Top News & Analysis on Israel/Palestine: January 10-17, 2025

Resource

  1. New from FMEP

  2. Gaza

  3. Region/Global

  4. River to the Sea

  5. U.S. Scene

  6. Perspectives//Long Reads

NEW FROM FMEP

FMEP Legislative Round-Up January 17, 2025 (Lara Friedman)

  1. Bills, Resolutions; 2. Letters; 3. Hearings; 4. Selected Members on the Record; 5. Selected Media & Press releases/Statements

Settlement & Annexation Report: January 17, 2025 (Kristin McCarthy)

  1. Settlement Advancement Continue on Weekly Basis; 2. Judge Rules on Five Cases, All in Favor of Settlers Claims in Batan al-Hawa; 3. New Bimkom-Ir Amim Report: Planning in East Jerusalem Completely Halted by New Protocol; 4. New Data Confirms: Settlers Face Virtually NO Accountability for Crimes Against Palestinians & Their Property; 5. Al-Haq and Partners File Additional Info on Booking.Com Settlement Business; 6. Trump Invites Settler Leaders to Attend Inauguration; 7. Bonus Reads

Holding Israel and the US accountable for Gaza (New Occupied Thoughts episode)

FMEP’s 2025 Palestinian Non-residential Fellow Ahmed Moor speaks with Sarah Leah Whitson, Executive Director of DAWN, a research and advocacy organization focused on U.S. policy in the MENA (Middle East/North Africa) region. They discuss DAWN’s approach to analyzing U.S. interests and policy as well as a range of mechanisms for accountability, including this December 2024 lawsuit regarding U.S. military support for Israel.

Introducing FMEP’s 2025 Fellow Ahmed Moor: How to act when “the urgency of the need in Palestine isn’t met by the pace of change.” (New Occupied Thoughts episode)

FMEP’s Sarah Anne Minkin speaks with writer Ahmed Moor, one of FMEP’s 2025 Palestinian Non-resident Fellows, about his family and background, the values that guide his writing, and how he understands and engages with Palestinian survival in this moment. They also discuss urgent questions around navigating activism, policy change, and fraught conversations in a reality in which, in Ahmed’s words, “ the urgency of the need in Palestine isn’t met by the pace of change.”

GAZA

Here’s what we know about the Israel-Hamas ceasefire deal (WaPo 1/16/24)

Hamas and Israel reached a ceasefire and hostage release deal Wednesday following more than 15 months of war that has laid waste to the Gaza Strip and divided Israelis. Israel’s government needs to ratify the deal, which was mediated by the United States, Egypt and Qatar…The first stage of the three-phase agreement includes a 42-day ceasefire, according to Qatar’s Foreign Ministry…An Israeli official, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss negotiations, said Tuesday that the captives released in the first stage would be children, women, injured people and those 50 and older. The first phase will also include a “withdrawal and redeployment of Israeli forces outside densely populated areas,” the Qatari ministry said. Internally displaced people in Gaza will be allowed to return to their homes. This period will also see a surge of much-needed humanitarian aid into the besieged enclave. The volume of aid entering Gaza is supposed to reach more than 500 trucks per day during this period, State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said Wednesday — a more than sixfold increase over the average number in December. Negotiations for the second phase of the deal — during which the remaining living hostages would be released and Israel would withdraw completely from Gaza — are supposed to begin in coming weeks.” See also Israeli strikes kill 86 in Gaza since ceasefire announced, officials say (ABC 1/16/25)

Israeli cabinet convenes to vote on ceasefire deal with Hamas (Guardian 1/17/25)

“Israel’s cabinet has convened to vote on a ceasefire deal to exchange dozens of hostages held by Hamas for Palestinians in Israeli jails and pause the 15-month war in Gaza for an initial six weeks. The agreement, which was earlier approved by the security cabinet, would halt fighting and bombardment in Gaza’s deadliest-ever war. The security cabinet vote came after an unexpected delay that sparked fears that last-minute disagreements between Israel and the Palestinian militant group might scuttle the agreement. Far-right members of the coalition government of the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, also threatened to vote against the deal or quit the government, potentially derailing months of work to end the conflict.” See also Ceasefire deal delayed as Netanyahu bargains with far-right allies (WaPo 1/16/25); Israeli security cabinet approves Gaza hostage and ceasefire deal (Axios 1/17/25); Katz releases all settlers in administrative detention, ties it to Palestinians’ release (Times of Israel 1/17/25)

Arab officials: Trump envoy swayed Netanyahu more in one meeting than Biden did all year (Jacob Magid//Times of Israel 1/15/25)

“A “tense” weekend meeting between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and incoming Mideast envoy Steve Witkoff led to a breakthrough in the hostage negotiations, with the top aide to US President-elect Donald Trump doing more to sway the premier in a single sit-down than outgoing President Joe Biden did all year, two Arab officials told The Times of Israel on Tuesday. Witkoff has been in Doha for the past week to take part in the hostage negotiations, as mediators try to secure a deal before Trump’s January 20 inauguration. On Saturday, Witkoff flew to Israel for a meeting with Netanyahu at the premier’s Jerusalem office. During the meeting, Witkoff urged Netanyahu to accept key compromises necessary for an agreement, the two Arab officials on Monday told The Times of Israel on condition of anonymity. Neither Witkoff nor Netanyahu’s office responded to requests for comment.” See also ‘A stern message’: how return of Trump loomed over Gaza ceasefire negotiations (The Guardian 1/15/25); Trump and Biden both claim credit for Gaza ceasefire deal (AP 1/15/25)

Top Trump official says US will back renewed Israeli offensive in Gaza if needed (Times of Israel 1/16/25)

“US President-elect Donald Trump’s top national security nominee has said the US will back Israel if it needs to reenter Gaza, while speaking out in support of a ceasefire-hostage deal with Hamas and crediting his future boss with its apparent success. Florida Rep. Mike Waltz, who is in line to become the White House’s national security adviser, also said Washington would not impose curbs on arms supplies to Israel, while criticizing the outgoing administration for trying to hold Israel back.” See also PA ‘has completed all preparations to take full control of the Gaza Strip’ despite not being part of Israel-Hamas deal (Jack Khoury//Haaretz 1/17/25)

Israel-Hamas Cease-fire May Not Advance to Second Phase, Foreign Diplomats Warn (Haaretz 1/17/25)

“Foreign diplomats have expressed concern over the past few days that efforts to sabotage the hostage deal by both sides will continue during implementation of the deal’s first stage. One cause for concern among the U.S., Qatar and Egypt is Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s hostile line ahead of the next stage of negotiations and his continued public insistence on removing Hamas from power in Gaza as a condition of ending the war. “Under the current conditions, there won’t be a second stage to the deal,” a foreign mediator told parties in Israel. “Hamas won’t willingly enter into an agreement that will lead to its destruction. Netanyahu’s tactics are wrong and won’t bring the last hostages home or end the war,” he said.” See also Qatar’s PM calls for Gaza ceasefire agreement to be ‘fully implemented’ (Al Jazeera 1/17/25)

Five Journalists in Gaza Reflect on Ceasefire Announcement (Sharif Abdel Kouddous//Drop Site 1/16/25)

“Shrouq Aila: How do I feel? To be honest, there is a lot of fear because the occupation has lost it. They are bombing in a crazy way…It’s a time of uncertainty and devastation and happiness at the same time. Mixed feelings. Heartbreak and relief, negative and positive. A combination of these feelings. But really, the uncertainty is looming around us. It’s not only me, it’s all around, because they have been bombing since the ceasefire announcement was made. My personal feeling is that I’m terrified because, firstly, I’m not ready to accept the reality that everything is gone in the north. That my husband and home are gone. I’m super excited to get back to the north but at the same time, I don’t want to go back to the north. That’s what I mean by mixed feelings. But the most important thing is for the killing to stop. The healing process is going to take time, not only for me but for all Palestinians in Gaza. And at least we can begin the stage of healing, otherwise we will remain stuck in the denial stage under genocide. So we take a baby step with this ceasefire and then everyone can begin to grieve.” See also What Are the Three Phases of the Gaza Ceasefire Deal? (Mohamed Mhawish//Institute for Palestine Studies 1/15/25); ‘Thank God’: Palestinians express joy over Israel-Hamas ceasefire deal (The Guardian 1/15/25); ‘I pray to God it succeeds’: Fragile hope spreads in Gaza as ceasefire deal reached (Ahmed Ahmed & Ruwaida Kamal Amer//+972 1/15/25); ‘Honestly, I feel numb’: Gazans react to cease-fire deal. (NYT 1/16/25);

In first, US acknowledges PM added conditions that hampered hostage talks in July (TOI 1/15/25)

“For months, Biden officials publicly insisted that Hamas was the main obstacle to a deal, and while sometimes said “both sides” were not cooperative, avoided ever singling out Netanyahu. Israeli, Arab and US officials all told The Times of Israel on condition of anonymity that Netanyahu was also chiefly to blame at times for breakdowns in negotiations, particularly in July when he added conditions to his earlier proposal regarding the withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza, which torpedoed the negotiations.” See also ‘A mix of emotions’: truce supporters and opponents take to Israel’s streets (Guardian 1/17/25); ‘Our fight is not over’: relatives of hostages welcome ceasefire – and vow to keep going (Guardian 1/15/25); Ben Gvir says his party will quit government if cabinet implements hostage-ceasefire deal (TOI 1/16/25)

US says Hamas has replaced almost all killed fighters in Gaza with new recruits (Middle East Eye 1/14/25)

“Hamas has been able to recruit almost as many new fighters as Israel killed during its ferocious offensive on the Gaza Strip, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a farewell speech where he said that mediators were “on the brink” of a ceasefire. Blinken’s remarks on Tuesday at The Atlantic Council in Washington DC provide a rare window into US intelligence assessments of Hamas’s strength, which is likely to ruffle Israel’s positioning after a potential ceasefire, given its stated objective of “total victory and the eradication of Hamas”…While Israel succeeded in decapitating Hamas’s leadership in Gaza, Lebanon and Iran, Blinken suggested that the group remains a power in the Gaza Strip and could complicate plans for post-war governance of the enclave.” See also Blinken Slams Israeli and Palestinian Leadership, Says Israel ‘Must Abandon’ West Bank Annexation (Haaretz 1/14/25);

Satellite photos show the Gaza Strip before and after the devastation of the Israel-Hamas war (AP 1/16/25)

“The Israel-Hamas war, now nearing a potential ceasefire, has devastated the Gaza Strip. Satellite photos offer some sense of the destruction in the territory, which has been largely sealed off to journalists and others. Some of the images have illustrated a likely buffer zone, wanted by Israel despite international objections, which would take some 60 square kilometers (23 square miles) out of the enclave. In all, the strip of land along the Mediterranean Sea is about 360 square kilometers (139 square miles), and Palestinians hope it will be part of a future state, along with the West Bank and east Jerusalem…Gaza City, the dense major city in the strip, has been decimated, with buildings destroyed and roads filled with rubble…Corey Scher of City University of New York and Jamon Van Den Hoek of Oregon State University have been studying Gaza since the start of the war on Oct. 7, 2023, after Hamas entered Israel, killing 1,200 people and taking 250 others hostage. Their latest assessment, published Thursday, estimates 59.8% of all buildings in Gaza likely have been damaged in the war.”

Israel’s Ban on UNRWA Is Set to Take Effect. So What Will Happen in Gaza, East Jerusalem and the West Bank? (Haaretz 1/17/25)

“The laws passed by Israel against the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) will come into effect in two weeks. Their implementation is expected to halt all UNRWA services in East Jerusalem, and within weeks, an extensive network of schools, clinics, and welfare services in the West Bank is also likely to cease operations. However, the heaviest toll is anticipated to be borne by hundreds of thousands of Gaza Strip residents who rely on UNRWA for food distribution, medical services, and refugee camps – services that are also expected to collapse…According to several sources, UN Secretary-General António Guterres has refused any direct discussion with Israel on replacing UNRWA. The U.S., conducting talks with Israel on behalf of the UN, is working on a temporary solution to maintain humanitarian operations in Gaza during the transition period.”

Albina Abu Safiya: ‘The Israeli army deliberately targeted my husband’ (Ruwaida Kamal Amer//+972 1/17/25)

“On Dec. 27, Israeli forces arrested Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya, director of Kamal Adwan Hospital in the city of Beit Lahiya, in a raid that forced the last functioning health facility in northern Gaza to shut completely. After storming the hospital, soldiers reportedly rounded up the medical staff outside, forced them to remove their clothes, and set fire to the building. Shortly after the raid, Israeli forces released video footage that showed Abu Safiya entering a military vehicle upon soldiers’ orders, but for days afterward his whereabouts remained unknown. Despite the evidence of his arrest, the Israeli army insisted almost a week later that it still “had no indication of [Abu Safiya’s] arrest or detention” — only to confirm the following day that the hospital director had indeed been arrested “on suspicion of involvement in terrorist activities,” a claim for which it provided no evidence…Human rights and international aid groups, including the World Health Organization, Amnesty International, and Medical Aid for Palestinians, have condemned Israel’s raid on the hospital and called for Abu Safiya’s release. Abu Safiya emerged as an icon of Palestinian resilience in the face of Israel’s genocidal onslaught over the past year, consistently calling attention to Israel’s intentional targeting of hospitals and pleading with the international community to intervene. Throughout the Israeli army’s latest campaign in northern Gaza since early October 2024, he refused to evacuate Kamal Adwan Hospital and abandon his patients as Israeli forces bombed and subsequently stormed the facility…+972 spoke with Abu Safiya’s wife, Albina Abu Safiya, who sought refuge in Gaza City with relatives after being separated from her husband shortly before his arrest.”

REGION/GLOBAL

Could Other Countries Prosecute Soldiers in Gaza? (Annie Hylton//New Yorker 1/11/25)

“A growing legal movement has turned to the principle of universal jurisdiction, which allows national courts to take on war-crimes cases, regardless of where those crimes were committed or the nationality of the perpetrator.” See also ICC prosecutor sees ‘no real effort’ by Israel to probe alleged Gaza war crimes (Reuters 1/17/25)

Civilian casualties of explosive weapons at highest level in more than a decade (Guardian 1/14/25)

“Civilian casualties from bombing or other explosive violence have reached their highest level globally in more than a decade, an annual study has concluded, reflecting the intense bombing of Gaza and Lebanon and the ongoing war in Ukraine. Action on Armed Violence (AOAV), a monitoring group, said 61,353 non-combatants had been killed or wounded during 2024, an increase of 67% on last year, previously the largest amount it had counted since it began its survey in 2010. Israeli military action accounted for 55% of the total number of civilians recorded as killed or wounded during the year at 33,910, while Russian attacks in Ukraine were the seconded highest cause of death or injury at 19% (11,693).” See also CPJ [Committee to Protect Journalists] finds that Israel is one of the top three jailers of journalists (New Arab 1/17/25)

RIVER TO THE SEA

The Palestinian Authority’s Assault on the West Bank Resistance (Mariam Barghouti//Drop Site News 1/13/25)

“A stronghold of Palestinian armed resistance in the occupied West Bank, the city of Jenin and the refugee camp within it have been repeatedly raided, bombed, and besieged by the Israeli military in an attempt to crush the Jenin Brigade—a politically diverse militant group of mostly third-generation refugees who believe armed resistance is key to liberating Palestinian lands from Israeli occupation and annexation. Over the past 15 months, the Israeli military has killed at least 225 Palestinians in Jenin, making it the deadliest area in the West Bank. But the current operation, which is being billed as a campaign to “restore law and order,” is the longest and most lethal assault by Palestinian security forces in recent memory. While the PA claims to be rooting out armed factions and individuals accused of being “Iranian-backed outlaws,” according to multiple residents and eyewitnesses, the operation is a suffocating siege, with indiscriminate violence, mass arrests, and collective punishment. Sixteen Palestinians have been killed so far, with security forces setting up checkpoints around the city and refugee camp, cutting electricity to the area, and engaging in fierce gun battles.”

With Al Jazeera ban, the PA lifts a page from Israel’s playbook (Yara Hawari//New Arab 1/14/25)

“On January 1 2025, the Palestinian Authority suspended Al Jazeera’s reporting in the West Bank, with the news outlet posting footage of PA security officers handing a suspension order to a staff member in their office in Ramallah. No, this isn’t déjà vu — we’ve seen these images before. The PA’s decision to ban Al Jazeera comes just eight months after Israeli soldiers raided the very same office and presented the news network with a closure order that prevented Al Jazeera from operating within the 1948 territories. Israel has since extended the ban…As well as the suspension of operations, the PA order prevents all local telecommunication companies and channels from broadcasting anything from Al Jazeera — even access to their websites have been blocked. The alleged reason for this order is that Al Jazeera was publishing “inciting material and misleading reports that were causing unrest” in its coverage of the PA’s brutal siege of the Jenin refugee camp…The reality, however, is that this is a coordinated effort with the Israeli regime to suppress the armed resistance in the northern West Bank. Whilst this kind of coordination is not new — indeed the PA’s very existence is predicated on it — the levels of brutality are unprecedented.”

‘Cutting the Head Off 200 Organizations’: Inside Israel’s War on NGOs That Aid Palestinians (Haaretz 1/13/25)

“International organizations that provide aid in the West Bank and war-torn Gaza are contending with a new Israeli ruling that may jeopardize their ability to work, officials in the field say. On December 9, the Diaspora Affairs and Combating Antisemitism Ministry announced that the registration of international nongovernmental organizations would now fall under its purview…”The team will be authorized to refuse registry to organizations or overturn a registration if the organization is found to act against the interests of the State of Israel,” the statement read. “Among the considerations: denying the Jewish and democratic nature of the state, supporting armed resistance or maintaining ties to terror groups, criminal activity that endangers the public order, promoting the delegitimization of Israel or calling to boycott it.”[Allegra] Pacheco, the international human rights lawyer, noted that a major pillar of humanitarian work is advocating “for the rights of the most vulnerable, and they do that in the framework of international law. So, here you can see the conflict that emerges when the humanitarian organization advocates under international law for Palestinians in Gaza, or even in the West Bank – because international law says settlements are illegal and settlers shouldn’t be there, and settlers shouldn’t be attacking Palestinians, and the army bears responsibility to protect them.”

Ben Gvir says he repeatedly foiled hostage deals, urges Smotrich to help him stop this one (TOI 1/14/25)

“In a post on X, together with a video in which he called on far-right ally Smotrich to join him in telling Netanyahu that they would bolt the coalition if the current hostage deal proposal went through, Ben Gvir said that they have managed to stop previous efforts to reach an agreement…“In the last year, using our political power, we managed to prevent this deal from going ahead, time after time,” he stated.”

My Bedouin Village Was Destroyed So That Israel Can Build a Jewish Village in Its Place (Raad Abu al-Kiyan//Haaretz 1/10/25)

“I’m a resident of Umm al-Hiran, and in recent years, the head of the village local committee. I’m 46 years old, married with eight children (six girls, two boys), and I work as an environmentalist in Be’er Sheva. This past November 14, I also became an “evacuee.” That’s a familiar status in the country over the past year – the difference being that Bedouin evacuees, unlike members of Jewish communities who were evacuated from their homes because of the war, do not receive support from any public authority – not of a financial, educational or social-welfare nature. Our situation really is different. I was evicted from my village and my home so that the state can build a village and a home for others in its place, while I was obligated to demolish my family’s home with my own hands.” See also ‘I Guess Everything Is Allowed’: How the Systematic Eviction of Israel’s Bedouin Works (Haaretz 1/12/25)

Our heads are being smashed in as the world turns a blind eye (Hamdan Ballal//Humans of Masafer Yatta 1/16/25)

“Settler terrorism and violence against Palestinians in Masafer Yatta continues to increase, and the lack of accountability or legal action gives these extremist settlers greater power and freedom to attack who and whatever they wish. For example, repeated settler attacks have prevented the Palestinian population from plowing their land or grazing it, and there is no law in the world that holds them accountable for these actions that go against all international laws and norms. The attacks are an attempt to pressure Palestinians out of Masafer Yatta and into Area A – effectively ethnically cleansing the area, and enabling the settlers to seize all land and property left behind. The village of Susiya, one of several in the region that is regularly targeted, was subjected to more than five such attacks in less than a month.”

IDF in Crisis, Despite a Cease-fire: Why Fewer Israelis Were Turning Up to Fight in Gaza (Dahlia Scheindlin//Haaretz  1/15/25)

“As the conflict with Hamas became Israel’s longest war, it has taken its toll – on morale, economic subsistence and mental health – leading to declining rates of reservists responding to call-up notices. The repercussions go far beyond the IDF and Gaza.” See also Some Israeli soldiers refuse to keep fighting in Gaza (AP 1/13/25)

U.S. SCENE

Kamala Harris Paid the Price for Not Breaking With Biden on Gaza, New Poll Shows (Ryan Grim//Drop Site News 1/15/25)

“From 2020 to 2024, Democrats saw a staggering dropoff in support at the presidential level, with some 19 million people who voted for Joe Biden staying home (or not mailing in their ballots) in 2024. Now, a new survey conducted by YouGov suggests Biden’s support for Israel’s unrelenting assault on Gaza played a surprisingly large role in the choice of those previous Biden supporters not to vote. The top reason those non-voters cited, above the economy at 24 percent and immigration at 11 percent, was Gaza: a full 29 percent cited the ongoing onslaught as the top reason they didn’t cast a vote in 2024…Before firmly demonstrating that Gaza cost Democrats the election, it’s important to keep a handful of caveats in mind. Even if October 7 and the resulting genocide had never happened, it’s fair to assume some number of those non-voters still would not have voted, and would have cited a different top reason for not voting. Citing a top reason for not voting is far different than it being the only reason not to vote. And because the turnout drop off was smaller in swing states, Gaza may not have been decisive on its own. Whenever surveys confirm views we already hold, or tell us things we want to be true, it’s worth approaching their findings with increased skepticism. Still, even the most biased poll can only manufacture so much of a response. Even if the true numbers aren’t as stark as this survey found, it points in a clear direction: Biden’s ruthless support for Israel’s genocide, and the refusal of Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris to break with him, hurt her among voters who stayed home.” See also How Biden’s Foreign Policy Destroyed His Presidency (Jeet Heer//The Nation 1/17/25); Biden Says He Urged Netanyahu to Accommodate Palestinians’ ‘Legitimate Concerns’ (NYT 1/17/25); Palestinians dedicate West Bank olive grove to Jimmy Carter (AP 1/13/25)

A Year of Empty Threats and a “Smokescreen” Policy: How the State Department Let Israel Get Away With Horrors in Gaza (ProPublica 1/15/25)

“Time and again, Israel crossed the Biden administration’s red lines without changing course in a meaningful way, according to interviews with government officials and outside experts. Each time, the U.S. yielded and continued to send Israel’s military deadly weapons of war, approving more than $17.9 billion in military assistance since late 2023, by some estimates. The State Department recently told Congress about another $8 billion proposed deal to sell Israel munitions and artillery shells….For this story, ProPublica spoke with scores of current and former officials throughout the year and read through government memos, cables and emails, many of which have not been reported previously. The records and interviews shed light on why Biden and his top advisers refused to adjust his policy even as new evidence of Israeli abuses emerged.” See also The ambassador’s farewell warning: You can’t ignore the impact of this war on future US policymakers (Times of Israel interview with US Ambassador to Israel Jack Lew 1/12/25);

Biden policy on Israel-Gaza sparks warnings, dissent, resignations (CBS News 1/12/25)

“U.S. policy on Gaza has led to widespread dissent at the State Department, with some questioning how far Washington is going in its support of Israel. Thirteen officials, including from the State Department, White House and Army, have publicly resigned in protest. Many believe U.S. policy on Gaza runs counter to American values and threatens national security…The U.S. has sent $18 billion in American military assistance to Israel since the war began, largely in the form of taxpayer-funded weapons. Most of the bombs and all of the fighter jets come from the U.S., said [Josh] Paul, who spent 11 years as a director in the State Department’s Bureau of Political-Military Affairs.” See also Secretary Antony J. Blinken: “Toward the Promise of a More Integrated Middle East” (U.S. Department of State 1/14/25); Laying out postwar Gaza vision, Blinken raps Israel’s war strategy, shunning of PA (TOI 1/14/25); Former Biden Officials Slam U.S. Failure to Curb Israel’s Disproportionate Use of Force in Gaza (Haaretz 1/13/25); Former CIA employee pleads guilty to leaking files on Israel’s Iran strikes (Al Jazeera 1/17/25)

Hegseth: Israel should kill ‘every last member of Hamas’ (Jewish Insider 1/14/25)

“Pete Hegseth, the veteran and Fox News personality turned President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee to be secretary of defense, testified at his Senate confirmation hearing on Tuesday that his Christian faith dictates his commitment to supporting Israel and that he wants to see the U.S. ally kill “every last member of Hamas.” See also Mark Zuckerberg, Miriam Adelson to Be Among the Co-hosts of Trump’s Inaugural Gala (Haaretz 1/15/25); Columbia Professor Says She Was Pushed to Retire Because of Her Activism (NYT 1/10/25)

 

PERSPECTIVES//LONG READS

A ceasefire won’t stop Israel’s genocidal agenda (Tariq Kenney-Shawa//+972 1/16/25)

“It is too early to tell if this agreement will hold. Israel’s long tradition of violating ceasefires, coupled with the demands of Israeli ministers to continue the genocide, give us reason to be skeptical. But news of the truce has brought indescribable relief to millions in Gaza who have faced a campaign of annihilation for over a year. If the ceasefire in Gaza does hold, it will be the material result of dynamics introduced by the incoming Trump administration — a reminder of how easily Washington can influence Israel’s actions if it actually wants to…But the president-elect and those he surrounds himself with have also made it clear that they intend to make Netanyahu’s cooperation worth the trouble. If the Israeli prime minister sees the ceasefire through even just its first stage, he will expect a return on his investment — and his price will be further mass displacement of Palestinians from both Gaza and the West Bank…The Israeli media is already reporting that Trump’s ceasefire “gift bag” to Netanyahu could include a long list of treats, from lifting sanctions on Israeli NSO Group’s spyware Pegasus and on violent Israeli settlers, to giving Washington’s blessing to major West Bank land theft or outright annexation, and permitting or even facilitating a direct attack on Iran.”

Biden & Trump take credit for Gaza ceasefire (Annelle Sheline//Responsible Statecraft 1/15/25)

“The achievement of a Gaza hostage deal and temporary ceasefire ahead of Trump’s inauguration demonstrates the power that the U.S. had all along. The Biden administration simply refused to use American leverage to push Netanyahu, despite U.S. officials’ assertions that they were “working tirelessly towards a ceasefire.” In his remarks about the deal, and in his response to journalists afterwards, President Biden sought to take full credit. He pointed out that this was the deal he proposed in May, yet did not acknowledge that it was Trump’s willingness to pressure Israel to reach a ceasefire in time for his inauguration that actually achieved the deal, which Biden had failed to for months…Speculation on social media and after Biden’s remarks was rife about how long the deal is likely to last. After boasting that he achieved his goal of a ceasefire by his inauguration, Trump may lose interest in reining in Israel’s military operations in Gaza. The deal may last through the first phase of 42 days, but beyond that the Israeli press has reported that Netanyahu promised Smotrich that the fighting would resume. If he wished, Trump could contribute to a more lasting ceasefire by maintaining pressure on Netanyahu and upholding U.S. laws that would end American security assistance to Israel due to its human rights abuses and blocking of humanitarian aid.”

A Year After Israel Bombed My Family’s Home, I’m Still Trapped in the Ruins (Mohamed Mhawish//The Nation 1/13/25)

“While the physical scars have mostly healed, the emotional ones remain as fresh as the day Israel brought my home down on me and my family.”

Reproductive Health Under Genocide: The Struggle of Palestinian Women in Gaza (Al Mezan Center for Human Rights 1/12/25)

“Al Mezan’s new thematic report, ‘Reproductive Health Under Genocide’, delves into the multifaceted challenges faced by Palestinian women in Gaza amid the ongoing genocide and highlights the devastating impact of Israel’s genocidal policies on the reproductive rights and health of Palestinian women. This report examines the near-total disruption of maternal healthcare directly caused by Israel’s destruction of hospitals, clinics, and pharmacies, compounded by the lack of medical supplies, equipment, and electricity. Women—especially pregnant and nursing mothers—are deprived of critical antenatal, postnatal, and obstetric care, as well as essential nutritional support and hygiene products, putting their lives at grave risk. Topics covered include the catastrophic effects of malnutrition on pregnant and postpartum women, the rise in premature births, and the challenges of giving birth during a genocide. The report also highlights the shortage of medical supplies and laboratory services, emphasizing the impact on both physical and psychological health, as women endure fear, insecurity, and the loss of dignity in precarious living conditions.”

Hallways of Dislocation: The poetry of Fady Joudah (Hussein Omar//The Nation 1/14/25)

“In his new volume of poetry, […], published more than 15 years after the first, Joudah retains his focus on the questions of dislocation but now directs his attention to the impossibility of healing amid the protracted and ongoing Nakba…This grim reminder is just one of the themes in […]. Others include the need for as well as the difficulties of mourning. “We need to differentiate / between the dead and the not here,” Joudah writes, and yet he notes that this, too, is often impossible. Many are either buried beneath the rubble or have been vaporized by the heat produced by bombs. How can one grieve if all the traditional places of mourning, such as grave sites, don’t exist? How can one grieve when funeral rites—which finalize the separation between the living and the dead—cannot be held?…Beyond these keenly observed and beautifully rendered descriptions of Palestine’s tragedy, Joudah’s poems offer a startling diagnosis of our narrowing political horizons and even a prognosis for how we might act within them. Of the many things that have perished in Gaza besides human lives—international law, morality, the myth of the civilized West—it is the death of language that Joudah grieves most: “From time to time, language dies. / It is dying now. / Who is alive to speak it?”…If language itself is being annihilated, Joudah’s poems challenge us to ask, what is the function of speech in a time of such untold suffering? What can language do when the sight of mutilated bodies doesn’t jolt us into action but instead numbs us into indifference?”