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

New:

• On 11/7/24 the Arab American Institute hosted a webinar examining the results of the 2024 US Presidential election, featuring AAI President Dr. Jim Zogby & AAI Executive Director Maya Berry in conversation with Lara Friedman (FMEP), Gerald Seib (Former Wall Street Journal Exec. Washington Editor), & John Zogby (Founder, John Zogby Strategies).  The panel provided analysis on the election outcome and its impact on domestic and foreign policy, the state of American democracy, and next steps on continued support for Palestinian human rights.

1. Bills & Resolutions

(BAD ERDOGAN FOR NOT SUPPORTING ISRAEL AS IT EXTERMINATES PALESTINIANS & LEBANESE, ETC) H. Res. 1562: Introduced 11/1/24 by Titus (D-NV), Schneider (D-IL) and Bilirakis (R-FL), “Condemning President Erdogan and his regime for issuing destabilizing statements following the attacks on the State of Israel on October 7, 2023, endangering the North Atlantic Treaty Organization’s mission, threatening the territorial integrity of neighboring countries, supporting terrorism, and fostering antisemitic behavior around the globe.” Referred to the House Committee on Foreign Affairs

(TARGETING IRAN & OTHERS MALIGN ACTS INSIDE THE US) S. XXXX: On 11/4/24 Sen. Ernst (R-IA) issued a press release, Ernst, Hassan Crack Down on Iran Funding Crime in U.S. (Hassan, D-NH, press release), aka, the Deterring External Threats and Ensuring Robust Responses to Egregious and Nefarious Criminal Endeavors (DETERRENCE) Act.  A one-pager describing the bill states: “Foreign adversaries are increasingly paying criminals to commit violent crimes against their critics, including those who reside in the United States. In a notable recent example, the Department of Justice indicted a General in the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps, as well as members of an Eastern European criminal organization, for their role in an effort to kill a U.S. citizen who was critical of the Iranian regime. Senators’ Hassan and Ernst’s bipartisan legislation would help strengthen criminal penalties for those who commit or attempt to commit violent crimes in the United States on behalf of foreign adversaries. These increased penalties would help reduce the willingness of criminals to commit violence against critics of foreign adversaries who are living in the United States.”

On Next Week’s Suspension Calendar

(TARGETING NGOs THAT SUPPORT PALESTINIAN RIGHTS) HR 9495 (text): Introduced 9/9/24 by Tenney (R-NY) and 3 bipartisan cosponsors – Kustoff (R-TN), Schneider (D-IL) & Titus (D-NV) – “To amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to postpone tax deadlines and reimburse paid late fees for United States nationals who are unlawfully or wrongfully detained or held hostage abroad, to terminate the tax-exempt status of terrorist supporting organizations, and for other purposes.” Passed by the House Ways & Means Committee 9/11/24. Below is from coverage of this bill in the 9/13/24 edition of the Round-Up. Also see my 11/6/24 X-thread on the bill.

• This bill takes the text of the extremely controversial HR 6408 / S. 1436 (“To amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to terminate the tax-exempt status of terrorist supporting organizations.”) and melds it at a totally mom-and-apple-pie legislation HR 7791 / S. 4057 (“To amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to postpone tax deadlines and reimburse paid late fees for United States nationals who are unlawfully or wrongfully detained or held hostage abroad, and for other purposes.“)
  
• As a reminder, HR 6408 was passed by the House 4/15/24 under suspension of the rules by a vote of 383–11. Its passage sparked a (belated) public debate over the implications of the bill for all non-profit organizations, including expressions of deep concern/opposition from across the political spectrum. The bill subsequently stalled in the Senate.
• Further reminders: As discussed in detail in both the 4/19/24 edition and the 11/17/23 edition of the Round-Up, US charitable organizations — like ALL other US entities — are already barred by law from providing material support for terror and already face intense scrutiny. Given this reality, and based on (a) the discussion in the House Ways and Means Committee on 11/30/23, and (b) the substitute text adopted by that committee, it is evident that HR 6408 (and now S. 1436) is aimed at legislating broad Executive authority to suspend normal due process (carried out by the Justice Department, according to clear rules), so as to permit the Secretary of the Treasure to strip US groups of their non-profit status in a peremptory manner, with virtually no limitations, accountability, or meaningful recourse. As such, this new legislation, if enacted into law, would  represent a powerful weapon to impose mass harm on the U.S. non-profit sector.
•  Notably, this legislation — and its potential implications for all US tax-exempt organizations — has drawn significant public scrutiny. See:
  • Reports Committee for Freedom of the Press 5/30/24): Congress’s crackdown on ‘terrorist supporting organizations’ threatens nonprofit news
  • The Intercept 5/10/24: Criticizing Israel? Nonprofit Media Could Lose Tax-Exempt Status Without Due Process — A new anti-terrorism bill would allow the government to take away vital tax exemptions from nonprofit news outlets.
    
  • A disturbing national security bill could silence nonprofits and college protests (The Hill, 5/8/24, by Mike Zamore,  the ACLU’s national director of policy and government affairs; and Kia Hamadanchy, senior policy counsel at the ACLU) – excerpt: “This week, the Senate may pass a bill granting the executive branch extraordinary power to investigate and strip nonprofits of tax-exempt status based on a unilateral accusation of wrongdoing.  The potential for abuse under H.R. 6408 is staggering. If it were to become law, the executive branch would be handed a tool perfectly designed to stifle free speech, target political opponents and punish disfavored groups.” Also see ACLU Action Alert – Tell the Senate: Protect The Right to Dissent
  • ACLU (undated): Tell the Senate: Protect The Right to Dissent [“…In a clear reaction to pro-Palestine protests, the Senate might pass legislation that would hand the government a dangerous tool to stifle free speech and punish disfavored groups. We must take action. This bill (S. 4136) gives the executive branch the authority to effectively dismantle any nonprofit organization it deems to have provided “material support” to terrorist groups and the potential for abuse under this law is staggering…”]
  • On 5/4/24, Sen. Murphy (D-CT) re-posted an X-post from the New Republic reading, “Civil liberties organizations warn that a recent bill could have sweeping consequences for groups working on climate and environmental causes should the next president choose to use it as a means of attacking his political enemies,” and linked to an article in the New Republic, This Bipartisan Bill Could Give Trump Huge Power Against His Enemies. Murphy added the comment: “Doesn’t feel like the House did a great job vetting this bill. The Senate needs to do better.“
  • CATO 5/1/24: Nonprofit Tax Code Weaponization Alert
  • The New Republic 4/30/24: This Bipartisan Bill Could Give Trump Huge Power Against His Enemies [“The House has overwhelmingly passed a bill empowering the executive branch to strip organizations of their non-profit status with little due process. The Senate is now considering its own version“]
  • The Nation 4/29/24: The Bipartisan War on Pro-Palestinian Activism [“A House bill asks the Treasury to revoke the nonprofit status of suspected ‘terrorist supporting organizations.’” Advocates are already singling out Muslim and Palestinian groups.”]
  • NakedCapitalism.com 4/26/24: Free Speech on the Ropes: Legislation to Revoke Not-for-Profit Status of Organizations that Support Palestine Protests Passes in House
  • The Lever 4/24/24: SIROTA’S SIGNALS: Trump Could Get New Powers — With Dems’ Help [“If bipartisan legislation passes and Trump wins, he’ll have new power to punish nonprofits he deems to be ‘terrorist supporting.’”]
  • Reason 4/24/24: This Bill Would Give the Treasury Nearly Unlimited Power To Destroy Nonprofits [“It supposedly bans financing terrorism, but that’s already illegal. It’s really a power grab for the secretary of the treasury.“]
  • Lara Friedman’s viral X-thread 4/24/24 on this same topic & the 12/1/23 edition of the Round-Up
  • Analysis from Charity & Security Network – Charity & Security Network Opposes Legislation that Targets Charities;
  • Press release – Kustoff Bill to Revoke Tax-Exempt Status to Nonprofits Supporting Terrorists Passes House.
• For folks who doubt that the (initial) target of this bill is Palestine rights activism see the 11/15/23 hearing of the House Ways & Means Committee at which this bill was first discussed.
• And to be clear: while this legislation is being introduced/promoted as a means to target 501(c)(3)’s engaged in Palestine rights activism, if enacted into law it could be used against 501(c)(3)’s working on any issue or for an objective disfavored by the Administration in power.
• And for folks who doubt that this bill would actually be used as a political weapon to target a broader universe of US tax-exempt organizations see this campaign, launched this week, making the case for using this law to target George Soros/Open Society Foundations.

2. Letters

(BAN ENTRY TO UK MP FOR “HAMAS TIES”) 11/4/24: Jewish Insider – Rep. Mast urges visa ban for British MP over alleged Hamas ties [“Mast accused Nassem Shah of ties to known terrorist groups and said she should not be allowed to attend an upcoming conference in Washington, D.C.”] [letter text]

(BIDEN: MORE SUPPORT FOR ISRAEL, NOW!) 11/4/24: McCaul Urges President Biden to Take Urgent Action to Support Israel Amid Increasing Threats from Iran [letter text].

(MASSIVE SANCTIONS ON PALESTINIANS IF THEY TARGET ISRAEL AT UN) 11/4/23: Sen. Cruz, Colleagues Send Letter [to US Ambassador to the UN] Opposing Palestinian Effort to Suspend Israel from U.N. General Assembly [letter text, dated 10/29/24]. The letter threatens far-reaching consequences for the Palestinians if they move to get Israel suspended from the General Assembly [bold added by me — “Regarding the U.S.-Palestinian relationship, it is grounded in and structured by agreements going back to the Oslo Accords. Those agreements committed the Palestinians not to internationalize their conflict with Israel outside the contours of bilateral negotiations, which the United States has traditionally mediated. The proposal by President Abbas to suspend Israel from the UN General Assembly would straightforwardly violate and fundamentally abrogate those commitments, in turn requiring a comprehensive reevaluation of the U.S.-Palestinian relationship. We would pursue such a reevaluation, which will minimally include downgrading cooperation with the PA, ending assistance to the West Bank and Gaza, terminating all Palestinian-related offices across the U.S. government including the Palestinian-facing consulate and the Office of Palestinian Affairs, and broadly curtailing diplomatic, economic, and security engagements between American and Palestinian officials.” And “the PLO and PA are both already subject to American antiterrorism sanctions, though those sanctions are vitiated by licenses and waivers, and are primarily limited to Americans’ ability to assist those groups. Should the PLO move to suspend Israel from the UN General Assembly, we will seek to ensure that those licenses and waivers are ended, and to expand American antiterrorism sanctions to include third parties. More specifically, in 1987 Congress determined ‘that the PLO and its affiliates are a terrorist organization and a threat to the interests of the United States, its allies, and to international law’ (P.L. 100-204, 101 Stat. 1406), and Americans are in general prohibited from conducting transactions on their behalf or issuing diplomatic visas to PLO officials. The Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) of the U.S. Department of the Treasury has determined ‘pursuant to OFAC’s terrorism sanctions programs, U.S. persons are prohibited from engaging in transactions with the Palestinian Authority unless authorized’ as a result of elections held in 2006, in which Hamas was empowered to form the majority party within the Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC) and hold high-level offices within PA. OFAC has issued a series of general licenses authorizing a wide range of such transactions, and special licenses are routinely granted for provisioning visas to PLO officials. Beyond the termination of those licenses, we would seek to impose binding restrictions on the movement of Palestinian officials operating under diplomatic visas related to UN activities, to freeze transactions related to funds controlled by the PA and PLO when they come within U.S. jurisdiction including those related to the Palestine Investment Fund, to designate the PA as a Foreign Terrorist Organization and a Specially Designated Global Terrorist [note: Congress does not have the authority to make either of these designations], and to implement and enforce primary and secondary antiterrorism sanctions against individual PLO and PA officials.”

(REDESIGNATE HOUTHIS AS FTO) 11/1/24: Rosen, Rubio Lead Bipartisan Letter Urging Administration to Redesignate The Houthis As A Foreign Terrorist Organization [letter text]

(THE ICC PROSECUTOR IS A BAD, BAD MAN FOR GOING AFTER ISRAEL & NOW WE CAN GET HIM BECAUSE OF TOTALLY UNRELATED ALLEGATIONS) 11/1/24: U.S. Senators [Graham (R-SC), Cardin (D-MD), Thune (R-SD), Blumenthal (D-CT), Ernst (R-IA) and Fetterman (D-PA)] Call for Review of ICC Prosecutor’s Decision to Apply for Arrest Warrants for Israeli Prime Minister and Minister of Defense, Timing of Misconduct Allegations [letter text]. Also see: Pro-Israel senators call for probe of ICC prosecutor  (Jewish Insider 11/4/24) 

(TARGETING TWITCH STREAMER, INCL FOR PRO-PALESTINE) 10/29/24: Congressman Ritchie Torres Writes to Executives at Twitch and Amazon: Hasan Piker is Dangerous [letter text]. Also see: Twitch faces criticism over Israel-Gaza war content on platform (NBC News 11/24/24)

3. Hearings & Markups

None [Congress not in session]

4. Israel/Palestine in 2024 Politics/Elex

• Jerusalem Post 11/7/24: AIPAC-backed candidates win big in US elections, strengthening pro-Israel presence in congress [“Pro-Israel political action committee AIPAC has aided 318 zionist candidates to win so far in the recent US elections. Other PACs and private donors also played significant roles.“]
• AIPAC YouTube video 11/7/24: 98% of AIPAC-endorsed candidates won their elections!
• AIPAC YouTube video 11/6/24: AIPAC is keeping Congress pro-Israel!
• The Intercept 11/6/24: In Dearborn, Rashida Tlaib Did Nearly Twice as Well as Kamala Harris [“Harris refused to distance herself from the Biden administration’s support of Israel’s war on Gaza. Tlaib railed against it.”]
• The Forward 11/6/24: Jewish voters play key role in NY House races, but number of Jewish members of Congress will drop [“With Republican takeover of the Senate, Majority Leader Chuck Schumer will likely be a leading opposition figure to second Trump administration”]
• The Forward 11/6/24: Elissa Slotkin, centrist Jewish Democrat, wins tight Michigan Senate race
• Times of Israel 11/6/24: Pro-Israel politicians win congressional races across New York’s swing districts
• Torres (D-NY) 11/6/24: X-post – “Donald Trump has no greater friend than the far left, which has managed to alienate historic numbers of Latinos, Blacks, Asians, and Jews from the Democratic Party with absurdities like “Defund the Police” or “From the River to the Sea” or “Latinx.” There is more to lose than there is to gain politically from pandering to a far left that is more representative of Twitter, Twitch, and TikTok than it is of the real world. The working class is not buying the ivory-towered nonsense that the far left is selling.“
• Middle East Eye 11/6/24: US elections 2024: Congresswoman Ilhan Omar defeats pro-Israel Republican opponent
• Cleveland Jewish News/JNS 11/5/24: Craig Goldman elected as third Jewish Republican member of the House [“AIPAC, which endorsed Goldman, wrote shortly before 11 p.m. that ‘so far, 190 AIPAC-backed candidates have won their elections tonight.’ …On his campaign website, Goldman stated that he would stand with Israel, ‘the only true democracy in the Middle East.’  ‘The enemies of Israel are dangerous and relentless. The October 2023 slaughter of over 1,400 Israelis, including at least 36 Americans, at the hands of Hamas makes this reality abundantly clear,’ he wrote. ‘While Israeli hostages remain captive in Gaza, it is critical that Israel is able to defend herself and ultimately is able to achieve its military objective: to dismantle Hamas.’ ‘There is simply no room for ambivalence or wavering on where the United States stands in this matter,’ he added on the site. ‘The United States must continue to stand by Israel in its fight against the sheer brutality and inhumanity of Hamas.’”]
• USA Today 11/5/24: AOC wins reelection as voters determine fate of remaining members of House ‘Squad’
• Axios 11/5/24: Rashida Tlaib wins bid for 4th congressional term
• The Hill 11/5/24: Democrat Wesley Bell wins race for Cori Bush’s House seat
• Middle East Monitor 11/24/24: US election: How AIPAC shapes American politics
• Haaretz 11/3/24: Antisemitism, the Mideast and Jewish Voters Play a Big Role in Some Key House Races in U.S. Election

5. Selected Media & Press releases/Statements

Media

• NY1 News 11/8/24: ‘Pure evil’: Biden, Congress members condemn attacks on Israeli soccer fans in Amsterdam
• Washington Free Beacon 11/8/24: Senate Republicans Mounted an Effort To Threaten Qatar To Expel Hamas Leaders. After Trump’s Win, an Israeli News Report Suggests It May Have Worked.
• Jewish Insider 11/8/24: Congress skeptical of lame duck push for U.S. security deal with Saudi Arabia that leaves out Israel
• House Committee on Education & the Workforce 11/5/24: What They’re Saying: Universities “Refused to Contain Chaos,” Antisemitism Report Finds
• Jerusalem Post 11/5/24: Involving US troops in Israeli conflicts requires congressional approval, House lawmakers argue [because, um, that’s the law…]
• Jewish News Syndicate 11/4/24: Who made antisemitism a partisan issue? Chuck Schumer [“His private advice to Columbia University that only the GOP cared about campus antisemitism illustrates the Democratic establishment’s abandonment of the Jews.“]
• Fox News 11/1/24: Opponents of antisemitism on campus frustrated by Schumer’s failure to move on legislation: ‘Stunning’

Members

• Ernst (R-IA) 11/8/24: X-post – “The Biden-Harris admin quietly lifted sanctions on the Palestinian government – even though it runs a ‘pay to slay’ bounty program that has given more than $350 million to terrorists. They continue abandoning Israel and emboldening adversaries to the very end.“
• Graham (R-SC) 11/8/24: Graham Statement on Ambassador Herzog
• Blackburn (R-TN) 11/8/24: X-post – “After four years of an administration that would not commit to supporting Israel and fueled antisemitism across the nation, we now have a future President who will back the Jewish state and protect our Jewish communities.   Donald Trump is the leader we need to defend Israel.“
• Piling on with self-righteous rage over the “pogrom against Jews” in Amsterdam [this is the case where Israeli soccer hooligans (well-known for racist, anti-Arab hooliganism) this week engaged in brazen anti-Palestinian, anti-Arab, Islamophobic provocations and violence in Amsterdam (caught on camera/video – here, here, here, here, here, here), and then found themselves subsequently targeted by local protesters/hooligans. Which in any pretty much ANY other context would be categorized as a case of “f**ed around, found out.” Also see: link]: Schumer (D-NY), Cherfilus-McCormick (D-FL), Calvert (R-CA), Pallone (D-NY), Bacon (R-NE – “…The Netherlands needs to hold the perpetrators accountable. This evil also needs to be rooted out in America“], Grothman (R-WI), Coons (D-DE),  McCaul (R-TX – “...this terrifying pogrom is further evidence of the global rise in anti-Israel, anti-Semitic hatred. We have to recognize these threats, at home and abroad, and take serious steps to protect Jews and Israelis from these attacks.”, Yakym (R-IN), Sherman (D-CA)-led statement by Jewish House members, Jeffries (D-NY),
• McConnell (R-TN) 11/5/24: McConnell Statement On The Passing Of Bernie Marcus
• Cohen (D-TN) 11/5/24: Congressman Cohen Praises Ousted Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant
• Stefanik (R-NY) 11/4/24: Stefanik Stands with Israel and Renews Call to Defund UNRWA
• Helmy (D-NJ) 11/1/24: Senator George Helmy Returns from Official Trip to the Middle East
• Helmy (D-NJ) 11/1/24: Senator George Helmy’s Statement on Israel’s Recent Passage of Two Laws to Ban the UNRWA Operations in Gaza and the West Bank [“…Let me be clear: UNRWA is the sole humanitarian agency that has the capacity, mandate, and manpower to immediately serve the millions of innocent civilians who are in dire need of humanitarian aid and protection. There is currently no organization that can substitute UNRWA. The United States must continue to support the organization and funding for humanitarian assistance in order to ensure that we can immediately respond to the growing human costs in the region as a result of this conflict. We already have a ‘lost generation’ in Gaza and the West Bank and cannot afford further regional destabilization. The passage of the UNRWA bills sets a dangerous precedent of rejecting multilateral missions backed by the UN that are serving urgent, life-saving missions in the Middle East as we speak.“]