In this episode of Occupied Thoughts, FMEP Fellow Peter Beinart speaks with international lawyer Itay Epshtain about the recent decision by 12 countries, led by the UK and…

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

Welcome to FMEP’s Weekly Settlement & Annexation Report. To subscribe to this report, please click here. September 11, 2026 WEST BANK: Three Outposts “Legalized,” Court Rejects…

In this episode of Occupied Thoughts, FMEP Fellow Peter Beinart speaks with journalist and commentator Negar Mortazavi about the developments & dynamics around the now six-month old war…

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Welcome to FMEP’s Weekly Settlement & Annexation Report. To subscribe to this report, please click here. September 4, 2026 WEST BANK: Three New Settlements Inaugurated, Major…

“The legislation, which passed in a 237-169 vote, could put universities in a precarious position. ‘The goal here is to basically say every university not only cannot refuse cooperation with Israel but must actively seek every opportunity to cooperate with Israel,’ Lara Friedman, the President of the Foundation for Middle East Peace, told RS ahead of the vote. ‘And if they’re not doing that, they’re pro-BDS and anti-Israel.’ In an earlier analysis of the bill, Friedman noted that the bill could open the door for legal action against a school, because politically minded individuals or groups could ‘search for and point to the absence of some relations with Israel to allege that a university lied in that certification.’

[snip]

“Friedman told RS that this distinction goes much further than the immediate fight over Israel, calling it part of an effort to ‘not just erode but, for all practical purposes, erase any First Amendment protection for the right to boycott.'”

“Foundation for Middle East Peace President Lara Friedman broke down the legislation in a recent newsletter, noting that the law would essentially force universities to prove a negative. ‘This legislation sets up an situation in which the alleged absence of engagement with any Israeli partner/party, including in settlements, will become the basis for an accusation of boycott, putting universities in the position where, if the universities want to avoid being accused of boycotting Israel/settlements, they will need to adopt an affirmative policy of prioritizing maximal engagement/partnership with Israeli entities (including in settlements),’ she wrote.”