NEW FROM FMEP
FMEP Legislative Round-Up May 9, 2025 (Lara Friedman)
- Bills, Resolutions; 2. Letters; 3. Hearings; 4. Selected Members on the Record; 5. Selected Media & Press releases/Statements
Settlement & Annexation Report: May 9, 2025 (Kristin McCarthy)
- Smotrich Says E-1 To Be Approved in Coming Months, Cautioned Annexation Will be Enacted but Not Announced; 2. West Bank Settlement & Annexation News; 3. East Jerusalem Settlement News; 4. Israeli Politics; 5. U.S. Politics.
GAZA
She’s dying in front of my eyes’: The Gazan children starving under Israeli siege (Ahmed Ahmed & Ruweida Amer//+972 Magazine 5/9/25)
“For a little over two months, Israel has prevented all food, goods, and medical supplies from entering the Gaza Strip. The consequences have been catastrophic: According to Gaza’s Government Media Office, over 70,000 children are now hospitalized with acute malnutrition, and 1.1 million lack the daily minimum nutritional requirements for survival. The Palestinian Health Ministry in Gaza reported that, as of May 5, at least 57 children have already died from malnutrition-related health complications since the start of the war, and another 3,500 under the age of five face imminent risk of death from starvation.” See also Aid group closes soup kitchens across Gaza due to dwindling supplies (AP 5/8/25); Leading agency shuts its Gaza soup kitchens amid continued Israeli aid ban (TOI 5/8/25); ‘There is no life here’: Palestinians say Israel is imposing its Gaza endgame (The Guardian 5/6/25)
This Is the Moment of Moral Reckoning in Gaza (Sean Carroll, President & CEO of Anera//NYT 5/6/25)
“A full-blown humanitarian emergency in Gaza is no longer looming. It is here, and it is catastrophic. It’s been more than two months since Israel cut off all humanitarian aid and commercial supplies into Gaza. The World Food Program delivered its last stores of food on April 25. Two million Palestinians in Gaza, nearly half of them children, are now surviving on a single meal every two or three days. At makeshift clinics run by my relief organization, American Near East Refugee Aid, signs of prolonged starvation are becoming more frequent and alarming…This is the longest continuous total siege Gaza has endured in the war. Israel is now openly exploiting aid as a tool of war; senior Israeli officials have declared what effectively is the intent to use starvation as a tactic to pressure Hamas to release the remaining hostages — a clear violation of international law. Many Palestinians fear it is also part of a plan to expel them from Gaza, and aid groups warn that Palestinians could end up in “de facto internment conditions.”…This is the moment of moral reckoning. Will the world be complicit in Gaza’s collapse, or part of its recovery?” See also “The Situation Now Is So Beyond Imagination” (Isaac Chotiner interviews Louise Wateridge, United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA)//New Yorker 5/2/25); As Gaza Siege Grinds On, Gazan Children Go Hungry and Patients Die (NYT 5/4/25); Israel is starving Gaza. It’s a cheap, silent and brutal way to kill (Ahmed Moor//The Guardian 5/7/25)
UN and aid groups denounce Israeli-U.S. plan for Gaza aid delivery (Axios 5/4/25)
“The UN and all aid organizations operating in Gaza jointly announced they would not cooperate with an Israeli-U.S. plan to establish a new mechanism for aid delivery to Palestinians in the enclave because it “contravenes fundamental humanitarian principles.”…Israel has been blocking the delivery of all food, water, and medicine to Gaza since the ceasefire broke down two months ago…UN aid agencies say food supplies in Gaza will run out within days.” See also UN Slams Israel’s Gaza Aid Distribution Plan as ‘Incompatible With Humanitarian Principles’ (Haaretz 5/8/25); US pressuring humanitarian groups to get behind Israeli aid plan for Gaza (TOI 5/8/25); Groups fear Israeli proposal for controlling aid in Gaza will forcibly displace people (AP 5/3/25); Aid groups voice alarm as US pushes Israeli plan for Gaza assistance (The Guardian 5/9/25); Israel plans to control aid distribution in Gaza, use U.S. contractors (WaPo 5/5/25);
Israel plans to occupy and flatten all of Gaza if no deal by Trump’s trip (Axios 5/5/25)
“Israel’s Security Cabinet approved a plan Sunday night to gradually reoccupy all of Gaza and hold it indefinitely if no deal is reached by May 15. Plans for the operation call for the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) to flatten any buildings that remain standing and displace virtually the entire population of 2 million people to a single “humanitarian area.” The alternative to remaining in the humanitarian zone is for Palestinians to leave the enclave “voluntarily” for other countries “in line with President Trump’s vision for Gaza,” an Israeli official said. Such departures could hardly be considered voluntary, and no country has agreed thus far to accept displaced Palestinians. Israeli officials claim there are ongoing negotiations with several countries on that front.” See also Israel vows to escalate war with new plan to ‘conquer’ Gaza (CNN 5/6/25); Netanyahu says new offensive in Gaza focused on consolidating seizure of territory (The Guardian 5/5/25); Israel plans to seize parts of Gaza and stay indefinitely (WaPo 5/5/25); 27 Palestinians killed, 85 wounded in Gaza in last day, Hamas-run Health Ministry says (Haaretz 5/9/25)
‘Desperate, traumatised people’: Gaza faces wave of looting, theft and violence (The Guardian 5/7/25)
“Gaza has been hit by a wave of looting and theft as increasingly desperate Palestinians struggle to get food while criminal gangs exploit a breakdown in law and order. Aid officials and witnesses in the devastated territory describe armed men attacking humanitarian warehouses, firefights over remaining food stores and a spate of stealing of supplies vital for survival, such as solar chargers, batteries, phones and cooking pots.” See also Hamas executes looters in Gaza as food crisis worsens under Israeli blockade (Reuters 5/4/25);
Israeli Airstrikes Decimate the Last Restaurant in Gaza City in Nightmarish Bloodbath (Rasha Abou Jalal//Drop Site 5/7/25)
“On Wednesday afternoon, two Israeli airstrikes slammed into Thai Restaurant—the last restaurant still open in Gaza City—turning a once bustling gathering place into a panorama of death. A third, near simultaneous, airstrike hit a nearby crowded market on al-Wahda street, sending body parts everywhere. At least thirty-three Palestinians were killed and nearly ninety wounded in the three airstrikes, according to the health ministry, though the actual death toll is likely higher.” See also Israeli strikes kill 48 at Gaza shelters for displaced Palestinians, hospitals say, as military operation intensifies (CNN 5/7/25); Israeli airstrikes kill at least 40 people in Gaza, officials say (The Guardian 5/3/25); ‘What’s left to bomb?’ Israel’s plan to expand campaign strikes fear into Gazans (Reuters 5/6/25)
Gaza will be entirely destroyed, Israeli minister says (The Guardian 5/6/25)
“An Israeli government minister has vowed that “Gaza will be entirely destroyed” as a result of an Israeli military victory, and that its Palestinian population will “leave in great numbers to third countries”, raising fears of ethnic cleansing in the occupied territory. The declaration on Tuesday by the finance minister, Bezalel Smotrich, came a day after Israel’s security cabinet approved a plan for Operation Gideon’s Chariots, which an Israeli official said would entail “the conquest of the Gaza Strip and the holding of the territories”.’ See also Israeli Army Places Returning Hostages at Bottom of Its Gaza War Goals, Despite Promises to Families (Haaretz 5/8/25);
REGION/GLOBAL
U.S. to end bombings of Houthi militants in Yemen, Trump says (WaPo 5/6/25)
“President Donald Trump said Tuesday that the United States will halt its targeting of Yemen’s Houthi militants, 51 days after he pledged a campaign of “overwhelming lethal force” against the Iran-backed group in response to its attacks on commercial shipping and military vessels in the Red Sea. Trump, speaking in the Oval Office, unexpectedly said the Houthis “don’t want to fight anymore,” and that the United States will “honor that” and stop its bombing in Yemen. “They have capitulated, but more importantly, we will take their own word,” Trump said. “They say they will not be blowing up ships anymore, and that’s the purpose of what we were doing.” U.S. officials offered few additional details about the abrupt change in strategy, which follows weeks in which Trump administration officials touted the U.S. military operation as a success story while disclosing few details about it.” See also Trump Marveled at Houthi “Bravery.” Here’s Why. (Drop Site 5/8/25); Under Trump, Saudi civil nuclear talks delinked from Israel recognition, sources say (Reuters 5/8/25); Vance: Iran can have ‘civil nuclear power’ but no weapon (JI 5/7/25)
Israel pummels Sanaa airport in strikes on Houthis as US denies involvement (Al Monitor 5/6/25)
“Israeli fighter jets launched a series of airstrikes in Yemen’s capital Sanaa targeting Houthi infrastructure at the city’s lone airport, less than a day after similar strikes in the port city of Hodeidah…”US forces did not participate in the Israeli strikes on Yemen today,” a US defense official told Al-Monitor. Separately, a US official speaking to Reuters on condition of anonymity also said US forces were not involved, but noted that there is coordination between the two countries.” See also Israeli airstrikes rock airport in Yemen’s capital (WaPo 5/6/25); US reaches truce with Houthis hours after Israel bombs their airport in Yemen (JTA 5/6/25); Syria’s Sharaa confirms indirect talks with Israel (Al Monitor 5/7/25)
Houthis pledge more attacks on Israel despite Trump truce: What to know (Al Monitor 5/7/25)
“US President Donald Trump’s surprise announcement of a ceasefire in Yemen drew various statements from the Yemeni Houthi group on Wednesday. Some officials acknowledged the truce while others warned that attacks on Israel would continue until its military offensive in the Gaza Strip stops. “The agreement does not include Israel in any way, shape or form,” Mohammed Abdulsalam, the Houthis’ chief negotiator, told Reuters on Wednesday. “As long as they announced the cessation and they are actually committed to that, our position was self-defense, so we will stop,” he added. The head of the Houthis’ Supreme Political Council, Mahdi al-Mashat, vowed that his group will not back down from its support for Gaza “no matter the cost,” stressing that the response to the Israeli attacks on Yemen’s Sanaa airport on Tuesday will be “earth-shattering.”’
Revealed: Britain’s Labour Government Sent 8,000 “Munitions of War” to Israel After Saying It Had Stopped (Matt Kennard, Abdulla Sabir, and Inès Khoury//Drop Site 5/7/25)
“After the UK adopted a new policy that it would not allow any weapons shipments that could be used in Gaza, Britain’s Labour government allowed the export of 8,630 separate munitions to Israel.”
Israel moves to tighten control of aid and rights groups (WaPo 5/6/25)
“As its military launches a campaign this week to seize territory in Gaza, Israel’s government and lawmakers are moving to escalate a crackdown on humanitarian and human rights organizations — both international and Israeli — that provide aid to Palestinians or monitor human rights violations in the Palestinian territories. After the government announced sweeping new visa and registration rules in March for international aid organizations operating in Palestinian territories, lawmakers from parties in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government this week debated a controversial bill that would choke the flow of foreign government funding to Israeli nongovernment organizations that document human rights abuses in the occupied West Bank and Gaza.” See also Pincer Movement: Inside Trump and Netanyahu’s War on Israeli, Palestinian and International Peace, Aid and Civil Rights Groups (Linda Dayan & Ben Samuels//Haaretz 5/5/25); ‘Framed as Threat to the State’ | Human Rights Groups in West Bank, East J’lem, Gaza Condemn ‘Politicized’ Israeli NGO Bill (Haaretz 5/6/25)
New film claims to identify Israeli killer of journalist Shireen Abu Akleh (The Guardian 5/8/25)
“A new US-made documentary has produced evidence pointing to the identity of an Israeli soldier who shot dead the Palestinian-American journalist Shireen Abu Akleh in 2022. The documentary, Who Killed Shireen?, concludes that a member of the Duvdevan Israeli special forces unit shot Abu Akleh while she was reporting for Al Jazeera in Jenin, on the West Bank. The Israeli government, led by Naftali Bennett at the time, initially tried to cast blame on Palestinian militants for her death, but after a few months admitted that Israeli troops were probably responsible. However, the Israelis never identified the unit or individual responsible, nor did they allow the Biden administration access to them. The documentary, made by the Zeteo media organisation, sets out not only to identify the soldier responsible for the journalist’s death, but also to show the failure of the US government to hold the Israeli military to account.” See also Zeteo Documentary Exposes Identity of Israeli Soldier Who Killed Shireen Abu Akleh (Prem Thakker//Zeteo 5/8/25)
RIVER TO THE SEA
In Israel’s Demolition Path, West Bank Residents Pack Up Their Lives (NYT 5/8/25)
“Since January, the Israeli military has conducted a large-scale military operation in three camps in the northern West Bank, displacing tens of thousands of people and causing widespread destruction. Israeli officials, who say the purpose of the campaign is to target militants and their weapons, have said the military should be prepared to remain in the camps for a year.” See also ‘This Is How You Kill the Palestinian State’ | Smotrich Says Gov’t Set to Approve Construction Plans That Would Divide West Bank in Half (Haaretz 5/6/25); Israeli Practices in the Occupied West Bank: A Prelude to Annexation (Jonathan Kuttab//Arab Center DC 5/7/25); Israel Launches PR Initiative to Boost Global ‘Legitimization’ of West Bank Settlements (Haaretz 5/7/25)
Palestinians awoke to bulldozers. Their village was destroyed by noon (Basel Adra//+972 Magazine 5/6/25)
“In the early hours of Monday morning, two massive Hyundai excavators and two Caterpillar bulldozers roared out of the gates of the Ma’on settlement in the South Hebron Hills — illegally built on Palestinian land belonging to the village of At-Tuwani. For residents living in the area, the sight of these “yellow monsters,” as they call them, is an omen: the day will be filled with destruction, and families will lose homes they woke up in just hours earlier. Roughly 90 minutes later, the full force of the operation became clear. Military jeeps, soldiers from the Israeli army, Border Patrol units, Civil Administration officials, and a group of workers assembled and then moved as a unit toward Khirbet Khilet al-Dabe’, a small but resilient village nestled between the higher lands of Shafa Yatta and the lower hills of Masafer Yatta…What took place in Khilet al-Dabe’ was not merely a demolition — it was a sweeping erasure. In total, nine homes were destroyed, along with six caves, seven wells, four livestock shelters, 10 water tanks, and the village’s only solar energy system and internet infrastructure. Khirbet Khilet al-Dabe’ is one of the main communities featured in our documentary “No Other Land.”’ See also Israel Demolishes Most of West Bank Village in Largest Masafer Yatta Demolition Yet (Hagar Shezaf 5/6/25)
Israel claims to care about Palestinian students — so it shuts down their schools (Gil Gertel//+972 Magazine 5/6/25)
“The Education Ministry ordered UNRWA-run schools in East Jerusalem to close, citing ‘student welfare.’ 800 may lose their classrooms this month.”
‘Depopulation,’ ‘Kill Zone,’ and ‘Second Nakba’: The Lexicon of Brutality Exposes How Israelis Talk About the War (Sheren Falah Saab//Haaretz 5/4/25)
“As the authors put it, as words lose their moral gravitas, it’s more important than ever to observe how the Israeli discourse shapes the collective consciousness about the Palestinians. This shaping creates a violent reality that ties in directly to the 1948 Nakba, when more than 700,000 Arabs fled or were expelled from their homes during the War of Independence. According to Raz and Bondy, the use of militaristic, aggressive and violent language not only minimizes the Palestinians’ humanity, it shapes perceptions of reality and public behavior. Analysts, politicians and other people in key positions manipulate words and phrases and in the end control Israelis’ thoughts and behavior.” See also In Israel, calls for genocide have migrated from the margins to the mainstream (Tamir Sorek//The Conversation 4/2/25); Despite Calls to ‘Burn Gaza,’ Destroy Palestinian Cities, No Incitement Probe of Israeli Finance Minister, Likud MK (Haaretz 4/4/25); Israel’s Cabinet Decides Not to Form Oct. 7 State Commission of Inquiry Amid New Gaza War Plan (Haaretz 5/5/25)
The Catastrophic Displacement from Jenin Camp: Where Is the Palestinian Authority? (Asri Faiad interviews Mohammad Sabbagh//Institute for Palestine Studies 4/25/25)
“One hundred days have passed since the launch of the Israeli military operation known as “Iron Wall” targeting the camps of northern West Bank—most notably the Jenin refugee camp. The operation continues without a declared end date and has, so far, displaced around 18,000 residents from the camp and neighboring areas while, according to WAFA, around 600 housing units have been destroyed and many more damaged. These people have been scattered across approximately 86 locations within the Jenin governorate and beyond, without being allowed to carry any of their belongings or necessities. This disaster of displacement has created an immense crisis that surpasses the capacity of even international institutions and states. IPS conducted the following interview in April with Mr. Mohammed Al-Sabbagh, head of the Popular Services Committee in the camp, a former prisoner who spent 23 years in Israeli captivity, and a native of Jenin camp.”
U.S. SCENE
I Was Detained for My Beliefs. Who Will Be Next? (Mohsen Mahdawi//NYT 5/2/25)
“The American government accuses me of undermining U.S. foreign policy, a patently absurd pretext for deportation for political speech that the Trump administration dislikes. The government is scraping the bottom of the barrel in its attempts to smear me. My only “crime” is refusing to accept the slaughter of Palestinians, opposing war and promoting peace. I have simply insisted that international law must be respected. I believe the way to a just and long-lasting peace for Palestinians and Israelis is through diplomacy and restorative justice. By seeking to deport me, the Trump administration is sending a clear message: There is no room for dissent, free speech be damned. It seems willing to shield an extremist Israeli government from criticism at the expense of constitutional rights, all while suppressing the possibility of a peaceful future for both Palestinians and Israelis, a future free of trauma and fear…Once the repression of dissent, in the name of security, becomes a key objective of a government, authoritarian rule and even martial law are not far off. When they look at my case, all Americans should ask themselves: What is left of our democracy, and who will be targeted next?” See also Columbia activist Mohsen Mahdawi speaks out in first network interview since detention: “You will not silence me” (CBS 5/6/25); Dozens of pro-Palestinian protesters arrested after Columbia calls in police (The Guardian 5/7/25); Why are some trying to silence our film on Columbia’s Gaza protests? (Hamza & Badie Ali//The Guardian 5/2/25); Palestinian poet Mosab Abu Toha wins Pulitzer prize for commentary (The Guardian 5/5/25); Judge orders immediate release of Rumeysa Ozturk, Tufts student detained by ICE (Politico 5/9/25);
U.S. to Downgrade Palestinian Affairs Office in Jerusalem, Officials Say (NYT 5/6/25)
“In recent years, an office within the U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem had a direct line of communication with Washington. That was meant to signal that the United States saw Palestinian issues as important, and considered the Israeli-occupied West Bank and the Gaza Strip to be separate from Israel. Now, the new U.S. ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee, has decided to shut down this direct channel, according to U.S. officials who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss private deliberations.”
GOP’s ‘Woke Right’ Scuttles Antisemitism and Israel-boycott Bills (Haaretz 5/9/25)
“ Republicans aligned with the party’s fringe have scuttled a pair of highly controversial antisemitism bills in recent weeks despite intense support from the pro-Israel establishment in the United States, bringing into question whether the GOP can address the matter through traditional efforts. The failure of the two bills – the Antisemitism Awareness Act and the IGO Anti-Boycott Act – further challenges how much influence the pro-Israel community has within the American political scene.”
Landlord sentenced for murdering 6-year-old Palestinian American boy (WaPo 5/2/25)
“An Illinois landlord was sentenced Friday to 53 years in prison for murdering a 6-year-old Palestinian American boy and severely wounding his mother during an October 2023 hate crime. Joseph Czuba, 73, fatally stabbed the child, Wadee Alfayoumi, and wounded his mother, Hanan Shaheen, a week after Hamas’s deadly Oct. 7 attack on Israel that year.”
Jewish feud over Trump escalates with open letter in The New York Times (Arno Rosenfeld//The Forward 5/8/25)
“More than three dozen former leaders of major Jewish organizations published an open letter in The New York Times rebuking current leadership for being “far too silent about the stunning assault on democratic norms.” Although they did not name President Donald Trump in the letter published Thursday, the signatories — which included directors and former chairs of the Anti-Defamation League, American Jewish Committee, Hillel International, the American Israel Public Affairs Committee and major federations — decried his administration’s approach to fighting antisemitism. “A range of actors are using a purported concern about Jewish safety as a cudgel,” they wrote. “We call on Jewish leaders and institutions – national and local – to resist the exploitation of Jewish fears.”’ See also U.S. Jewish Leaders Slam Establishment Orgs Over Silence on Trump’s Attack on Democracy (Haaretz 5/8/25); The Coming Jewish Civil War Over Donald Trump (Eric Alterman//TNR 5/8/25)
PERSPECTIVES//LONG READS
How Hamas Sees the Current Moment: An Exclusive Interview With Osama Hamdan (Jeremy Scahill//Drop Site 5/5/25)
“In an exclusive interview with Drop Site News, a senior Hamas official said that the movement will not capitulate to any demands from Israel or the U.S. to lay down its weapons and vowed that Hamas will reject any temporary ceasefire deal that does not include a clear path to a total Israeli withdrawal from Gaza and an end to the genocide.”
Senior Palestinian Resistance Leader: “There may come a day when Israel finds itself longing for Hamas” (Jeremy Scahill//Drop Site 5/9/25)
“A senior leader of Palestinian Islamic Jihad—the second largest armed resistance movement fighting in Gaza—told Drop Site News that no more Israeli captives will be freed unless the U.S. and regional mediators force Israel to agree to a ceasefire deal that includes the complete withdrawal of Israeli forces and an end to its military assault on the Strip. “We are not surrendering this single card in the hands of the resistance,” said Mohammed Al-Hindi, the deputy secretary general and chief political negotiator of PIJ, referring to the 59 Israel captives—living and dead—held in Gaza. “The condition of the resistance is: We are prepared to implement a comprehensive deal—the release of all captives held in Gaza in exchange for an end to the war and withdrawal.”’
Displacement is an Extra Limb That I Carry (Shaimaa Abulebda//Institute for Palestine Studies 4/29/25)
“Author’s Note: I wrote this testimony on March 17, 2025, around 20 hours before I was forcibly displaced again. During the horrifying, long stretch of the genocidal war on Gaza, we did not have the privilege or the time to sit with our feelings. Surviving was a priority over processing our emotions. During the few weeks of the ceasefire in January, I slowly began to navigate my feelings, attempting to crawl out of the shell cupping my heart. It is too much, however, for one to feel and comprehend all at once what we are enduring in Gaza. Now that I’ve permitted myself to confront, to finally process all that I’ve been through… I am nothing but grief.”
I’m an Israeli professor. Why is my work in Harvard’s antisemitism report? (Atalia Omer//The Guardian 5/9/25)
“When I first saw the Harvard report on antisemitism and anti-Israel bias, I didn’t expect to find myself in it. But I did, albeit without my name, my scholarship, or even my identity as a Jewish Israeli academic being acknowledged. The report was compiled and published in response to widespread pressure from donors and pro-Israel advocacy groups. It claims to document a crisis of antisemitism on campus. But what it actually reveals is Harvard’s willingness to redefine Jewish identity in narrow, ideological terms: to exclude and erase Jews who dissent from Zionism…It sends a chilling message to students and faculty: if you are a Jew who questions Zionism, you are suspect. If you engage in solidarity with Palestinians, you do not belong. If your scholarship complicates the tidy moral narrative of a beleaguered Israel, you are not just unwelcome—you are dangerous. This is not a defense of Jewish safety. It is an effort to police Jewish dissent.
Harvard talks free speech but silences Palestine (Lara Jirmanus//Al Jazeera 5/7/25)
“Harvard has fashioned itself as a free-speech warrior on the national stage for refusing to negotiate with the Trump administration on its sweeping demands for the university to drop its diversity, equity and inclusion measures and punish student protesters. However, inside Harvard’s campus walls, we have seen President Alan Garber oversee a systematic erasure of teaching, research and scholarship about Palestine…” See also NYU Demands Law Students Renounce Protests or Be Barred From Sitting Final Exams (The Intercept 5/3/25)
Fear and intimidation at Newark airport (Hebh Jamal//Al Jazeera 5/4/25)
“My husband, a German citizen, and I, an American citizen, have grown accustomed to being held for hours at a time, subjected to invasive interrogations about our travels, and having our belongings thoroughly searched without clear justification. But we were shocked to find out that these tactics, designed to intimidate and deter, have now been taken up by the United States to target Palestinians amid the ongoing genocide. I always knew that citizenship offered only limited protection, especially when dissent is involved. But deep down, I still believed that freedom of speech, the right to speak without fear, meant something in my country of birth. I was wrong. The harassment we endured on March 24 upon arriving in the US shattered that illusion. Our Palestinian identity, our political work, our family ties – all of it makes us permanent targets, not just in Germany, but now in the US, too…I was warned that speaking about our experience at the airport would make the next encounter even harsher, even more punishing. But we must remember: there is nothing this state can do to us that can compare to what is being done to the people of Gaza.”
This Jewish Woman’s Attack by a Pro-Israel Mob Went Viral. Now She’s Speaking Out. (Mother Jones//5/7/25)
“From my experience in the Palestinian movement, a lot of protesters are Jewish. A lot of us are. The only reason why it’s not being commented on is because it changes the narrative of Jewish safety, when in reality, Zionism is really unsafe for Jewish people, too, because we are part of the Palestinian liberation movement. As long as we speak out against genocide and confront institutions we are always at risk of getting hurt by people who protect Zionism. It has nothing to do with Jewish safety, and I’m proof of that…Once I’m fully healed, I plan on continuing to go to protests. I think Zionist Jewish institutions are enabling this genocide by inviting war criminals to speak. I would like to see more Jewish people challenge that, and face it head-on.”
What a ‘peace summit’ reveals about the state of the Israeli left (Orly Noy// +972 Magazine 5/7/25)
“Well-meaning dialogue workshops, panels on distant political solutions, but no mention of genocide: these are privileged distractions we can no longer afford.”
The Right to Be Hostile (Alex Gourevitch//Boston Review 5/6/25)
“Crackdowns on pro-Palestinian protest force a reckoning with inflated definitions of harm and harassment.”