FMEP Legislative Round-Up August 9, 2024

Resource

1. Bills, Resolutions
2. Letters
3. Hearings
4. Israel/Palestine in 2024 Elex/Politics
5. Selected Media & Press releases/Statements

New from FMEP:

  • August 7, 2024 – New episode of FMEP’s Occupied Thoughts podcast, Immoral Policy, Looming Regional War, and Leaving the Biden Administration, ft. FMEP non-resident fellow Peter Beinart in conversation with Harrison Mann, a former U.S. Army major and executive officer of the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) Middle East/Africa Regional Center who resigned in protest of his office’s support for Israel during its Gaza campaign.
  • August 5, 2024: New episode of FMEP’s Occupied Thoughts podcast, Turning Pain into Power: Feeding Families & Bringing Attention to Gaza, ft. FMEP non-resident fellow Rania Batrice in conversation with Hani Almadhoun, Gaza native, Director of Philanthropy at UNRWA USA, and co-founder, along with his family in Gaza, of Gaza Soup Kitchen

1. Bills & Resolutions

(TARGETING IRAN) HR 9299: Introduced 8/2/24 by Swalwell (D-CA) and 19 cosponsors (bipartisan), “To make certain improvements relating to the coordination of efforts to promote internet freedom and access to information in Iran, and for other purposes.  Referred to the House Committee on Foreign Affairs.

(TARGETING BADDIES IN THE CLOUD) HR 9317 (pdf): Introduced 8/6/24 by Pfluger (R-TX) and Panetta (D-CA), To require the Secretary of Homeland Security to conduct annual assessments on terrorism threats to the United States posed by terrorist organizations utilizing foreign cloud-based mobile or desktop messaging applications, and for other purposes.”  Referred to the House Committee on Homeland Security. Also see press release – excerpt: “Foreign cloud-based mobile and desktop messaging applications like TikTok and Telegram have allowed their platforms to become a breeding ground for radical extremism. Foreign Terrorist Organizations (FTOs) like Hamas, Hizballah, ISIS, Al-Qaeda, and others frequently use foreign-owned cloud-based mobile and desktop applications to recruit new members, fundraise, provoke others to violence, and coordinate terrorist activity. ISIS has even urged its supporters to connect with ISIS contacts on Telegram to discuss matters like travel to ISIS-held territory. Since Hamas’ October 7, 2023, terror attacks in Israel, we have seen multiple instances in which Hamas’ military wing, Al-Qassam Brigades, utilized foreign applications to spread extremist and grotesque content online and called for additional terrorist attacks against the United States and Israel.

(NDAA AMENDMENTS) S. 4638: Last week’s Round-Up reported on S. Amdt 3181, to soften the Leahy Law and create a loophole with respect to joint military exercises, introduced 7/29/24 by Cornyn (R-TX), Cortex Mastro (D-ND) and Cardin (D-MD).  Update on that amendment: on 7/31/24 Cardin withdrew as a cosponsor of S. Amdt 3181.

2. Letters

(USE ALL TOOLS TO CRACK DOWN ON HEZBOLLAH FINANCING) 8/5/24: Gottheimer Leads 46 Bipartisan Members in a Letter Requesting the Administration Utilize All Tools to Crack Down on Hezbollah’s International Financing Network; Calls for full implementation of sanctions authorized by Congress [letter text]. Also see: Lawmakers urge U.S. crackdown on Hezbollah financing networks (Jewish Insider 8/5/24)

(TARGETING FREE SPEECH/PROTEST) 8/2/24: Rep. Banks Presses Biden-Harris Admin to Prosecute Iran-Funded U.S. Protest Organizers [letter text] – from the press release: “The Biden administration admitted that some of the same groups behind the pro-Hamas protestors who burned American flags outside the U.S. Capitol last week also took money from Iran. These organizations likely violated U.S. sanctions law and must be prosecuted. I am calling on the Biden administration to come clean and tell us which of these anti-American groups took illegal donations from the world’s largest state sponsor of terrorism, Iran.” Also see: Lawmakers demand administration respond to Iranian influence in Gaza protests (Jewish Insider 8/5/24)

3. Hearings & Markups

None. 

4. Israel/Palestine in 2024 Politics/Elex

Presidential

The Algemeiner 8/7/24: Anti-Israel Lawmakers Praise Selection of Tim Walz as Kamala Harris’s Running Mate

Breitbart 8/6/24: Exclusive—Rep. David Kustoff: Israel Needs Strong Leadership in the White House [“As Chairman of the House-Knesset Parliamentary Friendship Group, I recently traveled to Israel at the invitation of Speaker of the Knesset, Amir Ohana, to launch the Friendship Group in Jerusalem…In Jerusalem, I reiterated to my Israeli counterparts that despite what comes out of the White House, House Republicans will continue to do all we can to ensure they have the resources they need. In November, it is essential that we elect a leader who will stand up to our adversaries and show the world that the United States does not tolerate terrorism. We must elect a leader who will give Israel the steadfast support it deserves. The United States must lead on the world stage again.”]

Congress – general

Missouri – Bush v. Bell

NOTE: The big news this week is the defeat of Cori Bush (D-MO-1) in her primary against AIPAC-backed (with MASSIVE financial support) challenger Wesley Bell. This comes on the heels of AIPAC investing massively to defeat Jamaal Bowman in New York. Love it or hate it, this is the state of US primaries today: a Super Pac [in this case AIPAC/UDP] focused on a single issue [in this case, Israel] spends hugely [in the case of Bush v. Bell, spending $8.6 million], on top of even more money raised/bundled by an allied PAC [AIPAC PAC, which in this week’s case raised/bundled more than $2.3M for Bell]. The bottom line in this week’s primary: ~$11 million in AIPAC-linked funding invested in a primary in which fewer than 125,000 people voted, to secure an ally in a safe Democratic seat. AIPAC’s guy won by fewer than 5k votes.

After the primary:

Before the primary:

Minnesota

Nevada

Tennessee

New York

5. Selected Media & Press releases/Statements