NEW FROM FMEP
Destroying systems that sustain life: Israel’s destruction of healthcare in Palestine (New Occupied Thoughts episode)
FMEP Fellow Ahmed Moor interviews Liz Allcock, the former head of humanitarian protection at Medical Aid for Palestinians (MAP), an organization that has worked in Gaza, the West Bank, and elsewhere for decades. They discuss healthcare in Palestine before the genocide in Gaza, the impact of the genocide on healthcare in Palestine, and the increase in gender-based violence among Palestinians. They also discuss the purpose and impact of Israel’s decision, effective January 1, 2026, to deregister 37 NGOs working in Palestine. MAP, which has worked in Gaza and the West Bank for decades, is one of the organizations deregistered by Israel.
FMEP Legislative Round-Up January 23, 2026 (Lara Friedman 1/23/26)
1. Bills, Resolutions; 2. Letters; 3. Hearings & Markups; 4. Selected Members on the Record; 5. Selected Media & Press releases/Statements
Settlement & Annexation Report: January 23, 2026 (Kristin McCarthy)
- Greater Jerusalem: Impending Eviction in Muslim Quarter; Israel Demolishes UNRWA Headquarters; 2. Settlement & Outpost Construction: “State Land” Declaration; Settlers Celebrate Yatziv Settlement; 3. Settler Terrorism; 4. Israeli Government Policy; 5. Bonus Reads
GAZA
Leaked Documents: “Planned Community” in Rafah Would Force Palestinians Into Israeli Panopticon (Sharif Abdel Kouddous//Drop Site 1/21/26)
“The U.S. military-led group supporting “stabilization efforts” in Gaza has put forward plans for a housing block for Palestinians in Gaza in an area under full Israel military control. According to materials circulated by the Civil-Military Coordination Center (CMCC) and obtained by Drop Site News, the “planned community,” if developed, would contain and control its residents through biometric surveillance, checkpoints, monitoring of purchases, and educational programs promoting normalization with Israel…“Plans are rapidly accelerating for what U.S. officials last week cynically referred to as the ‘Gaza first planned community,’ previously known as ‘alternative safe communities,’” Jonathan Whittall, a senior UN official in Palestine between 2022 and 2025 and the executive Director of KEYS Initiative, a political affairs and strategic advisory organization, said after reviewing a transcript of the materials obtained by Drop Site. “This is the next phase in the weaponization of aid.”’ See also Israel Is Preparing Land in Rafah to Corral Palestinians into an Area Under Full Military Occupation (Forensic Architecture & Drop Site 1/20/26); Exclusive: Israel aims to ensure more Palestinians are let out of Gaza than back in (Reuters 1/23/26);
United Arab Emirates plans to bankroll first ‘planned community’ in south Gaza (The Guardian 1/23/26)
“The United Arab Emirates plans to fund “Gaza’s first planned community” on the ruined outskirts of Rafah, Gaza’s southernmost city. Palestinian residents there will have access to basic services like education, healthcare and running water, as long as they submit to biometric data collection and security vetting, according to planning documents and people familiar with the latest round of talks at the US-led Civil Military Coordination Center in Israel.” See also U.S. Lays Out a Glittering Plan for Gaza, Including Skyscrapers (NYT 1/22/26);
Israeli fire strikes journalists and children on one of Gaza’s deadliest days since ceasefire (AP 1/21/26)
“Israeli forces on Wednesday killed at least 11 Palestinians in Gaza, including two 13-year-old boys, three journalists and a woman, hospitals said, on one of the war-battered enclave ‘s deadliest days since the ceasefire between Hamas and Israel took effect in October.” See also Israel kills 3 journalists in Gaza, including CBS News contributor (WaPo 1/21/26)
Another Step in the Weaponization of Aid: Israel Bans Humanitarian Agencies in Gaza (Yara Asi//Arab Center DC 1/22/26)
“In late December 2025, two months after the much-lauded ceasefire agreement that was meant to end the physical destruction of Gaza and bring a significant increase in desperately needed aid, Israel announced it was suspending the work of 37 humanitarian organizations—about 15 percent of the total number of NGOs working on the ground in the Strip. These organizations include some of the most well-established across occupied Palestine, including Defense for Children International, the International Rescue Committee, Medical Aid for Palestinians UK, Mercy Corps, the Norwegian Refugee Council, and Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF, known in English as Doctors without Borders). International NGOs have been heavily involved in the humanitarian response to the genocide in Gaza. They have delivered more than half of all food assistance, supported 60 percent of field hospitals, provided nearly 75 percent of shelter and nonfood aid, and are the only organizations treating children for severe acute malnutrition…Israel has suspended the 37 international NGOs because they refused to comply with new policies requiring them to submit to the Israeli government additional documentation about their staff, funding, and operations. The organizations say that they are not comfortable providing such information to a government that has bombed aid facilities and killed hundreds of aid workers, including those in pre-authorized aid convoys. Some humanitarian personnel, including Palestinian health workers, have been kidnapped and remain detained in Israeli prisons.…Israel’s bans will have a devastating effect. NGOs stripped of their licenses will not be able to deliver aid into or throughout Gaza. These organizations will not be allowed to maintain offices in Israel or East Jerusalem. International staff will not be able to enter Gaza at all.” See also ‘Loss and Trauma Will Last Generations’: Mothers in Gaza Describe the Collapse of Maternal and Newborn Care (Haaretz 1/15/26); Newborn baby becomes eighth to die of hypothermia in Gaza this winter (The Guardian 1/17/26); Despite ceasefire, Israel’s siege allowing only a trickle of aid into Gaza (Ahmed Ahmed//+972 Magazine 1/22/26); Inside the Doctors Without Borders Clinics That Israel Is Closing in Gaza (NYT 1/17/26);
REGION//GLOBAL
Trump says US ‘armada’ heading to Middle East as Iran death toll put above 5,000 (The Guardian 1/23/25)
“Donald Trump has said an American “armada” is heading towards the Middle East and that the US is monitoring Iran closely, as activists put the death toll from Tehran’s crackdown on protesters at 5,002…The aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln and several guided-missile destroyers are due to arrive in the Middle East in the coming days. Additional air defence systems are being deployed, most likely around US and Israeli airbases. The UK said it would send RAF Eurofighter Typhoon jets from 12 Squadron to Qatar, at Doha’s request. The US president pulled back from attacking Iran two weeks ago, despite promising “help is on its way”, largely because he felt he had been given no military option that would prove decisive in securing regime change in Tehran. He was also urged to hold back by the Gulf states.” See also Air France joins KLM in canceling weekend flights to Israel amid regional tensions (TOI 1/23/26);
Trump’s ‘master plan’ for Gaza contrasts with reality on the ground (WaPo 1/23/26)
“At the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, on Thursday, the Trump administration outlined what it described as a “master plan” for the Gaza Strip’s future, replete with planned cities, data centers and a beachfront for tourists, but which was far removed from the destruction, desperation and political realities on the ground. Jared Kushner, President Donald Trump’s son-in-law and key adviser, took to the stage to present a deck of slides with AI-generated images of gleaming high-rises and apartment blocks arranged in concentric rings. From 90,000 tons of rubble generated by the war, he said, a “new Gaza” would be born. “We’re committed to ensuring Gaza is demilitarized, properly governed and beautifully rebuilt. It’s going to be a great plan,” Trump said. He and other leaders were there to sign the founding charter of the “Board of Peace,” which was originally conceived as an oversight body for the reconstruction of Gaza but has since morphed into a U.S.-led council with a more sweeping mandate…According to a map included in Kushner’s slideshow, Gaza’s entire Mediterranean shoreline would be reserved for “coastal tourism,” with 180 high-rise towers lining the beach. Across other parts of the enclave, parks and sports facilities would break up industrial complexes, data centers and advanced manufacturing facilities…The vision contrasts sharply with the present reality in Gaza, where Israeli troops still control more than half of the enclave while some 2 million Palestinians are crowded into the other half, many living in ramshackle tents or bombed-out buildings that provide little shelter from winter storms.” See also Trump launches ‘Board of Peace’ at Davos, testing global order (WaPo 1/22/26); Trump claims world ‘richer, safer’ than year ago at launch of his ‘board of peace’ (The Guardian 1/22/26); France rejects Trump Gaza peace board invite over fears it wants to supplant UN (Politico 1/19/26); Trump launches Board of Peace: We can do ‘whatever we want’ (Al Monitor 1/22/26);
Trump plans to charge $1 billion for permanent seat on ‘Board of Peace’ (WaPo 1/18/26)
“President Donald Trump sent a flurry of invitations over the weekend to world leaders to join a new “Board of Peace,” which is being marketed as an international peace-building organization. However, a permanent seat on the board will cost countries $1 billion.” See also Netanyahu to join Trump ‘board of peace’ despite previous objections (The Guardian 1/21/26); Kremlin says Putin has been invited to join Trump’s Gaza ‘board of peace’ (The Guardian 1/19/26); Macron declines to join Trump’s Gaza peace board. Here’s who’s been invited (Axios 1/20/26); Trump disinvites Canada’s Carney from Board of Peace as Spain, France decline to join (TOI 1/23/26); UK holds off joining Trump’s Board of Peace over Putin concerns (BBC 1/22/26); Trump names Kushner, Rubio, Blair to Gaza board; Israel objects to lineup (WaPo 1/17/26); Germany, Italy and Spain Join Slate of Countries Rejecting Invitation to Trump’s Board of Peace (Haaretz 1/23/26)
Putin offers $1B in frozen assets for Gaza Board of Peace — will US unfreeze them? (Al Monitor 1/22/26)
“Russian President Vladimir Putin told his Palestinian counterpart, Mahmoud Abbas, in Moscow Thursday that Russia is prepared to allocate $1 billion from its assets frozen in the United States to the Trump-led Board of Peace. A press release on Thursday from the Kremlin quoted the Russian leader as saying, “We are willing to provide $1 billion to this new body, the Board of Peace, primarily to support the Palestinian people, assist in the restoration of the Gaza Strip and address the general resolution of problems facing Palestine.” He said the funds would be drawn from frozen Russian assets. Abbas is visiting Moscow for the second time in less than a year, having last traveled to the Russian capital in May 2025. He does not sit on the Board of Peace, nor do any Palestinian representatives.” See also Turkey, Israel, Pakistan to join Trump’s Board of Peace as Italy hedges: What to know (Al Monitor 1/21/26);
Trump warns Hamas will be ‘blown away’ if it fails to disarm (Al Monitor 1/21/26)
“President Donald Trump said Wednesday that Hamas will be “blown away” if the militant group doesn’t hand over its weapons as required by the US-brokered ceasefire. “Hamas has agreed to give up their weapons,” Trump said at the World Economic Forum’s annual meeting in Davos, Switzerland. “They were born with a rifle in their hand. It’s not an easy thing for them, but that’s what they agreed to.”…In response to a question from Al-Monitor last month, Secretary of State Marco Rubio suggested negotiators could accept a disarmament plan that would allow Hamas to retain some of its smaller arms while surrendering its rockets and other heavy weapons.”
Who is Ali Shaath, the Palestinian head of the committee under Trump’s Gaza ‘Board of Peace’? (New Arab 1/23/26)
“In a rare Palestinian moment where reconstruction plans collide with political engineering and security calculations, Ali Shaath has emerged as the figure tasked with managing the Gaza Strip in the aftermath of its most devastating war. His appointment as head of a Palestinian technocratic committee is not merely administrative; it is deeply embedded in a complex web of international arrangements, largely backed by the United States, aimed at reshaping Gaza’s governance after more than two years of war that left the territory shattered. For many Palestinians, the question is not simply who Ali Shaath is, but what he will represent: a genuine attempt to rebuild Gaza or another externally managed experiment that treats devastation as a logistical problem rather than a political one?”
Germany never stopped arming Israel’s genocide (Hanno Hauenstein//+972 Magazine 1/20/26)
“A little over a week ago, Israel and Germany signed a cybersecurity agreement to expand their existing cooperation…According to the German newspaper Bild, the agreement includes cooperation between Germany’s elite police unit GSG 9 and the Israeli police’s counterterrorism unit, known colloquially as Yamam. This unit has carried out extrajudicial assassinations of Palestinians in the West Bank, and was also involved in Israel’s hostage rescue operation in Nuseirat refugee camp in northern Gaza in June 2024, during which four Israelis were freed and over 270 Palestinians were killed. Bild also reported plans for a joint German-Israeli AI and cybersecurity research center…But cooperation between Germany and Israel extends well beyond intelligence sharing or police training. Germany is Israel’s second-largest supplier of arms after the United States, and one of its most significant customers. Between 2020 and 2024, Germany supplied over one-third of Israel’s arms imports. And during roughly that same period, Israel ranked third among recipients of German arms, accounting for 11 percent of total exports.”
Jordan used Israeli firm’s phone-cracking tool to surveil pro-Gaza activists, report finds (The Guardian 1/22/26)
“Authorities in Jordan appear to be using an Israeli digital tool to extract information from the mobile phones of activists and protesters who have been critical of Israel and spoken out in support of Gaza, according to a new report by the Citizen Lab. A multiyear investigation found with high confidence that Jordanian security authorities have been using forensic extraction tools made by Cellebrite against members of civil society, including two political activists, a student organizer, and a human rights defender, the researchers said.”
RIVER TO THE SEA
‘I could not stay silent’: Palestinian prisoner tells of sexual abuse in Israeli jail (The Guardian 1/21/26)
“Sami al-Saei said he heard the Israeli prison guards who raped him laughing through the assault, before they left him lying blindfolded, handcuffed and in agony on the floor to take a cigarette break. At least one of the group knew a crime was being committed and intervened, not to stop the torture but to prevent its documentation. Al-Saei said he heard the man warning others “don’t take a photo, don’t take a photo” as they attacked. He bled from his rectum for more than three weeks after the assault, which happened soon after he was detained in February 2024. He described sexual torture that lasted more than 20 minutes including beatings on his buttocks, a guard applying extreme pressure to his genitals, and forced anal penetration with two different objects…The 47-year-old father of six was held without charge or trial until June 2025. About 40 days after his release, he posted a video on TikTok detailing the attack, defying the extreme social stigma and Israeli warnings against going public about abuse in jails.”
B’Tselem Report: Testimonies Describe ‘Pattern of Sexual Violence’ Against Palestinian Prisoners (Haaretz 1/21/26)
“A report published Tuesday by the Israeli human rights organization B’Tselem details alleged abuses in Israeli security prisons, citing testimonies of violence by prison guards, soldiers and Shin Bet personnel, including sexual violence, starvation, mistreatment, harsh living conditions and the denial of medical care. The report, which is based on interviews with released prisoners, includes testimony from four former inmates describing “a grave pattern of sexual violence” by prison guards and soldiers, that included “forces stripping, beatings to the genitals that caused severe injuries, setting dogs on prisoners and forced anal penetration with various objects.” The report was released following a series of similar testimonials that were published over the past two years, indicating a severe deterioration in the detention conditions of Palestinian prisoners.”
The calculated erasure of Ras Ein Al-Auja (Oren Ziv//+972 Magazine 1/16/26)
“For years, the Palestinian community of Ras Ein Al-Auja in the southern Jordan Valley has held firm the face of Israeli settler violence. But after settlers set up an outpost in the center of their village at the end of December, plowing private land, destroying a main road, and cutting electricity cables, many families decided they had no choice but to leave…Ras Ein Al-Auja’s story, however, isn’t unique. In nearby Palestinian communities like Al-Muarrajat and Maghayer Al-Dir, outposts set up last year in the centers of the villages led to a rapid escalation in violence and the forced expulsion of Palestinian residents within days of their establishment.”
Paving military roads, Israel prepares permanent control of West Bank camps (Majd Jawad//+972 Magazine 1/19/26)
“Like tens of thousands of other Palestinians, she fled her home in the Jenin refugee camp last January, when Israel launched the military operation known officially as “Iron Wall” targeting the Jenin, Tulkarem, and Nur Shams refugee camps simultaneously. Having expelled over 30,000 residents from their homes inside those camps with no indication of when, or if, they will be allowed to return, the ongoing operation constitutes the single largest act of forced displacement in the West Bank since the start of Israel’s occupation in 1967…According to UN estimates, more than 1,460 buildings across Jenin, Tulkarem, and Nur Shams camps have been destroyed or sustained severe or moderate damage since the start of the incursion. This includes over 52 percent of buildings in Jenin camp — the hardest hit of the three — signaling a level of destruction that extends beyond isolated targets and amounts to a sweeping assault on the camp’s urban fabric.”
Who Is Yakir Gabay, the Israeli Billionaire Named to Trump’s Gaza Executive Council (Haaretz 1/18/26)
“Gabay is active in global investments in real estate, hospitality and high tech, including through private investment funds. He divides his time between Israel, Miami, London and Cyprus, and has maintained close personal and business ties with Kushner for more than a decade, dating back to before Trump’s first election in late 2015.”
Israel demolishes UNRWA’s East Jerusalem headquarters; UN agency: ‘Unprecedented attack’ (TOI 1/20/26)
“Israel on Tuesday began demolishing the East Jerusalem headquarters of UNRWA, the UN agency for Palestinian refugees and their descendants, with Israeli forces entering the compound with bulldozers and other demolition equipment in the early morning and destroying buildings in what UNRWA called an “unprecedented attack.” The move to demolish UNRWA’s headquarters comes after years of legislative measures against the agency, which Israel accuses of collusion with Hamas and participation in terror activities.” See also Israel Razed UNRWA’s East Jerusalem HQ, Now It’s Planning to Build 1,400 Housing Units on the Site (Haaretz 1/20/26); UNRWA school in West Bank city set to be closed by Israel within days, agency says (TOI 1/23/26); UNRWA Heads Tell Haaretz: ‘We Don’t Radicalize Palestinians – Their Lived Existence Does’ (Haaretz 1/20/26);
‘Israel is using organized crime to control Palestinian citizens’ (+972 Magazine 1/22/26)
“MK Aida Touma-Suleiman reflects on a decade inside the Knesset, and the limits of trying to fight from within a system built to exclude Palestinians…For years, polls have shown that the number one issue concerning Palestinian citizens of Israel is the epidemic of organized crime and violence within Arab localities. In 2023, the homicide rate among Palestinian citizens of Israel was the third highest in the OECD. Last year, Palestinians accounted for 252 of Israel’s 305 murder victims, despite making up just 21 percent of the population. And since the start of the new year, little has changed: In less than a month, 18 Palestinian citizens of Israel have already been killed in incidents linked to criminal networks. In response, Palestinian citizens are stepping up their efforts to combat the spread of organized crime and the state’s inaction against the perpetrators — which many see as a deliberate policy. There were demonstrations across the country this week, from Sakhnin to Umm Al-Fahm, culminating in a general strike on Thursday called by the Union of Arab Mayors and the High Follow-Up Committee for Arab Citizens.” See also Israel’s Arab Parties Announce Plans to Unite for Joint List in Upcoming Elections (Haaretz 1/22/26); Tens of Thousands of Arab Citizens Protest Rising Crime in Their Communities (Haaretz 1/23/26);
U.S. SCENE
New Legal Documents Show Marco Rubio Targeted Students for Op-Eds and Protesting (The Intercept 1/23/26)
“New documents unsealed Thursday as a part of litigation brought by The Intercept and other news outlets reveal a critical discrepancy in Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s rationale for attempting to deport five international students and academics last year. While Rubio and the Trump administration claimed in public that they wanted to deport students including Mahmoud Khalil and Yunseo Chung for supporting terrorism, internal Department of Homeland Security and State Department documents instead cite their advocacy for Palestinian rights in protests and writings — activities protected by the First Amendment.Rubio and the administration have repeatedly conflated pro-Palestinian speech with support for Hamas, which the U.S. designates as a terrorist organization, but a DHS memo shows the government did not find any evidence that Chung or Khalil provided “material support” — meaning cash payment, property, or services — to any terror group. Even in their own communications, DHS and the State Department acknowledged they were in uncharted territory and likely to face backlash.” See also D.H.S. Cited Foreign Students’ Writings and Protests Before Their Arrests (NYT 1/22/26); She Criticized the Mayor’s Support for Israel on Facebook. Then the Cops Showed Up at Her Door. (The Intercept 1/20/26)
Columbia campus protest leader Khalil now faces deportation to Algeria, Trump official says (Gothamist 1/22/26)
“Mahmoud Khalil, the Columbia University graduate and Palestinian protest organizer whose immigration arrest last year made national headlines, will be re-arrested and deported to Algeria, Department of Homeland Security spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin said on Newsnation.”
Oscar nominee chosen from four visions of Israeli-Palestinian conflict (WaPo 1/23/26)
‘“The Voice of Hind Rajab,” a Tunisian film by director Kaouther Ben Hania nominated Thursday for an Academy Award in the international feature category, was among four submissions dealing with the Israeli-Palestinian conflict — a roster that stands out because each country is limited to a single entry…“This nomination belongs first to Hind. To her voice. To what should never have happened and yet did. It belongs to everyone who believed that cinema can still be a space for truth, care, and responsibility,” Ben Hania said in a statement Thursday. “… Among these beautiful films from around the world, I’m deeply honored that Hind’s voice is there. Not as a symbol. As history. Thank you to the Academy for listening.”’
U.S. Deports Eight Palestinians to West Bank Using Private Jet (Haaretz 1/22/26)
“The United States deported eight Palestinians without valid residency visas this week aboard a private jet. The eight landed in Israel on Wednesday, and their identities are not known…Haaretz learned that the private jet – a Gulfstream IV – was apparently chartered specifically by U.S. authorities and belongs to an Israeli-American businessman. According to reports in Forbes, the businessman is a partner in real estate investments with U.S. President Donald Trump.”
PERSPECTIVES//LONG READS
After the Rain (Abdullah Hany Daher//Jewish Currents 1/22/26)
“Once we waited eagerly for rain—and when it came, we opened our windows without fear. Rain meant land, growth. It promised renewal. We spoke of it as something generous. Now, when we hear that rain is coming, we do not even look up. We look at the ground, at the tent, at the night, which is preparing itself to be long…After a harsh storm some time ago, I called my aunt to ask how things were. She laughed before I could finish the question. Her husband and son had spent the night holding down the tent stakes so their paltry protection would not fly away. She tried to make it sound light, almost absurd, something we could laugh about. But the joke abruptly yielded to memory’s true texture. Then she cried…Morning always comes. It offers not relief, but continuation. After the rain, we dry what we can. We check on each other without asking questions that might break us open. We stand up. We gather what remains.”
Israel’s new national consensus: Returning to October 6 (Meron Rapoport//+972 Magazine 1/23/26)
“With both the Israeli general elections and the U.S. midterms approaching, 2026 is shaping up to be a tough year for political forecasts. The Israeli vote could redraw the domestic political map, potentially deposing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, while the U.S. elections could significantly weaken President Donald Trump’s standing and constrain his freedom of action. Yet there is one prediction that can be made with confidence: Whatever the election results, Israel’s entire political and military establishment will remain united around a desire to dial the clock back to October 6, 2023. This aspiration does not signal a return to normalcy or calm; on the contrary, Israel’s internal tensions are likely to deepen in the coming year. This is not merely because the period preceding the war was already among the most turbulent in the country’s history, nor because election years tend to intensify political tensions. This time, the polarization runs much deeper.”
How to cross a road under apartheid (Shoug Al-Adara//Vashti Media 1/21/26)
“A week into the war, soldiers installed a new gate on the road opposite Tuwani, which leads to the village of Birke in one direction, and to Juwaya in the other. And four months ago, in September, they installed another one on our side of the road, in Tuwani. The two gates are big, yellow, and can block the entire road if the army decides to close them…A few days after the war began, [my husband] Zakaria was shot in the stomach by a settler. It happened as he stepped out of the mosque after the Friday prayer. The bullet was an illegal “dum-dum” bullet which exploded inside his abdomen, causing severe damage to multiple organs. Since then he has undergone thirteen operations. Two years later, his condition is much improved, but he still cannot walk or get medicine and food for our children. So I must go instead of him…Now the settlers and soldiers can kill, shoot. Ben Gvir has empowered them, and given them permission. I know this very well because it happened to us, to my family. Always being inside, I feel strangled. The kids cannot go wherever they want and they are not comfortable. It’s a very difficult feeling when you’re stuck and you can’t do anything. Life passes before your eyes and you can’t do anything.”
Bringing Zohran Mamdani to the Big Screen (Molly Fischer//New Yorker 1/22/26)
“Bacha is a New York-based filmmaker whose work, which includes the films “Budrus” and “Naila and the Uprising,” has earned a Peabody and a Guggenheim; she is the creative director of Just Vision, a nonprofit dedicated to storytelling about Israel-Palestine…As Bacha contemplated her next project, she started hearing about a group of New York organizers who wanted to stop charities from using tax-deductible donations to fund Israeli settlements. “I learned that they had found, in Zohran Mamdani, someone who was willing to actually introduce legislation,” she told me. The proposed Not on Our Dime! act was greeted with an immediate letter of condemnation from twenty-five of Mamdani’s fellow Assembly members, who called the bill “a ploy to demonize Jewish charities with connections to Israel.” In her documentary, Bacha wanted to ask whether Mamdani and his co-sponsors could hold on to their seats in the next election…All of the state legislators whom she followed, the ones who’d supported Mamdani’s bill, won their 2024 reëlection campaigns. Fairly or unfairly, genuinely or cynically, questions about Mamdani and Israel—and Palestine, and Jews, and faith, and war, and peace—appear likely to continue. If he can find a way to meet them persuasively, his rejection of a long-standing political norm may start to look more like a pragmatist’s asset.”