FMEP Legislative Round-Up October 17, 2024 (A day early this week)

Resource

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

New from FMEP:

  • New episode of FMEP’s Occupied Thoughts podcast 10/14/24: Israel’s Plans for a “New Order” in the Middle East, ft. FMEP’s Lara Friedman in conversation with Jadaliyya’s Mouin Rabbani about Israel’s war on Gaza, its offensive in Lebanon, and how these and other developments fit into Israel’s broader objectives in the region, most notably with respect to Iran.
  • New episode of FMEP’s Occupied Thoughts podcast 10/16/24 (recorded 10/10/24): “The clash between the stories we tell and the reality of life on the ground” – ft. FMEP Fellow Peter Beinart speaking with journalist and author Ta-Nehisi Coates about Coates’ new book, The Message. 

1. Bills & Resolutions

Sanders (I-VT) X-post 10/15/24: “When Congress returns, I will move Joint Resolutions of Disapproval to block offensive arms sales to Israel. But President Biden should act now: Israel is clearly violating U.S. & international law, using starvation as a tool of its all-out war against the Palestinian people.”

2. Letters

3. Hearings & Markups

None [Congress not in session]

4. Israel/Palestine in 2024 Politics/Elex

General

Maryland

New York

New Jersey

Wisconsin

Washington

Pennsylvania

Texas

Rhode Island

Oregon

California

Colorado

Maine

5. Selected Media & Press releases/Statements

US Support for Israel

Israel’s War on Lebanon

Attacking Rashida, Yet Again

  • Blackburn (R-TN) 10/16/24: X-post – “Rashida Tlaib called Israeli PM Netanyahu a ‘genocidal maniac.’ Does she need to be reminded that she has repeatedly called for the genocide of the Jewish people and has reported ties to Hamas terrorists?“
  • Haaretz 10/14/24: Democratic Lawmaker Rashida Tlaib Calls Netanyahu ‘Genocidal’ in Social Media Post [“In response to Tlaib’s message, Israel’s ambassador to the UN, Danny Danon, said on X, ‘The only ones who burned children alive were your buddies over at Hamas.“]

Concern about  Gaza

  • McCollum (D-MN) 10/16/24: Rep McCollum Expresses Support For U.S. Pressure on Israel to Improve Humanitarian Situation in Gaza (X-thread)
  • Houlihan (D-PA) 10/16/24: X-post – “I support @SecBlinken and @SecDef Austin for urging Israeli leadership to improve the humanitarian conditions for those in Gaza. As the situation continues to worsen, this cannot wait.”
  • The Intercept 10/16/24: A Year Since Their Ceasefire Resolution, Progressives Say Only an Arms Embargo Can Stop Israel [“Her call for a ceasefire was prescient. Now Rep. Cori Bush says the Biden administration must stop enabling Israel’s violence.“]
  • Bush (D-MO) 10/16/24: X-post – “Over the past year, we’ve witnessed the Israeli government commit war crimes in Gaza. We don’t need 30 days. We don’t need more empty words. We need action. We need an arms embargo.” In response to Biden Admin letter putting Israel on 30-day notice re arms exports.
  • Shaheen (D-NH) 10/16/24: X-post – “It is vital that the U.S. and our allies take all steps to get humanitarian aid to those who need it in Gaza. I strongly urge Israel to abide by its humanitarian commitments as we work towards a ceasefire that gets more aid into Gaza and brings home the hostages held by Hamas.“
  • Murphy (D-CT) 10/15/24: Murphy Statement On Deteriorating Humanitarian Situation In Gaza
  • Van Hollen (D-MD) 10/15/24: Van Hollen Statement on Biden Administration Demanding Netanyahu Government Address Humanitarian Crisis in Gaza
  • Jewish News Syndicate 10/15/24: Pelosi: Bipartisan support for Israel ‘does not give license to so many dying’ [“The former House Speaker called for Washington to use its ‘leverage’ over Israel; when pressed, she didn’t explain what that would entail.”]
  • Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) v. Fetterman (D-PA):
    • Ocasio-Cortez 10/14/24: X-post – “The horrors unfolding in northern Gaza are the result of a completely unrestrained Netanyahu gov, fully armed by the Biden admin while food aid is blocked and patients are bombed in hospitals. This is a genocide of Palestinians. The US must stop enabling it. Arms embargo now.“
    • Fetterman 10/15/24: X-post – “The tragedy in Gaza is 100% on Hamas. Stop using civilians and hospitals as shields, surrender, and release all remaining hostages—and this ends.” [responding to Ocasio-Cortez]
    • Ocasio-Cortez 10/15/24: X-post — “I dunno man. I care about little kids dying. I care about human rights. I care that billions of US tax dollars’ worth of weapons are carrying out unspeakable atrocities. I care enough for us to do better. Hope this bleak dunk attempt gets you whatever it is you’re going for.”
    • Jewish Insider 10/16/24: AOC calls for U.S. arms embargo on Israel, but ends up on defensive against far-left
  • Jayapal (D-WA) 10/15/24: X-thread in response to State Dept letter to Israel re: additional military assistance – “This is an important letter from Secretary Blinken & Austen to the Israeli govt. It publicly says that if the Israeli govt does not stop impeding humanitarian assistance into Gaza, the US will apply our domestic laws to any ‘additional Foreign Military assistance to Israel.’ There is a humanitarian crisis in Gaza. 96% of the population faces food insecurity and famine is a persistent risk. As I have said before, the U.S. already should have applied these laws to stop offensive military assistance to Israel. Still, this is an important step in the right direction to use our leverage to ensure at least 350 trucks a day are entering Gaza.It is the first public written statement that clearly outlines how the Israeli govt has actively impeded the delivery of humanitarian assistance and calls out the Knesset’s efforts to stop  @UNRWA from operating in Gaza which would be disastrous. It also is the first public statement that addresses accountability for the killing of US citizens, including Aysenur Eygi. The letter makes clear the US has not achieved accountability for Aysenur. I renew my call for an US independent investigation into Aysenur’s killing. The brutal & catastrophic death and injury toll in Gaza as a result of the Israeli govt’s failure to uphold intl humanitarian laws & our own domestic law simply cannot continue. We must keep up the pressure to use all our leverage to save the lives of innocent civilians in Gaza...”
  • Anadolu Agency 10/15/24: Some US lawmakers call on Biden administration to stop military aid to Israel
  • Ramirez (D-IL) 10/14/24: X-post – “Our Administration’s ‘ironclad’ support can either be for Netanyahu’s surrender-or-starve plan for Gaza or our own laws. We can’t have it both ways.” In response feeble Biden Admin response to Israel burning Palestinian alive in Gaza
  • Jacobs (D-CA) 10/14/24: X-post – “Prime Minister Netanyahu clearly doesn’t care about our concerns. The only time he’s ever changed behavior is when we’ve exerted our leverage. It’s time to do that now.“
  • Bush (D-MO) 10/14/24: X-post – “There are no words powerful enough to capture the agony of human beings being massacred & burned alive. The U.S. is funding & arming the Israeli military’s extermination of the Palestinian people. It’s unconscionable. End this genocide. There must be an #ArmsEmbargoNow” – In response to Israel burning Palestinian alive in Gaza
  • Escobar (D-CA) 10/14/24: X-post – “Netanyahu’s devastating execution of the war in Gaza has disregarded every moral and strategic red line, indiscriminately killing civilians. American soldiers shouldn’t deploy to Israel. I continue my call on @POTUS to stop sending offensive weapons.” In response to Israel burning Palestinian alive in Gaza
  • Sanders (I-VT) 10/14/24: X-post – “Tens of thousands of people are again under siege in north Gaza. Hundreds have been killed in the last week. Food is scarce, and UN aid convoys are denied access by the Israeli military. We must end our complicity in Netanyahu’s all out war against the Palestinian people.”

Palestinian Effort to kick Israel out of the UN

  • Stefanik (R-NY) 10/16/24: Stefanik Condemns Joe Biden and Kamala Harris’ Failure to Combat Antisemitism in the United Nations
  • Graham (R-SC) 10/16/24: X-post – “I realize that this effort by the Palestinians to expel Israel from the UN is political theater. However, given the fact that the Jewish State’s very survival is at risk on multiple fronts, it is incumbent upon me and others to push back strongly. Simply put: if Israel is expelled, it will be the end of the United States’ support for the UN. If Israel goes, so goes America.” [responding to news of the Palestinian effort to have Israel expelled from the UN]
  • Lawler (R-NY) 10/16/24: X-post – “This is precisely why I introduced legislation with @RepMoskowitz revoking UN funding should such a move succeed. It is clear that anti-Israel bias runs deep at the UN, and it must be thwarted.“

Palestinians-Americans, Lebanese-Americans

  • Quigley (D-IL) 10/15/24: X-thread – “This week marks one year since the horrifying murder of Wadee Alfayoumi. Wadee was killed by his family’s landlord in an attack fueled by hatred and bigotry. My thoughts are with his family and friends, especially his mother Hanan Shaheen who was wounded in the attack. Wadee’s senseless murder serves as a stark reminder of the evil presence of Islamophobia and the violence it creates when hate goes unchecked. Together, we must condemn and root out Islamophobia, antisemitism, and hate in all forms. Wadee’s memory must serve as a reminder of the value of life. We must protect the lives of all children, regardless of where they rest their heads at night. Whether in Illinois, Gaza, or Israel, we must commit to protecting innocent lives at all costs.“

Israeli-US War on Iran?

  • Rosendale (R-MT) 10/16/24: Rep. Rosendale Infuriated Over Biden-Harris Deployment of U.S. Troops to Israel; also see X-post – “Why was Congress not consulted before the escalation of a foreign war by sending a ‘THAAD battery and associated crew of U.S. military personnel’ to Israel?“
  • Lee (D-CA) 10/13/24: Progressive Members Call on POTUS to Utilize Diplomacy, Reject Calls for War with Iran
  • Hoyer (D-MD) 10/11/24: X-post – “I commend the Biden-Harris Administration for confronting Iran’s latest attack against our ally Israel, which was thankfully thwarted. Israel has a right to defend itself, and the U.S. will continue to confront Iran’s efforts to arm terrorists, fuel hate, and threaten Israel.”
  • Pallone (D-NY) 10/15/24: X-post – “These sanctions will hinder Iran’s weapons program & constrain Iran’s attempts at evasion. Iran must recognize that there are consequences for its ongoing support of terrorist proxies throughout the Middle East & its attack against our ally Israel.” Linked to article on new US sanctions.

Targeting Academia & Civil Society Sector