NEW FROM FMEP
FMEP Legislative Round-Up June 12, 2025 (early this week) (Lara Friedman)
1. Bills, Resolutions; 2. Letters; 3. Hearings; 4. Selected Members on the Record; 5. Selected Media & Press releases/Statements
Settlement & Annexation Report: June 13, 2025 (Kristin McCarthy)
1.West Bank Settlement & Annexation News; 2. U.S. Politics & News; 3. International News
Daily Life while Committing Genocide: the Lexicon of Brutality in Israel (New Occupied Thoughts episode)
FMEP Fellow Ahmed Moor speaks with sociologist Assaf Bondy and human rights researcher and historian Adam Raz about what they call the “lexicon of brutality,” drawing from a recent book the pair published in Hebrew on the language that Israelis use to discuss Palestinians and, specifically, the Israeli war on Gaza. The trio also talk about whether Israel has ever been a democracy and what people in Israel who oppose the genocide can do to resist it.
What an American Doctor Saw in Gaza (New Occupied Thoughts episode)
FMEP Fellow Peter Beinart speaks with Dr. Feroze Sidhwa, who recently returned from spending the month of March, 2025, in Gaza as a trauma and critical care surgeon. The March trip was Feroze’s second medical mission to Gaza in the last year. Peter and Feroze discuss why children in Gaza are shot in the head, why Gaza’s medical workers expect to die, and what it’s like to try to bring medical supplies into Gaza.
REGION/GLOBAL
Iran’s nuclear facilities damaged but not destroyed, experts say (WaPo 6/13/25)
“Israel’s airstrikes on Iran’s nuclear sites have damaged some aboveground research facilities and infrastructure but do not appear to have eliminated the thousands of centrifuges, buried deep underground, that enrich near-weapons-grade uranium or the hundreds of pounds of material they have already produced, according to a wide range of nonproliferation and Iranian experts. In launching the attacks, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the Iranian program poses an existential threat that Israel intends to destroy. “We struck at the heart of Iran’s nuclear enrichment program,” he said in an address to the nation early Friday. But judging by reports and statements from both countries, as well as videos and overhead imagery of the sites hit so far — and those as yet unscathed — no irreversible damage has been done, experts said.” See also After years of preparation, Israel launches major offensive against Iran and its nuclear program (TOI 6/13/25); Israel strikes Iran, as Trump officials say no U.S. military support (WaPo 6/13/25);
Israel Killed Iran’s Top Chain of Command in One Night (NYT 6/13/25)
“Israel’s strikes on Iran on Friday delivered a seismic blow to Iran’s chain of command, with Iranian officials and media reports saying that at least three of the top generals — including the country’s overall military commander — had been killed…Israel has a history of successfully assassinating Iranian security officials and nuclear scientists. But it has generally picked them off one by one in covert operations as part of its long shadow war with Iran and in Lebanon or Syria. The strikes early on Friday proved to be a stunning escalation of that tactic. Not only did they target Iran’s nuclear program and air defenses, the Israeli attacks also eliminated the top tier of military commanders all at once, targeting their residential homes, including some in secure military complexes. In some areas of the capital, Tehran, entire apartment buildings collapsed.” See also What we know about Iranian commanders, scientists killed in Israeli attack (WaPo 6/13/25); Over 200 Israeli strikes in Iran kill 10 IRGC commanders and scientists (Al Monitor 6/13/25); Iranians Describe Israel’s Attacks in Voice Memos and Calls (NYT 6/13/25);
Iran strikes back at Israel, U.S. helps intercept missiles (Axios 6/13/25)
“Iran launched a major counterattack against Israel on Friday, firing around 100 missiles in two barrages, according to the Israel Defense Forces (IDF)…The retaliatory attack began 18 hours after Israel launched a war against Iran, attacking its nuclear facilities and missile sites and killing top military leaders and nuclear scientists. The U.S. is helping to intercept incoming ballistic missiles, according to an Israeli official and a senior U.S. official.” See also Trump to Fox News: U.S. will defend Israel if Iran retaliates (JI 6/13/25); ‘Declaration of war’: Iran fires 100+ missiles at Israel after airstrikes (Al Monitor 6/13/25); Iranian missiles hit Tel Aviv as Netanyahu warns attack on Iran ‘just the beginning’ (Guardian 6/13/25);
How an Israeli-American deception campaign lulled Iran into a false sense of security (TOI 6/13/25)
“Israel and the US carried out a multi-faceted misinformation campaign in recent days to convince Iran that a strike on its nuclear facilities was not imminent, an Israeli official told The Times of Israel on Friday. The official asserted that US President Donald Trump was an active participant in the ruse, and knew about the military operation since Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu decided to move forward with the strike on Monday.” See also U.S. told Israel it won’t participate in an Israeli strike on Iran (Axios 6/12/25); Hegseth tells Congress ‘indications’ Iran moving toward nuclear weapon (Al Monitor 6/11/25); Iran not complying with nuclear obligations, U.N. watchdog says (WaPo 6/12/25); US orders non-essential embassy staff out of Iraq amid growing Middle East tensions (Guardian 6/11/25);
Trump scrambles to claim credit for Israel’s Iran attack he publicly opposed (The Guardian 6/13/25)
“Donald Trump is walking a tightrope as he claims that he was fully aware of Israel’s plans to launch massive airstrikes against Iran while continuing to distance the US from those strikes and deny Washington took any active role in the preparations. The White House’s messaging has shifted quickly from Marco Rubio’s arms-length description of the Israeli attack as a “unilateral action”, to Trump claiming on Friday morning that he was fully in the loop on the operation and that it came at the end of a 60-day ultimatum he had given Iran to “make a deal” on its nuclear programme…Trump’s framing presents a good cop-bad cop dynamic of his approach with Benjamin Netanyahu, the embattled Israeli leader with whom he has a notoriously combative relationship. The US president has scrambled to now present the Israeli strikes, which he publicly claimed he did not want on Thursday, as a means of continuing his efforts to convince Iran to negotiate.” See also ‘Excellent’: Trump lauds Israeli strikes on Iran, says Tehran can still make a deal (TOI 6/13/25); Oil prices surge, airlines cancel flights after Israel strikes Iran (Al Monitor 6/13/25);
How Israeli spies and pilots crippled an Iranian counterstrike (Axios 6/13/25)
“As it became clear Israel was about to attack, the commanders of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ air force convened in a bunker to coordinate the response. But Israel knew that emergency protocol, and the location of the bunker. They destroyed it, killing the overall commander and the heads of the drone and air defense forces. “The fact that there was nobody to give the order neutralized an immediate Iranian response,” an Israeli official said…Another key target was Iran’s air defense systems and radars. Israeli intelligence mapped their locations, and most were hit by the Israeli Air Force in the opening strike. That gave the IDF virtually unchallenged freedom of operation in Iran’s skies.” See also Smuggled drones, weapons, and Mossad: Inside Israel’s Iran strikes (Al Monitor 6/13/25); A Sprawling Israeli Intelligence Effort Underpinned the Iran Strikes (NYT 6/13/25);
UK, Australia, Canada sanction Israel’s Ben-Gvir, Smotrich for inciting violence (Al Monitor 6/10/25)
“The United Kingdom, together with Australia, Canada, New Zealand and Norway, have imposed sanctions on far-right Israeli ministers Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich, citing their repeated incitement of violence against Palestinians amid the Gaza war. The UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) said Tuesday the measures, including asset freezes and travel bans, take effect immediately.” See also State Dept. Imposes Sanctions on International Criminal Court Judges (NYT 6/5/25); Israel Deporting Greta Thunberg and Other Activists on Gaza Aid Boat (NYT 6/10/25); Gaza flotilla activists: Who are they and where are they now? (Al Monitor 6/11/25); Israeli forces take control of Gaza aid boat carrying Greta Thunberg (The Guardian 6/9/25); Trolling the Madleen reveals the depths of the Israeli media’s delusion (Oren Ziv//+972 6/11/25);
Israel posts record $14.7B in defense deals as European demand soars: What to know (Al Monitor 6/8/25)
“Israel’s defense exports hit a record high in 2024, driven by rising demand from European countries despite growing criticism over the Gaza war and efforts from some states on the continent to reduce dependence on Israel.” See also Keir Starmer calls Israel’s recent actions in Gaza ‘appalling and intolerable’ (The Guardian 6/4/25); Macron says UN conference on Israeli-Palestinian conflict postponed after attack on Iran (TOI 6/13/25); Amid Gulf pressure, Abbas tells Macron ‘Hamas will no longer rule Gaza’ (Al Monitor 6/10/25);
GAZA
‘It’s a Disaster’: Gazans Describe Chaos, Violence at Food Aid Distribution Sites (Haaretz 6/11/25)
“More than two weeks have passed since the U.S.-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation began operating distribution areas in the Strip, but the overcrowding, the chaos and fighting over every aid parcel continue.”
The planned expulsion of Gaza’s population is already underway (Gadi Algazi//+972 6/13/25)
“The recurring massacres of Palestinians rushing to food distribution centers, with at least 245 Palestinians killed in the past two weeks, have shocked many. But these incidents should not distract us from the structural change: instead of hundreds of food distribution centers operating across the Gaza Strip by experienced international organizations, Israel set up only four centers for over two million people. That is not how to meet the needs of a population after many months of devastation and deprivation. It’s how you starve and strip survivors of their human dignity. The location of the four centers is no less important. One is in the central part of the Strip along the Netzarim Corridor, and three in the south, west of Rafah. A quick look at the map is enough to understand: there is no connection between the locations of the “distribution centers” and the needs of the people. Instead, the goal is to promote “moving the population” southward, ideally into the “concentration zones.” Since this constitutes a crime against humanity, Israel employed concealment tactics: first expelling established aid groups that could provide aid efficiently, then outsourcing distribution to opaque entities like the U.S.-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF).” See also Israeli forces kill at least 60 Palestinians seeking food in Gaza, health officials say (The Guardian 6/11/25); What we know about the killing of Palestinians at a food point in Gaza (The Guardian 6/4/25);
How Israel is engineering Gaza’s social collapse (Mahmoud Mushtaha//+972 6/12/25)
“What is unfolding is not mere military conquest but engineered disintegration — one in which Israel actively cultivates Gaza’s collapse by empowering criminal militias, fragmenting authority, and dismantling every pillar of Palestinian social infrastructure. At the center of this unraveling stands Yasser Abu Shabab, a 32-year-old Rafah native of Bedouin descent. Once imprisoned by Hamas on charges of narcotics trafficking, Abu Shabab now leads the “Popular Forces” (al-Quwat al-Shaabiya), a militia operating with open Israeli backing in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip. Publicly, he postures as a provider of order and protector of humanitarian aid; in reality, he is the linchpin of a proxy war to replace governance with warlordism and clan-based coercion. Abu Shabab’s rise is no accident. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has admitted to “activating powerful clans in Gaza” to counter Hamas, as corroborated by former right-wing Israeli Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman, as well as media investigations showing his militia operating in Israeli-controlled zones, armed with AK-47s seized from Hamas and redistributed with the approval of Israel’s security cabinet.” See also ‘Death and hunger’: Videos, expert analysis and witnesses point to Israeli gunfire in Gaza aid site shooting (CNN 6/5/25)
Netanyahu defends arming Palestinian clans accused of ties with jihadist groups (The Guardian 6/6/25)
“The Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, has admitted arming clans in Gaza that he says are opposed to Hamas, after allegations that members of these criminal gangs looted humanitarian aid and have ties to jihadist groups. The admission came after Israeli media reports quoted defence sources as saying Netanyahu had authorised giving weapons to a clan reportedly led by a man known as Yasser Abu Shabab, a Rafah resident from a Bedouin family, known locally for his involvement in criminal activity…On the advice of security officials, we activated clans in Gaza that oppose Hamas. What’s wrong with that?” Netanyahu said in a short video he posted on social media.” See also Israel accused of arming Palestinian gang who allegedly looted aid in Gaza (The Guardian 6/5/25); ‘Sources confirm Israel arming Gazan gang to bolster opposition to Hamas (TOI 6/5/25); Israel Armed Palestinian Militia to Fight Hamas, Officials Say (NYT 6/5/25); Hamas has killed 50 Palestinian fighters armed by Israel in Gaza, faction’s associates say (The Guardian 6/11/25);
American Security Contractor Unloads On US-Israeli ‘Gaza Humanitarian Foundation’ (Zeteo 6/13/25)
“I am one of hundreds of security contractors who have been in Gaza to facilitate aid under the new US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation project. And it’s all bullshit.” See also Israel-backed Gaza delivery group names US evangelical leader as chair (The Guardian 6/3/25); An Inside Look at Gaza’s Chaotic New Aid System (Isaac Chotiner//New Yorker 6/11/25); Outsourcing Occupation: US Private Contractors in Gaza (Safa Joudeh//Al Shabaka 6/10/25); Chicago Private Equity Firm Has Stake in Controversial U.S.-backed Gaza Aid Operation (Haaretz 6/6/25); At least 27 Palestinians killed by Israeli fire at food point, Gaza officials say (The Guardian 6/3/25); Palestinians gunned down while trying to reach food aid site in Gaza, hospital says (Guardian 6/1/25); Boston Consulting Group CEO apologizes for Israeli-backed Gaza aid project (WaPo 6/6/25); U.S. consulting firm quits Gaza humanitarian aid effort amid criticism (WaPo 6/3/25); Gaza Humanitarian Foundation says five workers killed in attack (WaPo 6/11/25);
Israel is falsely designating Gaza areas as empty in order to bomb them (Yuval Abraham//+972 Magazine 6/5/25)
“The army is using an algorithm it knows to be inaccurate to declare Gaza neighborhoods as “green,” or cleared of residents, and carry out airstrikes — killing hundreds of civilians in recent weeks, a joint investigation reveals.” See also Israeli use of human shields in Gaza was systematic, soldiers and former detainees tell the AP (AP 5/24/25); “It’s an order—destroy the neighborhood so Arabs can’t return” (Drop Site 6/6/25); A 63-Year-Old Medical Worker Spent Three Months as a Human Shield for Israeli Brigades in Gaza (Drop Site 6/5/25);
RIVER TO THE SEA
Smotrich moves to paralyze Palestinian economy in response to Western sanctions (TOI 6/11/25)
“Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich directed his office on Tuesday to cancel a critical policy for sustaining the Palestinian economy in retaliation for the decision by five Western countries to sanction him and fellow far-right minister Itamar Ben Gvir…Smotrich had earlier in the day reportedly pledged to collapse the PA in response to the sanctions, even though Ramallah was not known to have had any involvement in the joint decision by the UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Norway.”
A Grim Poll Showed Most Jewish Israelis Support Expelling Gazans. It’s Brutal – and It’s True (Dahlia Scheindlin//Haaretz 6/3/25)
“Friends, colleagues, peace activists, journalists and strangers wrote in from Australia to Uruguay to down the block, asking if it could possibly be true that 82 percent of Israeli Jews support “the transfer (expulsion) of residents of the Gaza Strip to other countries?” No less than 54 percent of Jewish respondents were “very” supportive. Other findings were grim: A majority of 56 percent of Jews supported the “transfer (forced expulsion) of Arab citizens of Israel to other countries.” And when asked directly whether they agreed with the position that the IDF, “when conquering an enemy city, should act in a manner similar to the way the Israelites acted when they conquered Jericho under the leadership of Joshua, namely, to kill all its inhabitants?” nearly half, 47 percent, agreed…People wrote in asking whether the survey’s methodology was credible, or whether the findings sounded remotely reasonable, in my long experience testing conflict-related attitudes. The blunt answer is yes and yes.”
In Nur Shams and Tulkarem, Israeli incursions leave ‘nothing to salvage’ (Basel Adra//+972 Magazine 6/5/25)
“Once home to more than 13,000 Palestinians, Nur Shams is now a ghost town after Israel’s most aggressive military campaign against West Bank refugee camps in decades. Reports indicate near-total destruction across its dense one-square-kilometer area east of Tulkarm, with nearly every home damaged and many completely flattened to rubble. According to the Palestinian Center for Human Rights, the more than four-month-long assault on the Nur Shams and Tulkarem refugee camps has killed at least 13 Palestinians — including a child and two women, one eight-months pregnant — wounded dozens, and displaced over 4,200 families, totaling over 25,000 people.”
The Deadliest Period in History for Palestinian Prisoners in Israeli Detention (Mariam Barghouti//Drop Site 6/1/25)
“While news reports and testimonies have emerged of the torture of Palestinian prisoners held in detention camps like Sde Teiman—where there are frequent beatings, starvation, forced stress positions, rape, and death—there has been less recognition that these conditions are prevalent across all Israeli prisons and detention centers…At least 70 Palestinian detainees have been confirmed killed in Israeli detention between October 2023 and May 2025 as a result of torture by Israeli interrogators or prison units, systemic starvation, or medical negligence through the deliberate denial of medical care. According to prisoner rights groups, dozens more have been killed in detention, particularly those arrested from Gaza, yet remain unidentified. Israel refuses to provide a comprehensive list of all detained Palestinians, with significant numbers forcibly disappeared and their whereabouts or condition unknown. Nearly all Palestinians released from Israeli prisons and detention camps, regardless of age, often emerge with ashen faces, shaved heads, scrawny bodies, and extensive bruising. In recent months, prison conditions and mistreatment of Palestinian detainees appear to be deteriorating even further.”
What Every IDF Soldier Serving at Notorious Sde Teiman Knows Is Happening to Its Palestinian Detainees (Anonymous//Haaretz 5/31/25)
“As anyone who has been there knows, Sde Teiman is a sadistic torture camp. Since late 2023, dozens of detainees have entered alive and left in body bags. There are testimonies from guards, doctors and detainees, all recounting similar events…Many of them weren’t even members of the Nukhba (the Hamas commando force that led the October 7 attack), just regular Palestinian civilians from Gaza detained for investigation and, after enduring brutal abuse, released when it turned out they were innocent. It’s no wonder people died there. The wonder is that anyone survived.”
U.S. SCENE
US ambassador to Israel says US no longer pursuing goal of independent Palestinian state (The Guardian 6/10/25)
“The former Arkansas governor chosen by Donald Trump as his envoy to Israel went further by suggesting that any future Palestinian entity could be carved out of “a Muslim country” rather than requiring Israel to cede territory.”
US imposes sanctions on a Palestinian NGO and other charities, accusing them ties to militant groups (AP 6/10/25)
“The U.S. Treasury Department on Tuesday imposed sanctions on a major Palestinian legal group for prisoners and detainees along with five other charitable entities across the Middle East, Africa and Europe, accusing them of supporting Palestinian armed factions and militant groups, including Hamas’ military wing, under the pretense of humanitarian aid in Gaza. Those sanctioned include Addameer, a nongovernmental organization that was founded in 1991 and is based in the city of Ramallah in the Israeli-occupied West Bank.”
Trump’s Illegal Cuts to University Funding, Explained (Alex Kane//Jewish Currents 6/5/25)
“In halting federal funding, Trump administration officials have repeatedly claimed that they are following Title VI of the 1964 Civil Rights Act, which prohibits institutions receiving federal support from creating or permitting a “hostile environment” for students on the basis of race, national origin, or other protected identity classes. But experts have said that the Trump administration is leapfrogging the legal process outlined by the Civil Rights Act, even as it points to Title VI as justification for their funding cuts. In the process, legal experts say, the administration is not only misusing Title VI—turning a statute intended to combat discrimination into a potent weapon with which to assault pro-Palestinian activism—it is also illegally undermining universities. This explainer delves into how the Trump administration is using Title VI law; the precedents Trump is building on in turning Title VI against critics of Israel; and how such weaponization of civil rights law relates to the administration’s attempts to undermine the rule of law.” See also Judge Denies Mahmoud Khalil Release, Siding with Trump Admin’s 11th Hour Argument (Zeteo 6/13/25); University of Michigan using undercover investigators to surveil student Gaza protesters (The Guardian 6/6/25); In Public, Harvard Is Fighting Trump. Quietly, It’s Dismantling a Program the White House Doesn’t Like. (Chronicle of Higher Education 6/9/25); A Professor Was Fired for Her Politics. Is That the Future of Academia? (NYT 6/6/25); Harvard appears to think all Jews support Israel. That is discriminatory (Barry Trachtenberg, Victor Silverman, Atalia Omer, Raz Segal, Rebecca T Alpert and Judith Butler//The Guardian 6/12/25)
The Era of Unconditional Support for Israel is Ending (Peter Beinart//Jewish Currents 6/6/25)
“Over the last 18 months, Israel’s assault on Gaza has made many of these conservatives associate the Jewish state even more strongly with wars that threaten to draw in the US. This has contributed to an enormous gap between the way younger and older conservatives view Israel. According to the Pew Research Center, 50% of Republican adults ages 18–49 now hold an unfavorable view of the Jewish state, compared to only 23% ages 50 and above. By comparison, the generation gap among Democrats is only five points. A 2024 Northeastern University poll found that Republicans 18–24 feel more negatively toward Israel than Democrats over the age of 65. These young conservatives are led by a spate of far-right influencers—from Tucker Carlson to Candace Owens to Nick Fuentes—who offer harsh criticism of Israel, much of it suffused with conspiracy theories about Jews.” See also The intra-GOP fight over Israel’s strikes on Iran (Axios 6/13/25); Tucker Carlson splits from Trump, advocates ‘dropping Israel’ (JI 6/13/25); New Quinnipiac poll illustrates deepening partisanship over Israel (JI 6/11/25); 22 House progressives push unprecedented new restrictions on U.S. aid to Israel (JI 5/30/25)
Exclusive: ADL chief compares student protesters to ISIS and al-Qaida in address to Republican officials (The Forward 6/6/25)
“Jonathan Greenblatt, the Anti-Defamation League CEO, repeatedly compared pro-Palestinian student protesters to Islamist terrorists in comments to Republican attorneys general and said the left harbored the “real deal threat” to Jews…“There is a throughline from Occupy Wall Street to BLM to ‘defund the police’ to ‘River to the Sea,’” he added, referring to the Black Lives Matter movement launched a decade ago to protest police violence. “They are the same people, these are the same kind of nihilists.”’ See also MIT Student Condemned Genocide — So ADL Chief Said She Helped Cause Boulder Attack (The Intercept 6/4/25)
US deports two Palestinians who landed with valid visas for an interfaith mission (Middle East Eye 6/13/25)
“Two Palestinian peace activists who were detained upon landing in the US during a trip sponsored by a synagogue were deported from San Francisco on Friday, friends and fellow activists have told Middle East Eye. Eid Hathaleen and Awdah Hathaleen, cousins from the Masafer Yatta village of Umm al-Khair in the occupied West Bank, possessed valid visas and, after being detained, had their visas revoked upon landing in the US on Wednesday.” See also Palestinian Activists Came to Speak at California Synagogue — But Face Deportation at the Airport (The Intercept 6/12/25); U.S. Authorities Detain Two Palestinians Invited to Speak With Jewish Groups in California (Haaretz 6/12/25); Visas abruptly canceled for 2 Palestinian humanitarian activists detained at SFO: SF supervisor (ABC7News 6/12/25)
PERSPECTIVES//LONG READS
What Gaza Needs Now (Mosab Abu Toha 6/12/25)
“My family is starving. My neighbors are dying. I’m compelled to share these injustices because they need to stop.”
A Palestinian Doctor in Israel Helps People on Both Sides (New Yorker 6/9/25)
“Lina Qasem Hassan treated victims of October 7th. She also publicly condemned the war in Gaza—a stance that imperilled her job.” See also The Shame of Israeli Medicine (Neve Gordon, Guy Shalev, Osama Tannous//NYRB 5/31/25)
I told the truth about the West Bank and was threatened and assaulted. Now I’m relying on you to act (Issa Amro//The Guardian 6/3/25)
“Without concrete actions now, we will be erased across the West Bank as well as in Gaza. Forty thousand Palestinian refugees have been expelled from their West Bank homes since January. Twenty Palestinian communities have been expelled from their West Bank lands after attacks from settlers and the occupying army employing bulldozers. Last week the last remaining 30 families of Maghayir al-Deir, near Ramallah, were forced to flee after months of escalating state-backed settler violence. Despite these extraordinarily dark times, I write this with a great sense of hope in my heart inspired by the many people of conscience in the world who stand with us.”
Silence Is Complicity: Why Israeli Academia Must Strike Against the Atrocities in Gaza (Inbal Arnon, Ido Katri & Zohar Weiman-Kelman//Haaretz 6/3/25)
“We can declare that we will stop teaching or doing research as long the destruction grows, the Israeli hostages are abandoned and the silence continues. We can go on strike for a day, a week, until further notice. The important thing is to stop pretending that nothing is going on. This is not a question of our public image or personal conscience. It is not about how we will be remembered in history, or what our colleagues abroad will think about us. It is a principled and practical question: What can we do to stop this war, that brings with it not only devastating destruction to Palestinians, and neglectful abandonment of Israeli hostages, but also a deep and lasting breakdown of civic society? In light of the collapse of the system of checks and balances, we must say: We will not continue as usual. We will strike, to shatter the illusion of normalcy, to stop the complicity, to break the silence.” See also Mossad’s Former Chief Calls the War in Gaza ‘Useless’ (The Atlantic 6/5/25); Israeli Soldier, Beware – You Are Walking Into a War Crime (Michael Sfard//Haaretz 6/5/25)
This Israeli Government Is a Danger to Jews Everywhere (Thomas Friedman//NYT 6/10/25)
“But as a Jew who believes in the right of the Jewish people to live in a secure state in their biblical homeland — alongside a secure Palestinian state — I am focused right now on my own tribe. And if my own tribe does not resist this Israeli government’s utter indifference to the number of civilians being killed in Gaza today — as well its attempt to tilt Israel into authoritarianism at home by moving to sack its independent attorney general — Jews everywhere will pay dearly.”
Why Ehud Olmert Thinks His Country Is Committing War Crimes (interview with Isaac Chotiner//New Yorker 6/6/25)
Olmert: “What has happened lately is that it is obvious to everyone that there is no purpose that can justify the expansion of these military activities. There is not any goal that can justify continuing the military operation at the risk of losing the hostages, at the risk of losing the lives of Israeli soldiers, and the risk of losing the lives of many of the non-involved people in Gaza. There is not any purpose. The perception in Israel is that this is a personal war or illegitimate war that is being conducted exclusively because of the political interests of the Prime Minister. This is a crime. This is not something that can be defended. And the fact that there are so many victims can’t be justified. It’s as simple as that.”
Israel’s War on Reproduction in Gaza (Hala Shoman//MERIP 6/11/25)
“In an effort to trace the effects of reprocide amid Israel’s ongoing genocidal war, between October 2023 and October 2024, I collected ethnographic evidence—voice notes, text messages, emails and phone calls—from those enduring or witnessing reproductive violence. Analyzing their accounts alongside official reports from Gaza reveals the many ways Israel has weaponized reproduction, some more obvious than others: from the direct assaults on reproductive health and infrastructure to the conditions it forces women and men to reproduce under to sexual violence and its role in reproductive erasure.” See also For pregnant Palestinian women, checkpoints are a matter of life and death (Hala H.//+972 Magazine 6/10/25)
In Haifa, where ‘coexistence’ requires silence about Israel’s war crimes (Ghousoon Bisharat//+972 Magazine 6/6/25)
“Last Saturday, I joined thousands in the streets to protest the genocide. But the ensuing backlash has made me question whether I’m welcome in my own city.”
Israel no longer hides its genocidal aims in Gaza. Will the world keep looking away? (Omar Rahman//+972 Magazine 6/3/25)
“Since Trump’s return, Israel has dropped all pretenses of self-defense. But even as it evades accountability, it has cemented its legacy as a global pariah.”
The two-state solution is a delusion (Rabea Eghbariah//The Guardian 6/12/25)
“The truth is that the two-state solution has become a delusion – a mantra repeated to mask an entrenched one-state reality. From the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea, Israel controls the lives of all Palestinians, without equal rights, without equal representation, and with a system built to preserve Jewish supremacy. This system has long constituted apartheid, now affirmed as such by the international court of justice for violating prohibitions on racial segregation and the crime of apartheid. And yet the two-state delusion persists. This mantra continues to prop up the illusion that Israeli occupation is on the brink of ending – if only more states recognize the Palestinian state and if only Palestinians and Israelis would just sit down and talk. But three decades of so-called peace negotiations have yielded nothing but deeper entrenchment of Israeli occupation, systematic land theft and escalating subjugation of Palestinians.”
Living Through the Unimaginable: a Testament from Gaza (Dr. Yasser Abu Jamei//Counter Punch 6/11/25)
“So, how do you provide mental health care during genocide? You do it by refusing to accept that any people deserve to live this way. You do it by helping a child speak again, by sitting with a parent’s guilt, by finding hope in the simple act of survival itself. But mostly, you do it by demanding the world remember that Palestinians are not resilient by choice—we are resilient because we have no other option. And that must change. When this ends—and it will end—Gaza’s children will carry these traumas for generations. But they won’t be the only ones marked by this moment. History will ask what you did when you knew. Mental health, it turns out, isn’t just about healing trauma—it’s about preventing it. The question isn’t just how we provide care during genocide. It’s why the world allows genocide to continue.”