NEW FROM FMEP
How to think about Gazans’ mental health during this genocide (New podcast episode)
FMEP Fellow Hilary Rantisi speaks with Dr. Yasser Abu Jamei, psychiatrist and Director General of the Gaza Community Mental Health Programme (GCMHP), Gaza’s leading mental health organization. They discuss the how GCMHP has continued to serve Gazans, train mental health providers, and offer critical services and knowledge even in these genocidal conditions. They discuss what it means to “cope” with the horrors and deprivations of genocide, as well as the hope for a ceasefire and what outsiders can do to support the survivors in Gaza.
How Western journalists are complicit in Israel’s effort to silence Palestinian journalists (New podcast episode)
FMEP Fellow Ahmed Moor speaks with Palestinian American journalist and writer Jennifer Zacharia about the treatment of Palestinian journalists and reporting by Israel and Western media, building on Zacharia’s recent Boston Review piece,”Can Anyone Hear Me? Palestinians are only allowed to exist if we don’t cause discomfort for those who seek to erase us.” They discuss the lack of accountability for Israel killing Zacharia’s cousin, Shireen Abu Akleh, in 2022; how Western media elides truth and suppresses information in reporting on Palestine; and the choices of words, including descriptors for sexual violence, that Western media uses to describe some victims.
FMEP Legislative Round-Up July 11, 2025 (Lara Friedman)
- Bills, Resolutions; 2. Letters; 3. Hearings & Briefings; 4. Selected Members on the Record; 5. Selected Media & Press releases/Statements; See also FMEP Legislative Round-Up July 3, 2025
Settlement & Annexation Report: July 3, 2025 (Kristin McCarthy)
Violence, Anarchy in Northern West Bank as Outpost Settlers Reign Terror on Palestinians & Israeli Forces; 2. Israel Orders Mass Forced Displacement of 12 Villages in Masafer Yatta; 3. Israel Keeps Foot on Gas with West Bank Settlement Expansion; 4. Israeli Supreme Court Rules in Favor of Settlers on Key, Precedent-Setting Eviction Case in Batan al-Hawa, East Jerusalem; 5. Israel Initiates Efforts to Displace Palestinians from Additional Areas in East Jerusalem; 6. Netanyahu Urged to Push Annexation As Part of Gaza Talks in Washington; 7. (More) West Bank Settlement & Annexation News; 8. U.S. Politics; 9. New Reports
GAZA
Israeli plan for forced transfer of Gaza’s population ‘a blueprint for crimes against humanity’ (The Guardian 7/7/25)
“Israel’s defence minister has laid out plans to force all Palestinians in Gaza into a camp on the ruins of Rafah, in a scheme that legal experts and academics described as a blueprint for crimes against humanity. Israel Katz said he has ordered Israel’s military to prepare for establishing a camp, which he called a “humanitarian city”, on the ruins of the city of Rafah, Haaretz newspaper reported. Palestinians would go through “security screening” before entering, and once inside would not be allowed to leave, Katz said at a briefing for Israeli journalists. Israeli forces would control the perimeter of the site and initially “move” 600,000 Palestinians into the area – mostly people currently displaced in the al-Mawasi area. Eventually the entire population of Gaza would be housed there, and Israel aims to implement “the emigration plan, which will happen”, Haaretz quoted him saying. Since Donald Trump suggested at the start of the year that large numbers of Palestinians should leave Gaza to “clean out” the strip, Israeli politicians including the prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, have enthusiastically promoted forced deportation, often presenting it as a US project.” See also Defense Minister Says Israel Plans to Concentrate All Gaza’s Population in ‘Humanitarian’ Zone Built on Rafah’s Ruins (Haaretz 7/7/25); Israel’s Isn’t Creating a ‘Humanitarian City’ in Gaza. It’s Creating Transfer Camps (Haaretz Editorial 7/9/25); Our Duty to Explain Israel’s Operation to “Concentrate and Move Population” in Gaza is a Manifest War Crime (Eyal Benvenisti and Chaim Gans//Just Security 7/8/25); Israeli plans for Gaza draw criticism of ‘concentration camps’ (Ishaan Tharoor//WaPo 7/11/25)
Nearly 800 killed at Gaza food hubs and aid convoy routes since end of May, UN says (The Guardian 7/11/25)
“At least 798 people have been killed while seeking food at distribution points operated by the US- and Israeli-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation and other humanitarian convoys since the end of May, the UN human rights office (OHCHR) said on Friday. The GHF, proposed by Israel as an alternative to the UN aid system in Gaza, has been almost universally condemned by rights groups for its violation of principles of humanitarian impartiality and what they have said could be complicity in war crimes.” See also Sixteen Gazans, Including 10 Children, Killed by IDF While Waiting for Aid, Medics Say (Haaretz 7/10/25); Israeli strikes kill at least 38 in Gaza as ceasefire talks reach critical point (Guardian 7/6/25); US contractors say their colleagues are firing live ammo as Palestinians seek food in Gaza (AP 7/2/25); Gaza aid contractor tells BBC he saw colleagues fire on hungry Palestinians (BBC 7/8/25); US consultancy firm involved in GHF aid scheme modelled plans to ‘relocate’ Palestinians (Middle East Eye 7/5/25); IDF strike kills Gazan children awaiting food supplements, health officials say (WaPo 7/10/25); Foreseeable flaws in Gaza aid project led to shooting of Palestinians (WaPo 7/7/25);
‘Like a video game’: Israel enforcing Gaza evacuations with grenade-firing drones (Yuval Abraham//+972 Magazine 7/10/25)
“The Israeli military has weaponized a fleet of Chinese-manufactured commercial drones to attack Palestinians in parts of Gaza that it seeks to depopulate, an investigation by +972 Magazine and Local Call can reveal. According to interviews with seven soldiers and officers who served in the Strip, these drones are operated manually by troops on the ground, and are frequently used to bomb Palestinian civilians — including children — in an effort to force them to leave their homes or prevent them from returning to evacuated areas. Soldiers most commonly use EVO drones, produced by the Chinese company Autel, which are primarily intended for photography and cost around NIS 10,000 (approximately $3,000) on Amazon. However, with a military-issued attachment known internally as an “iron ball,” a hand grenade can be affixed to the drone and dropped with the push of a button to detonate on the ground. Today, the majority of Israeli military companies in Gaza use these drones…In the reports, all Palestinians killed were listed as “terrorists.” However, S. testified that aside from one person found with a knife and a single encounter with armed fighters, the scores of others killed — an average of one per day in his battalion’s combat zone — were unarmed. According to him, the drone strikes were carried out with the intent to kill, despite the majority of victims being located at such a distance from the soldiers that they could not have posed any threat…Soldiers testified that these drone strikes are often carried out against anyone entering an area the army has determined is off-limits to Palestinians — a designation that is never demarcated on the ground. Two sources used variations of the phrase “learning through blood” to describe the army’s expectation that Palestinians will come to understand these arbitrary boundaries after civilians are killed upon entering the area.” See also Tens of thousands flee Gaza City after Israel warns of major offensive (Guardian 6/29/25); Israeli strikes kill more than 60 people in Gaza, health officials say (Guardian 6/28/25);
Netanyahu flies home without a Gaza peace deal but still keeps Trump onside (The Guardian 7/11/25)
“Benjamin Netanyahu arrived back in Israel on Friday without a ceasefire in the Gaza war despite heady predictions from US and Israeli officials that this week could provide a breakthrough in negotiations. But he did not come home completely empty-handed. The Israeli PM’s visit was his third since Donald Trump’s inauguration, with several high-profile meetings at the White House, a nomination for Trump to receive the Nobel peace prize, and suggestions from Trump and the special envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, that peace could be achieved in a week. But as Netanyahu’s trip ended, no clear results had been achieved. Witkoff postponed a trip to Doha on Tuesday as it became clear that the negotiations had not reached a point where they could produce a ceasefire agreement.” See also Israel steps up deadly bombardment of Gaza before ceasefire talks (Guardian 7/3/25); Netanyahu Leaves Washington Without a Gaza Cease-fire, Just Like He Wanted (Amir Tibon//Haaretz 7/10/25); Trump says he thinks Gaza cease-fire deal could be reached this week or next week (Haaretz 7/9/25); Trump says Israel has agreed to terms for 60-day Gaza ceasefire (Axios 7/1/25); Hamas gives positive response to Gaza ceasefire proposal with reservations (Axios 7/4/25); Trump and Netanyahu meet to discuss Gaza deal push (Axios 7/8/25); Netanyahu Confirms 20 Israeli Hostages Still Alive in Gaza, Hopes for Deal ‘In a Few Days’ (Haaretz 7/11/25);
The War on Gaza’s Children (Isaac Chotiner interviews UNICEF’s global spokesperson James Elder//New Yorker 7/7/25)
“One is the wounds I saw on children. There were burns on little girls and boys, fourth-degree burns I didn’t know existed. And shrapnel riddled through a body. Shrapnel is designed to go through cement, and what it does to a child’s body is horrific…Once you have famine, people are dying en masse. But there is starvation where a child’s body is degrading and the immune system is starting to collapse, and that’s happening—so children’s bodies aren’t waiting for that technical definition. We are now so far below the emergency threshold for water. It is in critical shortage now, and it is controlled entirely by Israel…The most lethal crisis isn’t just hunger or thirst—it’s the brutal collision of both.” See also Gaza family documents their desperate search for food in a barren landscape (PBS News Hour 7/9/25); ‘They’re skin and bones’: doctors in Gaza warn babies at risk of death from lack of formula (Guardian 7/5/25); Aid Groups: Infants Are Dying in Gaza Because Israel Impedes Import of Baby Formula (Haaretz 7/11/25);
How Netanyahu Prolonged the War in Gaza to Stay in Power (NYT 7/11/25)
“Why, after nearly two years, has the war yet to reach a definitive conclusion? Why did Israel frequently turn away chances for de-escalation, instead expanding its military ambitions to Lebanon, to Syria and now to Iran? Why has the war dragged on, even as the leadership of Hamas was decapitated and more Israelis called for a cease-fire?…To understand the role that Netanyahu’s own calculations played in prolonging the war, we spoke with more than 110 officials in Israel, the United States and the Arab world. These officials — both supporters and critics — have all met, observed or worked with the prime minister since the start of the war and sometimes long before it began. We also reviewed scores of documents, including records of government meetings, communications among officials, negotiation records, war plans, intelligence assessments, secret Hamas protocols and court documents. For obvious reasons, one of the most sensitive accusations about Netanyahu’s conduct of the war is that he prolonged it for his own personal political benefit. Whether or not they thought he had, everyone we spoke to agreed on one thing: The war’s extension and expansion has been good for Netanyahu…The general expectation was the war would subside early in 2024, Netanyahu’s coalition would collapse and Netanyahu would soon be held accountable for the disaster. Instead, Netanyahu harnessed the war to improve his political fortunes, at first simply to survive and then to triumph on his own terms.” See also Takeaways From the Times Investigation Into Benjamin Netanyahu (NYT 7/11/25); Netanyahu said to have shelved April 2024 Gaza truce after Smotrich threat to government (TOI 7/11/25); 5 Israeli Soldiers Killed in Gaza, Military Says (NYT 7/8/25);
Gaza’s Al-Baqa Cafe was a sanctuary amid the genocide. Now it lies in ruins (Ruwaida Amer//+972 Magazine 7/3/25)
“For over two decades, Al-Baqa Cafe was a cherished seaside refuge in western Gaza City, a place for family and friends to meet or those seeking a quiet space to rest or do some work…Al-Baqa was one of the few businesses in Gaza that managed to stay open despite the war. It provided internet access to students continuing their studies, journalists filing reports, and freelancers trying to work amid frequent power blackouts and repeated displacement…That all came to an end around noon on Monday, June 30, when the Israeli army dropped a 500-pound bomb on the cafe without any warning. According to Gaza’s Health Ministry, the airstrike killed at least 33 people including the cafe’s owner, Saher Al-Baqa.” See also Israel Slaughters Dozens in Attack on Popular Gaza Cafe as Trump Claims a Ceasefire Deal is Moving Forward (Abdel Qader Sabbah, Sharif Abdel Kouddous, and Jeremy Scahill//Drop Site 6/30/25)
‘Medicine Can Be Imported, Doctors Cannot’: IDF Killing of Hundreds of Gaza Medical Workers Deepens Health System Crisis (Nir Hasson & Jack Khoury//Haaretz 7/8/25)
“At least 1,580 healthcare workers have been killed in Gaza since October 7, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry. Amid mounting international criticism, the IDF has rejected claims of deliberately targeting the health system, but has yet to offer alternative explanations for its multiple strikes on hospitals, ambulances and medical personnel.” See also Israel’s Targeted Killing of Beloved Dr. Marwan al-Sultan and His Family (Abdel Qader Sabbah and Kavitha Chekuru//Drop Site 7/7/25); ‘No other explanation’: children of Gaza doctor killed in airstrike believe he was deliberately targeted (Guardian 7/4/25); A British Surgeon on What She Saw in Gaza’s Hospitals (NYT 7/9/25);
Israel Is Sowing Chaos to Secure Displacement in Gaza (Rob Geist Pinfold//Foreign Policy 7/8/25)
“Ostensibly, both Israel’s support for criminal gangs and its incompetent aid rollout look like two separate parts of a broader problem: Without a “day after” plan, Israel’s policies remain shortsighted and ineffective. If, however, Netanyahu’s goal is to increase chaos and suffering in the strip to the point where its residents choose to emigrate “voluntarily,” he has already succeeded…In short, Israel has not mitigated Gaza’s anarchy; it has exacerbated it…Whatever cease-fire agreements are discussed or signed in the coming weeks or months, Netanyahu’s policies have already laid the groundwork for the Gazan population’s forced displacement.”
REGION//GLOBAL
Netanyahu Releases Letter Nominating Trump for Nobel Peace Prize (NYT 7/8/25)
“The office of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel on Tuesday released the letter in which he nominated President Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize, citing his “pivotal role” in negotiating diplomatic relations between Israel and several Arab states in 2020. The letter appeared to be part of Mr. Netanyahu’s attempt to cement relations with Mr. Trump during a White House visit. “President Trump has demonstrated steadfast and exceptional dedication to promoting peace, security and stability around the world,” Mr. Netanyahu said in the letter, which was dated July 1 and addressed to the Norwegian Nobel Committee, which awards the prize. Speaking at a White House dinner on Monday, Mr. Netanyahu presented Mr. Trump with a copy of the letter and praised his host for “forging peace, as we speak, in one country in the region after another.”’ See also Trump-Netanyahu bromance returns with Nobel Peace Prize nomination (Jewish Insider 7/7/25);
US issues sanctions against Francesca Albanese, UN official investigating abuses in Gaza (The Guardian 7/10/25)
“The Trump administration announced on Wednesday it was issuing sanctions against an independent official tasked with investigating human rights abuses in the Palestinian territories. The state department’s decision to sanction Francesca Albanese, the UN special rapporteur for the West Bank and Gaza, is the latest effort by the US to punish critics of Israel’s 21-month war in Gaza and comes after a recent US pressure campaign to force the international body to remove her from her post failed. Albanese, a human rights lawyer, has been vocal in calling for an end to what she describes as the “genocide” that Israel is waging against Palestinians in Gaza. Israel and the US, which provides military support, have both strongly denied that accusation.” See also Rights defenders denounce US sanctions on UN expert on Palestinians (Reuters 7/10/25); Global firms ‘profiting from genocide’ in Gaza, says UN rapporteur (The Guardian 7/3/25); UN Gaza investigator Francesca Albanese says US sanctions against her a sign of ‘guilt’ (The Guardian 7/10/25)
The UK can excuse genocide, but draws the line at festival chants (Em Hilton//+972 Magazine 7/1/25)
“Britain’s political and media class are currently seething with performative rage over a slogan chanted at a music festival last weekend. After rap duo Bob Vylan led the Glastonbury crowd in a chorus of “Death, death to the IDF,” the incident was almost universally decried as a carnival of antisemitism — from national newspapers to the UK culture minister, the chief rabbi and Jewish organizations, the director of Glastonbury, and even the BBC, which was broadcasting the festival live. These knee-jerk responses to a musician’s chants reflect an alarming escalation in the repression of Palestine solidarity in the UK, coming in the wake of several other high profile attempts to criminalize public figures who spoke out for Palestine. But the incident also represents a microcosm of the growing chasm between those in power, who continue to actively support or enable Israel’s onslaught on Gaza, and the broader public, who are increasingly horrified by that violence.”
After Iran-Israel clash, there’s more reason to fear a nuclear bomb (Ishaan Tharoor//WaPo 6/30/25)
“It’s not clear how much of Iran’s nuclear program is destroyed or inoperable. But the “total obliteration” declared by President Donald Trump after U.S. warplanes joined an Israeli campaign against the Islamic Republic does not seem accurate. An initial U.S. intelligence report assessed that airstrikes on three key Iranian nuclear facilities have set Tehran’s program back by months, but not wholly eliminated it. On Sunday, my colleagues also reported on intercepted communications between senior Iranian officials who seemed to believe the attacks were less devastating than feared. Rafael Mariano Grossi, head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, the U.N.’s nuclear watchdog, told CBS’s “Face the Nation” over the weekend that Iran probably still had the ability to resume uranium enrichment activities. The question of what the U.S. intervention achieved has become politicized in Washington.” See also Iranian president says Israel tried to assassinate him (Guardian 7/7/25); Israeli strike hit four areas in notorious Tehran prison. Civilians among the dead. (WaPo 7/6/25); A text, a Telegram link, then an offer of money: how Iran sought to recruit spies in Israel (The Guardian 7/6/25); Israel’s Deadly Assault on Iran Prison Incites Fury, Even Among Dissidents (NYT 7/6/25)
At least 2 killed and 15 missing after Houthis sink second ship this week (WaPo 7/9/25)
“Yemen’s Iranian-backed Houthi rebels have claimed responsibility for the first deadly Red Sea attack in over a year, and said they are holding members of the crew after at least 15 crew members were reported missing. At least two crew members were killed in the attack, a Liberian U.N. delegation said on Tuesday…The attack on the Eternity C happened hours after the Houthi rebels claimed a different attack on a different Liberian-flagged ship, the Magic Seas. The 19-member crew evacuated the ship and there were no reported casualties.”
The Hague Group: Mobilizing International Law for Palestine (Munir Nuseibah//Al Shabaka 7/8/25)
“The Israeli regime’s ongoing genocide in Gaza has exposed the failure of global legal frameworks to protect civilians, marking an unprecedented breakdown in the protective function of international law. While the Genocide Convention obligates states to prevent and punish genocide, and the Geneva Conventions establish protections for civilians under occupation, these mechanisms have proven powerless without the political will to enforce them. This became glaringly obvious in January 2024, when the International Court of Justice (ICJ) issued provisional measures to prevent genocidal acts in Gaza—orders the Israeli government openly defied as it pressed ahead with its military campaign. Nonetheless, several Global South states have come together to form the Hague Group—an initiative designed to challenge the wall of impunity surrounding the Israeli regime through coordinated legal and diplomatic action. Comprising eight countries—South Africa, Malaysia, Namibia, Colombia, Bolivia, Senegal, Honduras, and Cuba—the Hague Group is committed to advancing international law enforcement and upholding global obligations in defense of Palestinian rights. This policy memo examines how the Hague Group showcases the potential of coordinated state action to hold states accountable for violating international law, despite structural limitations in enforcement.” See also Spain and Ireland to join more than 20 states to declare ‘concrete measures’ against Israel (Middle East Eye 7/10/25)
Israel Launches New Ground Incursion in Lebanon, Raising Fears for Truce (NYT 6/9/25)
“The Israeli military said the “targeted operations” had located and destroyed Hezbollah infrastructure, but it did not say when this happened. The Israeli military released footage showing what it said was soldiers conducting nighttime operations inside Lebanese territory. For months, Israel has conducted near-daily strikes against what it describes as Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon, intensifying them in recent weeks. The attacks have added to growing fears that the tenuous Israeli-Hezbollah cease-fire, which has been in place since November, may not hold.” See also In first attack after truce, Houthis claim to have sunk ship in Red Sea: What to know (Al Monitor 7/7/25); Israel strikes Lebanon in one of biggest attacks since November ceasefire (WaPo 6/27/25); U.S. further eases sanctions on Syria by lifting terrorist designation (WaPo 7/7/25);
RIVER TO THE SEA
Israeli Settlers Kill American Citizen in Occupied West Bank, Family Says (Zeteo 7/11/25)
“Israeli settlers brutalized an American, beating him unconscious and blocking an ambulance from reaching him, according to the victim’s family. The young Palestinian-American was pronounced dead by the time he arrived at a hospital. Sayfollah Musallet, who was in his 20s, was visiting his family in the Palestinian town of Al-Mazra’a ash-Sharqiya. Two of his cousins, Fatmah Muhammad and another, granted anonymity due to safety concerns, say he had arrived in June. Born in Florida, Musallat grew up in the town of Port Charlotte. The Israeli military is reportedly investigating the killing. The State Department and the Israeli military did not immediately respond to requests for comment.”
With West Bank annexation in the air, settlers revel in their impunity (Oren Ziv & Shatha Yaish//+972 Magazine 7/9/25)
“Over the span of two days, one of the last remaining Palestinian communities between Ramallah and Jericho was uprooted from its land.On the evening of July 2, dozens of Israeli settlers descended on the West Bank shepherding village of Al-Muarrajat. They broke into homes, stole around 60 sheep, and erected a small outpost inside the village. By the next morning, settlers were seen sitting alongside Israeli soldiers at the newly built outpost, now moved just meters from the village school…“Residents [of Al-Muarrajat] were forced to leave at gunpoint,” said 28-year-old Aaliyah Malihat, a local activist, as her family gathered their possessions. “People have nowhere to go. They’re scattering to nearby villages.”…The assault on Al-Muarrajat comes just days after a string of deadly settler attacks in the town of Kufr Malik, northeast of Ramallah. On June 23, Israeli forces shot and killed a 13-year-old boy; two days later, settlers rampaged through the town, setting property on fire and killing three more young Palestinians who were among a group of villagers trying to defend their homes…Mere hours after the funeral, settlers launched another attack, this time targeting the nearby town of Turmus Ayya…As settler violence in the West Bank grows increasingly vicious and widespread, Israeli authorities only appear to respond decisively when the victims are soldiers.” See also Palestinian Health Ministry: 23-year-old Beaten to Death by Israeli Settlers in West Bank (Haaretz 7/11/25); ‘It comes with the territory’: How Israel’s archaeologists legitimize annexation (Dikla Taylor-Sheinman//+972 Magazine 7/1/25); Israeli settlers attack Palestinians and IDF military vehicles in West Bank (PBS 6/30/25);
Palestinians fear razing of villages in West Bank, as settlers circle their homes (The Guardian 7/7/25)
“Ali Awad is tired. The 27-year-old resident of Tuba, one of the dozen or so villages that make up Masafer Yatta in the arid south Hebron hills of the occupied West Bank, had been up all night watching as a masked Israeli settler on horseback circled his family home…The men in Masafer Yatta rarely sleep these days. They take turns standing watch at night, fearful that nearby Israeli settlers will attack under the cover of darkness…Recently, an Israeli administrative body issued a decision which legal experts and activists have said could remove the last remaining legal barriers for the demolition of homes in Masafer Yatta. The decision could lead to the forcible transfer of 1,200 people, something the UN warned could be a war crime…As the residents navigate Israel’s labyrinthine bureaucracy to stave off demolition orders, settlers have acted as the extrajudicial vanguard of displacement, making daily life nearly intolerable for Palestinians. Almost every single resident has a story about being harassed or attacked by nearby settlers, whose presence has been slowly growing, with new outposts popping up on the area’s hilltops…“Just mentally we are preparing for more demolitions. There’s nothing more on the ground we can do, besides putting our words in the media so they can reach farther than we can scream,” Awad said.” See also IDF Starts Demolishing 100 Palestinian Homes in West Bank as High Court Blocks Four (Haaretz 7/8/25);
‘For Every Woman Who Still Can’t Speak’ | Report on Hamas’ Use of ‘Sexual Violence as a Weapon of War’ Compiles Evidence for Future Legal Action (Haaretz 7/8/25)
“An Israeli initiative made up of legal scholars and gender experts released a report on Tuesday, aiming to bring awareness to acts of sexual violence against Israelis during the Hamas-led October 7 attacks and in captivity in Gaza, and hoping to bring justice for the victims. The report by the Dinah Project was written by its founders: legal scholar Ruth Halperin-Kaddari, attorney and former chief military prosecutor Col. (res.) Sharon Zagagi-Pinhas and former judge and Deputy Attorney General Nava Ben-Or. In the report, they compiled testimonies from first-hand survivors, 17 people who saw or heard attacks, therapists who worked with survivors, a victim of attempted rape at the Nova festival, dozens of first responders and 15 former hostages who returned from Hamas captivity – including two men. They added that the report is meant to support future legal proceedings and investigations, whether in Israeli courts, international tribunals or other inquiries…The report also recommends further development of international criminal legal tools meant to address acts of sexual violence committed as part of “ideologically motivated campaigns of destruction.”’
Haaretz Exposé: Malnutrition, Illness and Death – The Routine for Palestinian Prisoners at Israel’s Megiddo Prison (Hagar Shezaf//Haaretz 7/6/25)
“Sixteen-year-old Palestinian Ibrahim was held at Megiddo prison for eight months until the parole board said his condition had deteriorated to ‘life-threatening underweight.’ He talks about recurring scabies infections, intestinal disease, beatings and neglect – and a Haaretz probe reveals that this is the experience of many others, some of whom didn’t survive.”
New Documents Reveal: U.S. Pouring Hundreds of Millions of Dollars in Military Aid Into Building IDF Airbases and Facilities in Israel (Haaretz 7/7/25)
“The United States is building infrastructure to accommodate the Israel Air Force’s new refueling aircraft and helicopters, as well as a new headquarters for the Israeli army’s Shayetet 13 naval commando unit, and numerous other projects costing billions of shekels, according to official documents from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers published online. All these projects are funded by U.S. military aid to Israel.”
U.S. SCENE
Democrats Need to Understand That Opinions on Israel Are Changing Fast (Peter Beinart//NYT 7/6/25)
“In 2013, according to Gallup, Democrats sympathized with Israel over the Palestinians by a margin of 36 percentage points. Those numbers have now flipped, after more than a decade of nearly uninterrupted right-wing rule by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the rise to power of crude bigots like Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich, and Israel’s mass slaughter and starvation of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip: This February, Gallup found that Democrats sympathize with Palestinians over Israel by a margin of 38 percentage points. According to a February survey by The Economist and YouGov, 46 percent of Democrats want the United States to reduce military aid to the Jewish state. Only 6 percent want to increase it, and 24 percent want it to remain at the level it is. These opinions aren’t restricted to young progressives. Older Democrats’ views have swung even more sharply than young ones’ against Israel in recent years. Between 2022 and 2025, according to the Pew Research Center, the percentage of Democrats age 50 and over with an unfavorable view of the Jewish state jumped a remarkable 23 percentage points. This shift has largely erased the party’s generation gap on the subject. Only one in three Democrats now views Israel favorably, according to Gallup. That makes Israel significantly less popular than Cuba, and only slightly more popular than China.”
Young Republicans are fueling the GOP’s generational divide on Israel (WaPo 6/30/25)
“Stalwart support for Israel has been a cornerstone of GOP politics in recent decades…But views on the right are shifting. In March, the Pew Research Center found that Republicans and Republican-leaning independents were more negative toward Israel than in 2022. Most of the shift came from Republicans under age 50. In 2022, 63 percent of Republicans under 50 had a positive view of Israel, and now they are roughly split, with 48 percent positive and 50 percent negative…By comparison, the left’s generational divide on Israel is narrowing. The portion of older Democrats and Democratic-leaning respondents who view Israel negatively increased by 23 percentage points since 2022.”
A New Playbook for Democratic Critics of Israel (Peter Beinart//Jewish Currents 6/30/25)
“Mamdani’s victory in the Democratic primary last week contains a crucial message for Democrats who want to challenge unconditional US support for Israel but fear that doing so constitutes political suicide: It is possible to win without abandoning your values. It just requires strategic ingenuity. Indeed, Mamdani has written a new playbook for how to avoid the rhetorical traps set by Israel’s defenders. He did not allow pundits to exceptionalize Israel, but instead returned relentlessly to universal principles of justice and equality. Drawing on his deep knowledge of the subject, he has offered an example of how to speak in terms that at least some Jewish voters—and Democratic voters more generally—can hear.” See also Kirsten Gillibrand apologizes to Zohran Mamdani over ‘global jihad’ remark (JTA 7/2/25)
Deportation filing confirms that Trump officials used Canary Mission list to target students (Asaf Elia-Shalev//JTA 7/10/25)
“Newly unsealed court records and trial testimony show that top Trump administration officials relied heavily on Canary Mission, a controversial website that targets pro-Palestinian activists, as part of a secretive effort to deport foreign students and academics from American universities. The revelations emerged during an ongoing federal lawsuit in Boston brought by the American Association of University Professors and the Middle East Studies Association, challenging what they call “ideological deportations” that they say violate First Amendment rights. The case is one of the most closely watched challenges to President Donald Trump’s deportation efforts. A Department of Homeland Security “tiger team” formed in 2019 built dossiers on thousands of noncitizen academics and students by pulling names from a public list of 5,000 individuals compiled by Canary Mission, according to Politico’s reporting on the trial. The site, which publishes profiles of pro-Palestinian activists, often under the accusation of antisemitism, became a primary resource for the team, according to sworn testimony from DHS official Peter Hatch. Hatch, the assistant director for intelligence at Homeland Security Investigations, testified that more than 75% of the deportation referrals prepared by his unit were based on names first identified through Canary Mission, adding that the information was independently verified before being compiled into official reports, according to Politico.” See also To study in the U.S. under Trump, international students scrub their accounts (WaPo 7/9/25); Leaked Chats Show Pro-Israel Extremist Group Betar Organizing Street Confrontations (Murtaza Hussain and Talia Jane//Drop Site 6/29/25)
Largest teachers union in the country narrowly votes to sever ties with the ADL (JTA 7/9/25)
“The National Education Association, the United States’ largest teachers union, has passed a non-binding measure barring the union from using, endorsing or publicizing any materials from the Anti-Defamation League…The measure calls for the union to stop using ADL materials about the Holocaust and antisemitism as well as ADL statistics or programs. Its practical impact, if ultimately approved, is not clear, because unions typically do not decide on programming and curriculum in schools. But the success of the measure nonetheless offered evidence that the #DroptheADLFromSchools movement, which argues that the organization promotes pro-Israel bias in its materials for schools, had achieved a breakthrough success.” See also Elon Musk’s ‘Grok’ AI Bot Goes Full Nazi (Prem Thakker//Zeteo 7/8/25)
Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil files $20m claim against Trump administration (Middle East Eye 7/11/25)
“Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil has filed a claim against the Trump administration for $20m in damages after spending months in an immigration detention centre and missing the birth of his first child, the Associated Press reported on Thursday. The Department of Homeland Security, US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the State Department are all named on the claim, which is a precursor to a lawsuit.”
Friends of the IDF in crisis after internal report alleges financial abuse and toxic culture (Asaf Elia-Shalev//JTA 7/8/25)
“An American charity that has raised hundreds of millions of dollars by promising to meet the emergency needs of Israeli soldiers after the war in Gaza broke out is now facing internal turmoil over allegations of financial mismanagement, cronyism, and a toxic workplace culture…The group saw an unprecedented windfall after launching an emergency fundraising campaign in response to Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel. The total raised for 2023 was about $280 million, according to FIDF’s audited financial statements. That amount is almost triple the $100 million FIDF anticipated raising at the start of that year, according to an internal budget document obtained by JTA. Already one of the top fundraising organizations among American Jewish institutions, FIDF likely collected more money in support of Israel after Oct. 7 than any other individual charity.”
PERSPECTIVES//LONG READS
The tears of Gaza’s men are an act of rebellion (A.J.//+972 Magazine 6/30/25)
“In Gaza today, a different masculinity is emerging — one that embraces vulnerability, caregiving, and tenderness. Men are cooking meals in crowded shelters, comforting children, crying openly while clutching the lifeless bodies of their grandchildren, and telling stories of grief. We are beginning to name our traumas out loud. And this transformation isn’t apolitical; it’s an act of defiance. Despite our pain, men still carry the burden of taking risks, running through airstrikes to get water or food, because it’s too dangerous for women or children to do so. But now, being a man isn’t only about being tough; it’s about being present. Being the guy who cries and still risks his life for basic necessities — who carries both the water and the grief. That’s the new manhood we’re building here. One that’s not just about survival, but about staying human. Men who weep in public, who change diapers in tents, who share grief with strangers — these men are forging a new kind of masculinity, one that rejects domination and embraces care. Rebuilding our shattered identities will take generations. But reclaiming what it means to be a man — gentle, broken, healing, and still standing — is a beginning. Palestinian men deserve to be seen not as militants or shadows, but as whole people with fragile hearts and impossible burdens.”
The Sympathy Trap (Jackie Wang//Jewish Currents 6/17/25)
“In Perfect Victims, Mohammed El-Kurd argues that attempts to “humanize” Palestinians reinforce the Zionist politics they purport to contest.”
The destruction of Palestine is breaking the world (Moustafa Bayoumi//The Guardian 7/6/25)
“Israel’s war in Gaza is chipping away at so much of what we – in the United States but also internationally – had agreed upon as acceptable, from the rules governing our freedom of speech to the very laws of armed conflict. It seems no exaggeration to say that the foundation of the international order of the last 77 years is threatened by this change in the obligations governing our legal and political responsibilities to each other. This collapse began with the liberal world’s lack of resolve to rein in Israel’s war in Gaza. It escalated when no one lifted a finger to stop hospitals being bombed. It expanded when mass starvation became a weapon of war. And it is peaking at a time when total war is no longer viewed as a human abhorrence but is instead the deliberate policy of the state of Israel. The implications of this collapse are profound for international, regional and even domestic politics. Political dissent is repressed, political language is policed, and traditionally liberal societies are increasingly militarized against their own citizens. Many of us disregard how much has shifted in the last 20 months. But we are ignoring the collapse of the international system that has defined our lives for generations at our own collective peril.”
Netanyahu’s War (David Shulman//NYRB July 2025)
“Engineering a second Nakba and annexing the occupied territories are integral parts of Netanyahu’s war against the State of Israel’s democratic institutions, its social solidarity, and above all the rule of law.”
The Knesset vs Ayman Odeh (Orly Noy//+972 Magazine 7/2/25)
“On Monday, the Knesset House Committee voted to impeach Palestinian parliamentarian Ayman Odeh, head of the predominantly Arab Hadash-Ta’al list. His crime? In January, as the two-month Gaza ceasefire came into effect, Odeh tweeted: “I am happy about the release of the [Israeli] hostages and [Palestinian] prisoners. From here, both peoples must be freed from the yoke of the occupation. We were all born free.”…No one paid attention to the Knesset’s legal adviser — who, after the obligatory lip service condemning Odeh’s “disgusting statements,” concluded that there was no legal basis for his impeachment. And it goes without saying that no one listened to Odeh’s attorney, Dr. Hassan Jabareen, who explained why the proposal was procedurally flawed, legally unsound, and morally bankrupt. From the first sentence to the last, the hearing was a farce. It ended with a vote of 14-2 in favor of the proposal, supported by all Jewish members of the committee — including those from opposition parties — and opposed only by two lone Palestinian MKs…In this sense, Odeh was chosen as a victim precisely because he speaks the language of Arab-Jewish partnership: after all, if the purest dove among Palestinian parliamentarians in Israel can be persecuted because of a single tweet (in which Odeh also expressed deep empathy for Jewish citizens), what’s the point in even electing them? The message [to Arab voters] is clear: on election day, stay home. Your vote is futile.”
The Western liberal’s moral collapse in Gaza (Amir Rotem//+972 Magazine 7/7/25)
“On October 24, 2023, two and a half weeks after Hamas’ attack on Israel, Gaza’s Health Ministry reported a grim new record: Israel’s bombardment of the Strip had killed 704 Palestinians in the previous 24 hours alone. The next day, Egyptian-Canadian writer Omar El Akkad posted a now famous sentence on X: “One day, when it’s safe, when there’s no personal downside to calling a thing what it is, when it’s too late to hold anyone accountable, everyone will have always been against this.” That razor-sharp turn of phrase, which has since been viewed more than 10 million times, stayed with El Akkad all the way to February 2025, when it became the title of his third book. “One Day, Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This,” El Akkad’s first non-fiction work after two acclaimed novels, is a collection of essays examining Western liberalism’s failures and hypocrisy, particularly in the face of Israel’s ethnic cleansing campaign in the Gaza Strip.”