Top News & Analysis on Israel/Palestine: January 24-31, 2025

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  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 31, 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 31, 2025 (Kristin McCarthy)

Bill to Allow Israelis to Buy West Bank Land Advances in Knesset; 2. Weekly Settlement Advancements Continue for Ninth Week; 3. On First Day in Office, Trump Cancels Sanctions on Violent Settlers; 4. Bonus Reads

GAZA

‘They will do it, okay?’: Trump insists on Jordan, Egypt taking in Gazans (TOI 1/31/25)

“US President Donald Trump insisted on Thursday that Jordan and Egypt will support a proposal to resettle Palestinians in their countries rather than in a rebuilt Gaza Strip, despite flat refusals from both countries to consider the move. “They will do it. They will do it. They’re gonna do it, okay? We do a lot for them, and they’re gonna do it,” Trump said when asked about the proposal during a photo op in the Oval Office. Both Egyptian President Abdel Fatah el-Sissi and Jordan’s King Abdullah explicitly rejected the proposal on Wednesday…Trump said earlier this week that the issue would be discussed with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu when he travels to Washington next week.” See also Trump doubles down on proposal to move Gazans; insists Egypt and Jordan will agree (TOI 1/28/25); Trump says to ‘clean out’ Gaza, urges Arab countries to take more refugees (WaPo 1/26/25); Trump repeats suggestion Palestinians should leave Gaza for Egypt and Jordan (Guardian 1/28/25); Palestinians, Jordan, Egypt reject Trump’s idea to send Gazans out of Strip (TOI 1/26/25); Trump suggests his plan for Gaza Strip is to ‘clean out the whole thing’ (CNN 1/26/25); Thousands in Egypt protest Trump’s push to transfer Palestinians (Al Monitor 1/31/25)

Exclusive: Trump Middle East envoy says rebuilding Gaza could take 10 to 15 years (Axios 1/30/25)

‘“What was inescapable is that there is almost nothing left of Gaza,” Witkoff told Axios. “People are moving north to get back to their homes and see what happened and turn around and leave … there is no water and no electricity. It is stunning just how much damage occurred there,” he said…The White House envoy spent much of his day on Wednesday in the Gaza Strip inspecting the situation from the ground and from the air. He was the first U.S. official to visit Gaza in 15 years…Witkoff, a real estate developer, assesses that the demolition and moving of the debris alone will take five years. The process of assessing the potential impact of the many tunnels under Gaza on building new foundations could take another few years. The reconstruction itself would take another few years, he said. “There has been this perception we can get to a solid plan for Gaza in five years. But its impossible. This is a 10 to 15 year rebuilding plan,” he said.”…He said that from what he saw during his visit Gaza is “uninhabitable.” “There is nothing left standing. Many unexploded ordnances. It is not safe to walk there. It is very dangerous. I wouldn’t have known this without going there and inspecting,” he said.” See also Bombs buried in Gaza rubble put at risk thousands returning to homes, say experts (Guardian 1/25/25)

Three Israelis and five Thais freed from Gaza as Trump envoy meets hostages’ relatives (Guardian 1/30/25)

“Three Israelis and five Thai citizens held in Gaza have been freed, as Donald Trump’s Middle East envoy met hostages’ relatives, reportedly telling them he was optimistic the ceasefire would hold to allow the return of all the living and the dead…Buses carrying Palestinian prisoners due to be freed were sent back to Israeli jails in the early afternoon, before a new release time of 5pm was announced. Later on Thursday, buses arrived in the West Bank city of Ramallah carrying some of the prisoners…Shortly after Thursday’s handover, Hamas confirmed the death of Mohammed Deif, the head of its military wing, six months after Israel announced he had been killed. It was the first statement that Hamas has released on Deif’s condition since the Israeli military said last August that he had been killed in an airstrike in southern Gaza the month before.” See also Militants struggle to hold back crowds during chaotic Gaza hostage handover (Al Monitor 1/31/25); UNRWA says Emily Damari’s allegations she was held in its facilities ‘grave,’ demand probe (TOI 1/31/25); Hamas to free three Israeli hostages in next ceasefire swap (Al Monitor 1/31/25); American hostage slated to be released by Hamas after 15 months (WaPo 1/31/25); Crowds greet militant leader Zakaria Zubeidi among prisoners released in Ramallah (Guardian 1/30/25)

Hamas frees 4 female Israeli soldiers; fragile Gaza ceasefire holds (WaPo 1/25/25)

“Four female Israeli soldiers held hostage were released by Hamas in Gaza City and 200 Palestinian prisoners were released by Israel on Saturday, the start of a second week of a planned six-week ceasefire deal that has halted 15 months of fighting and allowed Hamas to project an image of resilience. Hours before releasing the hostages, the militants paraded the women, dressed in army green, in a public square in Gaza and forced them to climb a stage, smile and raise their arms for a gaggle of cameramen…Later Saturday, 200 Palestinian prisoners were released from the Ofer and Ketziot prisons as part of the ceasefire agreement, a spokesperson for the Israel Prison Service said. Among them was Wael Qassem, the leader of a Hamas cell in East Jerusalem and one of the most prominent of some 120 prisoners serving life sentences who were included in the ceasefire deal, according to an organization that represents Palestinian prisoners. Qassem received 35 life terms for involvement in deadly attacks against Israelis during the second intifada, the mass Palestinian uprising of the early 2000s.” See also Hamas reemerges in Gaza, badly bruised but still with influence (WaPo 1/25/25); Hamas Choreographs a Show of Force as It Hands Over the Hostages (NYT 1/25/25);

Displaced Palestinians begin returning to devastated northern Gaza (WaPo 1/27/25)

“Palestinians displaced from northern Gaza began a long-awaited journey home Monday…Video footage showed throngs of people walking along the coastal al-Rashid road, marking the first time since the early weeks of the 15-month war that Israel has allowed Palestinians to cross the Netzarim Corridor, which splits the enclave in two, and enter the north, where some of the worst fighting and destruction has happened. Hamas called the return a “victory” against what it said were plans for the forced displacement of Palestinians.” See also Displaced Gazans confront ruin: ‘Worse than I had imagined’ (WaPo 1/27/25); Gazans find fragments of life along with remains of loved ones (WaPo 1/26/25); Israel’s Bombs May Have Stopped, But the Genocide Is Not Over (Diana Buttu//Zeteo 1/29/25); Displaced Palestinians return to northern Gaza – in pictures (Guardian 1/31/25)

“A City of Ghosts” — Returning to Rafah to Find Death and Destruction (Abubaker Abed//Drop Site 1/29/25)

“After the “ceasefire” went into effect last week, Israel repeatedly violated the agreement, killing dozens of civilians returning to their devastated neighborhoods, the majority of them in Rafah. More than 80 Palestinians have been killed across Gaza since the ceasefire took hold, Dr. Zaher al-Wahaidi, director of the information center at the Ministry of Health, told Drop Site News—49 of them in Rafah alone. Meanwhile, the official toll of confirmed deaths in Gaza continues to shoot up as dozens of bodies are retrieved from under the rubble. Over 470 bodies have been recovered since January 19, al-Wahaidi said—150 of them in Rafah.”

Gaza’s Rafah crossing set to reopen Saturday, to be run by PA with EU monitors (TOI 1/31/25)

“Gaza’s Rafah Border Crossing with Egypt is set to reopen Saturday under the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas. It will be run by Palestinian Authority representatives alongside monitors from the European Union, according to officials familiar with the discussions…The source explained that injured Palestinians would be evacuated through the crossing, “as per the Gaza ceasefire and hostage release agreement.”’ See also The deadly cost of Israel’s restrictions on foreign doctors in Gaza (Patricia Martinez Sastre//+972 1/30/25); UN chief urges evacuation of 2,500 children from Gaza as doctors warn of ‘imminent risk’ of death (Guardian 1/30/25); Israel’s war inflicted ‘life-threatening danger’ on pregnant women and girls in Gaza, Human Rights Watch says (CNN 1/29/25); Key Rafah crossing between Gaza and Egypt reopening for medical evacuations (Al Jazeera 1/31/25)

Gaza Checkpoint to Be Staffed by U.S. Special Forces Veterans Hired by Private Security Firm (Haaretz 1/30/25)

“Some people have been recruited and are already at the checkpoint, said the spokesperson, speaking on condition of anonymity. He did not say how many contractors were already in Gaza…The deployment of armed U.S. contractors in Gaza, where Hamas remains a potent force after 14 months of war, is unprecedented and poses the risk that Americans could be drawn into fighting as President Donald Trump’s administration seeks to keep the Israel-Gaza war from reigniting.” See also US security firm hiring special forces veterans to staff key Gaza checkpoint (TOI 1/31/25); Gaza checkpoint to be staffed by scores of armed American contractors (Reuters 1/30/25)

How to Measure Famine (Alex De Waal//LRB 2/6/25)

“The level of urban starvation in Gaza has not been seen since the Dutch Hunger Winter and the siege of Leningrad during the Second World War.”

REGION/GLOBAL

‘We rely on God, then on UNRWA’: Palestinians fear drastic effects as Israeli ban on UN agency comes into force (CNN 1/30/25)

“Israel’s ban on the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) came into effect on Thursday, and Helles relies almost fully on the organization to support her family in the devastated enclave…Helles is among millions of Palestinians relying on the UN agency for sustenance, education and livelihoods, not only in Gaza but also across the West Bank and occupied East Jerusalem. In October, Israel’s parliament, the Knesset, passed two bills – one barring UNRWA from activity within Israel, and another banning Israeli authorities from any contact with UNRWA. The second bill revokes a 1967 treaty that allows the agency to provide services to Palestinian refugees in areas under Israel’s control. The legislation came into effect Thursday, and it is expected to severely restrict UNRWA’s activities, with a potentially devastating human impact…Days before the ban, the UN warned against its detrimental effects, while Israel insisted the agency is replaceable, and that it is committed to the flow of aid into Gaza. UNRWA chief Philippe Lazzarini said on Tuesday that its implementation will be “disastrous.” “The government of Israel claims that UNRWA’s services can be transferred to other entities,” Lazzarini said, adding that his agency is unique in its mandate “to provide public-like services,” which “can only be transferred to a functioning state.”’ See also International Unrwa staff leave as Israel’s ban on activity takes effect (Guardian 1/30/25); Norway says sending $24 million to UNRWA after Israel ban (TOI 1/30/25); Israel insists it is going ahead with Unrwa ban – what it may mean for Palestinians (The Guardian 1/27/25); Gaza ‘ceasefire at risk’ if UNRWA forced to stop operations (Al Jazeera 1/31/25);

Inside Witkoff’s Gaza visit: Trump’s envoy assures Israel on next steps (Al Monitor 1/31/25)

“Israel’s military brass took US envoy Steve Witkoff on a tour of the devastated Gaza Strip this week, setting the stage for the key White House meeting between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Donald Trump scheduled for Feb. 4…“We took him to a huge Hamas tunnel under the Philadelphi route,” a senior Israeli diplomatic source told Al-Monitor, speaking on condition of anonymity, referring to the border area between Gaza and Egypt across which Hamas for years smuggled weapons and other material into the besieged enclave. “Witkoff understood the problem, understood the constraints, and also understood who are the good guys here and who are the bad. He has a pragmatic business vision and an excellent sense of people and opportunities. It was an excellent tour.”…Thus, while Netanyahu will try to talk Trump into backing the resumption of fighting after Hamas releases hostages in the first phase of the deal, he is also preparing for a more likely scenario that would force him to conclude the war, following through on the second phase of the agreement. The latter scenario is likely the reason for the intriguing meeting this week between Witkoff and two influential political figures — Bezalel Smotrich, finance minister and leader of the Religious Zionism party, and Aryeh Deri, head of the ultra-Orthodox Shas party; the meeting upended the boycott of Smotrich adopted by the Biden administration over his hardline views. The Religious Zionism leader holds the key to the Netanyahu government’s survival, having announced that his party will walk out unless Israel resumes the fight against Hamas. Netanyahu currently heads a coalition of 62 Knesset members (out of 120), which makes for a very small majority. Without Religious Zionism, he would no longer have a majority.”

Trump invites Netanyahu to White House as envoy visits Saudi Arabia, Israel (Al Monitor 1/28/25)

“Axios reported that in Saudi Arabia, Witkoff met with Hussein al-Sheikh, a senior adviser to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, marking the first meeting between Palestinian leadership and the new Trump administration. He was also expected to meet with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. These meetings signal the beginning of a push toward the normalization of relations between Saudi Arabia and Israel. Riyadh previously said that normalization with Israel would be contingent on a credible path to Palestinian statehood. The US president, for his part, has made clear that expanding the Abraham Accords by brokering Israel-Saudi normalization is a foreign policy priority.” See also Trump invites Netanyahu to the White House (Jewish Insider 1/28/25); Scoop: Trump lifts Biden’s hold on 2,000-pound bombs to Israel (Axios 1/25/25)

Israeli defense minister: Troops could stay in Syria buffer zone ‘indefinitely’ (Al Monitor 1/28/25)

“Visiting Mount Hermon on the Syrian side of the border, now under Israel’s control, Defense Minister Israel Katz said Tuesday that the Israeli military would remain there indefinitely…”I came here to ensure that the Israeli military is well prepared for both defense and offense, for a prolonged stay at the Hermon outposts,” Katz said. He added that Israel will engage with “friendly populations” in southern Syria, “with an emphasis on the large Druze community, which has historic and close family relations with our Druze brothers in Israel.”’

Lebanon says Israeli troops killed 24 ahead of ceasefire extension (WaPo 1/27/25)

“The deadline Sunday for the withdrawal of Israeli forces from southern Lebanon was marked by violence as hundreds of people, eager to return home after months of displacement, ignored warnings from the military and marched back into still-occupied villages along the border…Hezbollah and Lebanon’s government condemned Israel’s failure to withdraw and urged the international community to pressure Israeli officials to adhere to the agreement. The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon, or UNIFIL, also called on the Israeli military to “avoid firing at civilians within Lebanese territory.”’ See also Israeli forces open fire on Lebanese civilians for a second day after U.S. extension of fragile ceasefire (WaPo 1/26/25); WH announces extension of Israel-Lebanon ceasefire, avoiding renewed fighting (Axios 1/26/25)

New Zealand requires Israelis to disclose IDF service details as condition for entry (Times of Israel 1/28/25)

“Israelis of reserve service age who applied for tourist visas to New Zealand have been asked to report whether they had served in the Israel Defense Forces — as almost all Israeli citizens are required to do — and whether they are active reservists. Those who answered affirmatively were required to complete detailed questionnaires about their military service…Australia has been operating a similar policy, and at least two Israelis have been denied entry as a result…New Zealand’s Immigration Authority (INZ), reached for comment, did not deny the details of this report, but said that serving in the current war did not automatically disqualify Israelis from entering the country…During the same period, the authority saw 259 applications from Palestinian passport holders, of which 177 were approved, 53 declined, 21 are in progress and the remainder have been withdrawn, it added.” See also Hind Rajab Foundation says it filed criminal complaint against [Israeli Diaspora Affairs Minister Amichai] Chikli that forced him to cancel Belgium trip (TOI 1/28/25)

South Africa and Malaysia to launch campaign to protect international justice (Guardian 1/31/25)

“South Africa and Malaysia will launch a campaign to protect and uphold the rulings of the international court of justice (ICJ) and the international criminal court (ICC) in the face of what they describe as defiance of ICJ orders and attempts by US Congress to hit the ICC through the use of sanctions. The aim of the nine-nation Hague Group – which includes Colombia, Bolivia, Chile, Senegal and Namibia – is to defend the institutions and rulings of the international legal order.”

RIVER TO THE SEA

After Gaza ceasefire, Israel turns its firepower on the West Bank (Basel Adra//+972 1/28/25)

“Two-year-old Laila Al-Khatib is the youngest victim of Israel’s military campaign in Jenin, while road closures suffocate the entire territory…Laila’s killing did not occur in isolation. Since the morning of Jan. 21, only two days after the Gaza ceasefire came into effect, the Israeli army has been engaged in a major military campaign in the northern West Bank. The army says the operation, named “Iron Wall,” is intended to “preserve the IDF’s freedom of action” and suppress armed resistance in the occupied territory, and follows on the heels of a seven-week campaign by the Palestinian Authority (PA) against armed groups in Jenin refugee camp. The Israeli military’s activity is also focused on Jenin and its environs, as well as Tulkarem. So far, the operation has killed 16 Palestinians in Jenin and three in Tulkarem, while causing widespread destruction of civilian infrastructure in both cities, and forcibly displacing thousands of Palestinians from their homes…Conditions in [Jenin refugee] camp are rapidly deteriorating. Schools have been shut since the start of the PA’s operation in early December, while the UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) has been unable to provide any services for over a month. Electricity has also been completely cut off from the camp.” See also Israeli strike kills 10 Palestinians in West Bank, health ministry says (BBC 1/30/25); A Week Into IDF Operation ‘Iron Wall,’ the Jenin Refugee Camp Has Become a Ghost Town (Haaretz 1/30/25);

Israel Escalates West Bank Military Assault, Invading Areas Across the North (Mariam Barghouti//Drop Site 1/31/25)

“An Israeli airstrike on a crowded neighborhood in the village of Tamoun in the northern West Bank on Wednesday killed at least 10 Palestinians, one of the single deadliest strikes in the West Bank in months. Minutes later, Israeli forces raided the city of Qalqilya and surrounding areas, escalating the military assault. Israeli troops backed by drones and fighter jets have now taken hold of all of the major districts in the north of the occupied territory. Barely 48 hours after the “ceasefire” in Gaza came into effect on January 19, Israel announced “Operation Iron Wall,” a large-scale military operation to “defeat terrorism in Jenin.” What began in the Jenin refugee camp has expanded to Tulkarem, Tubas, Qalqilya, Nablus, and Jericho. Dozens of homes have been destroyed and thousands of families have been forcibly displaced. In the span of 10 days, at least 37 Palestinians have been killed, including a two-year-old who was shot with a bullet to the head at home in Jenin…In a publicized visit to the Jenin camp on Wednesday, Israeli defense minister Israel Katz, declared that troops would maintain a permanent presence there once the military operation was over. “We have declared war on Palestinian terror in the West Bank,” he said. “After the operation is completed, IDF forces will remain in the camp to ensure that terror does not return.”

Israeli Gov’t Orders the Blocking of Dozens of West Bank Roads Through End of Hostage Deal (Haaretz 1/22/25)

Israeli leadership ordered the army to operate dozens of checkpoints on roads leading to Palestinian cities in the West Bank and check every Palestinian vehicle passing through them…Meanwhile, there are huge traffic jams all across the West Bank, greatly affecting Palestinians’ daily routines…On Monday, travelers reported delays of six hours at checkpoints on roads in the Ramallah area. Large traffic jams were also reported in the Nablus and Jericho areas. Travelers from Jericho reported that 20-minute commutes were now three hours long.” See also Israeli Ministers Push Bill to Enable Jews to Privately Buy West Bank Land (Haaretz 1/26/25)

We won’t let them sabotage this’: Hostage families fight to keep ceasefire alive (Oren Ziv//+972 1/30/25)

“Amid fears that Netanyahu will torpedo the deal, hostage families are escalating their protests — even appealing to the ICC to intervene.”

U.S. SCENE

What Trump’s antisemitism executive order actually means for college students and schools (Arno Rosenfeld//The Forward 1/30/25)

“The executive order on antisemitism signed by President Donald Trump Wednesday was far less sweeping than the rhetoric that preceded and surrounded it. But the order’s primary directive appeared to lay the groundwork for more dramatic action in the coming months, heartening those who believe such action is overdue while prompting fear for international students. The order requires every federal agency to provide the White House  — within the next two months —  with a description of any legal tools they can use to combat antisemitism and a list of open legal complaints related to campus antisemitism. The order is “creating a process,” said Alyza Lewin, president of the Brandeis Center, which advocates for pro-Israel college students. “Let’s learn the lay of the land, let’s see what all of our options are and then let’s make a very thoughtful, determined decision on how to move forward — that’s responsible.”…Alex Morey, an attorney at the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression, said that although the order did not actually direct schools themselves to begin this monitoring she was worried that some may seek to do so anyway…“These are not students that got arrested at a protest or vandalized a building, these are students who just went out and protested,” she said. “What we don’t want to see is schools saying, ‘Hey, Students for Justice in Palestine, I’m going to need a list of everyone in that club and we’re going to comb it for foreign students.’”’ See also Trump antisemitism executive order invokes anti-KKK law and targets ‘leftist, anti-American’ universities (Arno Rosenfeld//The Forward 1/29/25)

Trump’s Executive Order Targets Pro-Palestine Students And Free Speech on Campuses (In These Times 1/30/25)

“[Radhika Sainath, the Senior Staff Attorney at Palestine Legal]: What the order does is it expands on Trump’s 2019 executive order that directed the education department to adopt a distorted definition of anti-semitism, which brands virtually all speech of Israel as anti-Jewish into federal civil rights law. During his 2024 election campaign, Trump made it clear he would threaten to pull billions in federal funding from universities for allowing pro-Palestine protests. This order is acting in that vein. It follows a January 20th expanded travel ban executive order that would justify targeting international students and others who support Palestinian rights by calling for expanded vetting of individuals to both ban entry and to justify removing them based on ideological witness tests. It appears to order universities to monitor and report on its own students and professors, and to call this McCarthyite would not be an understatement at all. It’s a dangerous authoritarian attempt to scare students from speaking out against Israel’s genocide in Gaza by threatening them with prosecution and even deportation for non-citizens. It really strikes at the heart of students’ free speech rights. It goes without saying that targeting Palestine rights activists for punishment based on their viewpoints violates the First Amendment.” See also Trump order targets pro-Palestinian activists to ‘combat antisemitism’ (Guardian 1/29/25); Why Did the US Block a Canadian Professor From His Own Book Event? (Dave Zirin//The Nation 1/21/25)

Top USAID career staff placed on immediate leave (Politico 1/27/25)

“The Trump administration has ordered dozens of top career employees of the U.S. Agency for International Development to go on administrative leave, according to six people told of the decision. The order — sent via email to members of the senior executive and senior Foreign Service — was issued close to the end of the business day Monday and was effective immediately, according to two current USAID officials and three former USAID officials told of the communication. It comes as USAID and the State Department have been ordered to impose halts on a vast number of humanitarian and related programs around the world…The cuts have left many offices within the agency entirely devoid of senior non-political leadership.” See also $50 million for condoms in Gaza? There’s no evidence for the White House claim. (WaPo 1/29/25); Fact or fiction? Trump repeats false claim that US sends condoms to Gaza (Guardian 1/29/25)

Critics Denounce Harvard’s Decision to Adopt Controversial Definition of Antisemitism (Inside HigherEd 1/28/25)

“Harvard University is facing backlash for its decision to incorporate the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s definition of antisemitism, a polarizing definition that some believe chills political speech opposing Israel’s government, into the institution’s nondiscrimination policy. The policy now calls for officials to consider the IHRA’s examples of antisemitism, many of which highlight discrimination against Zionism—support of the existence of a Jewish national state, which many Zionist advocates argue is an inherent part of some Jewish people’s Jewish identity…Alyza Lewin, president of the Louis D. Brandeis Center for Human Rights Under Law, a nonprofit that combats antisemitism and the plaintiff in one of the two lawsuits against Harvard, said that these actions are the most comprehensive any university has taken to remediate a hostile environment toward Jewish students. “What we would suggest is that what Harvard is committed to do in the settlement agreement should now become the floor,” said Lewin…Ahead of this academic year, some universities began to incorporate the definition into their formal policies. Harvard is now the second prestigious East Coast institution to do so. New York University was the first, last summer, to begin considering Zionists a protected class.” See also Program Director at HKS Nonviolent Action Lab To Resign Over Antisemitism Settlements (The Crimson 1/25/25); “Operation Wrath of Zion” Aims to Dox and Deport Pro-Palestinian Protestors in New York City (Drop Site 1/30/25); A Well-Connected NYU Parent Is Trying to Get Students Deported (The Intercept 1/31/25)

PERSPECTIVES//LONG READS

Who will lead the Palestinians? This is a question they must be allowed to debate and answer themselves (Dana El-Kurd//The Guardian 1/27/25)

“This takes us to the main crisis plaguing internal Palestinian politics today: a leadership that is seen as absent or illegitimate. Palestinian leadership currently takes two forms. There is the political bureau of Hamas, which has an acting head negotiating in Qatar, and the Fatah-run Palestinian Authority in Ramallah. Neither has risen to the occasion; it remains unclear how either intends to pursue Palestinian national claims beyond this moment. Indeed, the fact that there are two actors claiming to represent the people is the clearest sign of the political stagnation Palestinians face…A majority of Palestinians reject the idea of the Palestinian Authority governing Gaza alone. The PA is seen as the institution that has presided over the deterioration of living conditions and the national movement. It is true that PA institutions provide some basic services, but accusing Abbas and the PA of betraying the Palestinian cause is a common theme in Palestinian discourse. It is important to recognise the fact that, despite international opprobrium and its designation by the US and its allies as a terrorist organisation, Hamas has gained some legitimacy among Palestinians since the war began…For any solutions to be sustainable, Palestinian society must be on board. This means allowing Palestinians to choose their leadership, so that whoever negotiates on their behalf actually has legitimacy in their eyes. It also means allowing Palestinians the space to negotiate internally, without reprisals and assassinations, in order to come up with ways to move beyond the Fatah-Hamas binary. And it means the international community should take bold and creative solutions seriously, rather than ignore any manifestations of Palestinian agency. Nothing less will resolve the immediate crisis of suffering and devastation in Gaza – and nothing less will achieve a long-term peace.”

There’s No Auschwitz in Gaza. But It’s Still Genocide (Amos Goldberg & Daniel Blatman//Haaretz 1/30/25)

“Genocide is any action that leads to the destruction of a collective’s ability to exist, not necessarily its total annihilation. It is estimated that nearly 47,000 people have been killed in Gaza and over 110,000 injured. The number of those buried under the rubble may never be known. The vast majority of the victims are noncombatants. According to the United Nations, 90 percent of Gaza’s population have been displaced from their homes multiple times and are living in subhuman conditions that only increase mortality levels. The murder of children, starvation, destruction of infrastructure, including that of the health care system, destruction of most homes, including the erasure of entire neighborhoods and towns such as Jabalya and Rafah, ethnic cleansing in the northern Strip, destruction of all of Gaza’s universities and most cultural institutions and mosques, destruction of government and organizational infrastructure, mass graves, destruction of infrastructure for local food production and water distribution – all these paint a clear picture of genocide. Gaza, as a human, national-collective entity, no longer exists. This is precisely what genocide looks like.” See also Genocide Denial in Holocaust Studies (Raz Segal//Jacobin 1/27/25)

‘A moral wreckage that we need to face’: Peter Beinart on being Jewish after Gaza’s destruction (Interview by Ahmed Moor//The Guardian 1/27/25)

“And I feel like there is a kind of pathology that exists in many Jewish spaces, among people who in other aspects of their lives are humane and thoughtful. Yet when it comes to the question of Gaza, and more generally the question of Palestinians and their right to be free, a certain set of blinders come down. My hope is that I can get them to see that something has gone very profoundly wrong in the way we think about what it means to be Jewish. I felt like I needed for my own sanity to write something which addressed this moral catastrophe in the hopes that maybe I will change some people’s minds. Maybe there is also a whole group of younger Jews who are themselves profoundly alienated and bewildered and deeply angry. There’s a kind of moral, cultural, even theological wreckage that Jews now have to face. I want to help them think about how they rebuild.

States Don’t Have a Right to Exist. People Do. (Peter Beinart//NYT 1/27/25)

“In today’s Washington, which seethes with partisan acrimony, Democrats and Republicans at least agree on this: Israel has a right to exist…This is not the way Washington politicians generally talk about other countries. They usually start with the rights of individuals, and then ask how well a given state represents the people under its control. If America’s leaders prioritized the lives of all those who live between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea, it would become clear that asking if Israel has a right to exist is the wrong question. The better question is: Does Israel, as a Jewish state, adequately protect the rights of all the individuals under its dominion? The answer is no.”

Two States, Together: An Alternative Vision for Palestinians and Israelis (Dahlia Scheindlin//Century Foundation 1/28/25)

“Although Israelis and Palestinians are in one of the ugliest and most violent phases of their history, there is an alternate scenario for Israel and Palestine, too. Global and regional forces, along with Israeli and Palestinian domestic conditions, could converge in unexpected ways to support an end to the war, especially now that there is a ceasefire. These developments could, in turn, serve as an opening to advance a long-term final status solution based on Palestinian self-determination. But for such a transformation to take place, the Israel–Palestine conflict needs a fresh idea—one based on equal rights, which cuts through the fears and resentments on both sides, honors ancestral connections to the land, and prioritizes mutual needs like security, the economy, climate, natural resources, and public health. There is really only one realistic and pragmatic solution remaining that satisfies these aims: a confederation of two sovereign nations living peacefully in partnership on the same land.”

Israel, Trump, and the Gaza Deal (Amos Harel//Foreign Affairs 1/29/25)

“What happens next, then, will depend primarily on the U.S. president. The incoming administration has big plans. For many months, Trump’s aides and advisers have been speaking about the regional arrangements Trump wants to establish. His main goal seems to lie in multibillion dollar technology and defense deals between the United States and Saudi Arabia. An accompanying step would be a grand Israeli-Saudi normalization deal, similar to the one the Biden administration tried to push through in the fall of 2023. (Hamas leaders later described thwarting that deal as one of their motivations for launching the October 7 attacks.) In order to achieve these goals, Trump will need the cease-fire in Gaza, along with its counterpart in Lebanon, to hold as long as possible—whether or not both sides are really interested in peace…If Netanyahu moves forward with implementing the second stage of the deal, including a full withdrawal from the strip, his government will probably fall. And even if it somehow survives, miraculously, for a few more weeks until the end of March, it will likely collapse at that point, due to a developing political crisis concerning efforts to exempt all ultra-Orthodox (haredim) men from mandatory military service.”

Make no mistake: Israel’s far right is planning for a Gaza without Palestinians (Ben Reiff//The Guardian 1/28/25)

“Recent polls overwhelmingly suggest that the prime minister would have difficulty returning to power if elections were held today. So his political survival – and his ability to fend off the completion of his corruption trial and accountability for possible failings in the lead-up to the 7 October attack – now rests in the hands of a man [Minister of Finance Betzalel Smotrich] whose vision for Gaza is one of permanent Israeli control and the ethnic cleansing of Palestinians. In that ambition, Smotrich seems to have found an ally in the new occupant of the White House. “You’re talking about probably a million and a half people, and we just clean out that whole thing and say: ‘You know, it’s over’,” Trump told reporters over the weekend, suggesting that residents of Gaza could be permanently relocated to Egypt or Jordan. According to senior Israeli officials, this was no slip of the tongue. Indeed, some reports suggest that Netanyahu views the idea favourably, and a Trump transition official has already floated the possibility of temporarily relocating people from Gaza to Indonesia.”

The Estimated Cost of the Gaza War on the Israeli Economy (Mtanes Shihadeh//Arab Center DC 1/27/25)

“The current war has specific peculiarities that have made projections and economic costs high. These include: 1. Israel entered the war with an unstable economic situation because of political fractures in Israeli society in the past year, the global economic decline, and high prices, inflation, and interest rates, although these did not turn into a serious economic crisis. 2. There was a precipitate decline in several economic indicators during 2023 and the international standing of the Israeli economy as well as a threat of a decline in Israel’s credit rating. 3. For the first time since 1948, the war started after a military offensive inside Israeli towns in the south of the country. The war has greatly affected the home front, causing serious destruction to the infrastructure and housing in those towns. 4. Economic activity was almost completely disrupted in the southern regions for more than a month. Economic activity in the heart of Israel also declined for several weeks and was followed by a stoppage in the northern towns as a result of Hezbollah’s opening of the support front. It finally ceased completely with the large-scale Israeli attack on Lebanon in September 2024 that led to the disruption of civil and economic activity in the northern towns. 5. For the first time, Israel has moved large numbers of Jewish residents from their homes in border towns in the south and north—some 150,000 citizens—and relocated them to shelters in other areas at the government’s expense. 6. This was the first time since 1973 that the Israeli Army has recruited, at a high cost, nearly 300,000 troops. 7. The war on Gaza and Lebanon is one of the longest wars Israel has fought since its establishment in 1948. 8. The Israeli military has used vast quantities of weapons since the beginning of the genocidal war on Gaza, which translates into significant costs to the Defense Ministry’s budget. 9. A high number of dead and injured soldiers and increasing numbers of those with physical and psychological disabilities cannot rejoin the labor market completely or partially. This means that the Ministry of Defense will have to bear the brunt of their funding.”

On the “Victims of the Victims” (Ussama Makdisi//Jewish Currents 1/17/25)

“However much they were victims in the past, and however much they carry with them the stamp of this past, Israeli Jews have, through their own actions, been transformed into a new kind of subject. With crucial exceptions like historian Ilan Pappé, who reminds us that the secular affiliation to power is a choice made and unmade, Israeli Jews are now in the position of being oppressors. They are in the ongoing act of making victims of Palestinians. Both Israeli Jews and Palestinians are obviously human, both deserve equality and freedom, and the two are bound together. But, at present, only one is the oppressor; the other is the oppressed. If we can’t maintain this basic, obvious ethical distinction between oppressor and oppressed, colonizer and colonized, then history becomes an idol of anachronism rather than a tool to break the narcissism of perpetual victimhood.”

‘In Gaza, They’re Amputating Limbs Without Painkillers. Imagine Your Child Going Through That’ (Haaretz 1/25/25)

“Dr. Guy Shalev, executive director of Physicians for Human Rights Israel, describes the country’s deliberate destruction of Gaza’s health system…”We are seeing a systematic and systemic assault: destruction of the hospitals, prevention of medical evacuations, more than 1,000 medical personnel killed, 300 wounded; more than 100 medical staff taken into custody and being held in Israel. There aren’t many specialist doctors in Gaza. If the only surgeon who’s a specialist in vascular diseases is being held in Israel, there is no care for all his patients. Vascular diseases were the chief cause of death in Gaza prior to October 7…You see systematization. You see scope. You see systematic raids on hospitals, which include destruction, sometimes total, of a facility, and the arrest of hundreds of medical personnel…Medical personnel are being arrested intentionally… I think that the arrests of the physicians are part of a campaign to delegitimize the whole system. The ability to arrest them and then to attach an accusation of terrorism to them serves the narrative that we do not attack the health system, but that the system is part of Hamas’ military alignment. From my point of view, the desire to degrade the health system, which is, as I said of and for the people, represents a desire to harm this society irreversibly.”

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