NEW FROM FMEP
FMEP Legislative Round-Up May 1, 2026 (Lara Friedman)
1. Bills, Resolutions; 2. Letters; 3. Hearings & Markups; 4. Selected Members on the Record; 5. Selected Media & Press releases/Statements
GLOBAL/REGION
Israel said bracing for Iran fighting to resume soon, as Trump briefed on military options (TOI 5/1/26)
“Israel is on heightened alert, ramping up preparations for a possible return to fighting with Iran, amid indications that US President Donald Trump may be nearing a decision on renewed military action, Israeli television reported Thursday.” See also Why Iran’s Oil Infrastructure Is Not Exploding Like Trump Said It Would (Murtaza Hussain//Drop Site 5/1/26); Hegseth denies Iran war is ‘quagmire’ as cost to US hits estimated $25bn (The Guardian 4/29/26);
Mirroring Gaza, Israel is destroying towns and villages in southern Lebanon (NPR 4/30/26)
“Israel has been very public about the controlled demolitions its military has been carrying out in many of the 55 Lebanese towns and villages it now occupies in the south. The Israeli military has been publishing videos on social media and in releases to the press showing entire neighborhoods eviscerated in seconds, the concrete homes and shops erupting into clouds of dust at the push of a detonator. Israel says it’s destroying Hezbollah infrastructure. And that the goal is to create what Israel calls a “buffer zone” along its border, in order to keep Hezbollah from attacking its northern residents. But those demolitions — along with widespread Israeli airstrikes throughout the past two months — have also significantly destroyed civilian infrastructure. Such destruction is considered to be a violation of international law, and a potential war crime…Particularly in the part of southern Lebanon now occupied by Israel, the destruction mirrors Gaza — something Israeli officials have openly discussed. “The fate of southern Lebanon will be the same as that of Gaza,” Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said earlier this week…” See also Hezbollah Expert Thanassis Cambanis on the Bloody Ceasefire in Lebanon (Jewish Currents 4/27/26); Lebanese Ask, ‘What Cease-Fire?’ as Violence Simmers in the South (NYT 4/25/26); As Israel Entrenches, Frustration With Hezbollah Turns to Support (NYT 5/1/26); Lebanon health ministry says Israeli strikes kill 14 in deadliest day since ceasefire began (Guardian 4/26/26); With mass evacuation warnings, Israel upends lives and reshapes south Lebanon (AP 4/30/26)
‘There’s No Logic to This’: Israeli Troops Face Deadly Hezbollah Drone Attacks While Demolishing Southern Lebanon Homes (Haaretz 4/29/26)
“Israeli soldiers describe risking their lives to guard civilian contractors demolishing buildings in Shi’ite villages near the Israeli border as they remain exposed to Hezbollah’s explosive drones – considered a ‘significant challenge’ with no foreseeable solution.” See also Hezbollah’s Latest Challenge to Israeli Forces: A Stealthier Drone (NYT 4/30/26)
Why UAE’s decision to leave OPEC is major shift for cartel (Al Monitor 4/28/26)
‘The UAE’s decision to leave the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, effective May 1, is a significant blow to the oil cartel, as the Gulf country accounts for 12% of the group’s output. The decision, announced on Tuesday, ends the Gulf country’s nearly six-decade tenure in OPEC.” See also Scoop: Israel sent “Iron Dome” system and troops to UAE during Iran war (Axios 4/26/26);
Israel intercepts and detains crews of Gaza aid flotilla near Crete (Guardian 4/30/26)
“Israeli forces have intercepted and detained the crews of at least 22 boats near the Greek island of Crete from a flotilla that is attempting to break Israel’s maritime blockade of the Gaza Strip to deliver humanitarian aid. The Global Sumud Flotilla, consisting of about 58 vessels carrying people from across 70 countries, departed from Italy on Sunday. Flotilla organisers said in a press release: “Israel’s actions … mark a dangerous and unprecedented escalation, the abduction of civilians in the middle of the Mediterranean, over 600 miles from Gaza, in full view of the world.”…Francesca Albanese, the UN special rapporteur for the West Bank and Gaza, said: “How on earth is possible that Israel is allowed to assault and seize vessels in international waters just off Greece/Europe?”’
U.K.’s Starmer Urges Prosecution Over ‘Globalize the Intifada’ Chant After London Antisemitic Stabbing Attack (Haaretz 4/30/26)
“British Prime Minister Keir Starmer addressed the nation Thursday following the antisemitic stabbing attack in London’s Golders Green, in which two Jewish men were wounded, calling to prosecute people who chant “Globalize the Intifada.” Starmer criticized pro-Palestinian marches, saying that…”If you stand alongside people who say ‘Globalize the Intifada,’ you are calling for terrorism against Jews and people who use that phrase should be prosecuted. It is racism, extreme racism, and it has left a minority community in this country scared, frightened, scared, intimidated, wondering if they belong.”…In December, the two largest police forces in England announced that they would detain protesters who chant or hold signs with the phrase “globalize the intifada.” Hours later, four people were arrested in London for allegedly violating the new rule.” See also What is the latest Palestine Action court case – and what is at stake? (Guardian 4/28/26); London assailant charged with attempted murder over terror stabbing of two Jews (TOI 5/1/26); Starmer accused of ‘weaponising’ Golders Green attack to target pro-Palestine protests (Middle East Eye 5/1/26); ‘Extraordinarily far-reaching’ Palestine Action trial gets underway in Germany (Hanno Hauenstein//+972 Magazine 4/28/26);
The Venice Biennale jury resigns amid tensions over awards ban, Russian participation (NPR 5/1/26)
“The international jury of the Venice Biennale resigned Thursday, just nine days before the world’s oldest and most important contemporary art fair opens…It came just days after the jury had announced it would not award prizes to countries charged with crimes against humanity by the International Criminal Court. That includes Israel and Russia…” See also Politico owner Axel Springer doubles down on corporate principles JI 4/28/26);
Video of attack on French nun in Jerusalem causes widespread condemnation (Guardian 5/1/26)
“A video of an attack on a French Catholic nun and archeological researcher in Jerusalem has caused widespread revulsion and has been denounced as a “shameful act” by Israel’s foreign ministry. In the video, a man runs up behind the nun as she walks down a street and pushes her over with force, so that the victim comes close to hitting her head on a block of stone. After walking away a few paces, the attacker, who appears to be Jewish, returns to kick the nun as she lay on the ground and only stops when a passerby intervenes…“This is not an isolated incident, but part of a troubling pattern of rising hostility toward the Christian community and its symbols,” the Hebrew University of Jerusalem said…The ruling coalition government has fostered the rise of Israeli religious nationalism, and Palestinian Christian communities in the West Bank, some of the oldest in the world, have been under worsening harassment from Israeli settlers over the past few years. But the government has been embarrassed by a rise in hostility towards Christian clerics in Jerusalem and incidents that have gone viral online, at a time when Israel’s popularity in the west is in marked decline.”
GAZA
A Growing Rat Infestation Plagues Tent Cities in Gaza (Drop Site 4/29/26)
“Palestinian families in Gaza are living in overcrowded tents and makeshift shelters, surrounded by waste and debris, with limited access to safe water and sanitation services. Among the widespread and severe environmental health hazards that result from the conditions, the United Nations reported this month, is a proliferation of rodents as well as cockroaches, flies, and other pests, contributing to disease transmission. In a rapid assessment of more than 1,600 displacement sites across Gaza this month, the UN found that, in over 80% of them, rodents and pests were frequently visible, affecting 1.45 million people. Practically all of the affected families reported skin infections, including scabies, lice and bedbugs, with more than 70,000 cases recorded so far in 2026.”
U.S. to Reportedly Close Israel Command Center Overseeing Gaza Truce as Trump Plan Stalls, Sources Say (Haaretz 5/1/26)
“The Trump administration is planning to shut down the U.S. base in Kiryat Gat, southern Israel, which critics say failed in its mission to monitor the Israel-Hamas cease-fire and boost aid flows to besieged Palestinians, sources familiar with the matter told Reuters. The closing of the Civil-Military Coordination Center in Israel would mark the latest blow to U.S. President Donald Trump’s Gaza plan, already undermined by repeated Israeli attacks since the October truce and a refusal by Hamas to lay down its arms…According to seven diplomats familiar with CMCC operations, the U.S.-led center will soon be shut and its aid and monitoring responsibilities handed to a U.S.-commanded international security mission that is meant to deploy to Gaza.” See also Israel committed 377 ceasefire violations in April, killing 111 Palestinians as aid deliveries reached only a quarter of agreed levels (Drop Site 5/1/26);
Gaza’s disarmament trap (Muhammad Shehada//+972 Magazine 4/29/26)
“With the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran consuming global media attention and diplomatic energy and effectively halting President Trump’s “Gaza peace plan,” the besieged enclave has been all but removed from the world’s agenda — deprioritized by Western and regional governments, and seldom mentioned in mainstream media anymore. But behind the scenes, talks have continued on the issue of Hamas’ disarmament. Both the Israeli government and the Trump administration have consistently presented this issue as the primary sticking point to any further Israeli withdrawal, obscuring the fact that Israel itself has failed to uphold its central commitments under the agreement. And in recent weeks, the man tasked with overseeing the disarmament process has issued new Israel-aligned demands of Hamas that appear designed to be impossible to accept, thus deliberately torpedoing the ceasefire and allowing Israel to continue its genocide unabated.” See also Gaza’s Water System Is Crumbling Under War and Continued Military Activity (Haaretz 4/28/26); Deadly Israeli attacks worsen Gaza’s water shortage crisis (Guardian 4/27/26); New maps provided to aid groups show expanded zone of IDF control in Gaza (TOI 4/30/26);
A New Library in Gaza Rises From the Ashes of Destruction (Nagham Zbeedat//Haaretz 4/29/26)
“After surviving more than two years of bombardment, multiple displacements and a famine, [poet Omar] Hamad’s 120 books – and the thousands more he collected during Israel’s war in Gaza – form the foundation of the collection at the newly opened Phoenix Library. The name was chosen because, like the mythical bird, it has been pulled together from the literal ashes of a scorched landscape. Located in Gaza City, the Phoenix Library houses roughly 6,000 titles. Its collection is a patchwork of survival: books rescued from the rubble of the Edward Said Library in Beit Lahia, volumes salvaged from the Islamic University, and 2,000 donations from bereaved families who wanted their loved ones’ scholarly legacies to live on.”
Former Top Biden Official Says Netanyahu Helped Create a ‘Genocide in Gaza’ (Haaretz 4/27/26)
“Former U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had helped lead Israel and the United States down a path that had “in essence created a genocide in Gaza.”…On Gaza, Sherman said that while “it is critical that Israel remain an ally of the United States and that we protect the right of a Jewish state,” she also believes that “prime minister [Netanyahu] has led us down a road, and we have been part of it, that has in essence created a genocide in Gaza, that has destabilized the Middle East.”
RIVER TO THE SEA
Palestinian Authority Claims Success in Local Elections amid Spiralling Crises (Amjad Iraqi//ICG 4/30/26)
“On 25 April, half a million Palestinians cast their ballots for municipal and village councils across the West Bank and in the city of Deir al-Balah in the Gaza Strip…Most of the candidate lists were affiliated with Fatah, the party that controls the Palestinian Authority (PA), or were independent. Hamas and several smaller factions boycotted the ballot, though the former assisted the poll in Gaza with logistics and security. Local elections in Palestine generally focus more on public services than national politics, with family and tribal relations factoring into many voters’ decisions…In 2025, President Mahmoud Abbas instituted new legal and technical requirements to run for elections, and obliged parties to commit to the program and agreements of the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO), the PA’s parent organisation, which Fatah dominates. The terms are designed to exclude Hamas, but also hurt other factions and individuals that dispute the PLO’s positions. Many prospective candidates thus refused to participate. While 183 localities saw a mix of Fatah and independent wins, another 197 were uncontested and won by acclamation, including in Ramallah and Nablus. The PA dubiously claims these results reflect popular endorsement of its platform.” See also Gaza’s Deir Al-Balah Holds First Election Since 2005 (Drop Site 4/27/26); Abbas loyalists sweep Palestinian elections, including some seats in Gaza (Al Jazeera 4/26/26);
‘A Cat Wouldn’t Eat the Food’ Emaciated Palestinian Journalist Released From Israeli Prison Describes Harsh Conditions (Jack Khoury//Haaretz 4/30/26)
“A veteran Palestinian journalist arrested in April 2025 and held in administrative detention without trial was released Thursday from Nafha Prison, describing the poor conditions in which he was held. Ali al-Samoudi, who worked for the Palestinian newspaper Al-Quds and international media outlets, said he lost 60 kilograms (about 132 pounds) while in prison. “My weight was 120 kilograms (about 264 pounds); now my weight is 60 kilograms,” Samudi said. According to Samudi, prison conditions were harsh and cruel, and prisoners suffered.” See also Israeli Human Rights Group Urges IDF Chief to Release 14 Detained Gaza Doctors (Haaretz 4/30/26);
Smotrich confirms Finance Ministry hasn’t transferred any tax revenues to PA for past year (TOI 4/27/26)
“The Finance Ministry confirmed that it has not released Palestinian Authority tax revenues for a year, after PA Prime Minister Mohammad Mustafa said that the lack of transfers has left the authority cash-strapped and unable to pay employees. Speaking at a press conference Sunday marking the conclusion of local elections in PA areas the previous day, Mustafa said, referring to Israel, “The occupation has been cutting our funds for years, but the intensity of the cuts has increased over the past 12 months.” He added, “In the past year, not a single shekel of tax revenues has been transferred to us. We are living without tax income in an attempt to destroy the institutions of the State of Palestine. All residents are suffering, particularly PA employees.”’
Former Israeli Premiers Join in Bid to Oust Netanyahu in Elections (NYT 4/26/26)
“The centrist leader of Israel’s opposition, Yair Lapid, and a right-wing former prime minister, Naftali Bennett, announced on Sunday that they would combine forces in elections later this year. The merger is an apparent bid to reconstitute a partnership that temporarily unseated Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu five years ago. Mr. Bennett and Mr. Lapid said their two parties, Bennett 2026 and Yesh Atid, would unite into a party to be called Yachad, Hebrew for “together,” under Mr. Bennett’s leadership.” See also ‘Israel must change direction’: Netanyahu rivals join forces for next election (The Guardian 4/27/26);
No Palestinian State, ‘Zionist’-only Coalition: Where Bennett Stands on Israel’s Major Issues (Haaretz 4/27/26)
“Former Israeli prime ministers Naftali Bennett and Yair Lapid announced on Sunday that they will join forces and run on a joint list in the 2026 election, with the explicit goal of defeating Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu…In his Sunday speech, Bennett pledged to establish a state commission of inquiry into the October 7 attack, advance a universal IDF service law and end funding for Haredi draft evasion, impose an eight-year term limit on the premiership and refuse to concede “a single centimeter” of Israel’s territory to the enemy. In the same post on X, Bennett, who led the Yesha Council about 15 years ago – the umbrella organization for Israeli settlements in the West Bank – wrote that his views are well known: “not ceding our land and preventing the establishment of a Palestinian state.” See also Israel’s Opposition Is Determined to Exclude Arab Parties. It May Cost It the Election (Jack Khoury//Haaretz 4/29/26);
57 Palestinians killed in West Bank and East Jerusalem since start of 2026 (Drop Site 5/1/26)
“Palestinian authorities reported Thursday that 57 Palestinians have been killed across the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem since the start of 2026, driven by near-daily Israeli military incursions, live fire, and settler attacks across multiple areas.” See also ‘Go to Hell, You Terrorist’ Top Israeli Police Officer Calls Arab Lawmakers ‘Terrorists, Dogs’ Online (Haaretz 4/28/26); Palestinian man and teen shot dead in separate IDF altercations, as West Bank roils (TOI 4/30/26);
JNF to Cut Back Most of Its Funding of Programs at West Bank Settler Farm Outposts (Haaretz 4/28/26)
“The Jewish National Fund, known in Hebrew as Keren Kayemeth LeIsrael, is stopping most of its funding of programs in settler outpost farms in the West Bank…”Regretfully, under the guise of education, it turned out we were supporting activities aimed at bringing youth at risk to the settlements to help dispossess Palestinians from their land,” [JNF Chairman Eyal Ostrinsky] said. “These outposts being set up by [Bezalel] Smotrich and [Orit] Strock, we won’t be part of it anymore,” said Ostrinsky, referring to two of the most radical ministers in the government, both of whom have promoted illegal settler activity…He has also already announced that under his leadership, JNF will no longer purchase land in the West Bank…Haaretz correspondent Hagar Shezaf reported in 2023 that JNF had invested millions of shekels in a program that provides at-risk youth with vocational training at farm outposts in the West Bank…many stayed on and became involved in activities targeting Palestinians.” See also Top general in West Bank warns ‘Jewish terrorism’ could spark Palestinian uprising — report (TOI 5/1/26); Former Mossad Chief Says West Bank Settler Violence Makes Him ‘Ashamed to Be a Jew’ (Haaretz 4/28/26);
Israel just quintupled its PR budget to $730 million; experts say it won’t work (Asaf Elia-Shalev//JTA 4/30/26)
“Israel is betting nearly three-quarters of a billion dollars that it can talk its way out of a reputation crisis…The unprecedented expenditure comes as survey after survey shows declining support for Israel in the United States, its most important ally. A Pew Research Center poll released earlier this month found 60 percent of Americans now view Israel unfavorably, up seven points in a single year, with only 37% viewing it favorably…Alongside the budget, Sa’ar won approval for a dedicated public diplomacy unit inside the Foreign Ministry, headed by a director equivalent in rank to the ministry’s top political official…”
U.S. SCENE
How Bernie Sanders convinced Democrats to oppose arming Israel (Politico 4/28/26)
“When Bernie Sanders moved last April to block a U.S. arms sale to Israel, only 14 Democratic senators joined the Vermont independent. What a difference a year makes: When Sanders objected to another Israeli arms sale this month, 39 other members of the Senate Democratic Caucus joined him — a sea change that has raised eyebrows from Washington to Jerusalem. In a recent interview, Sanders reflected on the sudden and massive shift, one that has some observers saying he — not Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, who has voted to support the arms sales — is leading Senate Democrats on Israel policy. “That’s true,” Sanders said of the claim. “I mean we got 40 votes, and Schumer got seven. We have more support for our position than Chuck has for his.”’ See also In New York, a Rift in Jewish Politics (Alex Kane//Jewish Currents 4/30/26); Democratic Leaders Wanted to Control the Maine Senate Race. Their Pick Just Dropped Out. (The Intercept 4/30/26);
‘Excruciating and Agonizing’: A New Reality for Jewish Democrats (NYT 4/29/26)
“Across the country, at all levels of government, Jewish officeholders and candidates for public office — a majority of whom are Democrats — are facing a singular moment in recent history. At a time when incidents of antisemitism in the United States have risen sharply, Jewish politicians say they frequently find themselves personally targeted, according to interviews with nearly two dozen elected officials. They have faced antisemitic slurs and menacing voice mail messages, including threats of assassination…The heightened antagonism has grown since Israel began its military campaign in Gaza in response to the Hamas-led attack on Israel, killing more than 70,000 people, according to the Gaza health ministry, and leveling entire cities and towns. As elements of the American left and right have grown increasingly critical of the Israeli government, Jewish politicians say they have been accused by some voters of being insufficiently supportive of Israel, while others say they’re insufficiently critical. They have been accused of having dual loyalties that pit their American identity against their support for Israel.”
Under Trump, Green Card Seekers Face New Scrutiny for Views on Israel (NYT 4/25/26)
“For decades, immigrants who have followed the rules and have not broken the law have had hopes of earning a green card, a document that allows them to live legally in the United States and gain a path to citizenship. But under new guidance issued by the Trump administration, immigrants can now be denied a green card for expressing political opinions, such as participating in pro-Palestinian campus protests, posting criticism of Israel on social media and desecrating the American flag, according to internal Department of Homeland Security training materials reviewed by The New York Times…The administration includes criticism of Israel as a potentially disqualifying factor, with the training materials citing as an example of questionable speech a social media post that declares, “Stop Israeli Terror in Palestine” and shows the Israeli flag crossed out.”
US universities are seeing an influx of ‘antisemitism centers’. Some Jewish scholars are worried (Alice Speri//Guardian 4/24/26)
“The initiatives range in scope: some are efforts driven by faculty with varying levels of scholarly expertise on the subject; others are backed by wealthy donors or were announced as universities sought to mitigate the risk of lawsuits and federal investigations. Some of the new programs aim to produce scholarship and degrees; others offer campus events, fellowships and study abroad opportunities. Some centers promise to host robust academic debates; others appear more ideologically oriented. But many of the initiatives are of a piece with a broader rightwing effort to bring more pro-Israel voices on campuses under the guise of “viewpoint diversity”. Jewish studies experts – including from disciplines like history, religion and literature – who oppose the rightward drift of American universities have watched the proliferation of these efforts with mounting concern. Amid a repressive climate in academia, few of the more than 20 scholars who spoke with the Guardian agreed to do so on the record. But the faculty – who hold a range of views of Israel and the prevalence of antisemitism on US campuses, though most lean left – expressed fears that the surge of new initiatives could marginalize the expertise of those who have long studied antisemitism, and some expressed discomfort with the outsize investment in this work at a time of deep austerity in the education sector and as other programs are being targeted for cuts.”
PERSPECTIVES//LONG READS
Elections without sovereignty: What Palestine’s local vote represents (Mariam Barghouti//Al Jazeera 4/25/26)
“There is both cynicism and cautious anticipation surrounding these elections, which have become the only remaining electoral mechanism through which Palestinians, however limited, can exercise a form of political participation. Rather than marking a moment of democratic renewal, these elections reflect the reproduction of governance under constraint. They are both performative and revealing: they demonstrate how, despite constant strain, the absence of sociopolitical stability, depleted resources and Israeli-engineered fragmentation, Palestinians are compelled to assert their survival through the very structures that constrain them…Within this reality, no policy or official political decision is made without Israeli approval. For years, Palestinians have been forced to watch their own leadership engage in acts of treason and espionage in direct collaboration with Israel. This is rooted in the structure of the Palestinian Authority, created through the Oslo Accords, which was designed not to serve Palestinian national liberation, but to manage daily life under occupation while absorbing Palestinian resistance into institutional frameworks that could be monitored and contained…The local elections lay bare the consequences of Israel’s ongoing campaign to geographically fragment and dismember Palestinian life over the past five years.”
What Tucker Carlson Means When He Talks About Israel (Peter Beinart//NYT 4/28/26)
“[Carlson] is at the forefront of a cohort of right-wing commentators who don’t merely condemn Israel’s manifold crimes against the Palestinians and others in the Middle East. They also suggest something far more troubling: that Israel’s crimes stem from its Jewishness, which they claim threatens the Christian West. Commentators of all ideological stripes can conflate Israel with Jews, progressives included. Still, when progressives seek explanations for Israel’s misdeeds, they often talk about systems — settler-colonialism, imperialism, ethnonationalism. These structural explanations implicate many countries, including the United States. By contrast, conservative critics like Mr. Carlson tend to shun such explanations because they threaten American and Christian moral superiority. Instead, they frequently root the problem in Israel’s Jewishness. In its focus on identity, the right’s discourse about the Jewish state increasingly resembles its discourse about Islamist terrorist groups…Combating the anti-Israel right’s conflation of Israel and Jewishness is made harder by pro-Israel American Jewish organizations that have conflated those two things as well. But progressives must not blur the distinction between viewing Israel as a state, which practices forms of oppression and aggression that can occur in states of every ethnic and religious type, and viewing Israel as the product of a peculiarly Jewish pathology.”
Why is the US media silent about Israel’s role in Trump’s decision to go to war? (Jason Stanley//Guardian 4/27/26)
“Propaganda regularly occurs via omission. In fact, painting a partially true picture of reality is a particularly insidious form of propaganda…Those who omit mention of Israel’s pernicious influence on US policy are not intentionally bad actors. Rather, I suspect the main reason they avoid criticizing Israel in this way is that they believe criticizing Israel is antisemitic, or at the very least foments antisemitism (or, more likely, they worry about being accused of antisemitism for criticizing Israel). But this is not a good justification. This very reasoning is antisemitic…To excuse the failure to mention Israel as a problematic source of foreign influence on the grounds that it is antisemitic to do so is itself antisemitic, as it conflates the State of Israel with Jewish people…It is antisemitic to treat criticism of Israel’s foreign influence as antisemitic. But it is not just antisemitic – it also contributes substantially to antisemitism. An antisemitic trope central to Nazism is that Jewish people control the media. By acting as if the concerns of Israel are the same as the concerns of Jewish people, and restricting criticism of Israel on this basis, the news media strengthens societal belief in this pernicious antisemitic trope.” See also Trump administration memo details legal case for Iran war, cites Israeli request (Jewish Insider 4/24/26)
This Democratic insider wants to rewrite the party’s Israel playbook (Connor Echols//Responsible Statecraft 4/28/26)
“Ilan Goldenberg has spent more than two decades trying to shape U.S. Middle East policy from the inside, at the Pentagon, on Capitol Hill, in the Biden White House. Now, as the chief policy officer and senior vice president of J Street, a progressive pro-Israel advocacy group, he is focused on forging a new Democratic Party consensus — one that seeks to end America’s “blank check” for Israel. In practice, this means pushing for policies that would have been unthinkable just a few years ago, like ending military aid, conditioning weapons sales, and cracking down hard on Israel’s settler movement, which has killed more than 1,000 Palestinians in the past two and a half years…Known across foreign policy circles as an eminently likeable wonk, he stands in stark contrast to the activists who have driven the Democratic party away from pro-Israel politics in recent years. In this group’s reckoning, Goldenberg is at best trying to catch up with the shifting political winds, and at worst trying to slow down momentum toward policies like a full arms embargo. “There’s a predetermined zone of comfort for policy,” said a progressive foreign policy researcher who’s known Goldenberg for more than a decade. “Regardless of what the facts are, the policy prescriptions are going to finish in that zone of comfort.”’
MER 318: Campus Politics–Palestine and the New University Order (MERIP 4/29/26)
“Today, we published our spring 2026 issue of Middle East Report, “Campus Politics—Palestine and the New University Order.” Its publication comes on the second anniversary of the university encampments, the high point of campus mobilizations against the Gaza genocide that ignited faculty, student and labor organizing for the Palestinian cause in a new generation. The issue examines the student protests since October 7, 2023, and the transnational nature of campus politics in the United States, Europe and the Middle East. It also follows the federal government’s assault on universities, which escalated in the first year of US President Donald Trump’s second term and was often characterized as a reprisal for the failure of university administrations to punish their students and faculty even more severely than they already had.”
Israel blocked the March of Return. Palestinians marked the Nakba anyway (Baker Zoubi//+972 Magazine 4/28/26)
“Each year on Israel’s Independence Day, thousands of Palestinian citizens of Israel take part in the March of Return — an annual protest to the site of a different Palestinian village depopulated in 1948. Organized by the Association for the Defense of the Rights of the Internally Displaced (ADRID), this year’s march was set to head to Al-Damun, near Acre. But sweeping Israel Police restrictions forced its cancellation, marking the second consecutive year it did not take place. Instead, organizers moved the commemoration online, hosting a virtual program with speeches by High Follow-Up Committee Chairman Jamal Zahalka, Israeli Jewish journalist Israel Frey, representatives of ADRID, as well as cultural performances and recorded testimonies from elders displaced in 1948. Yet the absence of a central procession did not stop Palestinians from commemorating the Nakba on their own terms. Throughout the week of Israel’s Independence Day — marked each year by March of Return organizers with the slogan “Their independence is our Nakba” — hundreds made their own way to the sites of destroyed villages across the land.