NEW FROM FMEP
2024 Election Analysis (11/7/24 webinar)
The Arab American Institute hosted a webinar examining the results of the 2024 US Presidential election, featuring AAI President Dr. Jim Zogby & AAI Executive Director Maya Berry in conversation with Lara Friedman (FMEP), Gerald Seib (Former Wall Street Journal Exec. Washington Editor), & John Zogby (Founder, John Zogby Strategies). The panel provided analysis on the election outcome and its impact on domestic and foreign policy, the state of American democracy, and next steps on continued support for Palestinian human rights.
FMEP Legislative Round-Up November 8, 2024 (Lara Friedman)
- Bills, Resolutions; 2. Letters; 3. Hearings; 4. Israel/Palestine in 2024 Elex/Politics; 5. Selected Media & Press releases/Statements
Settlement & Annexation Report: November 8, 2024 (Kristin McCarthy)
- Givat Hamatos Expansion Plan to Advance; 2. MK Sukkot Introduces Bill to Legalize All Outposts; 3. Settlers Lead Pogrom in al-Bireh; 4. Mapping the Settler-Led Expulsions of 50+ Palestinian Communities Since 2022; 5. Settlers Rejoice Over U.S. Election Results; 6. Netanyahu Appoints Kahanist Settler as New Ambassador to the U.S.; 7. Bonus Reads
GAZA
Nearly 70% of Gaza war dead are women and children, UN says (BBC 11/8/24)
“The UN’s Human Rights Office has condemned the high number of civilians killed in the war in Gaza, saying its analysis shows close to 70% of verified victims over a six-month period were women and children. The agency said the high number was largely due to Israel’s use of weapons with wide-area effects in densely populated areas, although some deaths may have been the result of errant projectiles by Palestinian armed groups. The report said it found “unprecedented” levels of international law violations, raising concerns about “war crimes and other possible atrocity crimes”…Its analysis found around 44% of verified victims were children and 26% women. The ages most represented among the dead were five to nine-year-olds. About 80% of victims were killed in residential buildings or similar housing, the agency added.” See also An Israeli strike kills 20 in north Gaza, where Palestinians say they’ve had little food for weeks (AP 11/5/24); UNRWA: 67 Children Killed by Israeli Attacks on Average Each Day in Gaza (Truthout 11/8/24)
‘A Siege Within a Siege’: How Israel’s Army Blocks Aid to Tens of Thousands of Gazans (Haaretz 11/6/24)
“[Georgios] Petropoulos [head of the Gaza suboffice of the OCHA and one of the most senior UN officials in the area], a Greek national living in Jordan with his family, has been working in humanitarian aid around the world for 20 years, 14 of them in the UN…”A humanitarian area in Gaza? No such thing,” he stresses. “You can be attacked from any direction at any time. In Ukraine there is a front. The front moves, but people have time to escape to get humanitarian aid to meet their needs. Here, residents fled to Mawasi in southern Gaza, but there are attacks there too, and everything is very tragic…Petropoulos says that the smell of rotting corpses permeates the entire Gaza Strip. It emanates from the rubble, under which people were buried, and dogs run around with humans remains in their mouths. “Feral dogs are everywhere. When you see a pack of dogs, there is a good chance they are standing around a corpse. One of my colleagues chased a dog that was holding a dead child’s foot in its mouth. Sometimes, when we pass by military check posts, we collect the bodies of people who were shot there and hand them over to the Red Cross.” See also This is What We Have to Endure in North Gaza (PCHR 11/6/24); Entire northern Gaza population ‘at imminent risk’ of death, UNICEF head says(WaPo 11/3/24); US gives Israel a ‘fail’ grade on improving aid to Gaza so far (AP 11/4/24); Israel Is Unleashing an Apocalypse in Northern Gaza (Haaretz Editorial 11/6/24)
Israel formally tells UN of intent to sever all ties with Unrwa relief agency (Guardian 11/4/24)
“Israel has formally informed the United Nations of its intention to sever ties entirely with the UN relief agency for Palestinian refugees in a move the country’s allies and aid workers warn will deepen the humanitarian crisis in the Middle East. The Knesset passed two bills last week banning Unrwa from Israeli territory and prohibiting Israeli state contact with the agency on the basis of allegations that Hamas had infiltrated it…Aid experts, as well as Israel’s closest allies, have said there is no alternative to Unrwa in terms of providing relief to Palestinians in Gaza, the West Bank and across the region, and that the ban could cripple services to an embattled population that increasingly depends on them. The head of Unrwa, Philippe Lazzarini, said Israel had cut the flow of aid entering Gaza to a trickle, with an average of 30 trucks entering the territory a day, only 6% of the quantity delivered to Gaza before the war. “Restricting humanitarian access and at the same time dismantling Unrwa will add an additional layer of suffering to already unspeakable suffering. Only political will can put an end to a politically made situation,” Lazzarini said.” See also UN to Israel: Replacing UNRWA relief agency would be your responsibility (Reuters 11/6/24); UN agency for Palestinians facing its ‘darkest hour’, UNRWA chief says (Al Jazeera 11/6/24)
Israeli forces used civilians as human shields in Gaza, Palestinians and soldiers say (WaPo 11/3/24)
“For two weeks in late July and early August, said Mohammed Saad, 20, he and two other Palestinian men were forced by an Israeli army unit in Gaza to enter buildings feared to contain explosives and photograph every inch before troops were given the all clear to enter. When the soldiers were done with him, he said, someone shot him in the back. Saad was among four Palestinian men who spoke on the record to provide vivid accounts of what they described as Israel employing detained Palestinians as human shields in Gaza — defined by the Geneva Conventions as using civilians or other detainees to shield military operations from attack — in this case, by forcing them to carry out life-threatening tasks to reduce risk to Israeli soldiers. Their nearly contemporaneous accounts are detailed, corroborated by other witnesses, and consistent with testimony by an Israeli soldier who fought in Gaza, and with interviews collected by Breaking the Silence, an organization that works with troops who have served in the occupied Palestinian territories. They described a practice in which Palestinians are detained, interrogated and ultimately released, indicating the Israeli army did not believe them to be militants…“This wasn’t something that happened just here and there but rather on a large scale throughout a number of different units, at different times, throughout the war and in different places,” said Joel Carmel, advocacy director of Breaking the Silence, an organization that collects and verifies testimonies from troops who have served in the occupied Palestinian territories.” See also How Israel’s Army Uses Palestinians as Human Shields in Gaza (NYT 10/14/24)
Intent to Destroy: Documenting a Year of Israel’s Attacks on Health in Gaza (Yara Asi//Arab Center DC 11/7/24)
“Since the beginning of the war on Gaza in October, Israel has destroyed the ecosystem of heath in Gaza, including all of its social determinants such as access to food, water, and shelter…Israel has destroyed the health situation in the Gaza Strip to a degree that makes it nearly impossible to imagine what rebuilding might look like, although some are already discussing the prospect. At the moment, however, the future is too uncertain, especially since Israeli government and military officials have given multiple indications that they plan to seize parts of Gaza permanently. What is certain is that the devastation wrought on Gaza’s health facilities—many of which Gazans had so painstakingly built after fighting endless restrictions—and on health personnel, many of whom studied outside of Gaza but returned to serve their people, will take generations to recover. And the health outcomes of more than a year of deprivation of food, water, medicine, and safety on an entire population are incalculable.” See also More than 30 killed in Israeli attacks across Gaza as hospital hit again (Al Jazeera 11/5/24);
‘I will stay inside my hospital until the last moment’(Ruwaida Kamal Amer//+972 11/5/24)
“The Israeli army killed his son and arrested his colleagues in Kamal Adwan Hospital, but director Hussam Abu Safiya refuses to abandon his patients.”)
Yoav Gallant reportedly says Israeli army has nothing left to do in Gaza (Guardian 11/7/24)
“Israel’s ousted defence minister, Yoav Gallant, has reportedly said the army has achieved all its objectives in Gaza and that Benjamin Netanyahu rejected a hostages-for-peace deal against the advice of his own security establishment. Gallant was speaking to hostages’ families on Thursday, two days after being sacked by Netanyahu, and reports of his remarks quickly surfaced in Israeli media.” See also Benjamin Netanyahu fires defence minister Yoav Gallant, triggering protests across Israel (Guardian 11/5/24)
REGION/GLOBAL
In Trump victory, Netanyahu sees himself as ‘the great winner’ (WaPo 11/6/24)
“ Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejoiced over Donald Trump’s election victory, as he banked on resetting relations with Washington and following through on his maximalist aims in the country’s multifront war. Netanyahu congratulated Trump on “history’s greatest comeback” in a post on X Wednesday morning as the results became clear, but before many had made a final call, hailing his return to the White House as “a new beginning for America and a powerful recommitment to the great alliance” between the U.S. and Israel. Later Wednesday, the two men spoke by phone, agreeing “to work together for Israel’s security” and discussing “the Iranian threat,” according to a statement from the prime minister’s office. “It’s time for total victory,” crowed Itamar Ben Gvir, Netanyahu’s far-right national security minister, in an address to the Knesset on Wednesday, adding that he was confident Trump would see “eye to eye” with Israel on “all sorts of laws” that he has been trying to push through, including the death penalty for Palestinians convicted of terrorism. Israel Ganz, head of a council representing Israeli settlers across the occupied West Bank, celebrated the moment as a historic “opportunity for the settlement movement,” which has already made significant gains since Netanyahu returned to power in 2022.” See also Unnerved by Biden’s Sanctions, Israeli Settler Leaders Are Excited About Trump’s Victory (Haaretz 11/7/24); Trump will give Israel ‘blank check’ which may mean all-out war with Iran, says ex-CIA chief (Guardian 11/7/24); Israeli settlers, ultra-Orthodox celebrate Donald Trump’s victory (Al Monitor 11/6/24); Netanyahu concerned ICC to issue arrest warrant before Trump takes office (Jewish Insider 11/8/24)
Trump tells Palestinian president he wants to end Gaza war (Axios 11/8/24)
“President-elect Trump told Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas during a phone call on Friday — their first since 2017 — that he will work to end the war in Gaza, according to a statement from the Palestinian presidency and a Palestinian official briefed on the call. Why it matters: Abbas and Trump had not spoken since Trump decided to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and move the U.S. embassy there. But the call is the latest sign the Palestinian leadership wants to start fresh with Trump after a bruising four years when he was last in the White House.” See also Palestinians dismayed by Trump’s win, their leaders urge peace (Reuters 11/7/24);
Qatar tells Hamas leaders to leave as Gaza cease-fire talks deadlocked (Al Monitor 11/8/24)
“Qatar has told Palestinian militant group Hamas to leave the country, two US officials confirmed to Al-Monitor. The Persian Gulf state has for more than a decade hosted Hamas’ political office in Doha. Along with Egypt, Qatar has facilitated the indirect negotiations between Israel and the militants over a possible cease-fire and hostage deal in the Gaza Strip. Speaking on condition of anonymity, a US official said Hamas’ expulsion had been under discussion for some time, following the latest collapse of Gaza cease-fire talks, and had advanced in the past week…Qatar frequently acts as an intermediary for the United States and its adversaries, including Russia and Iran, as well as regional Islamist movements. The gas-rich country has hosted Hamas’ self-exiled political leadership since they left their headquarters in Damascus, Syria, in 2012. Qatari officials maintain their hosting of Hamas was done at the request of the Obama administration so that indirect lines of communication could be established with the Palestinian militant group.” See also Gulf States See Trump as Ally They Can Do Business With (NYT 11/7/24)
How pro-Iran armed groups reacted to Trump’s victory (Al Monitor 11/8/24)
“On Wednesday, Hamas released a statement indicating that its position on the Trump administration will be tied to its approach to the Palestinian people: “Our position on the new US administration depends on its positions and practical behavior towards our Palestinian people, their legitimate rights and their just cause.”…A member of the Iran-backed Hezbollah movement in Lebanon expressed skepticism about a shift in US policy. Hezbollah lawmaker Ibrahim al-Moussawi told Reuters on Thursday that the group wants to see action taken by the US government, no matter which party is in power…The Houthis have expressed great distrust in the incoming administration. A Houthi source in Yemen told Newsweek that the group believes Trump will not follow through on his promises to end the war.”
Israel strikes Beirut as Trump’s in-law seeks to lead Lebanon file (Al Monitor 11/7/24)
“Heavy Israeli airstrikes hit several areas across Lebanon overnight and on Thursday, as the death toll from Israel’s ongoing attacks on the country since October 2023 crossed 3,000…Later on Thursday, at least three people were killed when an Israeli drone strike hit a car at the entrance of the southern city of Sidon. Five UN peacekeeping forces (UNIFIL) were injured in the attack that struck near their vehicle, the UN mission said in a statement, while three Lebanese soldiers were also wounded, according to the army…Massad Boulos, a prominent Lebanese-American businessman and father-in-law of Trump’s daughter Tiffany, said in an interview with the local Al-Jadeed television channel on Wednesday that the new president-elect is committed to ending the war in Lebanon and will “fulfill the promises” he made to the Lebanese people…Boulos also revealed to Al-Jadeed that he will assume the task of negotiating with the Lebanese side in order to secure a cease-fire in Lebanon.” See also Dozens Killed as Israeli Strikes Pound Lebanon, Health Ministry Says (NYT 11/7/24); Israeli Strikes Target Syria for a Second Day in a Row (NYT 11/5/24); UN peacekeepers accuse Israel of ‘deliberate and direct’ attack in Lebanon (Al Jazeera 11/8/24)
Israeli strikes in eastern Lebanon are hitting civilians without warning (WaPo 11/4/24)
“Last week, Israel’s military issued an evacuation order for the entire eastern city of Baalbek, home to about 100,000 people, telling residents it would “act forcefully against Hezbollah interests in your city and villages.” But most of the strikes, like the one in Bednayel, about 14 miles from Baalbek in the Bekaa Valley, have hit outside the evacuation zone…The Post talked to survivors and witnesses of four of the 14 strikes that resulted in casualties in the Baalbek region on Friday, all of which took place within approximately 90 minutes, they said. While thousands of families in Baalbek have heeded Israeli evacuation orders and are packed into schools and others shelters in surrounding communities, at least 10 of the 14 areas hit Friday were outside the evacuation zone, according to a Post review of strike locations.” See also Israel abducts alleged Hezbollah official in unprecedented sea raid (Guardian 11/2/24); Hezbollah attack drones target Tel Aviv army base as Israel pounds Lebanon (Al Jazeera 11/7/24); Lebanese first responders say they are being targeted by Israeli strikes (WaPo 11/6/24); Rescuers pull 30 bodies from a building in central Lebanon hit in an Israeli strike (AP 11/6/24)
Amsterdam police arrest more than 60 people after attacks on Israeli football fans (Guardian 11/8/24)
“Amsterdam police have made more than 60 arrests after what authorities called “hateful antisemitic violence” against Israeli football fans…The mayor of Amsterdam, Femke Halsema, described an “outburst” of antisemitism with “hit and run” attacks on the visiting supporters…Amsterdam’s police chief, Peter Holla, said there had been “incidents on both sides”, starting on Wednesday night when Maccabi fans tore down a Palestinian flag from the facade of a building in the city centre and shouted “fuck you Palestine”…A social media video verified by Reuters showed Maccabi fans setting off flares and chanting “Olé, olé, let the IDF win, we will fuck the Arabs”, referring to the Israel Defense Forces. The police chief said a large crowd of Maccabi supporters had then gathered on Dam Square on Thursday lunchtime and there had been “fights on both sides”…Police said on Friday they had launched “a major investigation into multiple violent incidents” and that five people had been taken to hospital and 62 arrested. There was no evidence of “kidnappings or hostage takings” but police were “probing reports”, they said. The leaders of Israel, the US and the Netherlands condemned the attacks, while a leading Jewish group said the Dutch capital should be “deeply ashamed”. Officials in Amsterdam said that in several places in the city, supporters were attacked, abused and pelted with fireworks and that riot police had to intervene several times to protect Israeli supporters and escort them to hotels. Residents and businesses in Amsterdam were shocked by what appeared to be organised small groups of people chasing Israeli fans in Amsterdam’s city centre after the match.” See also Dutch, French leaders denounce attacks on Israeli soccer fans in Amsterdam (Al Monitor 11/8/24); Israeli hooligans provoke clashes in Amsterdam after chanting anti-Palestinian slogans (Middle East Eye 11/8/24)
As Middle East crisis grinds on, Pentagon shows signs of strain (WaPo 11/5/24)
“The open-ended crisis in the Middle East has begun to squeeze the Pentagon, fueling unease over the U.S. military’s ability to balance imminent threats to American interests there with longer-term objectives as Russia and China test Washington elsewhere in the world. Signs of strain were underscored in recent days by a decision to withdraw the sole U.S. aircraft carrier in the region, the USS Abraham Lincoln, whose imposing presence defense officials credit with helping to contain the ongoing violence between Israel, Iran and its network of well-armed proxies…When the Lincoln departs in coming days, the Defense Department instead will rely on a mix of other forces, including naval destroyers, B-52 bombers and land-based fighter jets, to sustain its expansive and potentially combustible deterrence mission that stretches from the eastern Mediterranean to the Persian Gulf and other volatile shipping routes around the Arabian Peninsula.” See also B-52 Bombers, Dozens of Fighter Jets: As Israel Braces for Iran Attack, U.S. Boosts Mideast Forces (Haaretz 11/7/24); Additional US F-15 fighter jets arrive in Jordan as Israel anticipates Iran attack (Al Monitor 11/7/24)
RIVER TO THE SEA
Israel Katz, new Israeli defense minister, is longtime Netanyahu ally (WaPo 11/6/24)
“Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hailed his new defense minister as a “man of action” with a combination of “rich experience” and “executive capabilities.” But analysts describe Israel Katz as primarily a yes-man who will provide Netanyahu more freedom in pursuing wars on multiple fronts — and the path to the prime minister’s own political survival. Katz, 69, had been serving as Israel’s foreign minister until Netanyahu dismissed Defense Minister Yoav Gallant in a sudden move Tuesday night. The ousting came as the Biden administration, which had used Gallant as a crucial interlocutor, was distracted with the U.S. election. While Gallant had served as a general, Katz has no experience in the portfolio…“The prime minister gave a very eloquent statement about the wonderful experience he brings and his qualifications, but he has no qualifications,” Dahlia Scheindlin, a Tel Aviv-based political analyst, said of Katz. “He’s a loyalist.”’ See also Netanyahu fires Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, prompting protest in Tel Aviv (11/5/24); People across Israel protest defence minister’s firing (Al Jazeera 11/5/24); Thousands of Israelis Take to the Streets to Protest Defense Minister’s Firing; 40 Arrested in Tel Aviv (Haaretz 11/6/24); Netanyahu aide arrested over leaked documents linked to stalled hostage deal: What we know (Al Monitor 11/4/24)
The Israeli Government Neglected to Build Shelters in Arab Towns. Now Deaths Are Rising (Haaretz 11/4/24)
“Of the 34 civilians killed by rocket attacks in the north since the start of the war, 19 were from the Arab community. Without protected spaces in their homes or access to public shelters, many live in constant fear and are angry over the state’s indifference. ‘They don’t see us as equal or as important as Jews’.”
How Four Posts on Instagram Destroyed Her Life (NYT 11/3/24)
“Between 2020 and 2023, prosecutors filed incitement-to-terrorism charges about once or twice a month, on average. In the past 12 months, 189 defendants have been indicted, with hundreds more arrested, investigated and released for lack of evidence. The suspects aren’t high-profile Arab activists. They’re emergency-room nurses, kindergarten teachers and college students. This policy has led to scenes that cause widespread intimidation: In broad daylight, police officers blindfolded and zip-tied a female Arab hairdresser in Majd al-Krum, on suspicion of making social media posts that criticized the I.D.F. By the time she was released, the video of her arrest had gone viral….There is no equivalent of the First Amendment in Israel…The criterion for an incitement conviction is the “possibility” that a person’s speech may cause harm, and the law doesn’t clarify what it means by “incitement” to terrorism or “identification” with a terrorist group, leaving a lot of discretion to prosecutors and judges…There is one law group in Israel solely dedicated to working civil-rights cases for the Arab minority: Adalah, which means “justice” in Arabic. Adalah provides legal aid to defendants, and pursues strategic litigation in the courts. It is something like the Israeli equivalent of the N.A.A.C.P…Nareman Shehadeh Zoabi, a lawyer at Adalah, told me that since Oct. 7, “you can’t express a Palestinian identity and not be linked to Hamas. And if you’re not fully on the Israeli side, you’re a legitimate target.”’
The ultranationalist TV channel fast becoming Israel’s most-watched news source (Guardian 11/3/24)
“An ultranationalist Israeli television channel backed by the government is fast emerging as one of the country’s most-watched news sources, despite allegations from liberal groups that it is inciting war crimes, and claims from the army that it is riling up hatred of its generals for not being far enough to the right…Media analysts say Channel 14’s rise is both a sign and a driver of the shift of Israeli public opinion to the extreme right that has rapidly accelerated since the start of the Gaza war a year ago…Just over a month earlier, three Israeli civil society groups formally demanded that the country’s attorney general launch a criminal investigation into the channel, accusing it of broadcasting material that incited war crimes and crimes against humanity, including genocide.” See also Holding Israeli Media Accountable: Incitement to Genocide is a Crime (FMEP podcast with Israeli human rights attorney Alon Sapir)
In Masafer Yatta, our very right to education is under fire (Mahmoud Al-Omour//+972 11/7/24)
“Amid Israeli settler attacks, military raids, roadblocks, and an economic crisis, simply getting to school can be a challenge. But still we fight for our students.”
U.S. SCENE
Trump is Eyeing Iran Hawk Brian Hook as First Foreign Policy Pick (Murtaza Hussain//Drop Site News 11/6/24)
“Brian Hook, a hawkish fixture of the first Donald Trump administration who formerly served under George W. Bush, is reportedly getting the call to start staffing the State Department for a new Trump term. Hook, known as a major Iran hawk who helped lead the “maximum pressure” campaign of sanctions, sabotage, and assassinations that characterized Trump’s approach to Tehran, has been appointed to help oversee the formation of a new foreign policy team, according to reports from Politico and CNN. Hook served as U.S. Special Representative for Iran and advisor to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo during the last two years of Trump’s presidency, which saw the killing of Iranian general Qassem Soleimani and expansion of crushing sanctions intended to spur regime change in Iran. That approach ultimately failed to collapse the Iranian government, or compel it to reduce its support for its network of armed proxies in the region. Instead, it wound up escalating the hostility between the two countries while Iran ramped up its nuclear enrichment following Trump’s withdrawal from the Obama-era nuclear deal.” See also Pro-Israel leaders encouraged by Brian Hook’s role on State Department transition team (Jewish Insider 11/8/24)
Netanyahu Appoints Yechiel Leiter as Israel’s Ambassador to U.S. Hardline Settler, Ex-member of Far-right Kahanist Group (Haaretz 11/8/24)
“Leiter, a right-wing writer affiliated with Kohelet Forum, supports West Bank annexation and was once active in Kahane’s Jewish Defense League. His son died in combat in the Gaza war. The pick signals Netanyahu’s intention to align with Israel’s settler movement ahead of Trump’s new term.” See also Netanyahu appoints hardline backer of settlements as Israeli envoy to US (Guardian 11/8/24)
Trump’s Strange Bedfellows: Arab Americans and Right-Leaning Jews (NYT 11/7/24)
“Along the way to his decisive victory over Vice President Kamala Harris, Mr. Trump drew at least some Arab American and Muslim voters who are outraged by the Biden administration’s support for Israel in the war in Gaza. He managed to do so without alienating the right-leaning American Jews who see Mr. Trump as Israel’s strongest champion…The two groups hold sharply divergent expectations for the president-elect. And both strongly pro-Israel Trump voters and some of Mr. Trump’s Arab American backers are skeptical that his ascent this week is the start of a durable cross-ideological, interfaith coalition…“This was not even a shotgun wedding — it was a blind-date wedding,” James Zogby, a founder of the Arab American Institute in Washington and a longtime member of the Democratic National Committee, said of Mr. Trump’s new support from Arab Americans and Muslims. Mr. Zogby said many of those voters backed the former president to protest the Biden administration’s support for Israel in the war in Gaza, not to affirm his campaign. He anticipated that Mr. Trump would “pursue policies that will make them more furious.” “The more they see what’s going to happen, the less enchanted they’ll be,” he said of Arab Americans. “I don’t expect the right wing in the Jewish community to be disappointed at all, unfortunately.”’ See also For Many Arab Americans in Dearborn, Trump Made the Case for Their Votes (NYT 11/6/24); 79% of US Jews voted for Harris, according to largest preliminary exit poll (Times of Israel 11/6/24)
Former Trump Middle East Envoy: The President-elect Will End the Chaos (Jason Greenblatt//US News 11/7/24)
“A second Trump administration will likely help those who help themselves and who advance America’s interests in having a stable world. Such a policy recognizes, especially in the wake of the devastating events and aftermath of Oct. 7, that Hamas and other Iranian proxies are serious sources of destabilizing violence, and the U.S. supports Israel’s quest to uproot them. Trump has repeatedly said it has to be done quickly. I hope this will include Lebanon as well, so that the Lebanese can have the bright future they deserve. To uproot Hamas and Hezbollah is no easy feat, and of course concern must be given to the loss of innocent lives of Palestinian and Lebanese civilians. I believe the president-elect would work with Israel not just to provide statements of support but to supply practical solutions to wrap up the war once it’s established that Hamas and Hezbollah can never repeat their atrocities or attacks…A second Trump administration will be clear-eyed about the Iranian threat to the region without courting a confrontation, though I would not rule out an attack on Iran under certain circumstances. I believe Trump will continue to provide U.S. defensive measures as President Joe Biden has, and hopefully even more. Trump is also likely to reimpose sanctions on Iran, and this time, European and other countries who try to skirt the sanctions should beware. Trump does not have a high tolerance for those who try to undermine his goals.”
PERSPECTIVES//LONG READS
The Harris Campaign’s Missed Opportunity on Palestine Voters (Yousef Munayyer//TNR 11/4/24)
“But before we go further, it is crucial to understand that voters alienated by the Biden-Harris genocide policy are not only Arab and Muslim Americans, they are all sorts of people from all faiths and backgrounds. The uncommitted vote in Michigan, which was a product of a campaign during the primaries to signal to Democrats that voters could bolt over their genocide policy, pulled thousands of votes from all over the state, not just in the Dearborn area, which has a major concentration of Arab American voters. Polls show us time and again that younger people and people of color, key constituencies in the Democratic base, feel more strongly about this issue than other groups…Given this, it is probably more accurate to speak about a different category of voter. We can call it the Palestine voter. The Palestine voter is not necessarily Palestinian or Arab or Muslim. In fact most of them are probably not, but rather they are voters who are attuned to the suffering of Palestinians and outraged over it enough to cast their ballot based on it…For the Palestine voter, voting for Harris despite the Biden-Harris administration’s genocide policy is a vote to legitimize genocide…Palestine voters also feel that American democracy simply isn’t working. They know that most Americans oppose continued weapons to Israel, they know most Democrats view what is happening as a genocide, they know most Americans wanted to see a cease-fire a year ago; and yet despite where public opinion is, they see government officials who only want to send more weapons to Israel and make excuses for every Israeli war crime while ensuring impunity for Israel in international fora as well.” See also Democrats Ignored Gaza and Brought Down Their Party (Peter Beinart//NYT 11/7/24)
After Trump’s victory, Palestinians cannot afford to wait until the next US election (Samer Badawi//+972 11/7/24)
“But beyond Harris’ decisive loss in the presidential race, several down-ballot contests — especially for seats in the House of Representatives — also pointed to waning support for Israel. In Pennsylvania, the hotly contested swing state that ultimately tilted the election toward Trump, Pittsburgh’s Summer Lee — who has called Israel’s campaign in Gaza a genocide — retained her seat by a large margin. And representatives Rashida Tlaib and Ilhan Omar, both outspoken critics of U.S. policy on Israel-Palestine, won easily…In Michigan, a so-called “blue wall” state home to the country’s largest concentration of Arab and Muslim Americans, Tlaib’s down-ballot win alongside Harris’ loss underscores the Democrats’ failed strategy. Although it remains unclear how many of these voters abandoned Harris over her Israel policy or her refusal to allow a Palestinian speaker at the Democratic National Convention, Tlaib’s victory showed that a full-throated defense of Palestinian rights need not be a liability.”
As a former staffer, I feel betrayed by Harris. But Trump would be catastrophic (Lily Greenberg Call//+972 11/2/24)
“In the weeks leading up to this election, I have grappled with the sad truth that neither Harris nor Trump care about the Palestinian people, but one of them will be president in January. Clearly, a Harris administration is not going to be the panacea for the systemic inequalities and injustices we face here at home, nor for America’s disastrous decades of foreign policy across the Arab world. However, a second Trump term would be catastrophic not only for Palestinians, but also for progressive movements for justice and equality across the country…It is also important to note that, under a Trump presidency, the movement for Palestinian rights could be prosecuted out of existence. Earlier this month, the Heritage Foundation, a conservative think-tank that authored the controversial Project 2025, unveiled a blueprint for the Trump administration to destroy the Palestine solidarity movement within two years. Under Project Esther, the U.S. government would equate all anti-Zionism and anti-war protests with antisemitism, and move to infiltrate, surveil, and take legal action against groups like Palestinian Youth Movement, Jewish Voice for Peace, and American Muslims for Palestine — all of whom it tarnishes as a global “Hamas support network.”’
Trump Will Work to End the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict by Erasing Palestinian Aspirations (Jack Khoury//Haaretz 11/7/24)
“In contrast to Trump’s previous term, Palestinian reality in the near future is expected to be considerably harder: no pressure for a withdrawal from Gaza, no negotiations for a diplomatic solution and no talk of a plan that will halt the settlement project…As Palestinians see it, Trump will work to end the conflict – not through the realization of Palestinian national aspirations but through their erasure. Just as was done in the American continent centuries ago, the Palestinians will be forced to play the role of Native Americans…A continuation of the rift between Palestinian factions (proof of an utter lack of vision), the hollow vying for supremacy and the conflicts of interest in the Arab world will render the Palestinians easy prey for Trump’s assertiveness and Netanyahu’s settler-government.”