Top News & Analysis on Israel/Palestine: January 17-24, 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 24, 2025 (Lara Friedman)

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

The Escalation of Israel’s Gaza-fication of the West Bank (New Occupied Thoughts podcast episode)

FMEP’s Lara Friedman speaks with preeminent journalist Dalia Hatuqa about the current realities of Israel violence carried out both by the Israeli military and Israeli civilians (settlers) against Palestinians in the West Bank — including the situation in the months leading up to 10/7/23; the dangerous deterioration of conditions following 10/7/23, through the onset of the current Hamas-Israel ceasefire in Gaza;  and the ongoing — rapid, dramatic — escalation of Israeli violence and destruction in the West Bank in the wake of that ceasefire.

Genocide and self-involvement: on being Israeli as Israel commits a historic crime (New Occupied Thoughts podcast episode)

FMEP Fellow Ahmed Moor interviews Israeli author, academic, and political commentator Ori Goldberg about how Israeli society reckons – or not – with Palestinians, with committing this genocidal war in Gaza, and with the centrality of the military in Israeli society. The two discuss Ori’s path to becoming a dissident, including how he navigates Zionism, anti-Zionism, and his sense of belonging in Israel.

A toxic environment for those who dare to question (New Occupied Thoughts podcast episode)

FMEP Fellow Peter Beinart interviews Professor Katherine Franke, former faculty at Columbia University’s law school, about student activism and escalating repression at Columbia since October 7th, 2023. Katherine Franke just retired from Columbia, saying “I have come to the view that the Columbia University administration has created such a toxic and hostile environment for legitimate debate around the war in Israel and Palestine that I can no longer teach or conduct research.” Peter and Katherine discuss the specific circumstances that led to Katherine’s retirement, including extensive harassment; the conflation of Palestinian rights advocacy with antisemitism; and how the Israel/Palestine dynamics on campus point to broader threats to teaching, research, and activism on a range of issues.

GAZA

Hamas names four female Israeli soldiers it will release from Gaza this weekend (Guardian 1/24/25)

“Hamas has published the names of four female Israeli soldiers being held captive in Gaza who it says it plans to release this weekend as part of the continuing ceasefire agreement between the armed group and Israel. In the hours following the release of the names, however, the office of Benjamin Netanyahu appeared to indicate it believed Hamas had breached the fragile ceasefire deal because the four names did not include that of the remaining female civilian hostage in Gaza. Israeli media later reported the Israeli prime minister had consulted his security chiefs and decided to move forward, believing Hamas’s decision to release female soldiers before female civilians to be a violation of the ceasefire agreement but not one serious enough to end the process entirely…All those named by Hamas for the next exchange are female Israel Defense Forces (IDF) observation troops who were abducted in Nahal Oz during the group’s surprise attack on southern Israel on 7 October 2023, when their base was overrun.” See also Three hostages released by Hamas reunited with mothers after ceasefire deal (Guardian 1/19/25); Three Israeli hostages and 90 Palestinians freed as Gaza ceasefire takes hold (WaPo 1/20/25);

‘Arduous and Difficult’: Palestinians Search for Bodies Under the Gaza Rubble (Haaretz 1/22/25)

“As the ceasefire begins, a Gaza civil defense spokesman stated that up to 10,000 bodies may still be trapped under rubble, with around 2,800 bodies “evaporated” in Israeli bombings” See also Drone footage shows the scale of destruction in Gaza’s Rafah – video (Guardian); This Is What Gaza Looks Like Today: The Scale of Destruction Caused by Israel Is Revealed (Haaretz 1/21/25)

Palestinians begin search for Gaza’s missing as they return to ruined homes (Guardian 1/20/25)

“After the first night in Gaza for more than a year without the sound of drones or bombing overhead following the successful implementation of a ceasefire, people in the besieged Palestinian territory have begun returning to destroyed homes and searching for missing loved ones. The truce that took effect on Sunday with the release of the first three hostages held by Hamas in exchange for 90 Palestinians from Israeli jails was greeted with euphoria as a large influx of desperately needed aid supplies entered the strip. By Monday, however, the celebrations largely gave way to shock and sorrow, as the strip’s 2.3 million population began to assess the scale of the devastation wreaked by Israel in retaliation for the 7 October 2023 Hamas attack. In Israel, joy at the three hostages’ safe return was tempered by anger and surprise at Hamas’s show of force at the hostage handover after 15 months of gruelling combat.” See also ‘My neighborhood was one of the most beautiful in Gaza. All that’s left is rubble’ (Ahmed Ahmed//+972 1/23/25)

Gaza at Last Welcomes More Aid. It Needs a Deluge. (NYT 1/24/25)

“The United Nations moved as much food into Gaza in three days this week as it did in the entire month of October, the interim head of the U.N. humanitarian office for Gaza, Jonathan Whittall, said in a briefing on Thursday. Other U.N. agencies and aid groups were distributing medical supplies and fuel to power hospitals and water wells, among other types of assistance, and helping to repair critical infrastructure. Tents were set to enter soon, and bakeries were expected to start supplying bread by Friday, according to the United Nations. Since the start of the cease-fire, civilian police officers belonging to the Hamas government have re-emerged, which appears to have restored some security and order to the enclave…COGAT, the Israeli government agency that oversees policy in Gaza and the West Bank, did not respond to a request for comment, but it said in a post on social media on Friday that 4,200 aid trucks had entered the Gaza Strip over the past week after being inspected.” See also Ceasefire brings flood of aid to Gaza, but security challenges remain (WaPo 1/24/25)

Hamas Takes Charge in Gaza After 15 Months of War (NYT 1/23/25)

“Since the cease-fire started on Sunday, Hamas has been working overtime in an attempt to show it still controls Gaza, even after Israel killed thousands of its members and demolished its tunnels and weapons factories in retaliation for the Oct. 7, 2023, cross-border attack that killed an estimated 1,200 people…Later on the first day of the cease-fire, dozens of Hamas militants turned up at Saraya Square in Gaza City to hand over three hostages to the Red Cross for release to Israel, the first of 33 to be freed as part of the deal. The appearance of the militants didn’t suggest they were on their last legs: They appeared to be wearing clean uniforms, in good shape and driving decent cars. It is not clear just how many fighters, police officers, bureaucrats and political leaders survived the war or just where the militants had been hiding. But by showcasing the handover in such a public way, Hamas made clear that it was still standing in a part of Gaza that had seen some of the most devastating bombing attacks of the war.” See also US intel figures show Hamas has recruited up to 15,000 new fighters during Gaza war (Times of Israel 1/24/25)

Leaked documents expose deep ties between Israeli army and Microsoft (Yuval Abraham//+972 1/23/25)

“Microsoft has a “footprint in all major military infrastructures” in Israel, and sales of the company’s cloud and artificial intelligence services to the Israeli army have skyrocketed since the beginning of its onslaught on Gaza, according to leaked commercial records from Israel’s Defense Ministry and files from Microsoft’s Israeli subsidiary. The documents reveal that dozens of units in the Israeli army have purchased services from Microsoft’s cloud computing platform, Azure, in recent months — including units in the air, ground, and naval forces, as well as the elite intelligence squad, Unit 8200. Microsoft has also provided the military with extensive access to OpenAI’s GPT-4 language model, the engine behind ChatGPT, thanks to the close partnership between the two companies. These revelations are the product of an investigation by +972 Magazine and Local Call in collaboration with The Guardian. It is based in part on documents obtained by Drop Site News, which has published its own story. The investigation shows how the Israeli army deepened its reliance on civilian tech giants after October 7, and comes amid growing protests by cloud company employees who fear that the technology they developed has helped Israel commit war crimes.” See also The Israeli Military Is One of Microsoft’s Top AI Customers, Leaked Documents Reveal (Drop Site 1/23/25); Revealed: Microsoft deepened ties with Israeli military to provide tech support during Gaza war (Guardian 1/23/25)

Google rushed to sell AI tools to Israel’s military after Hamas attack (WaPo 1/21/25)

“Google employees have worked to provide Israel’s military with access to the company’s latest artificial intelligence technology from the early weeks of the Israel-Gaza war, according to documents obtained by The Washington Post. The internal documents show Google directly assisting Israel’s Defense Ministry and the Israel Defense Forces, despite the company’s efforts to publicly distance itself from the country’s national security apparatus after employee protests against a cloud computing contract with Israel’s government. Google fired more than 50 employees last year after they protested the contract, known as Nimbus, over fears it could see Google technology aid military and intelligence programs that have harmed Palestinians…Google has AI policies that pledge the company will not apply the technology to uses that harm people. Its human rights program says the company reviews its products and policies for compliance with international standards like the U.N. Universal Declaration of Human Rights and invites employees to raise any concerns they have about the company’s work.”

Nearly 40,000 Palestinian Children Orphaned by War in Gaza (Rasha Abou Jalal//Drop Site 1/22/25)

“For the children of Gaza, the carnage is unprecedented in recent history. Over 14,500 children have been killed since October 2023, according to the health ministry. Of the 1.9 million people — 9 out of 10 residents in Gaza — who have been internally displaced, half of them are children, according to UNICEF. Many of the children who survived, belong to a new generation of Palestinian orphans.” See also Questions from Palestinian Children in Gaza (New visuals from Visualizing Palestine)

The Palestinians killed waiting for the Gaza ceasefire to come into force (Al Jazeera 1/19/25)

“During the agonising wait between the Gaza ceasefire announcement and its implementation, Israel killed another 141 Palestinians, including 19 after the truce was scheduled to begin. These are the stories of the last victims before the bombing stopped.”

U.S. Security Contractors Going to Gaza to Oversee Truce, Officials Say (NYT 1/23/25)

“American security contractors have been enlisted to help handle the return of displaced Palestinians to the Gaza Strip’s devastated north, the next step in the cease-fire deal between Israel and Hamas, according to four officials familiar with the matter. The contractors are poised to help secure a key zone that splits Gaza in two and is known as the Netzarim corridor, said the officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly. The contractors are intended to screen vehicles ferrying Palestinians from the enclave’s south for weapons, the officials said.”

REGION/GLOBAL

Israel to UN: Palestinian relief agency UNRWA must leave Jerusalem by January 30 (Haaretz 1/24/25)

“The UN Palestinian relief agency UNRWA must “cease its operations in Jerusalem, and evacuate all premises in which it operates in the city” by Jan. 30, Israel’s U.N. envoy told UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres in a letter on Friday. A law banning UNRWA’s operation on Israeli land and contact with Israeli authorities takes effect on Jan. 30. Israel annexed East Jerusalem in a move not recognized abroad.”

Israel delays Lebanon withdrawal deadline: What we know (Al Monitor 1/24/25)

“The Israeli government announced Friday that its troops will not fully withdraw from southern Lebanon by Sunday despite the deadline set in the Nov. 27 deal with Hezbollah. Under the agreement, both Hezbollah militants and Israeli forces were to gradually withdraw from southern Lebanon, with the Lebanese army expected to take control of areas previously held by Hezbollah and Israel’s troops to fully exit within 60 days. Israel attributes the delay to concerns that the Lebanese army has not yet fully secured the region or dismantled Hezbollah’s infrastructure…There was no immediate response from the Lebanese government or Hezbollah. However, on Thursday, Hezbollah issued a statement condemning any delay in the 60-day withdrawal, calling it “a blatant violation of the agreement and an ongoing infringement of Lebanese sovereignty.”’ See also Israel said seeking 30 more days to withdraw from Lebanon, citing Hezbollah violations (Times of Israel 1/23/25); U.S. calls for Lebanon ceasefire extension after Israel says IDF won’t withdraw by deadline (WaPo 1/24/25)

Saudi Arabia to invest $600 billion in U.S., crown prince tells Trump (WaPo 1/23/25)

“The pledge by Mohammed, Saudi Arabia’s de facto ruler, came days after Trump suggested that he could be willing to visit the kingdom for his first official trip abroad in return for substantial investments.”

Houthis release crew of Galaxy Leader after more than a year of captivity (WaPo 1/22/25)

“Yemen’s Houthi rebels on Wednesday released the crew of the Galaxy Leader, a commercial ship the militants hijacked in November 2023 as they began attacking ships in the Red Sea in support of Hamas…The decision to release the crew was tied to the agreement for a ceasefire in Gaza between Hamas and Israel, the Houthi-run al-Masirah news channel reported, citing a statement from the rebel group. The Houthis made the move “in coordination with the Hamas movement and the mediation of the Sultanate of Oman” — a neighbor of Yemen whose government has often mediated between the Houthis and other countries — al-Masirah reported.”

Trump redesignates Houthis as Foreign Terrorist Organization (Jewish Insider 1/22/25)

“President Donald Trump issued an executive order on Wednesday designating Yemen’s Houthi rebels as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO), reversing a Biden-era policy that had removed the group from the State Department’s list of global terror groups. The move grants the U.S. government additional sanctions authority, giving Trump more tools to go after the Iran-backed Yemeni terror group.”

The Sheikh, the Mogul and the Diplomat: The Trio Who Sealed the Gaza Truce (NYT 1/17/25)

“The Qatari prime minister, working with both President Biden’s envoy and President-elect Donald J. Trump’s representative, formed an unlikely partnership.”

Trump Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff says he’s open to ‘dialogue’ with Hamas, praises Qatar (Jewish Insider 1/23/25)

“Steve Witkoff, President Donald Trump’s Middle East envoy, said on Wednesday that he welcomed the potential for “a dialogue” with Hamas and heaped praise on Qatar for helping facilitate the cease-fire deal between Israel and Gaza, despite facing scrutiny for previous ties to the Gulf nation. Asked by Fox News’ Dana Perino to respond to a top Hamas official telling The New York Times, “We are prepared for a dialogue with America in achieving understandings on everything,” Witkoff replied, “I think it’s good if it’s accurate.” “I think you can get everybody on board in that region. I really do. With a new sense of leadership over there,” Witkoff added, noting that “everybody” in this case included Qatar.” See also Dermer: Israel did not promise the Saudis a Palestinian state (Jewish Insider 1/22/25)

Gaza Ceasefire Deal: Respite but No End to Colonial Occupation (Al Shabaka 1/21/25)

“In this roundtable, Al Shabaka analysts Shatha Abdulsamad, Basil Farraj, Talal Abu Rokbeh, and Diana Buttu weigh in on the different aspects of the ceasefire deal and what they mean in the broader context of Israeli settler colonial occupation of Palestine.”

RIVER TO THE SEA

Israel Invades Jenin Days After Signing Gaza “Ceasefire” (Sharif Abdel Kouddous & Mariam Barghouti//Drop Site 1/21/25)

“Israel launched a major military operation on Jenin in the occupied West Bank on Tuesday, raiding the city with troops, military vehicles, and bulldozers backed by airstrikes, drones, and Apache helicopters. At least nine Palestinians have been killed and more than 40 wounded in the ongoing operation, according to the Ramallah-based Palestinian health ministry, which Israel has dubbed “Operation Iron Wall.”’ See also From the Palestinian Authority’s Siege to Israel’s Assault, Jenin Residents Face Another Wave of Violence (Zeteo 1/24/25); At least 10 killed, dozens wounded in Israeli attacks across Jenin (Al Jazeera 1/21/25); Hundreds flee Jenin amid Israel’s deepening West Bank crackdown (Guardian 1/23/25)

As Gaza ceasefire takes hold, Israeli forces turn to Jenin – a regular target seen as a center of Palestinian resistance (Maha Nassar//The Conversation 1/22/25)

“The Israeli military has destroyed infrastructure, closed entrances to local hospitals and forcibly displaced about 2,000 families, according to reports on the raids. As it was, life for inhabitants of the densely populated camp – home to some 24,000 Palestinian refugees – was hard. The West Bank director of UNRWA, the U.N. agency overseeing refugees, recently described camp conditions as “nearly uninhabitable.”…As a scholar of Palestinian history, I see this recent episode as the latest chapter in a much longer history of Palestinian displacement and defiance of Israeli occupation. Understanding this history helps explain why the Jenin camp in particular has become a target of Israeli offensives and a center of Palestinian militant resistance.”

‘It’s not the damage, it’s the terror’: Israeli settlers run riot after ceasefire deal (Guardian 1/23/25)

“Sinjil, home to about 5,000 people, was one of several Palestinian towns and villages targeted by a wave of Israeli settler violence in the past few days, triggered by the implementation of a ceasefire and hostage release deal in the war in Gaza. At least six villages across the West Bank – Sinjil, Turmus Ayya, Ein Sinya and Luban e-Sharkiya near Ramallah, and Funduq and Jinsafut, near Nablus – were targeted on Sunday and Monday night by dozens of Israeli men and boys. Many wore masks, residents said. Health authorities said 21 Palestinians were injured in the attacks. The rioters threw molotov cocktails and rocks, breaking windows and setting several houses and cars on fire in each place they targeted in protest at the release of 90 Palestinian women and children held in Israeli jails in exchange for three Israeli hostages held in Gaza…In Funduq, one Israeli was killed and another injured by what appeared to be police or IDF fire.” See also Online Calls to Action Preceded a Settler Onslaught in the West Bank, and Once Again Palestinians Were Left Unprotected (Haaretz 1/23/25); Most Settler Violence Complaints by Palestinians Are Closed Without Indictment (Haaretz 1/18/25); At Smotrich’s orders: Amnesty International loses tax benefits in Israel (Arutz 7 1/20/25)

Who are the Palestinian prisoners released by Israel? (Al Jazeera 1/20/25)

“The Israeli-occupied West Bank has erupted in celebrations after 90 Palestinian prisoners, most of them women, were released from Israeli jails as part of an Israel-Hamas ceasefire. Families in the West Bank waited until early on Monday to receive their loved ones, most of whom had been detained without charge…The prisoners – 69 women and 21 children – were released about 1am on Monday (23:00 GMT on Sunday)…Only eight of the 90 prisoners were arrested before October 7, 2023…” See also Who are the Israeli hostages released in the ceasefire with Hamas? (WaPo 1/20/25); Defying Israel, thousands celebrate prisoners’ release in West Bank (Oren Ziv//+972 1/20/25)

In the West Bank, Palestinian unemployment is now Israeli policy (Haithem S.//+972 1/21/25)

“Ever since the beginning of Israel’s assault on Gaza in October 2023, Palestinians in the occupied West Bank have been suffering from an acute unemployment crisis. In the first six months of the war, the unemployment rate nearly tripled, with over 300,000 workers losing their main source of income. Over half of those people were working inside Israel until the authorities revoked their work permits following the Hamas attack of October 7…In my village of Umm Al-Khair in the South Hebron Hills, most families no longer have any source of income. On top of a frightening uptick in settler attacks and home demolitions in our community, most residents now find themselves in financial ruin. Already well into the second year of this reality, we are still without solutions or adequate financial assistance.”

Israeli military chief of staff Halevi resigns over Oct. 7 failures (Al Monitor 1/21/25)

“In a letter sent to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz on Tuesday, Halevi said he will resign effective March 6, after two years and two months in office. He also said in his letter he was resigning in keeping with his promise since Oct. 7, 2023, to take responsibility for the failure that allowed Hamas to invade southern Israel. “My responsibility for this terrible failure accompanies me every day and every hour. This will continue for the rest of my life,” he wrote. Halevi added that he had made the decision to resign a long time ago but waited for the right timing, “when the Israeli military has the upper hand on all fronts and the deal for bringing back the hostages is on its way.”’

U.S. SCENE

Trump revokes sanctions on Israeli settlers in West Bank: What we know (Al Monitor 1/21/25)

“Trump reversed a slew of Biden’s policies in an executive order called “Initial Rescissions of Harmful Executive Orders and Actions.” Those included sanctions imposed by Biden on Israeli settlers…It imposed sanctions on 17 Israeli individuals and 16 entities, while stopping short of sanctioning senior Israeli officials supporting the settlement expansion. Reactions: Trump revoking this policy was a key wish of far-right Israeli groups that believed Trump’s victory would mean backing for further Israeli settlements in the West Bank and perhaps US backing for an Israeli annexation of the territory. Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich thanked Trump in a post to X on Tuesday. “Mr. President, your unwavering and uncompromising support for the State of Israel is a testament to your deep connection to the Jewish people and our historical right to our land,” he wrote.” See also Trump Halts Sanctions on Israeli Settlers, Threatens to Seize Assets of War Crimes Investigators (The Intercept 1/22/25); New Secretary of State Rubio holds first call with Netanyahu: US support for Israel ‘a top priority’ (Times of Israel 1/23/25)

Trump UN nominee backs Israeli claims of biblical rights to West Bank (Guardian 1/21/25)

Donald Trump’s nominee for US ambassador to the United Nations has endorsed Israeli claims of biblical rights to the entire West Bank during a Senate confirmation hearing, aligning herself with positions that could complicate diplomatic efforts in the Middle East. The New York congresswoman Elise Stefanik, a Republican, was confronted on Tuesday over her backing of a position that aligns her with the Israeli far right, including Israeli finance minister Bezalel Smotrich and former national security minister Itamar Ben-Gvir. “You told me that, yes, you shared that view,” the Democratic Maryland senator Chris Van Hollen said during questioning. “Is that your view today?” “Yes,” Stefanik said…Stefanik again criticized what she has called anti-Israel bias at the UN, dismissing the institution as a “cesspool of antisemitism” and echoing Trump administration positions that led to US withdrawal from the UN human rights council and Unesco during his first term. “Our tax dollars should not be complicit in propping up entities that are counter to American interests, antisemitic, or engaging in fraud, corruption or terrorism,” Stefanik said.” See also Trump’s UN envoy pick Stefanik blasts organization’s ‘antisemitic rot’ (Al Monitor 1/21/25); Trump’s ambassador nominee questions U.S. funding of ‘antisemitic’ U.N. (WaPo 1/21/25)

See also:
Neo-Nazis Love the Nazi-Like Salutes Elon Musk Made at Trump’s Inauguration (Wired 1/20/25);
Elon Musk makes Holocaust jokes after Netanyahu defends him as ‘great friend of Israel’ (The Forward 1/23/25);
Elon Musk has made some disturbing comments about Jews. Here’s a list (12/3/24);
ADL excuses Musk salute as ‘awkward gesture’ (The Forward 1/21/25);
Let’s Call the ADL What It Is: an Ally of Fascists (Eva Borgwardt//The Nation 11/1/24);

A Columbia professor criticized Israeli students. It put her job at risk. (WaPo 1/22/25)

“Law professor Katherine Franke drew colleagues’ complaints, and a university investigation, when she spoke out about Gaza protests on the Ivy League campus.”

Harvard settles antisemitism lawsuits with promises to police anti-Zionist speech (JTA 1/21/25)

“Harvard University has settled two lawsuits with Jewish groups accusing the school of fostering an antisemitic environment in the aftermath of the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attacks, as President Donald Trump retakes office with a promise to more heavily police universities for such cases. As part of the settlements, Harvard says it has agreed to an unspecified monetary payout; to change its policies around anti-Zionist speech and devote more resources to study antisemitism; and to pursue a new partnership with an Israeli university. It will also partner with the Brandeis Center for Human Rights Under Law, one of the groups that had sued the school, “to host a variety of events on campus.”…The agreement reflects a wish list of many pro-Israel groups that demanded a more forceful response from universities to the explosion of pro-Palestinian activism on their campuses…Harvard’s move to consider some attacks on Zionists as violations of its non-discrimination policy follows similar steps from New York University and some other schools…In its statement, the Ivy League school said that rhetoric violating the policy could include “excluding Zionists from an open event, calling for the death of Zionists, applying a ‘no Zionist’ litmus test for participation in any Harvard activity, using or disseminating tropes, stereotypes, and conspiracies about Zionists (e.g., ‘Zionists control the media’), or demanding a person who is or is perceived to be Jewish or Israeli to state a position on Israel or Zionism to harass or discriminate.”’ See also Harvard’s new approach to antisemitism is dangerous (Kenneth Roth//Boston Globe 1/23/25); Harvard expands its definition of antisemitism – when does criticism of Israel cross a line? (Joshua Shanes//The Conversation 1/24/25); Harvard agrees to controversial definition of antisemitism in legal settlement (Guardian 1/21/25)

‘No Other Land’ Palestinian film set in occupied West Bank earns Oscar nomination (New Arab 1/23/25)

“A Palestinian film produced by a Palestinian journalist and an Israeli film director has earned an Oscar nomination for Best Documentary on Thursday at the 97th Academy Awards. ‘No Other Land’, nominated under the documentary feature film category, centres around the struggles Palestinian journalist Basel Adra faces as he tries to save his occupied West Bank village from Jewish settlers. The film is a production by Basel Adra, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal and Yuval Abraham and garnered widespread acclaim at the Berlin International Film Festival, the International Documentary Association and the Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards.” See also This Oscar-nominated documentary about demolitions in the West Bank has no US distributor — but is still coming to theaters (JTA 1/23/25); No Other Distribution: How Film Industry Economics and Politics Are Suppressing Docs Sympathetic to Palestine and Critical of Israel (IDA 1/15/25)

PERSPECTIVES//LONG READS

The Fallacy of the Abraham Accords (Khaled Elgindy//Foreign Affairs 1/23/25)

“Indeed, the central premise of the Abraham Accords—that regional peace and stability could be achieved while sidelining Palestinians—has been totally upended by Hamas’s October 7 assault on Israel, and everything that has happened since. A cease-fire deal that went into effect this week underscores the centrality of the Palestinians to regional security and stability, but it also potentially creates diplomatic space for renewed Israeli-Saudi engagement under Trump’s leadership…For the Saudis, the price of normalization with Israel has increased considerably since October 7 and the ensuing assault on Gaza. Whereas the country’s de facto leader, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, had previously sought only a rhetorical commitment from Israel to a Palestinian state, Riyadh is now demanding concrete steps toward statehood…Moreover, as the costs of regional engagement with Israel have gone up, the expected returns have only gone down. The one thing Saudi and other Gulf leaders value above all else is stability. But the last 15 months—which have seen Israel’s annihilation of Gaza, an extensive war with and occupation of Lebanon, tit-for-tat strikes with Iran, and the invasion and seizure of large swaths of Syrian territory following the fall of the Bashar al-Assad regime—have been anything but stable. If the promise of the Abraham Accords was peace and stability, the reality of Netanyahu’s so-called new Middle East has been one of endless bloodshed and instability. What is on offer today is not a vision involving the peaceful integration of Israel in the region but one based on Israel’s violent domination of it.”

The political calculations that allowed the Gaza ceasefire could yet be its undoing. (Yair Wallach//New Statesman 1/22/25)

“The sight of Hamas militiamen openly roaming in Gaza makes a mockery of Netanyahu’s “total victory”. Yet the re-emergence was inevitable given the lack of any alternative plan. The emergence of a legitimate Palestinian governing body in Gaza could prompt calls to establish a Palestinian state in Gaza and the West Bank. This is anathema for Netanyahu and his government. Instead, we may be seeing a revival of his and Hamas’s belligerent pact. The group’s survival provides Netanyahu with an excuse to extend the war indefinitely, as he fears he would be forced out once it is over. It is widely assumed he will try to sabotage the negotiations over the ceasefire’s next phase and resume the fighting.”

Hypothetical, but Plausible: How to End the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict for Good, Right Now (Dahlia Scheindlin//Haaretz 1/23/25)

“If Israel maintains its current path, it will soon complete the de facto annexation of the West Bank. The cease-fire arrangement in Gaza will collapse after the first stage, the hostages will die, fighting resumes and Israel establishes a military government to occupy Gaza, with settlements to follow. The Palestinian national movement is smashed, Israel becomes a theocratic imperial actor ruling through subjugation of noncitizens mounting permanent insurgency, while suppressing residual dissent and opposition among its citizens forever. This option should no longer sound shocking – and certainly not to readers of this column. Until recently, no global force proved willing or capable of halting this process as it has taken shape during the war. And over decades, Israel has a well-established pattern of leveraging wars, even defensive wars, to conquer, hold, historicize and annex territory. This pattern is so successful, it has become a paradigm for Israeli policy. But there are other trajectories and scenarios. In a parallel world, Israel and the Palestinians could seize on the cease-fire as a gateway to a comprehensive, long-term vision for ending the Israeli-Palestinian conflict by political agreement…History also serves up stunning overnight upheavals.”

In Gaza, We’re Caught Between Hope and Despair (Eman Alhaj Ali//The Nation 1/23/25)

“Despite the suffering that has been engulfing us throughout these terrible months, the streets in Gaza have come alive over the past days, with people joyfully clapping and chanting together. Many people in Gaza counted down the minutes until 8:30 am, when the ceasefire officially started. These were the first days of celebration we had in many months…As I walk through the streets now that the ceasefire is here, joy and sadness mix all around me. Our home, once full of life, is now burnt and partially destroyed, just like so many others. Everywhere I look, I see ashes and ruins, and I feel deep sorrow for those who didn’t come home—who are forever missed at their dinner tables. I see the same pain in the faces of those around me. Some people cry as they celebrate, mourning the lives lost while dreaming of a better future. Others search for missing loved ones or wander aimlessly, still holding onto hope for a reunion.” See also Gaza ceasefire: How I survived Israel’s genocidal war (Maha Hussaini//Middle East Eye 1/19/25)

The war will only end when Israelis understand this simple truth (Orly Noy//+972 1/24/25)

“Most Israelis now support a Gaza ceasefire. But they still fail to realize that where there is oppression there will always be resistance.”