1.Bills, Resolutions
2. Letters
3. Hearings & Markups
4. Selected Media & Press releases/Statements

New:

• 1/9/23: New episode of FMEP’s Occupied Thoughts podcast, Israel’s War on Gaza: Implications & Possibilities for Regional Escalation, ft. foreign policy/national security expert Jasmin El-Gamal in conversation with FMEP’s Lara Friedman.

 

1. Bills, Resolutions & letters

(TARGETING ACADEMIA FOR PRO-PALESTINE STUDENTS/PROTEST) S. 3580: Introduced 1/11/23 by Cassidy (R-LA) and Fetterman (D-PA), “A bill to require institutions of higher education participating in Federal student aid programs to share information about title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, including a link to the webpage of the Office for Civil Rights where an individual can submit a complaint regarding discrimination in violation of such title, and for other purposes.” Referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.

(MAKING US NON-VIOLENT PROTEST A FEDERAL CRIME) S. 3492/HR 6926: Introduced 12/13/23 [not previously reported in the Round-Up] in the Senate by Tillis (R-NC) and Blackburn (R-TN), and 1/9/24 in the House by Rouzer (R-NC) and Republican cosponsors, the “Safe and Open Streets Act.” Referred to the House and Senate Committees on the Judiciary. Why is this bill being covered in the Round-Up? See Tillis press release announcing the bill (published 1/8/24) – “The Safe and Open Streets Act is in direct response to radical tactics of pro-Palestine protestors who have intentionally blocked roads and highways across the country.” COMMENT: Coming on the heels of Senate “anti-woke” Republicans successfully exploiting hysteria over pro-Palestinian protests to get Democrats to join them on the “we must bring down “liberal” academia” bandwagon, this bill appears to be an effort to use that same hysteria to get Democrats to join Republicans on the “we must shut down liberals’ right to protest”  bandwagon (and if it doesn’t, to pave the way for Republicans to attack Democrats as anti-Israel/antisemitic).

(NO WEAPONS FOR ISRAEL WITHOUT CONGRESSIONAL OVERSIGHT) S. Amdt. XXX: On 1/9/24 Sen. Kaine (D-VA) announced his intention “to file an amendment to maintain the congressional notification requirement for all U.S. assistance to foreign militaries. Specifically, the amendment would strike a provision in the proposed national security supplemental funding bill that waives oversight requirements for U.S. funding for Israel under the Foreign Military Financing Program. If passed, the amendment would preserve the congressional notification process for Israel, just as congressional notifications are required for all other nations.” Cosponsors of the amendment at the time it was announced were The amendment is sponsored by Heinrich (D-NM), Van Hollen (D-MD),  Merkley (D-OR), Warren (D-MA), Welch (D-VT), Luján (D-NM), Durbin (D-IL),  Schatz (D-HI),  Murphy (D-CT), Warnock (D-GA), Carper (D-DE), and Shaheen (D-NH).  Also see: Jewish Insider 1/10/24: Senate progressives seek to block administration from circumventing Congress on Israel arms transfers; Defense Daily 1/10/24: Kaine Leads Amendment To Ensure Congressional Review Of Arms Sales To Israel; Washington Post 1/9/24: Democrats say Biden must notify Congress about Israel arms transfers

(STATE DEPT MUST ANSWER IF ISRAEL IS VIOLATING HUMAN RIGHTS) S. Res. 504: On 1/10/24, Sanders (I-VT) announced (video of floor remarks) that he would be bringing a 502B(c) resolution to the Senate floor next week with respect to Israeli rights violations in its ongoing war on Gaza. As a reminder, on 12/14 23 Sanders introduced S. Res. 504, “Requesting information on Israel’s human rights practices pursuant to section 502B(c) of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961.” This is what is known as a 502B(c) or “Privileged Resolution.” As Sanders’ press release explained: “The Foreign Assistance Act prohibits security assistance to any government ‘which engages in a consistent pattern of gross violations of internationally recognized human rights.’ Section 502B(c) of this law allows Congress to request information on a country’s human rights practices – such requests are privileged, allowing the sponsor to force a floor vote on the requesting resolution. If the resolution passes, the Department of State must submit the requested report within 30 days, or all security assistance to the country in question is cut off. After the report is received, Congress may then enact changes to condition, reduce, or terminate the security assistance in question. Both the initial vote to request the information and any subsequent votes to alter security assistance are privileged and require a simple majority for passage.” [See this X-thread for details on Section 502B(c)]. Also see: What is S.Res. 504? – Sanders Resolution to Hold U.S. and Israel Accountable (NIAC 1/11/24)

 

2. Letters

Shutting Down Palestine-focused Free Speech — Targeting Academia (pretending it is about fighting antisemitism)

• 1/10/24: Chairman Smith: Elite Universities Failing to Protect Jewish Students Calls into Question Their Tax-Exempt Status [letter text]. Also see: Universities face tax-exempt status investigation over allowing ‘harassment’ of Jewish students (Washington Examiner 1/10/24); House committee probing Cornell, Harvard, MIT, Penn tax-exempt status over Jew-hatred (Jewish News Syndicate 1/10/24)
• 1/10/24: Rosen, Lankford Call for Senate Hearing on Surge of Antisemitism at Colleges and Universities [letter text]. Also see: Senate task force calls education committee to hold hearing on antisemitism on college campuses (Jerusalem Post 1/20/24)
• 1/9/24: @EdWorkforceCmte Kicks Off Antisemitism Investigation with Letter to Harvard – “requesting documents and information [since 20210 regarding Harvard University’s response to antisemitism on its campus and its failure to protect Jewish students, faculty, and staff “[letter text]. Also see: US congressional panel asks to see years of antisemitism complaints in Harvard probe – House Education Committee gives university 2 weeks to provide all reports of incidents on campus since January 2021 targeting ‘Jews, Israelis, Israel, Zionists, or Zionism’ (Times of Israel 1/9/24); House committee requests trove of Harvard materials documenting antisemitism (Jewish News Service 1/10/24); Stefanik Statement on Education and the Workforce Letter to Harvard; National Review (op-ed by Rep. Stafanik, R-NY) 1/10/24: Penn, Harvard firings just the start — House will expose ALL the higher-ed rot [“...we will get to the bottom of the broader lack of moral clarity made clear by the reluctance to address the rise of antisemitism. Much of this, we know, is the fruit of diversity, equity, inclusion, a radical racist ideology that classifies people as either oppressors or oppressed based purely on their race, gender or sexual orientation. As a result of this disgusting ideology’s takeover of campuses, it is mainstream to teach capitalism is racist, Israel is racist and America is racist.“]

Supporting Israel Continuing the War on Gaza

• 1/11/24:  Schneider Leads 29 in Bipartisan Letter Supporting Administration Efforts to Expand Call for Hamas Surrender, Pushing Back Against Calls for a One-Sided Ceasefire [letter text] Also see: Lawmakers urge administration to resist calls for a unilateral Israeli cease-fire (Jewish Insider 1/11/24)

Concerns re Israel’s War on Gaza

• Reps. Pressley and Raskin’s Letter to Secretary Blinken (Americans for Peace Now press release, w/ letter text) [Excerpt – “Due to the ongoing conflict, over 1.8 million Palestinians in Gaza, nearly 80% of the population, have been internally displaced in the Gaza Strip. Worsening sanitary conditions, shortages of food, water, fuel, and medicines, and thousands of cases of acute respiratory infections, diarrhea and chicken pox reflect an increasingly dire humanitarian crisis. The Israeli government must urgently increase the amount of humanitarian aid entering the Gaza Strip in order to address this humanitarian catastrophe. If Palestinian civilians choose to leave Gaza voluntarily in search of safety, they must be guaranteed to be allowed to return. Many in Gaza fear that any temporary displacement would become permanent. The United States must ensure that there is no question that Palestinian civilians who wish to remain in the Gaza Strip have the right to do so.“]

Targeting the Houthis

• 1/11/24: Gottheimer, Mast Urge Secretary of State to Designate the Houthis as a Foreign Terrorist Organization [letter text]

Targeting Iran

• 1/11/24: Kennedy, Rubio, Casey urge Panama officials to investigate possible Iranian oil sanction violations [letter text]

Other

• 1/11/24: Gottheimer Calls For FBI Investigation into 23andMe Data Breach [letter text] [“I am concerned that the leaked data could empower Hamas, their supporters…”]
• 1/8/24: Chairman Sanders, Baldwin, Luján, Markey Launch HELP Committee Investigation into Efforts by Pharmaceutical Companies to Manipulate the Price of Asthma Inhalers [letter text]. Also see: Senator Baldwin, Colleagues Launch Investigation into Pharmaceutical Companies’ High Price of Asthma Inhalers; Bernie Sanders, Senate Democrats open investigation into price of asthma inhalers (CNN, 1/8/24)

 

3. Hearings & Markups

None.

 

4. Selected Media & Press releases/statements

 

Israel aid

• VOA 1/12/24: White House Sidesteps Questions About Bypassing Congress on Israel Arms
• Commentary 1/11/24: The Hypocrisy of Critics of Aid to Israel
• POMED 1/11/24: Joint Letter – 75 Groups Demand Congressional Oversight of US Arms to Israel
• CBS News 1/8/24: Congress returns from holidays facing battles over spending, foreign aid and immigration
• CBS News 1/7/24: Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez discusses the migrant crisis, aid to Israel and more on “The Point with Marcia Kramer”

 

 

Concerns about Israel’s War on Gaza

 

US Military Action Against Houthis

• Jewish Insider 1/12/24: Lawmakers rally behind U.S., U.K. strikes on Houthis in Yemen

 

Targeting Free Speech/Protest/Critics of Israel/Palestinian Rights

 

Other