s predecessor has been arrested on suspicion of authorising the leak, in an apparent attempt to defuse anger about the arrests and refute claims the men had been unfairly charged…Israel’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, welcomed the decision to drop charges, saying it was unacceptable it had taken so long and describing the men as “heroic warriors”. Rights groups said the decision raised serious questions about the rule of law in Israel and accountability for abuse and killing of Palestinians during what a UN commission has called a genocidal war. Sari Bashi, the executive director of the rights group Public Committee Against Torture in Israel, said: “Israel’s military attorney general just gave his soldiers licence to rape, so long as the victim is Palestinian. “[The decision] is the latest in a long line of actions that whitewash abuses against detainees whose frequency and severity have worsened since 7 October 2023.”’ See also A Message to All IDF Soldiers: You May Rampage, Assault and Abuse, and You Will Never Be Punished (Haaretz Editorial 3/12/26);

RIVER TO THE SEA

Four dead in 24 hours: Israeli settler terror intensifies amid Iran war (Oren Ziv & Basel Adra//+972 Magazine 3/9/26)

“Four Palestinians were killed in two separate villages in the occupied West Bank this weekend, as Israeli settlers continue to ramp up their attacks amid the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran. Three of the victims were shot dead by settlers, while a fourth died of cardiac arrest after Israeli soldiers fired tear gas in the aftermath of one of the shootings. These two fatal attacks followed another last week, when settlers shot dead two residents of the village of Qaryut, near Nablus, on March 2. The Israeli army has imposed a total closure on the West Bank since the start of the Iran war, shutting checkpoints and gates across the territory and restricting Palestinian movement between different districts, as settlers roam freely.” See also Israelis kill three in West Bank village as violence surges across occupied Palestine (The Guardian 3/8/26); Israeli Settlers Raid West Bank Community, Attack Palestinians, Steal Sheep, Witnesses Say (Haaretz 3/13/26); WATCH: Israeli Settlers and ultra-Orthodox Reservists Force West Bank Shepherds to Flee (Haaretz 3/13/26); Centralized, Coordinated, Brazen: The Dangerous Transformation of the Hilltop Youth (Haaretz 3/5/26); Several Palestinians injured in apparent settler attacks on multiple West Bank villages (TOI 3/13/26); Settlers said to graffiti and try to torch West Bank mosque; entrance damaged (TOI 3/12/26);

Ben Gvir significantly widens gun license eligibility for Jewish Jerusalemites (TOI 3/9/26)

“National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir cleared an additional 41 Jerusalem neighborhoods for personal firearms licenses Monday, meaning more than 300,000 Jewish residents will be eligible to obtain a gun based solely on their place of residence. The move in practice extended blanket eligibility for a gun license to almost all Jewish residents of Jerusalem, regardless of whether they are, or have been, a member of Israel’s security forces. The far-right minister touted the move to expand civilian access to firearms in a charged statement, saying it carries significance not only amid ongoing war with Iran, but due to the Islamic holy month of Ramadan. “Precisely in the shadow of the war and during Ramadan, Jerusalem residents have a basic right to defend themselves and their families,” Ben Gvir said, calling on those living in the newly-approved neighborhoods to go and obtain a gun license.”

‘Our coverage is not truthful’: How Israel is censoring reporting on the war (Oren Ziv//+972 Magazine 3/13/26)

“Since the start of the war with Iran, the Israeli military has imposed strict censorship regulations on local and international media outlets operating inside the country, severely impeding journalists’ ability to cover the situation on the ground. Reporters and networks are prohibited from publishing the precise location of Iranian missile impacts, or even filming or photographing the extent of the damage in a way that could give away the location — restrictions designed, in the words of the army’s chief censor Col. Netanel Kula, “to prevent assistance to the enemy during wartime.”…The police have already detained several journalists it deemed to be violating these censorship regulations…Several senior staff members in international media organizations operating in Israel told +972 that the censor’s restrictions have made it difficult to maintain normal reporting routines.” See also I Protested the Iran War – Israeli Police Beat, Arrested and Strip-searched Me (Haaretz 3/7/26); Drawn Weapons, Attack Dogs: Ben-Gvir Joins Televised Police Raid on Suspect Who Graffitied a Palestinian Flag (Haaretz 3/12/26);

The Danger of Being a Palestinian Citizen of Israel (Mairav Zonszein//NYT 3/8/26)

“A Palestinian citizen of Israel has been killed at least once every day on average since the year began…Palestinian citizens account for about 80 percent of documented murders in the country although they make up only about 20 percent of the population…Palestinian citizens of Israel are everywhere and yet nowhere. They account for at least 25 percent of the country’s physicians, 49 percent of its pharmacists and 27 percent of its hospital nurses. They are bus drivers, waiters, teachers and professors. Jewish Israelis come into contact with them all the time. Yet Palestinian Israelis live with deep-seated segregation and institutional inequalities when it comes to basic rights, services, housing, security and the economy. That has enabled organized crime groups to step into the vacuum, taking advantage of Palestinian communities…The crime epidemic is believed to be largely driven by a network of Palestinian Israeli crime families that the state has long failed to rein in. These families engage in protection rackets, loan sharking and arms and drug trafficking across Palestinian cities and towns in Israel…“There is an understanding that they are trying to push us to leave the country,” Aida Touma-Suleiman, a Palestinian Israeli member of the Knesset, told me. “If in the West Bank the state uses settlers to ethnically cleanse Palestinians, inside Israel they are using organized crime groups.”’

Israelis and Americans Have Wildly Different Opinions on the Iran War. Does It Matter? (Dahlia Scheindlin//Haaretz 3/10/26)

“The U.S.-Israeli war effort against Iran appears to have tightened the world’s tightest international partnership among its political and military elites. But public opinion surveys show the two societies view this war very differently. During the first week of the war, polls from the Israel Democracy Institute and the Institute for National Security Studies have found that over 90 percent of Jewish Israelis support it. The very low level of support among Arab Palestinian citizens brings the national average of support down to just over 80 percent…Americans, by contrast, have been asking themselves just why America is going to war, and the lack of clear answers has left the majority skeptical. A poll by NPR, PBS news and Marist last week (March 2-4) found that 56 percent of Americans were against the U.S. military action in Iran (as per the question wording), with just 44 percent for it…The basic contrast – near-consensus support among the Jewish population in Israel versus majority American opposition – isn’t entirely mysterious. For Americans…Iran was just one more foreign policy issue they could choose to think about or not. By contrast, Israelis live with Iran, which arms and funds violent actors attacking Israel from its perimeters. Iran looms larger than almost anything in Netanyahu’s rhetoric and his leadership. After the Hamas attack of October 7, Israeli Jews became more convinced than ever that Iran is the biggest and perhaps exclusive threat facing them (and the world). In the Israeli view, diplomacy is for amateurs and bleeding hearts – the only solution is war.”

U.S. SCENE

Trump gives longest interview since war began, says ‘we have to wipe out the evil’ (Haaretz 3/13/26)

“President Donald Trump gave his longest interview since the start of the war in a conversation with social media influencer Jake Paul, discussing military actions, negotiations, and Israel’s security…Trump said, “I think I have tremendous support on this. I have the best poll numbers I’ve ever had now.”’ See also Unlike Past U.S. Conflicts, Iran Attack Is Opposed by Most Americans (NYT 3/10/26); NEW POLL: Majority of Americans Believe Trump Launched Iran War to Cover Up Epstein Scandal (Ryan Grim//Drop Site 3/11/26)

Michigan synagogue attacker’s relatives killed in Israeli airstrike in Lebanon, officials say (CNN 3/13/26)

“A week before Thursday’s attack on a Michigan synagogue, the suspect’s two brothers and two of their children were killed in an Israeli airstrike in Lebanon, the mayor of the Lebanese village where they lived told CNN. The Department of Homeland Security said that Ayman Mohamad Ghazali, 41, drove a vehicle laden with explosives into Temple Israel in West Bloomfield Township near Detroit. It then caught fire, in what the FBI called a “targeted act of violence against the Jewish community.” The FBI said the agency is continuing to investigate the attack. Ghazali was killed after security officers for the synagogue engaged him and “neutralized the threat,” West Bloomfield Police Chief Dale Young said Thursday. One security officer was hurt in the attack, and at least 30 law enforcement officers were treated for smoke inhalation, authorities said.”

Israel and the US are fighting Iran together. Are they on the same page though? (Yousef Munayyer//The Guardian 3/12/26)

“When the US and Israel launched an attack on Iran to start a war that is now entering its third week, it was the start of something unprecedented; the first joint Israeli-American war…his Israeli-American war on Iran is deeply coordinated at the operational level between both belligerents day in and day out. That is precisely why clear, shared objectives between Washington and Tel Aviv will be crucial for the US to exit this war with a political victory and not just the tab for tons of destruction across the region with little significant change. Much of what we have seen so far suggests strongly that that is not the case; Israel and the US have different goals here, if they even really know what their goals are, and because of this no clear endgame can be envisioned even as the costs of the war mount…The differences between what Trump and Netanyahu want out of this war are increasingly starting to show and complicating how, when and on what terms it will end…Trump was hoping for a quick, low-cost “victory”. Netanyahu needs something different. This was Netanyahu’s decades-long dream: to get into war with Iran, and, now with US support, he hopes to topple the regime and install an Israeli-American client dictator.” See also Trump to Times of Israel: It’ll be a ‘mutual’ decision with Netanyahu regarding when Iran war ends (TOI 3/9/26);

Renowned Palestinian historian Walid Khalidi dies aged 100 (Middle East Eye 3/9/26)

“Renowned Palestinian historian Walid Khalidi has died aged 100 after a decades-long scholarship focused on the history and displacement of the Palestinian people. The Institute for Palestine Studies (IPS) – a research and publication centre focused on the Palestinian plight that Khalidi co-founded in Beirut in 1963 – said he died in Cambridge, Massachusetts in the US on Sunday.  Khalidi was a leading figure in documenting Palestinian society before the Nakba – the “catastrophe” of 1948, when Zionist militias ethnically cleansed Palestinians from their homeland to pave the way for the creation of Israel. Under his guidance, the institute produced significant studies, including translations between Hebrew, Arabic and English, and it remains a major resource on Palestinian history…Khalidi’s work revealed much previously hidden about the takeover and expulsion of Palestinians, including Plan Dalet, the 1948 master plan that guided the occupation of Palestinian land. His encyclopedic collections, including photographs and village records, provide rare insights into pre-1948 Palestine. Notable works include Before Their Diaspora: A Photographic History of the Palestinians and All That Remains: The Palestinian Villages Occupied and Depopulated by Israel in 1948.” See also In Memoriam: Walid Khalidi (Mouin Rabbani//Jadaliyya 3/9/26); The Passing of Walid Khalidi, Co-Founder and Honorary President of the Institute for Palestine Studies (1925–2026) (IPS 3/8/26); Walid Khalidi, Scholar Called Father of Palestinian Studies, Dies at 100 (NYT 3/12/26)

AIPAC’s Attack on the Liberal Zionists (Alex Kane//Jewish Currents 3/11/26)

“Why is AIPAC using its resources to attack liberal Zionists, particularly in races where they face opponents farther to their left?…Political observers say AIPAC is focusing their money on liberal Democrats because they are going after the candidates thought to be the front-runners in their districts, and because the liberals increasingly support conditions on aid to Israel, a position that AIPAC sees as anathema.”

PERSPECTIVES//LONG READS

The Iran War Is a Disaster for Gaza (Mohamed Mhawish//The Nation 3/9/26)

“As Gulf states deepen their security dependence on Washington and expand economic and technological ties with Israel under the normalization frameworks that emerged over the past decade, their strategic incentives increasingly lie in maintaining those arrangements rather than disrupting them over Gaza. In that configuration, the Palestinian question becomes something to defer rather than confront. The political pressure that Arab governments once applied on Gaza, however inconsistently, was always contingent on their own strategic autonomy and their ability to balance relations with multiple regional actors. That autonomy is now being traded—voluntarily and with urgency—for security guarantees in the face of Iran’s retaliation. Gaza is what gets left off the table when that trade is made. Equally important is who and what fills that vacuum. The Trump administration’s peace plan for Gaza—which conditions any political process on Hamas’s disarmament, contains no defined sovereignty path, and was designed as a set of preconditions rather than a framework open to negotiation—is now the only framework on the future of the Strip with active US support. The international actors who might have pushed back—European governments, UN agencies, Arab states—are either impacted by the regional crisis, institutionally sidelined, complicit in Gaza’s destruction, or all of the above. One of the most consequential political effects of the Iran War is the closure of the diplomatic space around Gaza at exactly the moment when Gaza’s physical situation is deteriorating fastest.”

Insulation Not Isolation: Israel’s Super-Sparta War Economy (Ahmed Alqarout//Al Shabaka 3/11/26)

“In September 2025, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu urged Israelis to transform the country into a “Super Sparta” of the Middle East—more militarized, economically self-reliant, and capable of sustaining protracted conflict despite mounting external pressure. This policy brief argues that this rhetoric reflects an emerging doctrine: a political-economic project structured around permanent national mobilization, preventative warfare, and accelerated defense-industrial expansion. Yet the Israeli regime’s shift toward self-reliance is not producing full autarky. Instead, the war economy is consolidating into a hybrid model that combines domestic substitution in critical defense sectors with deeper integration into transnational supply networks, thereby dispersing sanctions risk. This configuration blunts the impact of conventional accountability tools, such as fragmented or weakly enforced arms embargoes. As a result, effective international responses must move beyond traditional sanctions frameworks and instead target the material infrastructure and dependency nodes that sustain Israel’s war economy.”

The Path to the Trump Doctrine: From Syria to Lebanon to Gaza, the coercion central to the new regime has been incubated in the Middle East. (Aslı Ü. Bâli, Aziz Rana//Boston Review Winter 2026)

“Unlike earlier American framings, Trump’s embrace of conditional sovereignty suggests an approach where the United States stands first in a multipolar world of authoritarian hegemons and operates independent of longstanding American self-understanding with respect to democracy or the rule of law. This approach sees the globe as divided among “civilizationally” distinct ethno-national communities. And the explicitness of its embrace of quid pro quo arrangements and hard power alone renders quaint the long-familiar talk of international law. U.S. action now depends on raw threat rather than the classic combination of hard and soft power, where force proceeded alongside legitimating narratives and consensus-building. Under the Trump doctrine, “America First” suggests two claims: a domestic ethno-racial identity that asserts a fortress wall against immigrants, and continued global dominance where the strongest stick presides over a lawless order.”

The Theocracy Lives On (Trita Parsi//NYT 3/8/26)

“The central assumption underpinning President Trump’s diplomacy with Iran and his subsequent warmaking was that Tehran was on the verge of collapse. Believing the theocratic government was brittle, he demanded that its leaders surrender at the negotiating table — or face war. The United States and Israel brought that war. One week in, it seems clear that that assumption was wrong…Perhaps it isn’t surprising that the regime has proved resilient. Though polling shows it is deeply unpopular among most Iranians, the theocracy retains the support of millions of people. And the revolutionary state itself was built to last…Take what’s happened since the attacks in June. Ayatollah Khamenei removed himself from involvement in military operations, and replacements for key military and political positions were reportedly identified several layers deep — in some cases, five levels down the chain of command. Provincial governors have been granted authorities comparable with those of the president in order to keep the government running if the central command structure was disrupted. Local military commanders have similarly been empowered to make decisions without waiting for instructions from Tehran.”

I Went to Florida to See the 31-Year-Old Candidate Thrilling Gen Z. We’re in Trouble. (Michelle Goldberg//NYT 3/12/26)

“Most of all, Fishback has made contempt for Israel and its American lobby a centerpiece of his campaign, constantly reminding audiences how much America spends on Israel while its own needs are ignored. He often calls Byron Donalds, a Black Republican congressman who is the front-runner in the governor’s race, “AIPAC Shakur,” a play on Tupac Shakur. Appearing on Tucker Carlson’s show in January, Fishback described the “sexual, sadistic” pleasure that pro-Israel donors get in forcing America to “bend over” for a foreign country. Carlson endorsed him and wrote, “Pretty soon, all winning Republican politicians will talk like this…At Fishback events, it was easy to see how laws meant to quash anti-Israel activism have backfired, particularly among young men who’ve come of age in a conservative movement that treats demands for greater linguistic sensitivity as woke tyranny. When they’re ordered to watch what they say about Israel, it only imbues attacks on Zionism with subversive excitement. “Just like whenever you’re being raised up and your parents say, ‘Hey, don’t do that,’ it makes the kid want to do it even more,” said Metcalf. Given everything Israel has done to earn the world’s opprobrium, it isn’t always easy to determine the line between legitimate criticism and antisemitic demonization. Wherever that line is, though, Fishback seems to delight in crossing it.”

No Catholic Brand of Christian Zionism, or Tolerance for Antisemitism (Jordan Denari Duffner & Julie Schumacher Cohen//Contending Modernities 3/12/26)

“As the genocide in Gaza unfolded for two years, partly under the second Catholic president, Joe Biden, we witnessed silence on the part of too many American Catholics, many of whom were “progressive except on Palestine.” Now, things are beginning to shift, with both the political right and left coming to recognize failings in Zionism, Christian or otherwise. In this moment—as the U.S.-Israel war on Iran drags the region into conflict, and as Palestinians are still facing a catastrophic humanitarian crisis in Gaza and the deepening of Israel’s military occupation and annexationist policies in the West Bank—it is important that we not repeat past mistakes and failures. There is no Catholic brand of Christian Zionism. Rather, Catholic Social Teaching provides a blueprint for promoting Palestinian freedom while eschewing anti-Judaism and broader antisemitic views that have no place in the movement for peace, justice, and equality in Israel-Palestine.”

To my Palestinian sister in ICE detention – I will carry you until you are free (Mahmoud Khalil//The Guardian 3/9/26)

“Sunday marked one year since Mahmoud Khalil, the Palestinian activist and Columbia University graduate, was arrested last year for his political advocacy. Below, he writes to Leqaa Kordia, a fellow Palestinian currently in ICE detention in Texas. Khalil was released after more than three months but the Trump administration continues to seek his deportation; Kordia has been detained for nearly a year.”

Any Way You Look at It, Netanyahu Wins (Mairav Zonszein//NYT 3/13/26)

“Benjamin Netanyahu has spent much of his political life trying to make war with Iran seem not only inevitable but overdue. Thus, for the Israeli prime minister, the latest conflict was a victory the moment it began. Not because every consequence is good for Israel, but because he can sell almost every conceivable result as proof that he was right all along: that Iran had to be confronted, that force was unavoidable and that delay would only have made the threat more treacherous. Mr. Netanyahu does not need a clean victory — he just needs a durable narrative.”

 

1. New from FMEP

2. Global/Region

3. Gaza

4. River to the Sea

5. U.S. Scene

6. Perspectives//Long Reads

NEW FROM FMEP

What do West Bank Palestinian youth want? (Occupied Thoughts episode)

FMEP President Lara Friedman speaks with author and scholar Dr. Nathan J. Brown about his recent article, For Younger Palestinians, Crisis Has Become a Way of Life.

The American-Israeli war on Iran – Polls and Impact on Strategic Considerations (Occupied Thoughts episode)

FMEP Fellow Ahmed Moor speaks with University of Maryland Professor Dr. Shibley Telhami and FMEP President Lara Friedman. The three discuss the new US & Israeli war against Iran, the strategic changes in the Persian Gulf and the polling data in the U.S. demonstrating a lack of support for the war. They discuss the fate of the Abraham Accords and normalization more broadly. They also discuss the role and politics of Israel in the U.S. now, including recent polling data and the impact on current and future leadership.

FMEP Legislative Round-Up March 6, 2026 (Lara Friedman)

1. Bills, Resolutions; 2. Letters; 3. Hearings & Markups; 4. Selected Members on the Record; 5. Selected Media & Press releases/Statements

Settlement & Annexation Report: March 6, 2026 (Kristin McCarthy)

WEST BANK: 2.2% Settler Growth Rate in 2024; IDF Taking Over Palestinian Homes; EAST JERUSALEM: E-1 Delay?, Report on EJ Settlement Surge Since Oct 2023; SETTLER & STATE TERRORISM: Severity; U.S. NEWS

GLOBAL/REGION

IDF destroys key Tehran bunker used by top brass; Trump vows no deal until Iran surrenders (TOI 3/6/26)

“A massive Israeli strike Friday morning destroyed the underground Tehran bunker of Iran’s late supreme leader Ali Khamenei, which was being used by senior regime officials, the IDF announced, as the US-Israeli bombing campaign against the Islamic Republic continued into its seventh day. Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump said the assault would not let up until Iran announced its unconditional surrender…In the opening strike of the war, the IDF struck and killed Khamenei while he was at his compound, but not in the bunker buried deep underground.” See also Iran state media confirms killing of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei after US-Israeli missile strikes (The Guardian 3/1/26); Israel Targeted Top Iranian Leaders in Attack’s Opening Strikes (NYT 2/28/26); Trump demands Iran’s ‘unconditional surrender’ as bombs pound Tehran and Beirut (The Guardian 3/6/26)

Israel and U.S. Trumpet Their Collaboration in War Against Iran (NYT 3/4/26)

“For the U.S. military, going into combat alongside allies is nothing new. For Israel, it’s a novelty. But military leaders in both countries are speaking about their exceptionally close collaboration in their joint campaign against Iran. Four days into the fighting, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth described Israel’s military as an equal partner in the air assault on Iran…Israel and the United States have carved up the airspace over Iran, officials from both countries say, with Israel attacking targets in western and central Iran and the United States attacking in the south. Hundreds of U.S. troops are stationed in Israel, including the aircrews of dozens of fighter jets, soldiers operating air-defense weapons like the THAAD missile-defense system and soldiers managing logistics, jet fuel and ammunition, according to U.S. and Israeli officials. Dozens of American air tankers — vital to Israel’s ability to maintain a continuous attack on targets more than 600 miles from its border — have been based at Ben-Gurion International Airport, Israel’s largest international airport, which has been closed since the start of the war, the officials said…Below the highest ranks, U.S. and Israeli officials say that coordination is occurring at every level in the chain of command, with 4,000 to 5,000 calls each day between the two militaries. Unsurprisingly, Israeli leaders have praised President Trump and the U.S. military at every opportunity. But the plaudits are mutual.” See also The C.I.A. Helped Pinpoint a Gathering of Iranian Leaders. Then Israel Struck. (NYT 3/1/26); Netanyahu Takes His Shot at Regime Change in Iran (NYT 2/28/26); An Emboldened Israel Is Seizing Opportunities to Remake Region (NYT 3/3/26);  Trump Demands to Select Next Iranian Supreme Leader, Opposes Khamenei’s Son (Haaretz 3/6/26);

IDF planning for at least 1-2 more weeks of Iran ops; over 5,000 bombs dropped (TOI 3/5/26)

“The Israeli military is planning for at least one or two more weeks of operations against Iran, during which it aims to hit thousands more Iranian regime targets, The Times of Israel learned on Wednesday…As of Wednesday, the Israeli Air Force had dropped more than 5,000 bombs during strikes in Iran since the start of the conflict, the military said. The military added that IAF fighter jets “continue to deepen air superiority throughout Iran, with an emphasis on the Tehran area.”…A senior Israeli air force officer said Israel’s strikes have killed thousands of Iranian soldiers.” See also Death toll in Iran tops 1,000 (Drop Site 3/4/26); Civilian deaths in Iran pass 700 amid fear of bombs and regime clampdown (The Guardian 3/2/26); ‘If they don’t stop, Tehran will turn into Gaza’: Iranians describe night of terror (The Guardian 3/6/26); US investigators believe strike on Iranian girls’ school probably carried out by US forces (The Guardian 3/6/26); Death toll from school bombing in southern Iran reportedly rises to 165 (The Guardian 3/1/26);

Israel launches huge strikes against south Beirut after mass evacuation order (The Guardian 3/5/26)

“Israel has launched massive strikes against the southern suburbs of Beirut just hours after its military ordered the entire population of the area – more than 500,000 people – to evacuate immediately. The Israel Defense Forces had told all residents of the area to “save your lives and evacuate your homes immediately”, prompting an exodus of the Lebanese capital’s population in scenes of panic, before its warplanes launched strikes against what it claimed were Hezbollah targets in the area. The area covered by the order included several hospitals and government ministries. The strikes marked a significant escalation in Israel’s growing offensive in Lebanon, which began after Hezbollah fired missiles and drones into Israel on Monday.” See also IDF issues unprecedented evacuation warning for entire Hezbollah stronghold in Beirut (TOI 3/5/26); Mass Expulsion in Lebanon as Israel Expands War: “We Don’t Know Where to Go” (Drop Site 3/4/26); Hezbollah said to have launched drone that struck UK RAF airbase in Cyprus (The Guardian 3/2/26); Israel strikes Lebanon after Iran ally Hezbollah fires missiles over border (The Guardian 3/2/26); Israeli airstrikes pound Beirut suburb, Hezbollah warns Israelis (Al Monitor 3/6/26); Hezbollah saw new war with Israel as inevitable and rearmed for months, sources say (Al Monitor 3/6/26);

Israel advances in south Lebanon as army withdraws, Quds leader killed (Al Monitor 3/3/26)

“Lebanese troops withdrew from multiple southern border posts on Tuesday after the Israeli military started to advance further inside Lebanese territory…The Lebanese army evacuated “advanced positions” along Israel’s border and deployed to other positions, Lebanon’s state-run news agency said on Tuesday after Israel ordered its troops to advance further into southern Lebanon.” See also Israel Advances in Lebanon and Seizes More Land, as Hezbollah Fight Escalates (NYT 3/3/26); Dozens of IRGC members flee Lebanon, Israeli officials say (Axios 3/5/26);

Iran’s Cluster Missiles: What You Need to Know About the Controversial Weapon Targeting Israel (Haaretz 3/3/26)

“Israeli defense officials say Iran is using cluster missiles in the war against Israel, a type of munition first used against the country in the 12-day war last June. These missiles carry a warhead designed to split midair at seven kilometers (about five miles) above ground and disperse smaller bomblets across an eight-kilometer radius. On Tuesday, two such missiles were fired in barrages toward central Israel, causing damage and injuries in a number of locations. The dispersal of many small bombs from such a high altitude causes damage over a much wider area than a single missile, but the individual impact of each is significantly smaller…But cluster missiles are often regarded as more dangerous than a regular missile, especially when intercepted on its way to Israel. If it completes its trajectory, all its bomblets will detonate when it hits the ground. But if the missile is intercepted mid-air, the bomblets may fall to the ground and either explode on impact or remain as a threat that will explode later.”

9 Killed in Israeli City Near Jerusalem After Iranian Missile Strike (NYT 3/1/26)

“The Israeli military and the country’s ambulance service said an Iranian missile had caused the widespread destruction. It was not immediately clear what the target of the strike was, but the Israeli military accused Iran of aiming at civilians.” See also ‘I can’t digest it’: deadliest attack on Israel since war began kills nine and destroys synagogue (The Guardian 3/3/26); Sirens sound in Tel Aviv, central Israel, West Bank as Iran fires ballistic missiles (Haaretz 3/6/26); Over 2,300 Israelis Evacuated From Their Homes Due to Iran War Damage (Haaretz 3/6/26); ‘Depart now’: US tells its citizens to urgently leave almost all Mideast countries, including Israel (TOI 3/3/26);

Thousands of Missiles and Drones: Iran’s Attacks on Gulf States Reveal Where It Is Focusing Its War Effort (Haaretz 3/5/26)

“Iran launched thousands of ballistic missiles and drones at seven Persian Gulf states in the first five days of the war, according to official data collected by Haaretz. The data showed that at least 2,191 missiles and attack drones were fired from Iran toward the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Bahrain and Kuwait. Iran also struck targets in Saudi Arabia, Iraq and Oman, but those countries have not published data on the total number of launches into their territory. Iran has been attacking U.S. bases located in these states and has also hit strategic infrastructure, including refineries, ports and airports. Hotels, commercial centers and residential buildings were also damaged…The reported interception rate appears high: 2,087 missiles and drones were shot down in total…On Thursday morning, Iran attacked Azerbaijan for the first time, and attack drones were documented striking Nakhchivan’s airport near the border with Iran. On Wednesday, Iran fired a ballistic missile toward Turkey, which was intercepted. Cyprus was also attacked with missiles and drones, which, according to estimates, were launched by Hezbollah.” See also Middle East war could be decided by who runs out of missiles or interceptors first, analysts say (The Guardian 3/3/26);

CIA, Mossad bolster Iran’s Kurds as US, Israel seek to ignite military revolt (Al Monitor 3/6/26)

“While Israeli officials avoid publicly discussing the possibility that Iranian Kurds could join the US-Israeli campaign against Tehran, Israel is quietly encouraging ethnic groups inside Iran that oppose the regime to mobilize. Senior Israeli officials who have spoken with Al-Monitor since the start of the military operation against Iran say the goal is to create conditions for the Iranian people to overthrow the regime in Tehran. Associates of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu say the Israeli government believes the first cracks in the regime are emerging…Israeli aircraft have been conducting heavy strikes near the Iraq-Iran border crossings, apparently aiming to clear regime forces from the area so Kurdish fighters could cross safely…According to foreign sources, several Western intelligence agencies — including the Mossad and the CIA — have been working for some time to destabilize the Iranian regime. The plan, they say, envisions Kurdish forces entering from the west, sparking uprisings from other minorities and armed groups. The hope is that this could fuel the first signs of defections and rebellion within the regular Iranian army, separate from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. According to the sources, Israel and the United States are investing significant resources in these efforts.”

Iran-backed militias intensify attacks against US, Israel and allies (The Guardian 3/6/26)

“Iran-backed militias around the Middle East are intensifying attacks against Israel, the US and their allies, in retaliation for the ongoing joint US-Israeli offensive against Tehran as the war draws in new armed actors, threatening wider chaos and violence. Israel and the US have targeted Iran’s network of militant groups, with Iraq emerging as a key front in this new and often clandestine confrontation. Militia in Iraq have launched dozens of attacks since the war began on Saturday, targeting Israel and US bases in Jordan and Iraq itself…Israel and the US are trying to degrade the capabilities of pro-Iranian militias in Iraq with airstrikes and special forces operations on the ground, according to analysts and well-informed former regional intelligence officials.” See also U.S. and Allies Encounter Iran’s Arsenal of Drones (NYT 3/3/26); Iran Hits Back Across the Mideast, Targeting U.S. Bases and Allies (NYT 2/28/26);

Trump demands immediate pardon for Netanyahu to focus on Iran (Axios 3/5/26)

“President Trump told Axios on Thursday that Israeli President Isaac Herzog must pardon Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “today” — calling Herzog “a disgrace” for failing to act over the last year…Trump has been pushing for a Netanyahu pardon since last June, arguing that his trial on corruption charges — ongoing since 2020 — is a “witch hunt” akin to the U.S. president’s own legal troubles. But Thursday’s comments — which Trump raised himself, unprompted — marked a dramatic escalation and direct intervention in Israel’s legal system at a moment of active war…Trump claimed Herzog promised him five times over the past year that he would grant the pardon and never followed through. “He told me he would give it to him. But he has held it over Bibi’s head for a year.” “Tell him I am exposing him. That president better damn well give him the pardon right now — and stop using it as leverage for his own political career,” he said…A senior Israeli official pushed back on Trump’s account, saying Herzog never promised a pardon.”

GAZA

‘We’ll run out of food this week’: Israel’s Iran war brings new Gaza siege (The Guardian 3/2/26)

“Israel closed all crossings into Gaza indefinitely when it attacked Iran, imposing a siege that has already pushed up food prices and threatens to plunge 2 million people into a new hunger crisis. After more than two years of war, and with Israeli forces in control of about 60% of the territory, almost all of Gaza’s food must be brought in. Humanitarian groups feeding much of the population say the supplies they had on Saturday, when the war began, will only last a few more days.” See also Israel Opens One Gaza Crossing for Humanitarian Aid After U.S. Pressure (Haaretz 3/4/26)

‘It Feels Like Money Is Melting’: In Gaza, a Cash Crisis Makes Daily Life Harder, Fuels Talk of Cryptocurrency (Haaretz 3/2/26)

“After two years of war that decimated infrastructure, displaced the vast majority of Gaza’s 2.2 million residents and shattered its banking system, the enclave is facing an ongoing liquidity crisis. Since the start of Ramadan, traders, aid workers and residents say the shortage of physical currency has worsened. Prices are rising not only because of the scarcity of goods, but because cash itself is scarce. And only three days into the US.-Israel war with Iran, all crossings into Gaza are closed again, causing an immediate shortage of fuel and food staples, that is expected to worsen the situation. The crisis has grown so acute that, according to recent news reports, the newly formed Board of Peace, tasked with spearheading Gaza’s reconstruction, is exploring the possibility of introducing a stablecoin pegged to a mainstream currency such as the U.S. dollar. The goal, officials familiar with the discussions reportedly said, is to create a digital payment system that could stabilize transactions in a territory where banks barely function and cash is both king and an endangered species. But on the ground in Gaza, the theory of cryptocurrency collides with the reality of patchy internet – thanks to damaged infrastructure and electricity shortages – and banned digital wallets.”

RIVER TO THE SEA

With West Bank under total Israeli closure, settlers are seizing the moment (Oren Ziv & Basel Adra//+972 Magazine 3/4/26)

“With global attention fixed on the escalating U.S.-Israeli war with Iran, Israel has imposed a total military closure on the occupied West Bank. Israeli settlers, backed by the army, are seizing the opportunity to try to expel more rural Palestinian communities from their land, as they did in the days immediately following October 7. Within hours of the war beginning on Saturday morning, the Israeli army shut all checkpoints across the West Bank and blocked roads between cities and villages with iron gates and earth mounds. It also installed new iron gates in locations where none had previously existed. Settlers brought in excavators to seal makeshift passages Palestinians had carved out over the past two and a half years, in areas where the army has kept roads closed since the start of Israel’s genocide in Gaza…For residents of Ramallah and its surrounding towns and villages, access to the main roads leading to the rest of the West Bank has been cut off entirely…As Palestinian remain under lockdown, Israeli settlers continue to move freely, escalating their attacks on Palestinian communities across Area C. According to the NGO Yesh Din, at least 50 incidents of settler violence were documented in 37 different Palestinian communities during the first four days of the war alone. In almost every instance, settlers operate with the support of the Israeli army — some of whom are settlers wearing military uniform — to complete whatever mission they are trying to carry out.” See also Rights group reports 50 settler attacks on Palestinians during 1st four days of Iran war (TOI 3/5/26); Who would burn their own house down? (Mohammad Hesham Huraini//Vashti 3/3/26)

Palestinian Brothers Killed as Settler Violence Surges in the West Bank (NYT 3/2/26)

“Two Palestinian brothers were shot dead by Israeli fire in the Israeli-occupied West Bank on Monday during a confrontation with Jewish settlers over land, according to local residents and the Palestinian Ministry of Health…A local resident who witnessed one of the shootings and the Palestinian health ministry said Jewish settlers killed the brothers in the village of Qaryut, in the northern West Bank. Villagers said five other members of the brothers’ extended family were injured. Muhammad Al-Boom, 20, a Qaryut resident and a paramedic, said he was by the side of one brother, Muhammad Taha, who stepped out of his house to try to prevent the settlers from entering his property. Video footage distributed by a local group showed about a dozen masked settlers at the scene. Mr. al-Boom said he then saw Mr. Taha get shot in the head.” See also Iran War Fails to Halt West Bank Expulsions as Palestinian Community Leaves After Settler Harassment (Haaretz 3/6/26);

Vast majority of Israelis support the war against Iran, while most Americans oppose it, polls find (JI 3/4/26)

“More than 80% of Israelis support the war against Iran, polls by two major Israeli research institutions found this week, while several U.S. polls found that a majority of Americans oppose it. The Israel Democracy Institute found that 82% of Israelis — 93% of Jewish Israelis and 26% of Israeli Arabs — support the war with Iran. Among Jewish Israelis, the war has strong support across the political spectrum, with 76% of respondents on the left backing it, 93% of voters from the center and 97% from the right…Meanwhile, in the U.S., a CNN poll, conducted by SSRS shortly after the war began on Saturday, found that nearly 41% of Americans approve of the U.S. military action in Iran, with a sharp divide between Republicans, Democrats and independents — 77% of Republicans approve of the launch of the operation, compared to 32% of independents and 18% of Democrats. The poll found that 59% of Americans disapprove of the U.S. decision to strike.” See also Netanyahu’s latest war has few critics in an Israel embracing militarism (The Guardian 3/1/26); 81% of Israelis back Iran strikes, INSS poll finds (i24News 3/4/26)

We are at war, therefore we are (Orly Noy//+972 Magazine 3/1/26)

“The Iranian people are waging a brave and inspiring struggle for their freedom. The international community has diplomatic and economic tools to assist them without repeated airstrikes that promise little in terms of lasting change. To cheer the Israeli-American assault is to embrace a cannibalistic global order in which strength alone defines morality. In celebrating the war, Israelis are celebrating that system: a world in which the bully sets the rules. For now, they can be relieved that the bully is on their side…However precarious [Netanyahu’s] political position may be, he knows that uniting even his fiercest rivals across the Zionist spectrum is only a click away. If “in wartime there is no coalition or opposition,” then perpetual war becomes his most reliable political strategy — and he has learned to deploy it with increasing frequency. Netanyahu is a cynical and dangerous war criminal. But one thing cannot be denied: No Israeli leader has so deeply understood the collective psyche of Jewish Israeli society. A society that seems capable of feeling its own pulse only in war and destruction; that, if it is not attacking, destroying, and killing, is not entirely certain that it exists. In that sense, Netanyahu fits it like a glove.”

U.S. SCENE

US strikes on Iran triggered by Israel’s plan to launch attack, Rubio says (The Guardian 3/2/26)

“Israel’s determination to attack Iran and the certainty that US troops would be targeted in response forced the Trump administration to take pre-emptive strikes, the secretary of state, Marco Rubio, said, in a new explanation for Washington’s surprise entry into the conflict…“It was abundantly clear that if Iran came under attack by anyone – the United States or Israel or anyone – they were going to respond, and respond against the United States,” Rubio told reporters at the Capitol. “We knew that there was going to be an Israeli action. We knew that that would precipitate an attack against American forces, and we knew that if we didn’t pre-emptively go after them before they launched those attacks, we would suffer higher casualties.”’ See also The Trump Administration’s Iran War Justifications Keep Changing (Foreign Policy 3/3/26); Trump Letter to Congress Justifying Iran Strikes Outlines No Imminent Threat (NYT 3/3/26); Pentagon tells Congress no sign that Iran was going to attack US first, sources say (Reuters 3/1/26);

Rubio’s war remarks blow open MAGA’s Israel divide (Axios 3/3/26)

“MAGA’s ascendant “America First” wing erupted after Secretary of State Marco Rubio effectively blamed Israel for drawing the U.S. into war with Iran…Rubio’s remarks were the first time a Trump official had so explicitly acknowledged Israel as a driving force behind the war — landing at a moment when Americans’ public support for Israel has hit historic lows…Rubio’s remarks were widely interpreted as making the U.S. look subordinate to Israel’s interests. And they inflamed already angry MAGA elites who had spent the day railing against President Trump’s decision to go to war. On their podcasts and social media, frustrated pro-Trump influencers argued the president had become beholden to the military hawks and neocons he explicitly ran against. Anti-Israel voices on the right — as well as openly antisemitic influencers who’ve clawed toward the mainstream in recent years — claimed vindication.” See also Rubio Walks Back Suggestion That Israel Forced U.S. Hand in Iran Strikes (NYT 3/3/26);

US troops were told war on Iran was ‘all part of God’s divine plan’, watchdog alleges (The Guardian 3/3/26)

“US military commanders have been invoking extremist Christian rhetoric about biblical “end times” to justify involvement in the Iran war to troops, according to complaints made to a watchdog group. The Military Religious Freedom Foundation (MRFF) says it has received more than 200 complaints from service members across all branches of the armed forces, including the marines, air force and space force. One complainant, identified as a noncommissioned officer (NCO) in a unit that could be deployed “at any moment to join” operations against Iran, told MRFF in a complaint viewed by the Guardian that their commander had “urged us to tell our troops that this was ‘all part of God’s divine plan’ and he specifically referenced numerous citations out of the Book of Revelation referring to Armageddon and the imminent return of Jesus Christ”. “He said that ‘President Trump has been anointed by Jesus to light the signal fire in Iran to cause Armageddon and mark his return to Earth’”, the NCO added.”

Senators demand investigation after ninth American killed by Israeli settlers or soldiers in West Bank (The Guardian 3/5/26)

“More than 30 US senators have signed a letter demanding that the Trump administration open an independent investigation into the February killing of a 19-year-old American in the occupied West Bank, the ninth US citizen killed by Israeli soldiers or settlers since 2022. The letter, led by Senator Chris Van Hollen of Maryland and addressed to the US secretary of state, Marco Rubio; the US attorney general, Pam Bondi; and the US ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee, asks for a US-led investigation and a full accounting of where all nine cases stand, and for the administration to brief Congress on the killing by 5 April. None of the cases have resulted in a criminal conviction. “This has now become a consistent pattern in which Americans are being killed in the West Bank by settlers or the [Israel Defense Forces (IDF)] without justice or accountability, despite promises from US officials,” the lawmakers wrote in the Wednesday letter, which was shared exclusively with the Guardian.”

Jewish Groups Are Backing a War Americans Don’t Want (Josh Nathan-Kazis//Jewish Currents 3/3/26)

“Each of the major Jewish establishment groups have put out statements supporting the war…Mainstream American Jewish groups have long committed themselves to the foreign policy of the Israeli right, and their response on Saturday is by no means a surprise. This is the war, after all, that Netanyahu has been demanding since the 1990s, and the war that the hardline pro-Israel crowd has fought to get him ever since…And yet their political positioning currently puts them at odds with most Americans, who think the war is a bad idea…The Jewish establishment wants to project an image of unified American Jewish support for this new war. And yet they do so at a moment of extraordinary political weakness, when Democrats increasingly see AIPAC as toxic, and the power that groups like Conference of Presidents were able to exert in Washington just a decade ago have been vastly diluted. They have little political capital to expend, and they’ve bet it all on a risky and unpopular foreign entanglement. In the meantime, they are setting up American Jews to take the blame if the war goes badly, as it appears destined to do. Though left-wing and progressive Jews have tried to distinguish between Jews and Israel in the American imagination, mainstream Jewish institutions have done their best to confuse the issue, conflating criticism of Israel with antisemitism.” See also Judge Vacates Punishments of Columbia Students Who Occupied a Building (NYT 3/3/26);

The Day Israel Lost America (Ross Barkan//NY Mag 3/6/36)

“The fiercest supporters of Israel in the United States do not quite understand that there is no going back…Poll after poll shows that Americans under 40 take a startlingly dim view of Israel. For a while, Israel hawks could dismiss these polls because they showed only the left-wing youth turning on the Jewish State. They were the radicals who could be, perhaps, nudged off the political stage. Now young people on the right, the MAGA youth, are coming to a similar place, if for different reasons: They view the special relationship between the two countries as a violation of America First. Some of this might be antisemitism; some of it, though, is genuine skepticism of an arrangement that doesn’t make sense to most Americans…The Iran war could be what decisively breaks the United States from Israel. Not yet — certainly not now, with Trump in the White House. But there will be presidents after Trump. A future Democrat will have no incentive to cater to the whims of a warmongering Israel. A Republican not explicitly bound to pro-Israel, right-wing Evangelicals might not care a great deal about Israel, either. Why should he? The American people do not want this war with Iran. They don’t want their brothers, sisters, sons, and daughters to die. They see this for what it is: a cataclysm.” See also In Illinois, AIPAC-Backed Candidates Defected on Iran (Alex Kane//Jewish Currents 3/6/26); Newsom likens Israel to ‘apartheid state,’ questions future military support (Politico 3/4/26);

PERSPECTIVES//LONG READS

It’s Not Complicated (Sara Yasin//The Key 3/5/26)

“I left my job as managing editor of the Los Angeles Times in January 2024, not long into the genocide. That decision wasn’t explicitly about Palestine — I did not want to make a career out of layoffs and managing decline. But during those last months at the paper and in the time that followed, that terrible gap between what we could see in real time on our phones and in the tortured inversions and baseline disinformation of Western media made me feel a specific kind of shame that made it impossible to imagine returning to that kind of environment. The Times was my first real brush with legacy media — and there I understood how “it’s complicated” journalism functions. A long-standing institution can have a set way of doing things baked into its culture, which can make so much of its day-to-day operation run on autopilot. Since October 7, I have spoken to dozens of journalists across different organizations with similar constraints. Many have told me that, especially in coverage of Palestine, questioning the calcified “both sides” approach meant risking being branded a troublemaker or an “activist,” even when their reasoning was rooted in conventional journalistic standards…What stories would the journalists and writers who have contributed to these outlets produce if they weren’t having to work through arguments about whether Palestinians are worthy of humanization? How might we better understand our own lives, our own agency, our own complicity if our media were allowed to actually reflect reality back at us? In an era of mass disinformation, confusion and despondency, the need for urgent, fearless journalism has never been greater.”

Learn With Ms Rachel review – undoubtedly the TV event of the year for millions of us (The Guardian 3/2/26)

“And so, after a brief prologue in which we are asked to share pretend ice-cream, a doorbell rings: “Rahaf’s here!” We cut to Ms Rachel sitting on the floor with a button-nosed three-year-old on her lap. As well as being preposterously cute, Rahaf is a double amputee: unmentioned in the video is that she lost her legs when an Israeli airstrike hit her home in Gaza. Her mother brought her to the US for surgery, but her father and two brothers were not permitted to go with them. Pictures of Rahaf in hospital in previous reports can only gesture at the catastrophe that she and her family endured; but here she is, pretending to nap alongside the titular rabbits of Hop Little Bunnies, bouncing sunnily from side to side when they wake up, then hurling herself back into Ms Rachel’s arms. Accurso has always sought to emphasise that she wants every child to have the same freedom that she claims for Rahaf, and the rest of the episode serves as proof of the principle. We learn how to say hello in Arabic, Hebrew, Spanish, French, Tagalog and American sign language…”

Iran Is Not an Existential Threat (Peter Beinart//Jewish Currents 3/6/26)

“But Iran doesn’t pose a significant threat to Israel, let alone the United States. Even at its strongest, Tehran has merely challenged Israel’s dominance of the Middle East, not its survival. Yet the claim that Iran existentially threatens the Jewish state is rarely disputed in mainstream American debate, even by politicians who oppose war.”

How Israel Lost Americans (Michelle Goldberg//NYT 2/27/26)

“Israel’s imploding reputation is largely a consequence of its oppression of the Palestinians…But it’s not just Israel’s policies toward the Palestinians that have eroded Americans’ good will toward Israel. Perhaps as important has been Israel’s role in American politics. For decades, pro-Israel organizations in the United States have struggled mightily to control the parameters of acceptable debate about the Jewish state. The American Israel Public Affairs Committee has spent countless millions intervening in primary elections…Israel’s allies have pushed speech codes defining anti-Zionism as antisemitism. They’ve passed anti-boycott laws used to punish American enterprises that refuse to do business not just with Israel proper but also with Israelis in the occupied territories. Efforts to make harsh criticism of Israel verboten redoubled after Oct. 7…By aligning Zionism with American authoritarianism, Israel’s champions earned the country the enmity of many Democratic partisans…The blowback will almost certainly get much worse now that Trump, working in concert with Israel, has bombed Iran, just as Netanyahu long hoped. Americans don’t want a war, and Trump hasn’t bothered to explain why he might wage one. In this murk, conspiracy theories about Israel manipulating America into another Middle Eastern conflict are bound to flourish, especially because there will be a grain of truth to them. Friday’s Gallup poll marks a low point in American sentiments toward Israel, but they could still have much further to fall.”

‘Compulsive repetition’: How permanent war shapes the Israeli psyche (Dana Mills//+972 Magazine 3/4/26)

“As always, the experience of war itself is shaped by Israeli apartheid across the land between the river and the sea. Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza have no shelters to escape bombardment, while Palestinian citizens of Israel have far less stable infrastructure to protect them from ballistic missiles. At times it seems as if Netanyahu and his government are committed to a state of permanent war and instability in the region, one in which all human beings are forced to live with constant vulnerability and precarity. Since Saturday morning, between running to the safe room and trying to think about the short- and medium-term future, I have been reflecting on the psychological consequences of this situation. To better understand the personal and political implications of living in a state of perpetual war, I spoke with Dr. Dana Amir, a clinical psychologist, psychoanalyst, author, and poet.”

Pahlavi? IRGC? What’s next for Iran after Khamenei (Lior Sternfeld//+972 Magazine 3/3/26)

“For the people of Iran, the most desirable outcome would of course be a transition to a democratic republic. Unfortunately, this appears the least likely scenario, with too many powerful actors opposing that prospect…One possibility, therefore, is that the regime survives with merely a change in personnel at the top — continuing to oppress the population at home, while confronting the United States and its allies across the region…Another possibility is the survival of the regime in name but with a complete overhaul of the state apparatus. In this scenario, a “moderate” successor to Khamenei would take the reins and keep the weakened state intact, preventing the chaotic outcome of a failed state lacking any centralized power or authority, as in the case of Iraq following the 2003 invasion…A further possibility is a takeover by parts of the IRGC, turning Iran into a military dictatorship that pays lip service to the revolution while arguing that it has run its course, and declaring that it will work with the West to lift sanctions and rebuild Iran’s economy and military, effectively becoming a U.S. ally…And what about Reza Pahlavi? Due to his name recognition and the absence of other viable alternatives, he has gained more support over the past few months both inside Iran and among parts of the international community. But even in the wake of the recent demonstrations, he has failed miserably at uniting the opposition, alienating virtually everyone outside of his immediate circles of support.”

The Contrapuntal Body (Alaa Alqaisi//The Key 3/4/26)

“In exile, I feel two cities folding through each other, the chill here, the remembered heat there, the clean air and the wind heavy with dust. I was struggling to find language to explain how this felt until I remembered a concept that I learned about long ago: the “contrapuntal.” Edward Said first introduced the idea of reading works of literature contrapuntally — a way of reading empire and resistance at the same time — in Culture and Imperialism, a collection of essays published in 1993. Using the example of Jane Austen’s Mansfield Park, Said implored the reader to notice how the calm and order of an English estate depends on an unseen plantation in Antigua. This is a way to keep several histories in mind at once and to hold those realities together at the same time. Over time in Dublin, I have felt Said’s intellectual proposition migrate into muscle memory, and I have begun to think of my body as a site of contrapuntal awareness: one rhythm drawn from Gaza’s relentless summers, another from Dublin’s restrained winters, two synchronized tempos in the same nervous system. I have learned to see through rather than into, to read surfaces as one reads history, layered, scarred and alive beneath their own restraint.”

‘Dirty Work’ (Nathan Thrall//NYRB 3/26/26 issue)

“S. Yizhar was the pen name of Yizhar Smilansky, an intelligence officer in Israel’s Givati Brigade during the 1948 war and a founding father of modern Hebrew literature. Khirbet Khizeh, a novella based on his experience in the war, is a parable about the destruction and erasure of a Palestinian village…It is no accident that what for many years was regarded as the only Israeli work of fiction to confront the Nakba was written in May 1949, when the graves were still fresh, most of the churches and mosques still standing. In their first years of statehood, Israelis were well aware of the ethnic cleansing they had perpetrated, the swift reduction of a Palestinian majority into a minority. They had seen the columns of haggard refugees. They had looted the furniture and valuables left behind. They had helped new immigrants move into emptied Palestinian homes. They had watched bulldozers destroy ancient villages, and they had planted trees that covered up the crime. Their own army intelligence assessment of June 1948 had determined that most refugees were driven out by “Jewish military action” and not by calls from Arab leaders to flee, as later Israeli propaganda asserted. Denial had not yet taken hold. And so it was that Khirbet Khizeh could become an acclaimed and best-selling book when it was published in September 1949. The subject of expulsion was not yet taboo, and most of the critics didn’t focus on it.”

Israel’s last war alongside an imperial power backfired. This one could, too (Meron Rapoport//+972 Magazine 3/5/26)

“This time, Washington and Tel Aviv march openly in lockstep, and their shared objectives go beyond establishing a new regional order. U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth recently praised Israel as a “capable partner” that fights “without stupid rules of engagement” unlike “so many of our traditional allies who wring their hands and clutch their pearls, hemming and hawing about the use of force.” His Israeli counterpart, Israel Katz, could not have formulated today’s Israeli war ethic better…If, in 1956, Israel could conquer the Sinai Peninsula alone, this time, too, it did not truly need a Western power to strike Iran and severely damage its nuclear and missile programs. It proved that last June. Therefore, the decision to act jointly appears tied precisely to the “larger” objectives: regime change and a reordered Middle East. It is not certain those goals can be achieved (at least through the chosen means of aerial bombardment), but what is clear is that Israel lacks the sufficient military power and political capital to attempt such a project alone. That can only be done shoulder-to-shoulder with a global power like the United States — and only through an openly imperial war.”

1. New from FMEP

2. Gaza

3. Region//Global

4. River to the Sea

5. U.S. Scene

6. Perspectives//Long Reads

NEW FROM FMEP

ICE, Gaza & The Flow of Surveillance Technology to Fuel Repression (Occupied Thoughts episode)

Fellow Peter Beinart interviews researcher and journalist Dr. Sophia Goodfriend on the pernicious flow of repressive surveillance technology between the U.S. and Israel, which is now being seen deployed by Israel in Gaza and by ICE in the U.S.. Goodfriend recently published, ”ICE operations increasingly resemble Israeli occupation. That’s no coincidence” in +972 Magazine.

Upside-Down Love, human rights work, and living in the West Bank (Occupied Thoughts episode)

FMEP Fellow Ahmed Moor speaks with human rights attorney and writer Sari Bashi about her new memoir, Upside-Down Love: A Memoir in Two Voices, which came out in English in January. Ahmed and Sari discuss Sari’s experience of building and raising her Jewish-Palestinian family in the West Bank and the process of writing and publishing the memoir, which originally came out in Hebrew. They also talk about the moral and individual culpability of Jewish Israelis for genocide/warm crimes, the future of Israel/Palestine, and the state of human rights more broadly.

Forced Displacement & Ethnic Cleansing in the Service of Jewish Supremacy (Occupied Thoughts episode)

FMEP Fellow Peter Beinart speaks with Myssana Morany, a lawyer and coordinator of the Land and Planning Rights Unit of Adalah, the legal center for Arab minority rights in Israel, and Sarit Michaeli, the International Advocacy Director at the Israeli human rights organization B’Tselem. They discuss forcible transfer and ethnic cleansing in the West Bank and the Naqab/Negev, looking at shared patterns of policy and action that supports Jewish control over land, enacting and entrenching the regime of Jewish supremacy from the Jordan river to the Mediterranean sea.

FMEP Legislative Round-Up February 27, 2026 (Lara Friedman)

1. Bills, Resolutions; 2. Letters; 3. Hearings & Markups; 4. Selected Members on the Record 5. Selected Media & Press releases/Statements See also FMEP Legislative Round-Up February 20, 2026 and FMEP Legislative Round-Up February 13, 2026

Settlement & Annexation Report: February 27, 2026 (Kristin McCarthy)

ANNEXATION: U.S. Offers Consular Services in Settlement, More; WEST BANK SETTLEMENTS & OUTPOSTS: Smotrich to “Relocate” Seam Zone Village, New Bypass Road, Outpost Rebuilt Near Mukhmas, Eliyahu Raises Israeli Flag on Jordan Valley Peak, New Outpost Phenomenon Near Barrier, More; SETTLER & STATE TERRORISM: Firey Attack on Masafer Yatta, More; See also Settlement & Annexation Report: February 20, 2026 and Settlement & Annexation Report: February 13, 2026

GAZA

Israel responsible for two-thirds of record 129 press killings in 2025, says CPJ (The Guardian 2/25/26)

“A record 129 journalists and media workers were killed in the course of their work in 2025, two-thirds of them by Israeli forces, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ). It was the second consecutive year in which killings of members of the press reached unprecedented levels, and the second year running in which Israel was responsible for roughly two-thirds of the total, the New York-based independent organisation, which documents attacks on journalists worldwide, said in its annual report published on Wednesday. Israeli fire killed 86 journalists last year, the CPJ said, the majority of them Palestinians reporting from Gaza.” See also Dozens of Palestinian journalists beaten, starved or raped, report alleges (The Guardian 2/19/26)

In Gaza, we’re still breaking our fast under the buzzing of drones (Ahmed Dremly//+972 Magazine 2/25/26)

“For the third consecutive year, the holy month of Ramadan arrives in Gaza bearing painful memories of the life we no longer have. A holiday once marked by lively streets, plentiful meals, and easy moments with loved ones now takes place amid streets scarred by bombs and swallowed by darkness. Food and water are scarce, and many of the people we once celebrated with are gone…This year, even after four months of a so-called “ceasefire,” Ramadan in Gaza remains unrecognizable. Israeli forces still dominate the skies over the Strip, carry out intermittent bombings, and push the so-called “Yellow Line” deeper into Gaza day by day. At least 618 Palestinians in Gaza have been killed in Israeli attacks since the ceasefire began on Oct. 10, including nine since the start of the holiday last week. Families struggle to find the basic ingredients for nightly meals, as food entry remains tightly restricted and subject to Israeli approval. What little is available is priced far beyond reach. And the threat hangs in the air: Israel appears terrifyingly close to shattering the ceasefire again, or once more choking off the entry of food, as it did last year.”

Behind the Numbers: The Truth About Gaza’s Death List (Nir Hasson//Haaretz 2/24/26)

“The Gaza Health Ministry’s list of the dead, which Haaretz translated from Arabic with the help of AI and which spans more than 2,000 pages, is a document whose significance is rivaled only by the controversy it has generated. Governments worldwide, along with researchers and human rights organizations, have treated it as the closest thing to an official estimate of the death toll. Israel and conservative researchers, on the other hand, have raised doubts. They have criticized the list, attempted to undermine its credibility and pointed to errors, though these appear negligible.  Over time, however, a consensus has taken shape: even if the list has weaknesses, including the fact that it does not differentiate between combatants and civilians, it reflects the scale of the disaster inflicted on Gaza and its people. It also forms the basis for allegations that Israel committed war crimes, crimes against humanity and even genocide…Of the recorded deaths, 20,876, about 30 percent, are young girls, teenage girls and women. Another 3,220 were aged 65 and over, including the final name on the list, Tamam al-Batsh, who was 110 when she died…17,594 were age 16 and under, including 3,150 infants and toddlers (3 and under). 18 were killed within their first 24 hours of life…Those not suspected of being combatants – about half of the dead – make up a much higher share than in any other war in the 21st century.”

Palantir’s AI Is Already Playing a Major Role in Tracking Gaza Aid Deliveries (Drop Site 2/26/26)

“Palantir Technologies has a permanent desk at the U.S.-led Civil Military Coordination Center (CMCC) headquarters in southern Israel, three sources from the diplomatic community inside the CMCC told Drop Site News. According to the sources, the artificial intelligence data analytics giant is providing the technological architecture for tracking the delivery and distribution of aid to Gaza. The presence of Palantir and other corporations—along with recent changes banning non-profits unwilling to give data to Israeli authorities—is creating a situation in which the delivery of aid is taking a backseat to the pursuit of profit, investment, and the training of AI products, experts say…In January 2024, three months into Israel’s war on Gaza, Palantir announced it had entered into a “strategic partnership” with the Israeli military for “war-related missions.”…Palantir did not disclose what technologies would be provided to Israel but a year earlier the company introduced its Artificial Intelligence Platform (AIP) to help militaries rapidly analyze and identify bombing targets. The company’s technology has been described by a Palantir executive as a way of “optimizing the kill chain.”…The use of Palantir to track aid deliveries to Gaza is of particular concern to observers. “The distinction between death by drone and delivery of aid is being evaporated while we all sit around the same table,” a source from the diplomatic community who attends CMCC sessions told Drop Site.” See also ‘No meaningful protection’: Israel’s new Gaza aid rules raise data, security risks (Al Monitor 2/22/26); Israeli Intelligence Agent Charged in Smuggling Goods Into Gaza (NYT 2/26/26);

Israeli Soldiers Killed Gaza Aid Workers at Point Blank Range in 2025 Massacre: Report (Sharif Abdel Kouddous//Drop Site 2/23/26)

“Israeli soldiers fired nearly a thousand bullets during the massacre of 15 Palestinian aid workers in southern Gaza on March 23, 2025—with at least eight shots fired at point blank range—according to a joint investigation by the independent research groups Earshot and Forensic Architecture. The report, based on eyewitness testimony and audio and visual analysis, shows that a number of aid workers were executed and that at least one was shot from as close as one meter away. In Tel al-Sultan that day, Israel killed eight aid workers with the Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS), six from Palestinian Civil Defense, and a UN relief agency staffer. It immediately triggered international condemnation and was described as “one of the darkest moments” of the war by PRCS. The Israeli military was forced to change its story about the ambush several times, following the discovery of the bodies in a mass grave, along with their flattened vehicles, and the emergence of video and audio recordings taken by the aid workers. An internal military inquiry ultimately did not recommend any criminal action against the army units responsible for the incident. The report by Earshot and Forensic Architecture reconstructs, minute by minute, how the massacre unfolded.”

REGION//GLOBAL

Trump ‘not happy’ with Iran situation and says military force is still an option (The Guardian 2/27/26)

“Donald Trump says he has not made a final decision on whether to launch strikes on Iran but is “not happy” with the situation and military force – including regime change – remains an option. The remarks came at the White House on Friday after talks between the US and Iran on Tehran’s nuclear programme ended inconclusively, with a suggestion that further discussions would be held next week.” See also US-Iran nuclear talks end without a deal as threat of war grows (The Guardian 2/26/26); U.S. evacuates Israel embassy staff as Trump’s Iran decision looms (Axios 2/27/26); Amid Iran tensions, Huckabee tells US embassy staff in Israel they should leave ‘TODAY’ if they wish (JTA 2/27/26); Israel Facing Prospect of War With a Depleted Missile Defense (NYT 2/27/26); Trump’s claim on Iranian missile development said unsupported by US intelligence (TOI 2/27/26); Trump advisers scramble to justify US military intervention in Iran (The Guardian 2/27/26)

“This is Not a Dress Rehearsal”: U.S. Engaged in Massive Military Buildup as Threat To Bomb Iran Grows (Drop Site 2/18/26)

“The U.S. military is in the midst of amassing an enormous fleet of aircraft and warships within striking distance of Iran as the region enters the Islamic holy month of Ramadan. It is the largest buildup of firepower in the Middle East since President Donald Trump authorized a 12-day bombing campaign against Iran last June that killed more than 1,000 people.”

Israel, ‘ready’ for Iran escalation, looks to US to take lead (Al Monitor 2/27/26)

“The expected arrival today of the USS Gerald R. Ford in Haifa — the world’s largest aircraft carrier — along with related military buildups over the past 24 hours, has pushed tensions in Israel to their highest level since the mass protests in Iran last month, when Israeli security officials assessed that a US strike on the Islamic Republic was imminent. On the face of it, it appears that the US is preparing for war.” See also U.S. Sent F-22 Fighter Jets to Israel, Official Says (NYT 2/24/26); Despite warnings from Israel’s defense elite, Netanyahu pushes for Iran strike (Al Monitor 2/20/26);

Donald Trump’s Pantomime United Nations (Ishaan Tharoor//New Yorker 2/21/26)

“By the sheer fact that the White House is staking so much on the Board of Peace’s success—Trump told his counterparts on Thursday that it could be “the most important day of our careers”—the board may actually have legs. Phil Gordon, the former national-security adviser to Harris, said, “As absurd as it is, it’s also the only game in town.” This doesn’t bode well for the U.N., or for Gaza, where the Board of Peace’s role remains vague. Figures including the former British Prime Minister Tony Blair hold key positions of authority on the board, but no Palestinian official sits on the top executive rungs of its organizational structure, a fact that led Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, to dismiss the whole enterprise as “a colonialist operation.” A U.S.- and Israeli-vetted Palestinian technocratic committee has been set up, but its head, Ali Shaath, was visibly sidelined during Thursday’s meeting and appears to have been working thus far from Cairo. Meanwhile, Gaza is carved up into one zone under Israeli military control and one where Hamas still holds sway; the bulk of Gaza’s population lives in the latter and is often hit by periodic Israeli strikes on alleged Hamas targets…Israel can live with the status quo, but Palestinians in Gaza cannot. [Michael] Hanna [of the International Crisis Group] told me that if things stay “in this unreconstructed state, then it’s a slow-bleed displacement that happens.” He warned, “In the face of a kind of stark reality where Gazan society has been razed to the ground, people eventually will vote with their feet.”’ See also Troops for Gaza and money top agenda as Trump’s Board of Peace meets (The Guardian 2/19/26); Trump pledges $10 billion for Board of Peace in inaugural meeting on Gaza (Axios 2/19/26); Trump’s Board of Peace debuts: Who’s in, who’s out, who could join next (Axios 2/19/26); Disputes over Hamas disarmament stall Gaza peace plan progress (The Guardian 2/25/26); How did FIFA become part of Trump’s Gaza reconstruction effort? (Al Monitor 2/20/26); Trump officials plan to build 5,000-person military base in Gaza, files show (The Guardian 2/19/26);

Did Mike Huckabee Just Green-Light Israel to Invade Half the Levant? (Yousef Munayyer//TNR 2/26/26)

“But Huckabee’s latest interview with Tucker Carlson, and the statements he made during it, are roiling the region and making it clear to regional players that their very low expectations for the Trump administration were not quite low enough. The row also comes at the intersection of two important contemporary currents: an American military buildup in the region putting it on a collision course with Iran, as well as a growing divide in the American right over support for Israel…Carlson asked Huckabee if the land Israel had a right to was the land God had promised Abraham in the Bible; that is, the land between the Nile and the Euphrates. This territory today includes large chunks of Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and of course Palestine. This is when Huckabee said: “It would be fine if [Israel] took it all.”…The reaction from regional capitals to Huckabee’s comments were swift and condemnatory. Multiple countries issued joint statements blasting Huckabee’s comments. This also comes at a time when Israel exercises unprecedented hegemony and power projection throughout the region. It has bombed a record number of regional nation-states in the last two years, taken more territory in Syria and Lebanon, and carried out attacks in Iran and Yemen, all while routinely boasting about its deep infiltration into many of these nations. Huckabee’s comments are dangerous not just because they amount to the U.S. government giving the green light to massive Israeli expansionism but also because they come at a moment when Israel seems more willing and capable than ever to take such steps. The reaction from the White House has largely been to try to sweep this issue under the rug and hope it goes away, instead of issuing a clear denunciation or separation from Huckabee’s views. At worst, that signals to the region and the world that Washington actually shares Huckabee’s vision for a Middle East where Israel takes over several more countries; at best, it signals that Washington’s foreign policy in the region is completely dysfunctional.” See also Trump team on damage control after Huckabee comments on Israel (Politico 2/23/26); Israel has biblical right to the Middle East, Huckabee tells Carlson (Axios 2/20/26);

At least 10 killed in Israeli strikes in Lebanon’s Bekaa valley, health ministry says (The Guardian 2/20/26)

“At least 10 people have been killed and 24 wounded – including three children – in Israeli strikes in Lebanon’s eastern Bekaa valley, the Lebanese health ministry has said. Israel said it had hit “command centres” of the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah. Two security sources told Reuters that the senior Hezbollah leader Hussein Yaghi was killed in the attacks.”

RIVER TO THE SEA

Israel’s Perfect Storm: The West Bank Has Been Sacrificed for Trump’s Gaza Plan (Hagar Shezaf//Haaretz 2/23/26)

“Anyone with eyes knows it’s foolish to think that the annexation of the West Bank will happen through a declaration. The government’s actions are making annexation a reality, and it’s happening now, out in the open…Any attempt to explain Israel’s actions in the West Bank over the past three years will inevitably sound like a laundry list of bureaucratic details, but it’s important to understand the essence what is being done: rapidly transferring land to Israeli state control and preventing Palestinians from accessing it; withdrawing powers and withholding funds from the Palestinian Authority, thereby harming residents who rely on its salaries as a source of income; demolishing Palestinian homes and freezing the demolition of illegal settlement outposts; removing restrictions on land purchases by settlers and removing oversight on potentially fraudulent transactions. There’s more: Israel is changing the control structure in the West Bank and transferring it from military to civilian authorities; placing settlers and far-right figures in key positions; funding and protecting the illegal outposts whose residents are perpetuating ethnic cleansing; dismantling Palestinian refugee camps; and repealing the 2005 disengagement from the northern West Bank. Meanwhile, the military is collectively punishing Palestinian farmers. During the war in Gaza, any remaining separation between the military and the settlers dissolved, the military prosecution increasingly disregarded and failed to prosecute soldiers for their involvement in crimes, and the police permitted violence against Palestinians to escalate at an unprecedented rate. In other words, annexation is occurring in almost every sense except the official one. This gives Trump and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu room for denial and serves the settlers and their representatives in the government.” See also Israeli Settlers Declare New West Bank Settlement Deep Inside Palestinian Hebron (Haaretz 2/22/26); West Bank Mosque Torched in Suspected Settler Attack (Haaretz 2/23/26); 2025 was record year for settlement expansion, construction and planning, NGO finds (TOI 2/25/26); ‘Clear Act of Annexation’: Israel’s New Plan to Claim State Ownership of Palestinian West Bank Land (Matan Golan//Haaretz 2/16/26); Smotrich: Next government should ‘encourage migration’ of West Bank Palestinians (TOI 2/18/26); In Area C, Faster Demolitions Clear the Way for Jewish Expansion (Amira Hass//Haaretz 2/23/26)

Israeli settlers kill 19-year-old Palestinian American, officials and witnesses say (The Guardian 2/20/26)

“Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank shot and killed a Palestinian American man during an attack on a village, the Palestinian health ministry and a witness have said…Abu Siyam’s killing is the latest in a surge in violence in the occupied West Bank. Israeli forces and settlers killed 240 Palestinians last year, according to the UN office for the coordination of humanitarian affairs. Palestinians killed 17 Israelis over the same period, six of whom were soldiers…Abu Siyam’s mother told the Associated Press that he was an American citizen, making him the second Palestinian American person to be killed by Israeli settlers in less than a year…Palestinians and rights groups say authorities routinely fail to prosecute settlers or hold them accountable for violence.” See also US avoids condemning settler killing of Palestinian-American in armed West Bank attack (TOI 2/22/26); Two left-wing Israeli activists airlifted to hospital after settlers beat them in West Bank (TOI 2/27/26); ‘They Had Murder in Their Eyes’ Reports: Four Wounded After Israeli Settlers Assault Palestinians, Activists in West Bank (Haaretz 2/27/26); West Bank Dispatch: “Everything is Destroyed” (Maya Rosen//Jewish Currents 2/27/26);

US to offer passport services to citizens in illegal West Bank settlements (The Guardian 2/25/26)

“The US will provide on-site consular services in two Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank for the first time, breaking with previous policy, in a move that has been criticised by Palestinian officials as “a clear violation of international law”…The US embassy in Jerusalem said similar facilities offering consular services would be provided in the coming months in a second Israeli settlement, Beitar Illit, as well as in the Palestinian city of Ramallah and three cities inside Israel.” See also Settlers Drive a Palestinian Family Off Its Land (NYT 2/23/26); Left-wing activists hospitalized following settler attack in West Bank village (JPost 2/27/26); West Bank mosque set on fire, graffitied with ‘revenge’ in apparent settler attack (TOI 2/23/26); Israel’s new separation wall will sever Jordan Valley from rest of West Bank (Oren Ziv//+972 Magazine 2/16/26);

‘Children are inside!’: Palestinian homes, vehicles set on fire in apparent settler attack (TOI 2/25/26)

“Homes and vehicles in the Palestinian village of Susya, in the southern West Bank, were set ablaze on Tuesday night in an attack apparently carried out by extremist Israeli settlers. Footage published by Palestinian media showed several fires burning in the village, and reports indicated that at least four locations had been targeted, including the site of a residential tent and the entrance to a family home with the family inside…Israeli security forces were eventually dispatched to the scene, although the flames had died down by that point, and no arrests were made.”

‘Al-Aqsa is a detonator’: six-decade agreement on prayer at Jerusalem holy site collapses (The Guardian 2/20/26)

“A six-decade agreement governing Muslim and Jewish prayer at Jerusalem’s most sensitive holy site has “collapsed” under pressure from Jewish extremists backed by the Israeli government, experts have warned. A series of arrests of Muslim caretaker staff, bans on access for hundreds of Muslims, and escalating incursions by radical Jewish groups culminated this week in the arrest of an imam of al-Aqsa mosque and an Israeli police raid during evening prayers on the first night of Ramadan. The actions by the Jerusalem police and the Shin Bet internal security force, both now under far-right leadership, represent a rupture in the status quo agreement dating back to the aftermath of the 1967 war, which stipulates that only Muslims are permitted to pray in the sacred compound around the mosque, known as the al-Haram al-Sharif to Muslims, which also encompasses the seventh-century Dome of the Rock shrine…Changes in the status quo have historically shown the potential to ignite unrest and conflict in Jerusalem and the Palestinian occupied territories with repercussions across the world.” See also Israel warns of a Ramadan escalation — while doing everything to provoke one (Baker Zoubi//+972 Magazine 2/24/26)

Israel’s arms sales are surging. So why are its weapons expos smaller than ever? (Sahar Vardi//+972 Magazine 2/23/26)

“On the one hand, some two dozen countries have announced that they will halt or restrict arms trade with Israel. In the past year, Spain, the United Kingdom, and the Philippines have all canceled deals already signed with Israeli companies, apparently due to political pressure. On the other hand, Israeli defense exports rose from $12.5 billion in 2022 to $14.7 billion in 2024 — and although figures for 2025 have not yet been published, this number is expected to continue rising.  According to The Database of Israeli Military and Security Exports (DIMSE), a project by the Israeli anti-militarism movement New Profile, the majority of these exports (accounting for 54 percent of the total) are to European countries; in the past year alone, Germany signed procurement agreements for Israeli weapons systems worth €7 billion. In other words, while major arms exhibitions are shrinking and foreign guests are not arriving, sales of weapons systems used in the genocide in Gaza are skyrocketing. While Israel is increasingly seen as a pariah and boycotted around the world, the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange recently launched a new index of Israeli defense companies.” See also When Israeli Arms Merchants Boast of Gaza Serving as a Lab for Human Testing (Sapir Sluzker Amran//Haaretz 2/24/26); 59 Homicides in 2026: Man Fatally Shot in Arab Israeli Town Reineh (Haaretz 2/26/26); Fueled by festering crime wave, Kafr Kanna family feud erupts into all-out war (TOI 2/25/26); A killing a day: How a crime epidemic is spotlighting inequality in Israeli society (CNN 2/14/26);

Israel’s Restrictions on Medical Evacuations from Gaza and the West Bank (Yara M. Asi//Arab Center DC 2/25/26)

“For Palestinians in Gaza, where nearly all infrastructure has been destroyed by Israeli bombs, receiving medical care is a largely hopeless prospect. Thousands of people needing cancer care, surgeries, and other complex procedures face multiple barriers keeping them from treatment. With Israel’s unprecedented physical and administrative control over how, where, and when Palestinians can move within, to, and from their territories, the dispossession of Palestinians from their rights has hit a new peak.” See also Israeli court blocks life-saving cancer care for boy, 5, due to his Gaza address (The Guardian 2/10/26)

U.S. SCENE

America’s slipping sympathy for Israel (Axios 2/27/26)

“For the first time in 25 years of Gallup polling, more Americans say they sympathize with Palestinians than with Israelis — a striking shift in U.S. public opinion…The reversal reflects a dramatic shift in attitudes toward Israel — a key U.S. ally — after its war with Hamas triggered a humanitarian crisis and reshaped the Middle East…The difference — 41% who sympathize more with the Palestinians versus 36% for the Israelis — is not statistically significant, Gallup notes. But the trend over the last year shows how suddenly U.S. public opinion has soured on Israel — slipping 10 percentage points in 12 months. At the same time, Israel’s favorable rating has declined to near its historical low in Gallup’s polling…The shift in sympathies is largely driven by political independents, who reported more pro-Israel views in past-Gallup polling. Those surveyed now say they sympathize with Palestinians over Israelis 41% to 30%…Seven in 10 Republicans still say they sympathize more with the Israelis.” See also Israelis No Longer Ahead in Americans’ Middle East Sympathies (Gallup 2/27/26);

Scoop: Dems working on secret report found Gaza cost Harris votes (Axios 2/22/26)

“Top Democratic officials who worked on the party’s still-secret autopsy of the 2024 election concluded that Kamala Harris lost significant support because of the Biden administration’s approach to the war in Gaza, Axios has learned…The Democratic National Committee’s research on what went wrong in 2024 has been under lock and key since party leaders decided last year to hide it from the public — a reflection of how explosively it could resonate within the party and beyond.” See also There’s No “Progressive Foreign Policy” Without a Reckoning for Dems Who Supported Genocide (The Intercept 2/25/26); Gavin Newsom says he never has and ‘never will’ take money from AIPAC (JTA 2/24/26); Democrats Should Release Their 2024 Election Autopsy – and Stop the Gaza Denial (Margaret DeReus//Zeteo 2/25/26);

Young Americans increasingly likely to view Hamas as ‘resistance,’ not terrorists (Arno Rosenfeld//The Forward 2/23/26)

“American adults under the age of 30 increasingly view Hamas as “militant resistance” operating on behalf of the Palestinian people, rather than a self-interested terrorist organization, according to data gathered by the American Jewish Committee…The findings, shared with the Forward this month, track with another survey last summer that found 60% of 18- to 24-year-olds sided with Hamas over Israel in the Gaza war. It suggests the support that young Americans express for the Palestinians, and the same cohort’s deeply negative views toward Israel, are breaking through what was long a taboo: sympathy for an organization classified as a terrorist organization by the United States, and which has engaged in decades of violence against Israeli civilians. Tariq Kenney-Shawa, a fellow at the pro-Palestinian think tank Al-Shabaka, attributed this shift to a broader disillusionment with mainstream media and the political establishment that has long presented Israel as a close U.S. ally with shared values. “Americans have come to not trust these traditional narratives,” he said in an interview. “That spills over into thinking, ‘If we’ve been lied to about Israel’s true nature, maybe that means we’re also being lied to about Oct. 7 and groups like Hamas.’”

As Americans Sour on Aid to Israel, Jewish Anti-Occupation Groups Split on Strategy (Josh Nathan-Kazis//Jewish Currents 2/27/26)

“A new House bill introduced this week that would set conditions on Israel’s use of US weapons is setting off a fight over political strategy between left and liberal Jewish anti-occupation groups, as activists clash over how to take advantage of growing public opposition to US military aid to Israel. Since May of last year, more than a quarter of House Democrats have signed on as cosponsors of the Block the Bombs Act, which would ban the US from sending 2,000-pound bunker busters and certain other munitions to Israel. That bill has the support of the anti-Zionist group JVP Action, along with a number of Arab and Palestinian-led organizations, including the IMEU Policy Project and the US Campaign for Palestinian Rights Action. J Street, the leading liberal Zionist advocacy group, doesn’t oppose Block the Bombs. But late Monday, it backed a new House bill, introduced by Illinois Democrat Sean Casten, called the Ceasefire Compliance Act, which would set conditions for restricting Israel from using all US weapons in the West Bank and Gaza.” See also AIPAC is trying to derail my House campaign — because I’m a Jew who defies Israel (Robert Peters//The Forward 2/27/26)

Pro-Palestine International Students Have Won in Court. Why Hasn’t Mahmoud Khalil Won His Freedom? (The Intercept 2/26/26)

“Most of the student activists targeted for deportation by the Trump administration for their pro-Palestine speech have beaten back their deportation cases. Despite being one of the most recognizable faces among the activists, however, Mahmoud Khalil still faces possible re-detention and deportation to Algeria, a country he’s never lived in. Now, on the heels of a federal court ruling that delivered a blow to his case, Khalil is mounting a new fight in immigration court, where he is appealing his deportation order.” See also Calls mount for release of Palestinian protester held by ICE for nearly a year (The Guardian 2/13/26); Columbia Protester Held by ICE Says She Was Chained to Bed After Seizure (NYT 2/12/26); Trump administration files lawsuit against UCLA, saying it failed to protect Jewish and Israeli employees (JTA 2/24/26); California is sued by Jewish advocacy groups seeking to stop antisemitism in schools (LA Times 2/27/26)

Family of UN human rights investigator sues Trump administration over sanctions for Israel criticism (AP 2/26/26)

“The family of independent U.N. investigator Francesca Albanese has sued the Trump administration over U.S. sanctions imposed on her last year for her criticism of Israel’s policies during the war with Hamas in Gaza, saying the penalties violate the First Amendment. In a lawsuit filed Wednesday in the U.S. District Court in Washington, Albanese’s husband and minor child outlined the serious impact those sanctions have had on the family’s life and work, including the ability to access their home in the nation’s capital…“At its heart, this case concerns whether Defendants can sanction a person — ruining their life and the lives of their loved ones, including their citizen daughter — because Defendants disagree with their recommendations or fear their persuasiveness,” according to the filing.” See also Maine university pulls support from conference on Palestine, citing Trump sanctions (The Guardian 2/25/26);

PERSPECTIVES//LONG READS

From Ambiguous Governance to Stabilization Failure in Gaza: The Limits of the Board of Peace (Carol Daniel-Kasbari//The Global Observatory 2/19/26)

“On February 19th, the Board of Peace held its first meeting in Washington, DC, bringing together representatives from more than two dozen countries that have accepted President Trump’s invitation to join. This makes Gaza the first test of a new model of international governance—one that promises stabilization without resolving political authority. The Board of Peace, promoted primarily by the United States and a coalition of participating states, has been presented as an innovative mechanism to coordinate reconstruction, oversee administrative transition, and restore order where diplomacy has stalled. Yet the early design of the board raises a deeper question: Can stabilization succeed when the structures that produced the crisis remain intact?…Stabilization efforts that are not anchored in political authority, local consent, and enforceable access do not resolve governance vacuums; they deepen them…But Gaza is not a generic case of institutional decay or failed negotiations. It is the product of long-standing structures of control: nearly six decades of Israeli military occupation followed by almost two decades of comprehensive blockade. Gaza’s political and territorial separation from the West Bank has not been incidental; it has been orchestrated through control over borders, security, the population registry, fiscal flows, and movement. Palestinian governing capacity in Gaza did not simply erode; it was constrained within an architecture of external control that fragmented political authority and prevented the emergence of a unified mandate across the Palestinian territories. In this context, the Board of Peace is not entering a vacuum. It is entering an existing structure of control. The question, therefore, is not whether stabilization is needed. It is whether a stabilization mechanism that does not confront the underlying distribution of authority risks institutionalizing it.” See also Phase Two’s Baked-In Failure: Why the Chances for Trump’s Gaza Plan Are Dim (Yousef Munayyer//Arab Center DC 2/20/26)

“Giving Palestinians Fewer Rights than Eichmann Received” (Maya Rosen//Jewish Currents 2/16/26)

“On November 10th, 2025, the Israeli Knesset voted to advance a bill designed “to establish the death penalty for terrorists who have carried out murderous terror attacks.” If passed, the new law would require only a simple majority of judges to rule against a defendant; the convicted must then be hanged within 90 days without any possibility of commutation. The bill, which applies only to the murder of Israelis, has become a symbol of the far right’s desire to extract revenge…The bill is currently being debated in committee; afterwards, it is expected to return to the Knesset plenary for final voting, where it appears likely to pass into law. In anticipation, the Israel Prison Service has announced that they have already begun designing special facilities where those convicted will be hanged, and training prison employees to perform the executions. To learn more about Israel’s past positions on the death penalty, the details of the current legislation, and the cultural and political changes that have led to its advancement, I spoke with Ron Dudai, an Israeli sociologist who studies criminology and human rights.”

‘Terror Was Needed to Make Arabs Leave’: What the Israeli Army Did in 1948, Revealed (Adam Raz//Haaretz 2/27/26)

“Just about two years ago, in late March 2024, Ronit Zilberman, a zoologist, was walking near her home in the Ramat Hahayal neighborhood of Tel Aviv when she noticed boxes with what she realized were thousands of documents that someone had left next to a dumpster. Curious, Zilberman started to riffle through the material. What she discovered was an extraordinary number of documents relating to the War of Independence, including some labelled confidential, others describing military operations in nascent Israel and neighboring countries, and maps and historical photographs that, it emerged, had never been made public (including images appearing in this investigative report). Documentation of this sort and of this scale must be properly researched and archived, Zilberman thought. Although the boxes were quite heavy, she lugged them home. Her next step was to contact Akevot Institute for Israeli-Palestinian Conflict Research, where I am a researcher. The collection turned out to belong to Rafi Kotzer, one of the first fighters in the Golani infantry brigade and a founder of the 12th Battalion’s commando unit, which later became Sayeret Golani, the brigade’s elite recon force. Kotzer commanded several battles in 1948, and was later a founder of the Israel Defense Forces’ Disabled Veterans Organization…In the view of many Israelis, if the Arabs decided to flee, Israel is not responsible for creating the Palestinian tragedy. But if Israel expelled the Palestinians and its troops apparently didn’t hesitate to spill the blood of those who refused to leave, then a very dark cloud hangs over the period of the state’s establishment. If the underlying mission of the nascent army was not to ensure “purity of arms” as conceived at the time – i.e., that soldiers will not harm innocent people and will only use their weapons against individuals who perpetrate violent acts – but rather to perpetuate ethnic cleansing, it follows that historical memory in Israel is a deception.”

Evil in the West Bank (David Shulman//NYRB 3/12/26 issue)

“Ras al-‘Ain was the last large Palestinian village in the southern Jordan Valley. The others, including the twin village of Mu‘arrajat two miles away, had been destroyed and their people expelled in a highly effective campaign of ethnic cleansing backed by the Israeli government. For many decades roughly a thousand people lived in Ras al-‘Ain. They belonged to three Bedouin tribes—Rashaida, Jahalin, and Ka‘abneh—that united in the hope that together they could withstand settler violence. Most of the villagers were shepherds, surviving in a subsistence economy. On the night of March 7, 2025, dozens of heavily armed settlers under the protection of the police and the army invaded Ras al-‘Ain and stole at least a thousand, and possibly as many as 1,500, of the villagers’ sheep and goats. We have excellent video documentation, taken by two remarkably courageous activists, of that raid. The Palestinian owners submitted a formal complaint to the police, with the video documentation, but— as usual these days —within a few hours the police closed the file on the grounds that there was no supporting evidence. A thousand sheep are worth some two million Israeli shekels. The economic foundation of the village was devastated. Still, most of the families held on. The village was on privately owned Palestinian land that under Israeli law should have been off limits to the settlers. No Israeli official, however, was prepared to enforce the law. The police have been turned into a vicious ultranationalist militia under the command of Itamar Ben-Gvir, the serial criminal (dozens of indictments and several convictions) and hate-monger appointed minister of national security by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. There is also no succor from the Israeli civil courts. After the theft of the sheep, those who remained in the village still had to deal with the daily incursions of the settlers, including beatings, curses, threats, harassment, pepper spray, and more theft. Our activists—all of us Gandhian-style nonviolent resisters—did what we could to block the violence, with some success…By now the village has been emptied of its people.”

 

1. New from FMEP

2. Gaza

3. Region//Global

4. River to the Sea

5. U.S. Scene

6. Perspectives//Long Reads

NEW FROM FMEP

Enduring devastation: “They redefined the human being in Gaza” (New Occupied Thoughts episode)

FMEP Fellow Peter Beinart speaks with Jaser Abu Mousa, a 2025 Yale Peace Fellow and past Program Officer working for the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) in Gaza. The two discuss life and death in Gaza on personal and collective levels. They look at Hamas, which Jaser calls a “symptom” of the problem of occupation; at how the past two-plus years of war have destroyed not only all the infrastructure needed for life in Gaza but also the social fabric, as starvation and deprivation have broken human bonds and relationships; and the ways in which Israel works to make Gaza unlivable. On a personal level, Jaser speaks of his experiences in Gaza, from the violence he witnessed as a child during the second Intifada to the devastation he experienced on and since October 7, 2023: his wife, Heba, and two of his children were killed by Israeli missiles in mid-October 2023; after two years of starvation and deprivation, his mother, sister, and sister’s children were killed in the war in July 2025; and his family suffered other losses, including the killing of a nephew in the beginning of the war, injuring of his father, and arrest, detention, and violence against his brother along with other medical workers. Navigating these unfathomable losses, Jaser points to his faith in God and religion as guides as he seeks to protect his living children and look towards the future. Finally, Jaser reflects on how he relates to Israelis and declares that “if I strip him from his right to tell his story, that does not make me more just, but will make me less human.”

Severed: Looking at Disability Justice, Palestinian rights, and Gaza (New Occupied Thoughts episode)

2025 FMEP Fellow Hilary Rantisi speaks with filmmaker and activist Jen Marlowe about the film Severed, which Jen directed. The film, released in late 2025, tells the story of Mohamad Saleh, a teenager from Gaza who has endured five major Israeli assaults, lost his home, close family members, his best friends, and—at the age of 12—his leg. Hilary and Jen discuss disablement, disability justice, and Gaza, which now has the largest cohort of child amputees in the world.

FMEP Legislative Round-Up February 6, 2026

1. Bills, Resolutions; 2. Letters; 3. Hearings & Markups; 4. Selected Members on the Record; 5. Selected Media & Press releases/Statements

GAZA

A Ceasefire in Name Only (Mohammed Mhawish//The Nation 2/3/26)

“In October, Hamas and Israel signed a peace deal supposedly intended to stop two years of slaughter in Gaza. Since then, more than 420 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli fire—an average of about four people a day—in what international mediators continue to describe as a successful de-escalation. The distance between that official narrative and the facts on the ground reveals how the language of ceasefire has been repurposed: It no longer describes a pause in violence but rather a mechanism for managing it, sanitizing ongoing military force under the guise of restraint…The gap between war and peace has narrowed to a question of pace rather than principle—the same military control and displacement, with the same structural killing machine, just calibrated to a level that allows diplomatic progress to be claimed.” See also from The Nation’s 2/3/26 A Day for Gaza issue: “We Have Covered Events No Human Can Bear” (Ola Al Asi); The Street That Refuses to Die (Ali Skaik); A Catalog of Gaza’s Loss (Deema Hattab); My Sister’s Death Still Echoes Inside Me (Asmaa Dwaima); What Gaza’s Photographers Have Seen (Huda Skaik); How to Survive in a House Without Walls (Rasha Abou Jalal); What Edward Said Teaches Us About Gaza (Alaa Alqaisi); What Happens to the Educators When the Schools Have Been Destroyed? (Ismail Nofal); At the Doorstep of Tomorrow (Engy Abdelal);

Israeli strikes kill at least 21 in Gaza as Rafah patient crossings halted (The Guardian 2/4/26)

“Israeli tank shelling and airstrikes have killed at least 21 people, including six children and seven women, in Gaza, and Israel has halted the evacuation of patients through the Rafah border crossing just two days after it reopened…The strikes targeted Gaza City and Khan Younis. The Israeli military said it had fired on Gaza after a gunman shot at Israeli soldiers and seriously wounded a reservist. “While we were sleeping in our house, the tank shelled us and the shells hit our house, our children were martyred – my son was martyred, my brother’s son and daughter were martyred,” said Abu Mohamed Habouch at his children’s funeral.” See also Women, Children, and Medical Workers Among Over 20 Palestinians Killed in Surge of Israeli Attacks Across Gaza (Drop Site 2/4/26);

Children and police officers among at least 30 killed in Israeli strikes on Gaza (The Guardian 1/31/26)

“Israel has carried out some of its deadliest airstrikes on Gaza in months, killing at least 30 Palestinians, some of whom were sheltering in tent cities for displaced people. Despite a nominal ceasefire, the Israeli military struck a police station in the Sheikh Radwan neighbourhood west of Gaza City on Saturday, killing 10 officers and detainees, the civil defence said. It indicated the death toll could rise as emergency responders searched for bodies. Another strike hit an apartment in Gaza City, killing three children and two women, while seven more people were killed when Israel bombed tents in Khan Younis, southern Gaza…The Israeli military said the attacks were carried out in response to an incident on Friday when eight armed men came out of a tunnel in Rafah, southern Gaza. The area is still under Israeli military control under the terms of the October ceasefire.”

Handful of sick and wounded Palestinians allowed through Rafah crossing on first day (The Guardian 2/2/26)

“A small number of sick and wounded Palestinians have begun crossing into Egypt to seek medical treatment after Israel permitted a limited reopening of the Palestinian territory’s Rafah border post as fragile diplomatic efforts to stabilise the conflict inch forward.” See also Palestinians Returning to Gaza Face Delays and Searches (NYT 2/3/26); Revealed: Israel bulldozed part of Gaza war cemetery containing allied graves (The Guardian 2/4/26)

With or without a ceasefire, Israel is still targeting Gaza’s journalists (Ibtisam Mahdi//+972 Magazine 2/3/26)

“Since October, we journalists in Gaza had hoped that the declaration of a ceasefire would finally give us space to catch our breath. We did not dare to dream of a permanent peace, but only to go out to work without minding every step as if walking through a minefield, and without saying goodbye to each other every morning as if it were the last time. We knew that over 250 of our colleagues had been killed by the Israeli army since October 2023. And we saw Israel continue to kill hundreds of civilians over the past three months, in clear violation of the ceasefire. Yet we had clung desperately to the belief that the end of the war meant an end to our systematic targeting. The killing of three more journalists on Jan. 21 shattered this belief.”

REGION//GLOBAL

Trump’s Imperial Fantasy Begins With Gaza (Peter Beinart 2/4/26)

“Like the West Bank, [Gaza is] a colonial possession, whose residents are subjects—but not citizens—of Israel. As a colony, it can’t forge normal relations with foreign powers, who might shield it from Israeli and American domination. Its weakness, which has long made it a “laboratory” for the Israeli military, is now making it a laboratory for Trump’s fantasies of imperial omnipotence. Only in a colony could the US establish governing institutions—an Executive Board and a Gaza Executive Board—that contain Trump cabinet members, Trump in-laws, and Israeli and American Jewish businessmen, and relegate Palestinians to a National Committee for the Administration of Gaza that performs only technical functions. Some commentators have suggested that Gaza is now under “international trusteeship.” But it’s worse than that. It’s under Trump’s individual trusteeship. The Board of Peace authorizes him and his cronies to plunder the Strip for personal gain. What is emerging in Gaza may resemble less Mandatory Palestine between 1917 and 1948, which was ruled by the British government, than the Congo between 1885 to 1908, which was the personal property of one man, King Leopold II of Belgium.” See also US contractor sent Gaza plan to White House that would secure 300% profits (The Guardian 2/2/26); Excludes Palestinians, eyes profit: Gazans view Trump’s Board of Peace with deep distrust (Al Monitor 1/31/26);

Jared Kushner’s “Plan” for Gaza Is an Abomination (Tariq Kenney-Shawa//The Nation 1/30/26)

“Kushner has never been shy about his support for Israel’s most extreme fantasies for Gaza—fantasies that begin with ethnic cleansing. But he also knows that a single, overt act of ethnic cleansing on the scale that many Israelis openly dream of might be too controversial to launder through Davos-speak—and that the prospect of a mass expulsion of Palestinians from Gaza in one fell swoop has already triggered international backlash that the architects of this project would rather avoid. So the Kushner plan is built around something more marketable, more reproducible at scale: attrition. Or, to put it another way, the fulfillment of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s reported order to close aides to “thin out” Gaza’s population. The euphemism Israel has been selling to the world is “voluntary migration,” as if Palestinians would suddenly wake up with wanderlust and decide it would be nice to leave their homeland forever for no other reason than restlessness. The reality, of course, is that Israel has turned Gaza into an unlivable graveyard so it could offer migration as the only remaining option for those who have lost everything.” See also ‘We’ll settle all over’: Far-right activists cross into Gaza, are caught by IDF (TOI 2/6/26);

U.S. approves almost $16 billion in arms sales to Israel and Saudi Arabia (WaPo 1/31/26)

“The United States on Friday approved arms sales worth close to $6.7 billion for Israel and $9 billion for Saudi Arabia, deals that come as the Middle East remains on edge with President Donald Trump weighing military strikes on Iran. The sales were approved by the State Department, according to news releases published through the Defense Department. Congress has been notified of the approvals, according to the releases. But Rep. Gregory W. Meeks (New York), the ranking Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said the Trump administration had sidestepped the committee review process for significant arms sales for the transactions involving Israel.” See also US-Iran nuclear talks conclude in Oman, with another round said planned for coming days (TOI 2/6/26);

Marwan Barghouti, ‘Palestine’s Mandela’, to publish book from prison (The Guardian 2/3/26)

“A collection of writings by the imprisoned Palestinian political leader Marwan Barghouti will be published in November, bringing together prison letters, interviews, personal material and documents from the last three decades of Barghouti’s political life and incarceration…His book, Unbroken: In Pursuit of Freedom for Palestine, will be published by Penguin on 5 November this year, the publisher has told the Guardian…The forthcoming book will assemble private letters to Barghouti’s family written from prison, correspondence with public figures, press interviews, public statements, historical documents and photographs, alongside extracts from his book 1,000 Days in Solitary Confinement, which until now has been available only in Arabic.”

France issues arrest warrants against 2 right-wing French-Israeli activists for ‘complicity in genocide’ (JTA 2/2/26)

“France has issued arrest warrants for two French-Israeli activists for “complicity in genocide,” a charge that stemmed from the pair allegedly blocking humanitarian aid from entering the Gaza Strip. The arrest warrants were issued in July against Nili Kupfer-Naouri, the president of the organization Israel Is Forever, and Rachel Touitou, an activist with the organization Tsav 9, a right-wing Israeli group that was sanctioned by the United States in June 2024 for destroying humanitarian aid for Gaza.” See also Prominent British LGBTQ activist arrested for carrying ‘globalize the intifada’ sign in London (JTA 2/2/26);

Researchers at Human Rights Watch Resign Over Blocked Report on Palestinian Refugee Return (Alex Kane//Jewish Currents 2/3/26)

“Two Human Rights Watch (HRW) employees who make up the organization’s entire Israel and Palestine team are stepping down from their positions after leadership blocked a report that deems Israel’s denial of Palestinian refugees’ right of return a “crime against humanity.” In separate resignation letters obtained by Jewish Currents, Omar Shakir, who has headed the team for nearly the last decade, and Milena Ansari, the team’s assistant researcher, said leadership’s decision to pull the report before its scheduled publication on December 4th broke from HRW’s customary approval processes and was evidence that the organization was putting fear of political backlash over a commitment to international law. “I have lost my faith in the integrity of how we do our work and our commitment to principled reporting on the facts and application of the law,” wrote Shakir in his resignation letter. “As such, I am no longer able to represent or work for Human Rights Watch.” The resignations have roiled one of the most prominent human-rights groups in the world just as HRW’s new executive director, Philippe Bolopion, begins his tenure. In a statement, HRW said that the report “raised complex and consequential issues. In our review process, we concluded that aspects of the research and the factual basis for our legal conclusions needed to be strengthened to meet Human Rights Watch’s high standards.” They said that “the publication of the report was paused pending further analysis and research,” and that the process was “ongoing.”’

U.S. secretly deporting Palestinians to West Bank in coordination with Israel (Ghousoon Bisharat & Ben Reiff//+972 Magazine 2/5/26)

“The United States is quietly deporting Palestinians arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to the occupied West Bank by private jet, with two such flights taking place in coordination with the Israeli authorities since the beginning of this year — part of a secretive and politically sensitive operation revealed through a joint investigation by +972 Magazine and The Guardian…After arriving at Ben Gurion Airport, the men were put in a vehicle with an armed Israeli police officer and released at a military checkpoint outside the Palestinian town of Ni’lin in the West Bank…According to people familiar with the details, the eight men deported on the initial flight, which was first reported by the Israeli newspaper Haaretz, are residents of West Bank towns and cities including Bethlehem, Hebron, Silwad, Ramun, Bir Nabala, and Al-Ram. Some of them have held green cards, and several have wives, children, and other close family members in the United States. Some had been detained in ICE facilities for weeks; at least one was held for over a year.” See also Revealed: Private jet owned by Trump friend used by ICE to deport Palestinians to West Bank (The Guardian 2/5/26)

RIVER TO THE SEA

The Future of the West Bank: Settler Takeover and Annexation (Fathi Nimer//Al Shabaka 2/3/26)

“Since the beginning of Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza in October 2023, land seizure in the West Bank has shifted from creeping settler encroachment to a vicious military-backed campaign of territorial theft. This commentary shows how the Israeli regime’s land appropriation policy in the West Bank, once justified through bureaucratic-legal land seizure orders, has now increasingly shifted toward direct settler takeovers. This shift does not indicate a change in objectives but rather an escalation of existing settlement expansion mechanisms, signaling the growing power and influence of the settler movement over Israeli policy.” See also In Four Minutes, Israeli Settlers Descended From the Hills and Burned Down an Entire West Bank Bedouin Community (Haaretz 2/6/26); For Six Hours, Israeli Settlers Rampaged Two West Bank Villages – While Soldiers Looked On (Haaretz 2/4/26); Settlers reportedly assault minor while accompanied by IDF troops who arrest local man (TOI 2/4/26); Aiding and Abetting Jewish Rioters in the West Bank (Ehud Olmert//Haaretz 2/6/26);

Former Israeli Defense Minister: Israel’s ideology of ‘Jewish supremacy’ resembles Nazi race theory (Mondoweiss 2/4/26)

“In the late 1980s, Israeli philosopher Yeshayahu Leibowitz made the controversial warning that the 1967 occupation risked turning Israelis into “Judeo-Nazis.” Leibowitz recently found a surprising supporter for this opinion –  Former Israeli Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon. On Friday, Ya’alon tweeted that “Yeshayahu Leibowitz was right, and I was wrong”. This was no benign reference – it referred directly to the late professor Leibowitz’s “warnings… concerning the process of bestialization towards us becoming ‘Judeo-Nazis’…”. Ya’alon says that the “ideology of ‘Jewish supremacy’” has become “dominant in the government of Israel”, and that it “is reminiscent of the Nazi race theory”…Here then is the full text of what Ya’alon shared on social media (my translation from Hebrew) – I have added numerous links to the many condensed references in his tweet: “Last Tuesday evening I participated in a ceremony marking the International Holocaust Remembrance Day. When I got home, I got a message about Jewish pogromists who are attacking Palestinians in the southern Hebron mountains, stealing their flock and burning their possessions. ‘You can’t compare!’… after ambulances, who tried to get to the place, were delayed by the Jewish terrorists, three Palestinians were evacuated to the hospital, where one of them suffered a fracture to the skull. ‘No event can be compared to the Holocaust, which our people were subject to!’…”

‘A violation of our history’: Palestinian uproar over Israel’s plan to seize historic West Bank site (The Guardian 2/2/26)

“Residents of Sebastia say heritage project is pretext for massive land grab and expansion of Jewish settlements”

A Hamas Hostage’s Secret Ordeal (2/3/26)

“Guy Gilboa-Dalal says he was sexually abused by one of his captors in the tunnels of Gaza and threatened with death if he said anything.”

Shin Bet chief’s brother charged with ‘assisting enemy’ over cigarette smuggling in Gaza (The Guardian 2/5/26)

“The brother of Israel’s internal security chief has been charged with “assisting the enemy in wartime” for his alleged role in a smuggling network taking cigarettes and other goods into Gaza during an Israeli blockade of the occupied Palestinian territory. Bezalel Zini was one of more than 10 people charged in relation to the alleged network. His brother, David Zini, is the head of the Shin Bet, the domestic intelligence agency.”

Netanyahu Suggests Other Officials to Blame for Oct. 7 Failings (NYT 2/6/26)

“Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel has repeatedly refused to take direct responsibility for the security and intelligence failings that occurred on his watch in the lead-up to the Hamas-led attacks of Oct. 7, 2023, the bloodiest day in the country’s history. On Thursday, Mr. Netanyahu indicated that he had no intention of changing course, releasing a 55-page document that appeared to direct the blame onto others, including top security and political officials.” See also Netanyahu Releases Selective, Redacted Security Cabinet Records in Bid to Shift Oct. 7 Responsibility to Defense Establishment (Haaretz 2/6/26);

In Hebron’s hyper-militarized Old City, a Palestinian cinema opens its doors (Basel Adra//+972 Magazine 2/2/26)

“The city’s first movie theater in nearly a century is defying Israeli movement restrictions and settler attacks to screen political films for locals and activists.”

U.S. SCENE

Pentagon Makes Largest Known Arms Purchase from Israel — For Banned Cluster Weapons (Dan Glaun//The Intercept 2/6/26)

“The Department of Defense has quietly signed a $210 million deal to buy advanced cluster shells from one of Israel’s state-owned arms companies, marking unusually large new commitments to a class of weapons and an Israeli defense establishment both widely condemned for their indiscriminate killing of civilians. The deal, signed in September and not previously reported, is the department’s largest contract to purchase weapons from an Israeli company in available records, according to an online federal database that covers the last 18 years. In a reversal of the more commonly seen direction for weapons transfers between the countries — in which the U.S. sends its weapons to Israel — the U.S. will pay the Israeli weapons firm Tomer over a period of three years to produce a new 155mm munition. The shells are designed to replace decades-old and often defective cluster shells that left live explosives scattered across Vietnam, Laos, Iraq, and other nations.”

AIPAC Donors Fail to Elect Last-Minute New Jersey House Pick (Akela Lacy 2/4/26)

“Update: February 6, 2026: As of Friday, the Democratic primary in New Jersey’s 11th district is too close to call between organizer Analilia Mejia and former Rep. Tom Malinowski. Former Lieutenant Governor Tahesha Way trails in a distant third. This story details pro-Israel contributions to Way’s campaign ahead of the election…The lobby [including the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, its super PAC, and Democratic Majority for Israel] is known for spending against progressives and the most vocal critics of the state of Israel, but in New Jersey, [this lobby] appears to be backing one moderate to pick off another. Yet more pro-Israel money in the race comes at the expense of Tom Malinowski, who is no progressive on Israel policy but nevertheless has become the subject of AIPAC ire — marking a reversal for the group, which supported him in 2022.” See also AIPAC Targets a Former Ally in 2026’s First Fight Over the Future of pro-Israel U.S. Politics (Haaretz 2/4/26); How AIPAC Could Help Elect The Next Member Of The Squad (HuffPo 2/5/26); AIPAC Coordinates Donors in Illinois House Primaries (Drop Site 2/6/26);

Prosecutors charge Capital Jewish Museum shooter with terrorism (The Forward 2/5/26)

“Federal prosecutors added two terrorism charges to the indictment against Elias Rodriguez, the Chicago man accused of killing two Israeli embassy employees outside a networking event held at the Capital Jewish Museum last May. The new indictment, filed on Wednesday, claims that Rodriguez murdered Yaron Lischinsky, 30, and Sarah Milgrim, 26, with the intent to both influence government policy through “intimidation” and that he sought to “coerce a significant portion of the civilian population” of the United States…Rodriguez, 31, who prosecutors say flew from Chicago to carry out the attack, allegedly shot Lischinsky and Milgrim repeatedly after they left a Jewish young professionals reception at the museum, hosted by the American Jewish Committee. He then entered the museum and shouted, “I did it for Palestine, I did it for Gaza.” While prosecutors previously charged Rodriguez with national origin-based hate crimes, they have focused on the political dimension of the attack and the indictment quotes at length from social media posts and a manifesto that law enforcement sources attribute to Rodriguez.”

Florida bill seeks to ban use of ‘West Bank’ in schools and state agencies (The Guardian 2/4/26)

“Florida legislators are pushing to pass legislation that would ban the use of the term “West Bank” in K-12 public schools and state agencies, including public colleges and universities, and mandate use of the term “Judea and Samaria”. The West Bank is the internationally recognized term for the Israeli-occupied Palestinian territory west of the Jordan River that was seized from Jordan by Israel in 1967. The rightwing Israeli government refers to the area as “Judea and Samaria” in reference to the biblical kingdoms of ancient Israel as part of broader efforts to bolster historical and religious claims to the land. The international community, on the other hand, broadly recognizes the West Bank as occupied land that must be part of a future Palestinian state. The term “Judea and Samaria” has been embraced by many US Republicans since the first Trump administration, including the former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee, who Donald Trump appointed as ambassador to Israel last year. Arkansas became the first US state to mandate replacing references to the “West Bank” in state institutions with “Judea and Samaria” in April last year. Similar bills have been proposed in the US Congress but have not come up for vote…If the Florida legislation passes,, state agencies, including universities and colleges, would be prohibited from using the term “West Bank” in any official state government materials, and would require any new instructional or school library materials in K-12 public schools to comply with the new law and use the term “Judea and Samaria”.”

Most US Jews do not identify as ‘Zionists,’ even when they support Israel, JFNA survey finds (JTA 2/5/26)

“Only one-third of American Jews say they identify as Zionist, even as nearly nine in 10 say they support Israel’s right to exist as a Jewish and Democratic state, according to a new survey conducted by Jewish Federations of North America. The findings of the survey reveal that American Jews do not have a mutually agreed-upon definition of Zionism — with those identifying as anti-Zionist and those identifying as Zionist ascribing sharply different meanings to the term. For example, about 80% of anti-Zionist Jews say “supporting whatever actions Israel takes” is a tenet of Zionism, while only about 15% of self-identified Zionists share the belief, according to the survey…Respondents were also quizzed on what views they believed constituted “a part of Zionist beliefs.” Among Jews, 36% said Zionism only meant “the right of the Jewish people to have a Jewish state.” More than one in four Jewish respondents said they thought Zionists were expected to be “supporting whatever action Israel takes,” and 35% said Zionism meant “believing Israel has a right to the West Bank and Gaza Strip.” Smaller numbers of Jews indicated that they thought “believing Palestinians are a made-up population” and “believing Jews are superior to Palestinians” were also core Zionist tenets.”

In Gaza, an ‘apocalyptic wasteland’ foretold (Ishaan Tharoor//WaPo 2/2/26)

“In February 2024, U.S. diplomats drafted a grim warning for then-President Joe Biden and his top national security officials. The Israeli military campaign in the Gaza Strip, triggered a few months before by the Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel by militant group Hamas, was so devastating and destructive that northern Gaza had turned into an “apocalyptic wasteland” with “catastrophic human needs.” Food, clean drinking water and medicine were already scarce as Israeli bombardments flattened sections of the embattled territory. The cable, compiled by USAID officials with connections to United Nations agencies and humanitarian organizations, cited eyewitness accounts of scattered human remains and dead bodies left to rot in the broken streets. The details of this particular cable were reported this past week by Reuters. It was one of five such missives sent in early 2024, charting the rapidly deteriorating state of the humanitarian situation in Gaza. According to Reuters, the cable warning of a “wasteland” was suppressed by then-U.S. ambassador Jack Lew and his deputy, “because they believed it lacked balance.” The cables did not reach top officials in the Biden White House responsible for crafting U.S. policy regarding Gaza at the time, according to the news agency. The incident illustrates the tensions within the Biden administration over its support of the Israeli war effort against Hamas, which killed about 1,200 people in its attack on southern Israel and abducted hundreds of hostages…Seen two years later, the cable reported by Reuters is a small footnote of history.” See also U.S. Envoys Refused to Report “Apocalyptic” Conditions in Gaza. Exclusive Photos Show the Reality They Suppressed (Drop Site 2/2/26);

Homeland Security is targeting Americans with this secretive legal weapon (WaPo 2/3/26)

“For many Americans, the anonymous ICE officer, masked and armed, represents Homeland Security’s most intimidating instrument, but the agency often targets people in a far more secretive way. Homeland Security is not required to share how many administrative subpoenas it issues each year, but tech experts and former agency staff estimate it’s well into the thousands, if not tens of thousands. Because the legal demands are not subject to independent review, they can take just minutes to write up and, former staff say, officials throughout the agency, even in mid-level roles, have been given the authority to approve them. In March, Homeland Security issued two administrative subpoenas to Columbia University for information on a student it sought to deport after she took part in pro-Palestinian protests. In July, the agency demanded broad employment records from Harvard University with what the school’s attorneys described as “unprecedented administrative subpoenas.”’ See also Republican senator in Louisiana launches probe into Mamdani’s reversal of Israel executive orders (NY Jewish Week 2/5/26); Mamdani taps leader of progressive Zionist group to helm Office to Combat Antisemitism (JTA 2/4/26);

PERSPECTIVES//LONG READS

No Child Deserves to Die Like My Daughter (Wesam Hamada//NYT 1/29/26)

“On Jan. 29, [2024] we had to flee again. After Hind got into a car with six family members, the car was shot at. Everyone in the car except Hind was killed. Hearing my daughter trapped, begging for my help, was a kind of pain no mother should experience. As I spoke to her, Palestine Red Crescent Society workers were also on the phone with her at their base. They knew exactly where she was. Before I lost contact with her, an ambulance was minutes away. Minutes. They had tried to get permission from Israeli authorities to rescue her earlier, but it took about three hours to receive the green light. When an ambulance finally was dispatched and got close to Hind, it was fired on and the two paramedics on board were killed. Nearly two weeks later, Hind was found dead in the car. Israeli forces have said the ambulance didn’t need their permission, and that they had not been in the area. But multiple investigations determined that they were present and likely killed Hind and our other family members…No child deserves to die like Hind did, just as no child should live under the constant threat of bombardment, starvation and displacement. My daughter was just one among tens of thousands of Palestinian children in Gaza whose stories ended before they began. At least 20,000 children have been killed since October 2023. Twenty thousand futures erased…Protecting the children in Gaza must mean real protection. For a start, it means a cease-fire that actually saves lives, not one that exists only on paper; more than 100 children have been killed since the cease-fire officially began. It means stopping the bombing, and the international flow of weapons to a regime that clearly seeks to crush our spirit and erase us. It means opening more medical corridors and allowing more food in. It means ensuring accountability, not only for Hind’s death but for those of the thousands of children whose lives were stolen.”

A Day for Gaza (The Nation 2/3/26)

“Gaza has been suspended in a bloody limbo for months. Despite the much-hyped ceasefire between Israel and Hamas—declared on October 10, 2025—peace has not arrived in the Gaza Strip. The bombings have continued, killing at least 509 people; hunger persists; aid trickles in rather than flows; and Israel remains in control of nearly 60 percent of the terrain. Hundreds of thousands of people continue to live in threadbare tents. Meanwhile, US promises of a “technocratic governance” mask a colonial project bestowed on a people with no say. The ceasefire has bred apathy among us—and disinterest from a press that was already turning away. According to a recent study by the media watch group FAIR, US media coverage of Gaza has fallen to its lowest three-month average since the genocide began two-and-a-half years ago. The message is clear: There’s nothing to see here. The Nation disagrees. We believe the story of Gaza remains as essential as it was on October 9, 2025, and that those who live in its ruins are the best ones to tell it. So today, February 3, we are turning our website over to Gaza and its people in an initiative we are calling “A Day for Gaza.” There will be no work shared that is not about Gaza, and no pieces published that are not written by people who are in or from Gaza.”

Things that should never be extinguished (Hanady Hathaleen & Kate Greenberg//Vashti 1/30/26)

“This Wednesday, 28 January, marked six months since an Israeli settler murdered Palestinian activist, teacher, and community leader Awdah Hathaleen, as Awdah defended his home village of Umm al-Khair. Since that day, the small agricultural community has faced relentless raids and arrests by the Israeli military, threats of large-scale home demolitions, the expansion of a settler outpost in the middle of their land, and the denial of any semblance of justice for Awdah’s murder by Israeli courts — all while trying to grieve. Adjacent villages have been dealing with their own daily avalanches of physical violence. On Tuesday night, 27 January, settlers launched a coordinated pogrom across three communities in the Masafer Yatta region: Khirbet al-Fakhit, Khirbet Halawe, and Khirbet al-Tabban. Bales of hay were set alight, before hordes of settlers armed with clubs entered residents’ homes, inflicting serious injuries including a fracture to a man’s skull. It is crucial to highlight the way that settlers and the state are working in conjunction to ethnically cleanse the West Bank; that afternoon, Israeli military forces had already raided Khirbet al-Fakhit, filling up the village’s water wells with cement…Not unlike a musical instrument that has been broken in half and estranged from its own music, the following untitled prose poem by Hanady Hathaleen, Awdah’s widow, is an amalgamation of two fragments of her writing…With Hanady’s support, I [Kate] have translated the poem from her original Arabic.” See also IDF, police stop Tu B’Shvat coexistence olive-tree planting in beleaguered Palestinian hamlet (TOI 2/2/26)

Steadfast resistance under occupation from Minneapolis to Palestine (Rae Abileah and Rabbi Cat Zavis//Waging Nonviolence 2/4/26)

“Two images, from opposite sides of the world, are seared into our minds: Five-year-old Liam Conejo Ramos in his blue knit bunny hat, carrying his Spiderman backpack, being snatched from the streets and detained by ICE. Five-year-old Hind Rajab’s voice, tiny and terrified, crying out for help from the car as her family members’ dead bodies lay next to her and the Israeli forces bear down upon her…These are not isolated tragedies. They are the logic of state terror, from Minnesota to Gaza City…As Ashkenazi Jews, our minds do not only go to Palestine. We are haunted by our own histories: families hiding in Berlin to avoid deportation, people abducted in the night, neighbors punished for offering shelter. The eerie familiarity is impossible to ignore.”

The legal fight to open Gaza to foreign press has failed. It’s time to change course (Amos Brison//+972 Magazine 2/6/26)

“For over two years, the Foreign Press Association (FPA) has been battling Israel’s government in the Supreme Court over its sweeping ban on the independent entry of foreign journalists into the Gaza Strip. Throughout that time, the Israeli government has not wavered from its position — and the court has proven unwilling to force its hand…Rather than changing its approach, the FPA continues to play by the rules and defer to the Supreme Court, despite there being no indication that it will ever force the government’s hand. In doing so, the FPA not only fails to achieve its goal of lifting the ban on press access to Gaza, but also helps legitimize the external perception of a good-faith “judicial review” — a cornerstone of Israel’s self-professed liberal democracy.”

Why a Palestinian protest in Tel Aviv exposed the limits of Israeli solidarity (Samah Watad//+972 Magazine 2/4/26)

“We were standing in the middle of Tel Aviv on Saturday night, during one of the largest protests that Palestinian citizens of Israel have held in recent memory: a mass demonstration — described by local commentators as “historic” — against the organized crime that has been tearing through our communities with impunity. Tens of thousands of people (organizers estimated as many as 100,000) had come to demand the most basic and urgent right to live without fear.
And yet, at that moment, the protest’s central contradiction surfaced. Even here, at a march against our own deaths and abandonment by the government, naming ourselves as Palestinians felt disruptive, something in need of correction. People had driven for hours from the Galilee in the north and the Naqab in the south to make their voices heard in the heart of the Israeli metropolis. They came with the knowledge that this government is more comfortable watching Palestinians kill one another than taking responsibility for dismantling the crime networks operating freely in our towns. The presence of bereaved families made that indifference impossible to ignore, at least for those who were there. These were parents, siblings, and children whose lives had been shattered by violence, who still chose to stand in public and demand accountability…And yet, despite the magnitude of the demonstration, and the noteworthy presence of as many as 20,000 Jewish Israelis (according to organizers), it barely registered in mainstream Israeli media. The country’s major outlets reduced the event to brief, dismissive segments.”

Now that Israel has admitted the Gaza death toll is accurate, don’t let apologists move the goalposts (Ben Reiff//The Guardian 2/3/26)

“Israel’s official and unofficial spokespeople are in damage control mode after a senior military official admitted last week that Israel accepts the death toll published by Gaza’s health ministry, which currently stands at more than 70,000. This comes after two years in which Israel and its supporters took every opportunity to disparage and dismiss the health ministry’s figures, arguing that they were overblown or fabricated by Hamas…In truth, the reliability of the official death toll should never have been in doubt. For one thing, the UN has independently verified the accuracy of the health ministry’s figures after each of Israel’s previous bombardments of Gaza going back to 2008. For another, the data published by the health ministry since 7 October is extremely detailed: it includes a full name, date of birth, gender and ID number for all victims whose deaths were confirmed either by hospital morgues or by their relatives. Naturally, mistakes were made amid the intensity of an Israeli onslaught that virtually destroyed Gaza’s entire health system, but these were remarkably few and promptly rectified…”

1. New from FMEP

2. Gaza

3. Region//Global

4. River to the Sea

5. U.S. Scene

6. Perspectives//Long Reads

NEW FROM FMEP

Institutionalizing sexual violence and torture: the findings of the UN Committee on Torture (New Occupied Thoughts episode)

FMEP Fellow Ahmed Moor speaks with Nick Rodelo, a researcher employed by the University Network for Human Rights (UNHR) and the primary author of the report, Report to the UN Committee Against Torture: Systemic Israeli Practices of Torture Against Palestinians in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, submitted to the UN in late 2025. The report describes and provides extensive evidence of torture and abuse against Palestinian detainees and prisoners, demonstrating that “[t]his abuse – including, but not limited to, beatings to the point of broken bones and permanent injury; gang rape and rape by foreign objects; nonconsensual amputations; and extreme deprivation of food, water, sunlight, hygiene, and sleep – are systematic policies and practices of the State of Israel and its actors.” Ahmed and Nick discuss the research process and the findings of the UNHR report, the experience of presenting this evidence to the UN Committee Against Torture, and the UN Committee’s recommendations.

FMEP Legislative Round-Up January 30, 2026 (Lara Friedman)

1. Bills, Resolutions; 2. Letters; 3. Hearings & Markups; 4. Selected Members on the Record; 5. Selected Media & Press releases/Statements

Settlement & Annexation Report: January 30, 2026 (Kristin McCarthy)

West Bank Settlements & Outposts: More Funding for Settler-Only Roads; Expanded Settler Access to Joseph’s Tomb, Soil Smuggling, and More; 2. Settler Terrorism: Pogrom in Masafer Yatta, Displacement in Sinjil, and More; 3. Bonus Reads

GAZA

Israel accepts health authorities’ Gaza death toll is broadly accurate, saying 70,000 have died (The Guardian 1/30/26)

“Israel’s military has accepted the death toll compiled by health authorities in Gaza is broadly accurate, marking a U-turn after years of official attacks on the data. A senior security official briefed Israeli journalists, saying about 70,000 Palestinians had been killed by Israeli attacks on the territory since October 2023, excluding those missing. It is the first time Israel has publicly estimated the toll from the war in Gaza…Gaza health authorities said the direct toll from Israeli attacks had exceeded 71,660 people, with at least 10,000 presumed buried in the rubble of bombed buildings. For more than two years, Israeli officials and media had attacked the Palestinian figures as “Hamas propaganda” and dismissed them as “not accurate”.’ See also The IDF Admits It Killed 70,000 Palestinians in Gaza. What Other Accusations Could Turn Out to Be True? (Nir Hasson//Haaretz 1/29/26); Israel returns 15 bodies to Gaza as the Israeli military accepts Gaza death toll of 71,667 (DropSite 1/29/26);

 

Israel to Reopen Gaza Strip’s Rafah Crossing on Sunday, in Largely Symbolic Move (Haaretz 1/30/26)

“The Rafah crossing, connecting the Gaza Strip to Egypt, will open Sunday to transit in both directions, Israel’s Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) announced on Friday…Only residents of the Gaza Strip who had left the enclave during the war will be permitted to enter Gaza through the crossing, COGAT said, adding that those who enter the Strip will have to have prior security authorization from Israel…Under the current conditions, the reopening of the Rafah crossing is not expected to ease movement for most Gazans, who will be unable to use the crossing, leaving the move largely symbolic.” See also Israeli attacks kill at least five in Gaza as Rafah crossing to reopen Sunday (New Arab 1/30/26); For Thousands Waiting for the Rafah Crossing to Open in Gaza, Uncertainty Is a Matter of Life and Death (Jack Khoury//Haaretz 1/28/26); Doctors Without Borders Will Not Share Staff Details With Israel Following NGO Suspensions (Haaretz 1/30/26);

Remains of last Israeli held in Gaza after 7 October 2023 returned (The Guardian 1/26/26)

“The remains of the Israeli police sergeant Ran Gvili, who was killed fighting Hamas-led militants on 7 October 2023, have been returned to Israel. Militants took Gvili’s body to Gaza to use as a bargaining chip. He was the last of 251 people captured that day still held in the territory. “With this, all hostages have been returned from the Gaza Strip to the state of Israel,” the Israeli military said in a statement…The handover of the body marks the completion of a key initial demand of Donald Trump’s ceasefire plan for Gaza. It should open the way for progress in its second stage, which the US announced was under way earlier this month.” See also Exclusive: Trump says Hamas helped find last hostage, now must disarm (Axios 1/26/26); Israel confirms remains of last hostage, Rani Gvili, returned from Gaza (WaPo 1/26/26); The stories of the final hostages whose bodies were returned from Gaza (WaPo 1/27/26)

Board of Peace Set to Hand Trump Sweeping Powers Over Gaza (NYT 1/27/26)

“President Trump would have sweeping powers over the future governance of the war-ravaged Gaza Strip and the well-being of its people, under a plan drafted by the new international group he leads, laying out how it would operate…Much about the Board of Peace has so far been unclear, but a draft resolution, a copy of which was obtained by The Times, would allow the chairman, Mr. Trump, to nominate senior officials who will help administer Gaza, and assign responsibilities. Those officials include a “high representative” for Gaza, tasked with overseeing a Palestinian body administering the enclave, and the commander of an international stabilization force, which is intended to help provide security. Mr. Trump would also have the power to approve resolutions and suspend them in urgent cases.” See also As phase 2 looms, Netanyahu insists no Turkish or Qatari troops in Gaza (Al Monitor 1/27/26);

Doctors Without Borders Will Not Share Staff Details With Israel Following NGO Suspensions (Haaretz 1/30/26)

“Medical charity Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders) said on Friday it will ‌not submit lists of staff demanded by Israel to maintain access to Gaza ⁠and the West Bank, saying it had not been able to obtain assurances ‌over the safety of its teams. MSF, which supports and helps staff hospitals in Gaza, is one ‍of 37 international organisations that Israel ordered this month to stop work in the Palestinian territories unless they meet new rules including providing ‍employee details. The aid groups say sharing such staff information could pose a safety risk, ‌pointing to the hundreds of aid workers who were killed or injured during the two-year Gaza war….MSF had said last week it would be prepared to share a partial list ‌of Palestinian and international staff who had agreed to release that information, provided the list be used only for administrative purposes and not put its team at risk. It also said it wanted to retain control over the management ‌of medical humanitarian supplies. “However, despite repeated efforts, it became evident ‍in recent days that we were unable to build engagement ⁠with Israeli authorities on the concrete assurances required,” MSF said in a statement. It said there could be a devastating impact on humanitarian services if it is banned from operating in Gaza and the West Bank, amid the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Gaza.” See also ‘Wet tent syndrome’ is killing Gaza’s infants (Michal Feldon//+972 Magazine 1/26/26)

REGION//GLOBAL

U.S. Military Tells Key Middle East Ally to Prepare for Attack on Iran (Drop Site 1/30/26)

“Senior U.S. military officials have informed the leadership of a key U.S. ally in the Middle East that President Donald Trump could authorize a U.S. attack on Iran this weekend, multiple sources have confirmed to Drop Site News. Strikes could commence as early as Sunday, the ally was informed, if the U.S. decides to move forward.” See also Trump says he’s given Iran deadline to accept deal before potential strike (TOI 1/30/26); Saudi, Israeli officials visit D.C. to talk possible U.S. strikes on Iran (Axios 1/29/26); Exclusive: Trump says Iran wants a deal as U.S. “armada” arrives (Axios 1/26/26); Iran says defense capabilities ‘never’ up for negotiation; US missile destroyer in Eilat (TOI 1/30/26); Israel ups Iran intel sharing with US, expects Trump to strike within ‘weeks’ (Al Monitor 1/30/26);

Palestinian developer gains massive user support for app challenging censorship claims criticising US and Israel after losing over 60 relatives in Gaza (MEMO 1/28/26)

“The UpScrolled app, launched by Palestinian–Jordanian–Australian developer Issam Hijazi, who lost more than 60 of his relatives in the Gaza genocide, has seen remarkable success. It is ranked ninth among free apps on Apple’s App Store, one place ahead of TikTok, and second in the social networking category as of Monday afternoon.” See also TikTok deal with pro-Israel Larry Ellison spurs exodus to Palestinian-founded app UpScrolled (TOI 1/30/26); South Africa expels top Israeli diplomat over ‘insulting attacks’ on president (The Guardian 1/30/26);

RIVER TO THE SEA

Inside a coordinated, multi-village settler-soldier pogrom in Masafer Yatta (Basel Adra//+972 Magazine 1/30/26)

“On the evening of Jan. 27, Israeli settlers launched one of the most devastating pogroms on the Palestinian communities of Masafer Yatta in recent memory, attacking three villages simultaneously with what appeared to be an unprecedented level of coordination with the Israeli army.” See also CCTV shows IDF troops escorting settlers said to be stealing Palestinians’ livestock (TOI 1/30/26);

Settler-only IDF units functioning as ‘vigilante militias’ in West Bank (The Guardian 1/30/26)

“Israel’s army has become a vehicle for violent settlers to escalate their campaign against Palestinians across the occupied West Bank, with reserve units drawn from settlements functioning as vigilante militias, according to Israeli soldiers and activists, and the United Nations…The system handed weapons and authority to thousands of settlers, who formed military units in their own communities, with few checks on how these powers would be used…There is a long history of close collaboration between settlers and the Israeli military. Units in the West Bank regularly killed and injured civilians, including children, and failed to enforce laws protecting Palestinians from settler violence. But the widespread deployment of settler units marked a profound structural change. “Post 7 October [2023] the military and settler are unified,” said Yehuda Shaul, co-director of the Ofek thinktank, which campaigns against Israel’s occupation, and a co-founder of Breaking the Silence. “The settlers are the IDF, the IDF are settlers, there’s no pretence of a buffer,” he said. “It is not any more about a situation where the IDF are standing idly by while settlers attack, it’s not even just one or two soldiers joining settler attacks. “It’s a level of complicity that goes beyond anything we have seen before. You can see the impact if you look at how many Palestinian communities were forcibly transferred by settler violence before 7 October, and how many after.”’ See also Palestinians face fresh slew of evictions in Silwan, after court dimisses appeal (TOI 1/29/26); The Israeli Ethnic Cleansing Militias in the West Bank Have Succeeded Once Again (Haaretz Editorial 1/27/26); A School Principal Mentioned Israeli Settler Violence; His Students Demanded He Be Fired (Haaretz 1/29/26);

‘I cannot help my clients’: The impossible task of representing Palestinian detainees (Lee Mordechai and Liat Kozma//+972 Magazine 1/27/26)

“In Israel today, few issues are met with as much indifference — and at times open hostility — as the human rights of Palestinians held in the Israeli prison system. The marginal circle of lawyers and activists who continue to work on these cases operate in courts and speak out in public, but the abuses they document hardly register beyond their narrow professional and political communities. Over the past two years, Palestinian and Israeli human rights organizations have published several reports on the dire condition of Palestinians incarcerated in Israel. The reports describe extreme overcrowding, deprivation of basic necessities, widespread illness, routine violence and torture, and severe restrictions on medical access and care. Between October 2023 and November 2025, nearly 100 Palestinians are known to have died in Israeli custody, which human rights groups describe as likely a significant undercount…Interviews we conducted with seven attorneys who represent Palestinian detainees point to an aggressive dismantling of monitoring mechanisms, alongside growing obstruction and harassment of legal counsel — developments that, taken together, have allowed the prison system to largely operate with impunity.”

What the Joint List’s revival signifies for Palestinian politics in Israel (Abed Abou Shhadeh//+972 Magazine 1/28/26)

“For Palestinians inside Israel, last week proved to be a collective breaking point. It began when Ali Zbeedat, the owner of a grocery store chain in the northern city of Sakhnin, shut down his businesses last Monday to protest an extortion attempt by criminal gangs. Over the following days, Zbeedat’s defiant act sparked coordinated strikes across dozens of Arab localities, where residents are similarly fed up with their abandonment by the state in the face of an epidemic of organized crime. The escalation culminated in a mass demonstration in Sakhnin last Thursday, with an estimated 50,000 people taking to the streets in what was the largest mobilization of Palestinian citizens in years. This sequence of events generated exceptional political momentum. Just hours after the demonstration, amid sustained public pressure, the leaders of Israel’s four major Arab-led parties — Hadash, Balad, Ta’al, and Ra’am — met with the heads of local authorities and signed a brief, symbolic document bearing the logo of the Sakhnin Municipality. In it, they expressed their intention to revive the Joint List ahead of this year’s election, the historic electoral alliance formed 10 years ago that aimed to overcome the ideological divides and interpersonal rivalries among the community’s fragmented leadership, but broke down in 2022. This is a historic event in a volatile political moment.”

‘A New Holocaust Is in the Making’ Global Far Right Flocks to Jerusalem to Bash Muslims and Migration at Israel’s Antisemitism Confab (Haaretz 1/27/26)

“The conference, held on International Holocaust Memorial Day, was hosted by Israel’s Diaspora Ministry. Throughout the event, speakers stressed that Islamism and Islamic radicalization are the driving forces of antisemitism worldwide, and particularly in Europe. Talk of the “red-green alliance,” a partnership between Islamic forces and communist and leftist groups, proliferated…Diaspora Minister Amichai Chikli said the force that seeks to harm Jews today is “Islamist fanaticism, deeply influenced by Nazi ideology, and in some ways, a continuation of it.” He continued: “This conference seeks to banish political correctness” in naming radical Islam as the inheritor of Hitler’s ideology. “This is not merely the fight of the Jewish people,” the Likud minister added. “It is the fight of the free world against the imperialism and tyranny of fanatic Islamism – against mass slaughter and rape, against horrifying barbarism, and its attempt to buy off influence and decision-makers worldwide.”…As at the previous evening’s gala event ahead of the conference, and the Knesset session that preceded it, curbing immigration was presented – mainly by the European politicians onstage – as a panacea for rising antisemitism.”

The theft at the heart of Israel’s booming wine industry (Marta Vidal & Meriem Laribi//+972 Magazine 1/30/26)

“After seizing Palestinian land, settlers are replanting it with vineyards — then exporting their wine as “Made in Israel” to obscure its origins.”

U.S. SCENE

‘Ungrateful to the President Who Saved Israel’ Ex-Biden Officials Slam Netanyahu’s Insinuation That IDF Troops Were Killed Due to U.S. Arms Embargo (Haaretz 1/28/26)

“Amos Hochstein, who served as special envoy and coordinator for international energy affairs under former President Joe Biden and helped broker last year’s cease-fire between Israel and Hezbollah, criticized Netanyahu’s veiled attack on the Biden administration…”Netanyahu is both not telling the truth and ungrateful to a president that literally saved Israel at its most vulnerable moment,” he told Axios. “After more than $20 Billion military support, largest in Israel history, two aircraft carriers rushed to the region…after SAVING countless lives of Israelis – only acceptable response to POTUS #Biden and [the] American people is THANK YOU,” the former adviser wrote on X.” See also Netanyahu: Israeli soldiers lost their lives in Gaza due to Biden-era arms embargo (Times of Israel 1/28/26)

Zohran Mamdani Wants NYC to Divest From Israel — But New Comptroller Pledges to Buy War Bonds (The Intercept 1/30/26)

“In a letter to state and local officials, the human rights organization DAWN warned on Friday that any investment in Israeli sovereign debt by New York City would violate local and international law. The 26-page letter — directed to New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani, Gov. Kathy Hochul, and the state and city comptrollers — took aim at Israeli bonds, a financial instrument that invests in the Israeli government for a set period and then is paid back with interest. Israeli bonds have emerged as a crucial source of funding for the Israeli government, with money from bond sales flowing into the country’s coffers and allowing it to continue its genocidal campaign in Gaza and displacement of Palestinians in the West Bank…New York State’s Common Retirement Fund held $352 million worth of Israel bonds as of March 2024, making it one of the largest holdings in the U.S., according to DAWN. And while former City Comptroller Brad Lander allowed the bonds held in city-controlled portfolios to lapse in 2024 — earning DAWN’s praise — the city’s new comptroller, Levine, has pledged to reinvest…Levine’s announcement of his intent to purchase Israeli government bonds put him at odds with Mamdani, a longtime critic of Israel whose campaign did not shy away from a continued support for Palestinians despite continuous attacks smearing him as an antisemite…So far, Mamdani has held fast and signaled his opposition to Levine’s plan.”

10 months later, I’m the last Columbia protester still in ICE custody (Leqaa Kordia//USA Today 1/21/26)

“For more than 10 months, I have been locked in an Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention facility in Alvarado, Texas. My arrest came after my participation in protests for a ceasefire and an end to Israel’s siege on Gaza at the gates of Columbia University in April 2024. The Department of Homeland Security publicly stated that it had targeted me because of my advocacy for Palestinian rights.”

PERSPECTIVES//LONG READS

Gaza Is a Crime Scene, Not a Real Estate Opportunity (Hani Almadhoun//The Nation 1/27/26)

“For those of us who have mourned the loss of countless loved ones killed by the Israeli military over the past 27 months and watched our family homes reduced to rubble, the “New Gaza” vision unveiled by President Donald Trump and Jared Kushner in Davos is an outrageous moral affront. To see AI-generated renderings of luxury high-rises and “coastal tourism zones” atop the literal ruins of our lives is not a vision of peace. It is a blueprint for erasure…by prioritizing “industrial zones” and “tech-driven governance” while ignoring Palestinian human rights and Israel’s ongoing campaign to make Gaza unlivable—such that Palestinians have no choice but to leave—this vision amounts to soft ethnic cleansing. Indeed, just a day before revealing this plan, news reports revealed that the Israeli government had been discussing a proposal to reopen the Rafah crossing only on the condition that outbound traffic is prioritized over entry, setting a ratio to ensure more Palestinians leave the Strip than are allowed to return. This plan is designed to replace our indigenous people and society with a capitalist dystopia where we are merely a cheap labor force behind militarized walls. Trump and Kushner speak of a “New Gaza” without ever reckoning with Israel’s destruction of the old one. Under this administration’s direction, Gaza is being treated as a distressed asset or a failed startup awaiting new management, rather than a homeland and the site of a crime scene, with thousands of bodies still missing underneath the rubble.”

The NCAG: Gaza’s Technocratic Turn to Genocide Management (Yara Hawari//Al Shabaka 1/26/26)

“The announcement of the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza (NCAG), a 15-member technocratic body chaired by Ali Shaath, signals a shift toward depoliticized governance in Gaza amid ongoing genocide. Shaath, a Palestinian civil engineer and former deputy minister of planning and international cooperation, is positioned to lead an interim governing structure tasked with managing reconstruction and service provision under external oversight. While presented as a neutral technocratic governing structure, the NCAG is more likely to function as a managerial apparatus that stabilizes conditions that enable genocide rather than challenging them. This policy memo argues that technocratic governance in Gaza—particularly under US oversight, given its role as a co-perpetrator in the genocide—should be understood not as a pathway to recovery or sovereignty, but as part of a broader strategy of genocide management.”

Remembering ‘Never Again for Everyone’ at Bergen-Belsen (Michael Schaeffer Omer-Man//New Lines Magazine 1/27/26)

“At the height of the war in Gaza, a Jewish activist for Palestine accompanied his mother, a Holocaust survivor, to Germany for a ceremony to mark 80 years since liberation”

How Netanyahu is sabotaging phase two of the Gaza ceasefire (Muhammad Shehada//+972 Magazine 1/29/26)

“By undermining a new Palestinian technocratic body, Israel is trying to make Gaza appear ungovernable — and prove the need for its sustained military rule.”

‘Life and Art Kind of Merged’: Actor–Director Cherien Dabis on Her Scramble to Make the Epic All That’s Left of You (Vogue 1/28/26)

“With All That’s Left of You now in select US theaters, Vogue spoke to Dabis—who is known for her work on The L Word, Ramy, and Only Murders in the Building—about navigating production at the start of the war in Gaza, drawing inspiration from Palestinian novels and Hollywood epics, and seeing her film drum up Oscar buzz alongside Ben Hania’s and Jacir’s.”

 

1. New from FMEP

2. Gaza

3. Region//Global

4. River to the Sea

5. U.S. Scene

6. Perspectives//Long Reads

NEW FROM FMEP

Destroying systems that sustain life: Israel’s destruction of healthcare in Palestine (New Occupied  Thoughts episode)

FMEP Fellow Ahmed Moor interviews Liz Allcock, the former head of humanitarian protection at Medical Aid for Palestinians (MAP), an organization that has worked in Gaza, the West Bank, and elsewhere for decades. They discuss healthcare in Palestine before the genocide in Gaza, the impact of the genocide on healthcare in Palestine, and the increase in gender-based violence among Palestinians. They also discuss the purpose and impact of Israel’s decision, effective January 1, 2026, to deregister 37 NGOs working in Palestine. MAP, which has worked in Gaza and the West Bank for decades, is one of the organizations deregistered by Israel.

FMEP Legislative Round-Up January 23, 2026 (Lara Friedman 1/23/26)

1. Bills, Resolutions; 2. Letters; 3. Hearings & Markups; 4. Selected Members on the Record; 5. Selected Media & Press releases/Statements

Settlement & Annexation Report: January 23, 2026 (Kristin McCarthy)

1. Greater Jerusalem: Impending Eviction in Muslim Quarter; Israel Demolishes UNRWA Headquarters; 2. Settlement & Outpost Construction: “State Land” Declaration; Settlers Celebrate Yatziv Settlement; 3. Settler Terrorism; 4. Israeli Government Policy; 5. Bonus Reads

GAZA

Leaked Documents: “Planned Community” in Rafah Would Force Palestinians Into Israeli Panopticon (Sharif Abdel Kouddous//Drop Site 1/21/26)

“The U.S. military-led group supporting “stabilization efforts” in Gaza has put forward plans for a housing block for Palestinians in Gaza in an area under full Israel military control. According to materials circulated by the Civil-Military Coordination Center (CMCC) and obtained by Drop Site News, the “planned community,” if developed, would contain and control its residents through biometric surveillance, checkpoints, monitoring of purchases, and educational programs promoting normalization with Israel…“Plans are rapidly accelerating for what U.S. officials last week cynically referred to as the ‘Gaza first planned community,’ previously known as ‘alternative safe communities,’” Jonathan Whittall, a senior UN official in Palestine between 2022 and 2025 and the executive Director of KEYS Initiative, a political affairs and strategic advisory organization, said after reviewing a transcript of the materials obtained by Drop Site. “This is the next phase in the weaponization of aid.”’ See also Israel Is Preparing Land in Rafah to Corral Palestinians into an Area Under Full Military Occupation (Forensic Architecture & Drop Site 1/20/26); Exclusive: Israel aims to ensure more Palestinians are let out of Gaza than back in (Reuters 1/23/26);

United Arab Emirates plans to bankroll first ‘planned community’ in south Gaza (The Guardian 1/23/26)

“The United Arab Emirates plans to fund “Gaza’s first planned community” on the ruined outskirts of Rafah, Gaza’s southernmost city. Palestinian residents there will have access to basic services like education, healthcare and running water, as long as they submit to biometric data collection and security vetting, according to planning documents and people familiar with the latest round of talks at the US-led Civil Military Coordination Center in Israel.” See also U.S. Lays Out a Glittering Plan for Gaza, Including Skyscrapers (NYT 1/22/26);

Israeli fire strikes journalists and children on one of Gaza’s deadliest days since ceasefire (AP 1/21/26)

“Israeli forces on Wednesday killed at least 11 Palestinians in Gaza, including two 13-year-old boys, three journalists and a woman, hospitals said, on one of the war-battered enclave ‘s deadliest days since the ceasefire between Hamas and Israel took effect in October.” See also Israel kills 3 journalists in Gaza, including CBS News contributor (WaPo 1/21/26)

Another Step in the Weaponization of Aid: Israel Bans Humanitarian Agencies in Gaza (Yara Asi//Arab Center DC 1/22/26)

“In late December 2025, two months after the much-lauded ceasefire agreement that was meant to end the physical destruction of Gaza and bring a significant increase in desperately needed aid, Israel announced it was suspending the work of 37 humanitarian organizations—about 15 percent of the total number of NGOs working on the ground in the Strip. These organizations include some of the most well-established across occupied Palestine, including Defense for Children International, the International Rescue Committee, Medical Aid for Palestinians UK, Mercy Corps, the Norwegian Refugee Council, and Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF, known in English as Doctors without Borders). International NGOs have been heavily involved in the humanitarian response to the genocide in Gaza. They have delivered more than half of all food assistance, supported 60 percent of field hospitals, provided nearly 75 percent of shelter and nonfood aid, and are the only organizations treating children for severe acute malnutrition…Israel has suspended the 37 international NGOs because they refused to comply with new policies requiring them to submit to the Israeli government additional documentation about their staff, funding, and operations. The organizations say that they are not comfortable providing such information to a government that has bombed aid facilities and killed hundreds of aid workers, including those in pre-authorized aid convoys. Some humanitarian personnel, including Palestinian health workers, have been kidnapped and remain detained in Israeli prisons.…Israel’s bans will have a devastating effect. NGOs stripped of their licenses will not be able to deliver aid into or throughout Gaza. These organizations will not be allowed to maintain offices in Israel or East Jerusalem. International staff will not be able to enter Gaza at all.” See also ‘Loss and Trauma Will Last Generations’: Mothers in Gaza Describe the Collapse of Maternal and Newborn Care (Haaretz 1/15/26); Newborn baby becomes eighth to die of hypothermia in Gaza this winter (The Guardian 1/17/26); Despite ceasefire, Israel’s siege allowing only a trickle of aid into Gaza (Ahmed Ahmed//+972 Magazine 1/22/26); Inside the Doctors Without Borders Clinics That Israel Is Closing in Gaza (NYT 1/17/26);

REGION//GLOBAL

Trump says US ‘armada’ heading to Middle East as Iran death toll put above 5,000 (The Guardian 1/23/25)

“Donald Trump has said an American “armada” is heading towards the Middle East and that the US is monitoring Iran closely, as activists put the death toll from Tehran’s crackdown on protesters at 5,002…The aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln and several guided-missile destroyers are due to arrive in the Middle East in the coming days. Additional air defence systems are being deployed, most likely around US and Israeli airbases. The UK said it would send RAF Eurofighter Typhoon jets from 12 Squadron to Qatar, at Doha’s request. The US president pulled back from attacking Iran two weeks ago, despite promising “help is on its way”, largely because he felt he had been given no military option that would prove decisive in securing regime change in Tehran. He was also urged to hold back by the Gulf states.” See also Air France joins KLM in canceling weekend flights to Israel amid regional tensions (TOI 1/23/26);

Trump’s ‘master plan’ for Gaza contrasts with reality on the ground (WaPo 1/23/26)

“At the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, on Thursday, the Trump administration outlined what it described as a “master plan” for the Gaza Strip’s future, replete with planned cities, data centers and a beachfront for tourists, but which was far removed from the destruction, desperation and political realities on the ground. Jared Kushner, President Donald Trump’s son-in-law and key adviser, took to the stage to present a deck of slides with AI-generated images of gleaming high-rises and apartment blocks arranged in concentric rings. From 90,000 tons of rubble generated by the war, he said, a “new Gaza” would be born. “We’re committed to ensuring Gaza is demilitarized, properly governed and beautifully rebuilt. It’s going to be a great plan,” Trump said. He and other leaders were there to sign the founding charter of the “Board of Peace,” which was originally conceived as an oversight body for the reconstruction of Gaza but has since morphed into a U.S.-led council with a more sweeping mandate…According to a map included in Kushner’s slideshow, Gaza’s entire Mediterranean shoreline would be reserved for “coastal tourism,” with 180 high-rise towers lining the beach. Across other parts of the enclave, parks and sports facilities would break up industrial complexes, data centers and advanced manufacturing facilities…The vision contrasts sharply with the present reality in Gaza, where Israeli troops still control more than half of the enclave while some 2 million Palestinians are crowded into the other half, many living in ramshackle tents or bombed-out buildings that provide little shelter from winter storms.” See also Trump launches ‘Board of Peace’ at Davos, testing global order (WaPo 1/22/26); Trump claims world ‘richer, safer’ than year ago at launch of his ‘board of peace’ (The Guardian 1/22/26); France rejects Trump Gaza peace board invite over fears it wants to supplant UN (Politico 1/19/26); Trump launches Board of Peace: We can do ‘whatever we want’ (Al Monitor 1/22/26);

Trump plans to charge $1 billion for permanent seat on ‘Board of Peace’ (WaPo 1/18/26)

“President Donald Trump sent a flurry of invitations over the weekend to world leaders to join a new “Board of Peace,” which is being marketed as an international peace-building organization. However, a permanent seat on the board will cost countries $1 billion.” See also Netanyahu to join Trump ‘board of peace’ despite previous objections (The Guardian 1/21/26); Kremlin says Putin has been invited to join Trump’s Gaza ‘board of peace’ (The Guardian 1/19/26); Macron declines to join Trump’s Gaza peace board. Here’s who’s been invited (Axios 1/20/26); Trump disinvites Canada’s Carney from Board of Peace as Spain, France decline to join (TOI 1/23/26); UK holds off joining Trump’s Board of Peace over Putin concerns (BBC 1/22/26); Trump names Kushner, Rubio, Blair to Gaza board; Israel objects to lineup (WaPo 1/17/26); Germany, Italy and Spain Join Slate of Countries Rejecting Invitation to Trump’s Board of Peace (Haaretz 1/23/26)

Putin offers $1B in frozen assets for Gaza Board of Peace — will US unfreeze them? (Al Monitor 1/22/26)

“Russian President Vladimir Putin told his Palestinian counterpart, Mahmoud Abbas, in Moscow Thursday that Russia is prepared to allocate $1 billion from its assets frozen in the United States to the Trump-led Board of Peace. A press release on Thursday from the Kremlin quoted the Russian leader as saying, “We are willing to provide $1 billion to this new body, the Board of Peace, primarily to support the Palestinian people, assist in the restoration of the Gaza Strip and address the general resolution of problems facing Palestine.” He said the funds would be drawn from frozen Russian assets. Abbas is visiting Moscow for the second time in less than a year, having last traveled to the Russian capital in May 2025. He does not sit on the Board of Peace, nor do any Palestinian representatives.” See also Turkey, Israel, Pakistan to join Trump’s Board of Peace as Italy hedges: What to know (Al Monitor 1/21/26);

Trump warns Hamas will be ‘blown away’ if it fails to disarm (Al Monitor 1/21/26)

“President Donald Trump said Wednesday that Hamas will be “blown away” if the militant group doesn’t hand over its weapons as required by the US-brokered ceasefire. “Hamas has agreed to give up their weapons,” Trump said at the World Economic Forum’s annual meeting in Davos, Switzerland. “They were born with a rifle in their hand. It’s not an easy thing for them, but that’s what they agreed to.”…In response to a question from Al-Monitor last month, Secretary of State Marco Rubio suggested negotiators could accept a disarmament plan that would allow Hamas to retain some of its smaller arms while surrendering its rockets and other heavy weapons.”

Who is Ali Shaath, the Palestinian head of the committee under Trump’s Gaza ‘Board of Peace’? (New Arab 1/23/26)

“In a rare Palestinian moment where reconstruction plans collide with political engineering and security calculations, Ali Shaath has emerged as the figure tasked with managing the Gaza Strip in the aftermath of its most devastating war. His appointment as head of a Palestinian technocratic committee is not merely administrative; it is deeply embedded in a complex web of international arrangements, largely backed by the United States, aimed at reshaping Gaza’s governance after more than two years of war that left the territory shattered. For many Palestinians, the question is not simply who Ali Shaath is, but what he will represent: a genuine attempt to rebuild Gaza or another externally managed experiment that treats devastation as a logistical problem rather than a political one?”

Germany never stopped arming Israel’s genocide (Hanno Hauenstein//+972 Magazine 1/20/26)

“A little over a week ago, Israel and Germany signed a cybersecurity agreement to expand their existing cooperation…According to the German newspaper Bild, the agreement includes cooperation between Germany’s elite police unit GSG 9 and the Israeli police’s counterterrorism unit, known colloquially as Yamam. This unit has carried out extrajudicial assassinations of Palestinians in the West Bank, and was also involved in Israel’s hostage rescue operation in Nuseirat refugee camp in northern Gaza in June 2024, during which four Israelis were freed and over 270 Palestinians were killed. Bild also reported plans for a joint German-Israeli AI and cybersecurity research center…But cooperation between Germany and Israel extends well beyond intelligence sharing or police training. Germany is Israel’s second-largest supplier of arms after the United States, and one of its most significant customers. Between 2020 and 2024, Germany supplied over one-third of Israel’s arms imports. And during roughly that same period, Israel ranked third among recipients of German arms, accounting for 11 percent of total exports.”

Jordan used Israeli firm’s phone-cracking tool to surveil pro-Gaza activists, report finds (The Guardian 1/22/26)

“Authorities in Jordan appear to be using an Israeli digital tool to extract information from the mobile phones of activists and protesters who have been critical of Israel and spoken out in support of Gaza, according to a new report by the Citizen Lab. A multiyear investigation found with high confidence that Jordanian security authorities have been using forensic extraction tools made by Cellebrite against members of civil society, including two political activists, a student organizer, and a human rights defender, the researchers said.”

RIVER TO THE SEA

‘I could not stay silent’: Palestinian prisoner tells of sexual abuse in Israeli jail (The Guardian 1/21/26)

“Sami al-Saei said he heard the Israeli prison guards who raped him laughing through the assault, before they left him lying blindfolded, handcuffed and in agony on the floor to take a cigarette break. At least one of the group knew a crime was being committed and intervened, not to stop the torture but to prevent its documentation. Al-Saei said he heard the man warning others “don’t take a photo, don’t take a photo” as they attacked. He bled from his rectum for more than three weeks after the assault, which happened soon after he was detained in February 2024. He described sexual torture that lasted more than 20 minutes including beatings on his buttocks, a guard applying extreme pressure to his genitals, and forced anal penetration with two different objects…The 47-year-old father of six was held without charge or trial until June 2025. About 40 days after his release, he posted a video on TikTok detailing the attack, defying the extreme social stigma and Israeli warnings against going public about abuse in jails.”

B’Tselem Report: Testimonies Describe ‘Pattern of Sexual Violence’ Against Palestinian Prisoners (Haaretz 1/21/26)

“A report published Tuesday by the Israeli human rights organization B’Tselem details alleged abuses in Israeli security prisons, citing testimonies of violence by prison guards, soldiers and Shin Bet personnel, including sexual violence, starvation, mistreatment, harsh living conditions and the denial of medical care. The report, which is based on interviews with released prisoners, includes testimony from four former inmates describing “a grave pattern of sexual violence” by prison guards and soldiers, that included “forces stripping, beatings to the genitals that caused severe injuries, setting dogs on prisoners and forced anal penetration with various objects.” The report was released following a series of similar testimonials that were published over the past two years, indicating a severe deterioration in the detention conditions of Palestinian prisoners.”

The calculated erasure of Ras Ein Al-Auja (Oren Ziv//+972 Magazine 1/16/26)

“For years, the Palestinian community of Ras Ein Al-Auja in the southern Jordan Valley has held firm the face of Israeli settler violence. But after settlers set up an outpost in the center of their village at the end of December, plowing private land, destroying a main road, and cutting electricity cables, many families decided they had no choice but to leave…Ras Ein Al-Auja’s story, however, isn’t unique. In nearby Palestinian communities like Al-Muarrajat and Maghayer Al-Dir, outposts set up last year in the centers of the villages led to a rapid escalation in violence and the forced expulsion of Palestinian residents within days of their establishment.”

Paving military roads, Israel prepares permanent control of West Bank camps (Majd Jawad//+972 Magazine 1/19/26)

“Like tens of thousands of other Palestinians, she fled her home in the Jenin refugee camp last January, when Israel launched the military operation known officially as “Iron Wall” targeting the Jenin, Tulkarem, and Nur Shams refugee camps simultaneously. Having expelled over 30,000 residents from their homes inside those camps with no indication of when, or if, they will be allowed to return, the ongoing operation constitutes the single largest act of forced displacement in the West Bank since the start of Israel’s occupation in 1967…According to UN estimates, more than 1,460 buildings across Jenin, Tulkarem, and Nur Shams camps have been destroyed or sustained severe or moderate damage since the start of the incursion. This includes over 52 percent of buildings in Jenin camp — the hardest hit of the three — signaling a level of destruction that extends beyond isolated targets and amounts to a sweeping assault on the camp’s urban fabric.”

Who Is Yakir Gabay, the Israeli Billionaire Named to Trump’s Gaza Executive Council (Haaretz 1/18/26)

“Gabay is active in global investments in real estate, hospitality and high tech, including through private investment funds. He divides his time between Israel, Miami, London and Cyprus, and has maintained close personal and business ties with Kushner for more than a decade, dating back to before Trump’s first election in late 2015.”

Israel demolishes UNRWA’s East Jerusalem headquarters; UN agency: ‘Unprecedented attack’ (TOI 1/20/26)

“Israel on Tuesday began demolishing the East Jerusalem headquarters of UNRWA, the UN agency for Palestinian refugees and their descendants, with Israeli forces entering the compound with bulldozers and other demolition equipment in the early morning and destroying buildings in what UNRWA called an “unprecedented attack.” The move to demolish UNRWA’s headquarters comes after years of legislative measures against the agency, which Israel accuses of collusion with Hamas and participation in terror activities.” See also Israel Razed UNRWA’s East Jerusalem HQ, Now It’s Planning to Build 1,400 Housing Units on the Site (Haaretz 1/20/26); UNRWA school in West Bank city set to be closed by Israel within days, agency says (TOI 1/23/26); UNRWA Heads Tell Haaretz: ‘We Don’t Radicalize Palestinians – Their Lived Existence Does’ (Haaretz 1/20/26);

‘Israel is using organized crime to control Palestinian citizens’ (+972 Magazine 1/22/26)

“MK Aida Touma-Suleiman reflects on a decade inside the Knesset, and the limits of trying to fight from within a system built to exclude Palestinians…For years, polls have shown that the number one issue concerning Palestinian citizens of Israel is the epidemic of organized crime and violence within Arab localities. In 2023, the homicide rate among Palestinian citizens of Israel was the third highest in the OECD. Last year, Palestinians accounted for 252 of Israel’s 305 murder victims, despite making up just 21 percent of the population. And since the start of the new year, little has changed: In less than a month, 18 Palestinian citizens of Israel have already been killed in incidents linked to criminal networks. In response, Palestinian citizens are stepping up their efforts to combat the spread of organized crime and the state’s inaction against the perpetrators — which many see as a deliberate policy. There were demonstrations across the country this week, from Sakhnin to Umm Al-Fahm, culminating in a general strike on Thursday called by the Union of Arab Mayors and the High Follow-Up Committee for Arab Citizens.” See also Israel’s Arab Parties Announce Plans to Unite for Joint List in Upcoming Elections (Haaretz 1/22/26); Tens of Thousands of Arab Citizens Protest Rising Crime in Their Communities (Haaretz 1/23/26);

U.S. SCENE

New Legal Documents Show Marco Rubio Targeted Students for Op-Eds and Protesting (The Intercept 1/23/26)

“New documents unsealed Thursday as a part of litigation brought by The Intercept and other news outlets reveal a critical discrepancy in Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s rationale for attempting to deport five international students and academics last year. While Rubio and the Trump administration claimed in public that they wanted to deport students including Mahmoud Khalil and Yunseo Chung for supporting terrorism, internal Department of Homeland Security and State Department documents instead cite their advocacy for Palestinian rights in protests and writings — activities protected by the First Amendment.Rubio and the administration have repeatedly conflated pro-Palestinian speech with support for Hamas, which the U.S. designates as a terrorist organization, but a DHS memo shows the government did not find any evidence that Chung or Khalil provided “material support” — meaning cash payment, property, or services — to any terror group. Even in their own communications, DHS and the State Department acknowledged they were in uncharted territory and likely to face backlash.” See also D.H.S. Cited Foreign Students’ Writings and Protests Before Their Arrests (NYT 1/22/26); She Criticized the Mayor’s Support for Israel on Facebook. Then the Cops Showed Up at Her Door. (The Intercept 1/20/26)

Columbia campus protest leader Khalil now faces deportation to Algeria, Trump official says (Gothamist 1/22/26)

“Mahmoud Khalil, the Columbia University graduate and Palestinian protest organizer whose immigration arrest last year made national headlines, will be re-arrested and deported to Algeria, Department of Homeland Security spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin said on Newsnation.”

Oscar nominee chosen from four visions of Israeli-Palestinian conflict (WaPo 1/23/26)

‘“The Voice of Hind Rajab,” a Tunisian film by director Kaouther Ben Hania nominated Thursday for an Academy Award in the international feature category, was among four submissions dealing with the Israeli-Palestinian conflict — a roster that stands out because each country is limited to a single entry…“This nomination belongs first to Hind. To her voice. To what should never have happened and yet did. It belongs to everyone who believed that cinema can still be a space for truth, care, and responsibility,” Ben Hania said in a statement Thursday. “… Among these beautiful films from around the world, I’m deeply honored that Hind’s voice is there. Not as a symbol. As history. Thank you to the Academy for listening.”’

U.S. Deports Eight Palestinians to West Bank Using Private Jet (Haaretz 1/22/26)

“The United States deported eight Palestinians without valid residency visas this week aboard a private jet. The eight landed in Israel on Wednesday, and their identities are not known…Haaretz learned that the private jet – a Gulfstream IV – was apparently chartered specifically by U.S. authorities and belongs to an Israeli-American businessman. According to reports in Forbes, the businessman is a partner in real estate investments with U.S. President Donald Trump.”

PERSPECTIVES//LONG READS

After the Rain (Abdullah Hany Daher//Jewish Currents 1/22/26)

“Once we waited eagerly for rain—and when it came, we opened our windows without fear. Rain meant land, growth. It promised renewal. We spoke of it as something generous. Now, when we hear that rain is coming, we do not even look up. We look at the ground, at the tent, at the night, which is preparing itself to be long…After a harsh storm some time ago, I called my aunt to ask how things were. She laughed before I could finish the question. Her husband and son had spent the night holding down the tent stakes so their paltry protection would not fly away. She tried to make it sound light, almost absurd, something we could laugh about. But the joke abruptly yielded to memory’s true texture. Then she cried…Morning always comes. It offers not relief, but continuation. After the rain, we dry what we can. We check on each other without asking questions that might break us open. We stand up. We gather what remains.”

Israel’s new national consensus: Returning to October 6 (Meron Rapoport//+972 Magazine 1/23/26)

“With both the Israeli general elections and the U.S. midterms approaching, 2026 is shaping up to be a tough year for political forecasts. The Israeli vote could redraw the domestic political map, potentially deposing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, while the U.S. elections could significantly weaken President Donald Trump’s standing and constrain his freedom of action.  Yet there is one prediction that can be made with confidence: Whatever the election results, Israel’s entire political and military establishment will remain united around a desire to dial the clock back to October 6, 2023. This aspiration does not signal a return to normalcy or calm; on the contrary, Israel’s internal tensions are likely to deepen in the coming year. This is not merely because the period preceding the war was already among the most turbulent in the country’s history, nor because election years tend to intensify political tensions. This time, the polarization runs much deeper.”

How to cross a road under apartheid (Shoug Al-Adara//Vashti Media 1/21/26)

“A week into the war, soldiers installed a new gate on the road opposite Tuwani, which leads to the village of Birke in one direction, and to Juwaya in the other. And four months ago, in September, they installed another one on our side of the road, in Tuwani. The two gates are big, yellow, and can block the entire road if the army decides to close them…A few days after the war began, [my husband] Zakaria was shot in the stomach by a settler. It happened as he stepped out of the mosque after the Friday prayer. The bullet was an illegal “dum-dum” bullet which exploded inside his abdomen, causing severe damage to multiple organs. Since then he has undergone thirteen operations. Two years later, his condition is much improved, but he still cannot walk or get medicine and food for our children. So I must go instead of him…Now the settlers and soldiers can kill, shoot. Ben Gvir has empowered them, and given them permission. I know this very well because it happened to us, to my family. Always being inside, I feel strangled. The kids cannot go wherever they want and they are not comfortable. It’s a very difficult feeling when you’re stuck and you can’t do anything. Life passes before your eyes and you can’t do anything.”

Bringing Zohran Mamdani to the Big Screen (Molly Fischer//New Yorker 1/22/26)

“Bacha is a New York-based filmmaker whose work, which includes the films “Budrus” and “Naila and the Uprising,” has earned a Peabody and a Guggenheim; she is the creative director of Just Vision, a nonprofit dedicated to storytelling about Israel-Palestine…As Bacha contemplated her next project, she started hearing about a group of New York organizers who wanted to stop charities from using tax-deductible donations to fund Israeli settlements. “I learned that they had found, in Zohran Mamdani, someone who was willing to actually introduce legislation,” she told me. The proposed Not on Our Dime! act was greeted with an immediate letter of condemnation from twenty-five of Mamdani’s fellow Assembly members, who called the bill “a ploy to demonize Jewish charities with connections to Israel.” In her documentary, Bacha wanted to ask whether Mamdani and his co-sponsors could hold on to their seats in the next election…All of the state legislators whom she followed, the ones who’d supported Mamdani’s bill, won their 2024 reëlection campaigns. Fairly or unfairly, genuinely or cynically, questions about Mamdani and Israel—and Palestine, and Jews, and faith, and war, and peace—appear likely to continue. If he can find a way to meet them persuasively, his rejection of a long-standing political norm may start to look more like a pragmatist’s asset.”