NEW FROM FMEP
“We have talked enough about ourselves” (New Occupied Thoughts episode)
FMEP Fellow Ahmed Moor speaks with author Benjamin Moser about Jewish supremacy, diasporic Jewish life, and the life and legacy of the writer Susan Sontag. Moser recently published the article “We have Talked Enough About Ourselves: How the marriage of American exceptionalism and liberal Zionism led to genocide” in the magazine Equator.
FMEP Legislative Round-Up January 16, 2026 (Lara Friedman)
- Bills, Resolutions; 2. Letters; 3. Hearings & Markups; 4. Selected Members on the Record; 5. Selected Media & Press releases/Statements See also Lara Friedman’s FMEP Legislative Round-Up January 9, 2026.
Settlement & Annexation Report: January 16, 2026 (Kristin McCarthy)
Greater Jerusalem: Atarot, Sheikh Jarrah/Um Haroun, “Sovereignty Road”, UNRWA; 2. Settlement & Outpost Construction: 5 New Settlement Licenses Approved; 3. Settler Terrorism: Ras Ein al-Auja, Al-Mughayyir. See also Kristin McCarthy’s Settlement & Annexation Report: January 8, 2026, which includes 1. Greater Jerusalem: E1; Sheikh Jarrah; Silwan; 2. Annexation & Apartheid: United Nations Report; 3. Antiquities Annexation Bill; Area B Annexation; 4. Settlement & Outpost Construction: Plans Advance; Sa-Nur: Beit El; Beit Sahour; Mishmar; 5. Yehuda; New Details on 19 New Settlements; 6. Settler Terrorism: Press Reports; 7. Further Reading
GAZA
US to launch Gaza governance plan amid Hamas disarmament doubts (Al Monitor 1/14/26)
“The United States on Wednesday announced the start of the second phase of its postwar plan for the Gaza Strip, which calls for technocratic Palestinian governance and the disarmament of Hamas, the Trump administration’s Middle East envoy said…The board will also supervise the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza, a Palestinian body tasked with temporarily administering Gaza’s day-to-day affairs. Representatives of Palestinian factions met in Cairo on Wednesday to finalize the body’s membership, which will not include Hamas. The committee will be headed by Ali Shaath, the former deputy planning minister in the Palestinian Authority, according to a joint statement on Wednesday issued by Egypt, Qatar and Turkey…Under Trump’s initial 20-point plan, the Palestinian committee is meant to administer Gaza until a reformed Palestinian Authority can take over, paving the way for a “credible path to Palestinian self-determination and statehood.” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and members of his right-wing government oppose the PA’s return to Gaza and insist there can be no Palestinian state. Nickolay Mladenov, a former Bulgarian defense and foreign minister, will serve as director-general for the Trump-chaired Board of Peace.” See also Trump says US will reach deal with Hamas on full disarmament, threatens group if it won’t agree (TOI 1/15/26); Trump pushes for disarmament of Hamas as second stage of Gaza ceasefire begins (The Guardian 1/16/26); U.S. thinks Hamas is ready to demilitarize as Gaza deal moves to “phase two” (Axios 1/14/26); U.S. announces launch of second phase of Gaza peace plan (WaPo 1/14/26); Trump announces Gaza ‘Board of Peace’ has been formed (The Hill 1/15/26); Trump Announces Gaza Board of Peace After U.S. Declares Move to Phase Two of Cease-fire (Haaretz 1/16/26); U.S. to Name Palestinian Committee to Run Gaza (NYT 1/13/26);
Israel Tells Doctors Without Borders to End Its Work in Gaza (NYT 1/6/26)
“Doctors Without Borders, the international medical aid group, said Tuesday that Israel had ordered it to cease operations in the Gaza Strip after it failed to comply with new restrictions that include registration of all Gazan employees and limits on criticism of Israel’s conduct of the war. The move threatens one of the best-known humanitarian operations in the devastated enclave. Though Israel has sought to downplay the group’s importance, Doctors Without Borders says it runs or supports more than 20 percent of the remaining hospital beds, operates clinics for people with traumatic injuries and chronic illnesses, treats malnourished children and other patients, and distributed 700 million liters of water last year. With 40 to 50 international doctors in Gaza at any time, about 1,000 permanent Palestinian workers, and another 1,000 Gaza medical workers whose Ministry of Health salaries it augments, Doctors Without Borders says it performed more than 22,000 operations and treated more than 100,000 trauma cases in 2025.” See also Israel Is Banning the ‘Last Foreign Witnesses’ to Its Genocide in Gaza (Diana Buttu//Zeteo 1/7/26)
Israel says it will bar dozens of aid groups from operating in Gaza (WaPo 12/31/25)
“Israel’s government said it will suspend the licenses of dozens of humanitarian groups operating in the Gaza Strip beginning Thursday, a move that relief workers say will lead to deeper suffering in the decimated enclave and further obstruct the provision of medicine and other aid…Among the groups facing suspension is Doctors Without Borders, one of the largest international nongovernmental health care providers in Gaza, along with other groups that supply an array of vital aid and services, including shelter assistance, as winter weather ravages the enclave.” See also List of aid groups working in Gaza that Israel is suspending (AP 12/30/25); Winter storms kill five in Gaza amid desperate conditions in makeshift camps (The Guardian 1/13/26); Tents supplied to displaced Palestinians ‘inadequate for Gaza winter’ (The Guardian 1/3/25); Winter Cold and Collapsing Buildings Kill Palestinians in Gaza as Israel Blocks Shelter Supplies (Abdel Qader Sabbah and Sharif Abdel Kouddous//Drop Site 1/15/26);
Israel Is Still Demolishing Gaza, Building by Building (NYT 1/12/26)
“Israel has demolished more than 2,500 buildings in Gaza since the cease-fire began, according to a New York Times analysis of satellite imagery from Planet Labs. It says it is destroying tunnels and booby-trapped homes. This is what Israel’s actions look like.” See also [Israeli] Culture minister says ‘Gaza is ours,’ Palestinians are ‘guests until a certain point’ (TOI 1/2/26); Three Months Into Gaza Cease-fire: Israel Expands Control and Razes Neighborhoods (Haaretz 1/15/26);
Over 100 children killed in Gaza since ceasefire, UNICEF says (Reuters 1/13/26)
“The U.N. children’s agency said on Tuesday that over 100 children have been killed in Gaza since the October ceasefire, including victims of drone and quadcopter attacks. “More than 100 children have been killed in Gaza since the ceasefire of early October,” UNICEF spokesperson James Elder told reporters at a U.N. briefing by video link from Gaza…He said that nearly all the deaths of the 60 boys and 40 girls were from military attacks including air strikes, drone strikes, tank shelling, gunfire and quadcopters and a few were from war remnants that exploded. The tally is likely an underestimate since it is only based on deaths for which sufficient information was available, he said.” See also At least 13 killed in Israeli strikes on Gaza, including five children, civil defence agency says (The Guardian 1/8/26); Israel strikes in Gaza kill 10, including senior Hamas and Islamic Jihad figures (Reuters 1/15/26);
Despite Gaza ceasefire, war still deadly along Israel’s ‘Yellow Line’ (WaPo 1/8/26)
“In the three months since a U.S.-backed ceasefire began, Israeli troops, tanks and drones have fired on residents almost daily in areas close to or abutting the line. The attacks have killed at least 250 people out of the more than 400 who have died since Oct. 10, according to the local health authority, which does not distinguish between civilians and combatants. Thousands more have been displaced, the United Nations and other humanitarian groups say…The line, which is only partly marked by yellow-painted concrete blocks, was meant to be temporary, a first step toward Israel’s eventual withdrawal. But as the ceasefire took hold, Israeli forces worked quickly to reinforce their positions and establish new ones along the line, according to satellite imagery reviewed by Will Goodhind, an investigator and geospatial analyst for the open-access research project Contested Ground.” See also The Truce Is 2 Months Old. So Why Have Hundreds of Gazans Been Killed? (NYT 12/24/25);
‘It Feels Like Someone Is Always There’: In Gaza, IDF Drones Infiltrate Every Moment of Palestinians’ Lives (Nagham Zbeedat and Rawan Suleiman//Haaretz 1/4/26)
“They follow people, moving back and forth through the streets and constantly humming, creating a new soundtrack that means one thing to Gazans: You are being watched. Palestinians in Gaza tell Haaretz what it’s like to live under a watchful and potentially lethal eye.” See also ‘We deserve peace’: Gaza ushers in new year with little relief in sight (Ruwaida Amer//+972 Magazine 1/8/26)
REGION//GLOBAL
Israel and Arab Nations Ask Trump to Refrain From Attacking Iran (NYT 1/15/26)
“Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel has asked President Trump to postpone any plans for an American military attack on Iran, a senior U.S. official said on Thursday, even as the Iranian government continues to grapple with nationwide protests. Mr. Netanyahu spoke to Mr. Trump on Wednesday, the same day the American president said he had received information from “very important sources on the other side” that Iran had stopped killing protesters and was not going forward with executions. That appeared to signal that Mr. Trump was backing away from a potential U.S. attack on Iran, which he has been weighing for days…Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Oman and Egypt, all partners of Washington, have also been asking the Trump administration not to attack Iran, said an official from a Gulf Arab nation. Senior officials from those countries have been calling U.S. officials with that message over the last two days, the official said. They have told the Americans that a U.S. attack could lead to a wider regional conflict.” See also Trump’s Gulf Allies Do Not Want Him to Bomb Iran (NYT 1/14/26); From Iraq to Yemen, how Iran proxies are responding to protests (Al Monitor 1/12/26); Witkoff suggests US prefers to resolve Iran tensions with diplomacy, not military action (TOI 1/15/26); Report: Netanyahu Asked Trump to Delay Iran Strike Due to Defense Readiness Concerns (Haaretz 1/16/26); Iran strikes delayed as Trump aides and Israel raise concerns (Axios 1/15/26);
Trump admin designates three branches of Muslim Brotherhood as terror organizations (JI 1/13/26)
“The Trump administration labeled three Muslim Brotherhood branches as terrorist organizations, including chapters in Lebanon, Egypt and Jordan. The move follows an executive order President Donald Trump signed in November, which tasked Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent with identifying whether branches of the Muslim Brotherhood in Jordan, Lebanon and Egypt should be designated as Foreign Terrorist Organizations and which should be deemed Specially Designated Global Terrorists.” See also Israel Strips U.N. Agency for Palestinian Refugees of Diplomatic Immunity (NYT 12/29/25)
With new trade restrictions, Spain looks to trigger EU cascade against Israel (TOI 1/2/26)
“When Spain began blocking Israeli products imported from the West Bank, Golan Heights and East Jerusalem this week, it officially kicked off what may be the largest state-level embargo of products and services from the Jewish state since the Arab League boycott launched around the time of Israel’s inception…Also on that day, Spain’s Social Rights, Consumer Affairs and Agenda Ministry contacted seven websites promoting vacation rentals and told them to immediately remove or block 138 different ads for apartments in “Israeli settlements in occupied Palestinian territory.”…Also on December 30, Spain announced an exception to a total ban that went into effect in September on the export and import to Israel of defense technologies, including “dual-use” technologies. That law had allowed for exceptions to be made for reasons of “national interest,” and on Tuesday, the government announced that aviation giant Airbus would be allowed to continue importing from Israel.” See also Can a Corporation Be Complicit in War Crimes? Sweden Is Trying to Find Out. (M. Gessen//NYT 12/30/25); No Amazon, No Gmail: Trump Sanctions Upend the Lives of I.C.C. Judges (NYT 1/10/26);
‘Data is control’: what we learned from a year investigating the Israeli military’s ties to big tech (Noa Yachot//The Guardian 12/30/25)
“In January this year, Harry Davies and Yuval Abraham first reported that Microsoft had deepened its ties to Israel alongside other major tech firms. Since then, the Guardian has published an award-winning series of investigations – in partnership with the Israeli-Palestinian publication +972 Magazine and the Hebrew-language outlet Local Call – that has revealed a symbiotic relationship between Silicon Valley and the Israeli military…I asked Davies and Abraham to discuss what they learned this year – about the role of these technologies in Israel’s assault on Gaza, whether these business ties are sustainable, and what the revelations tell us about how the wars of the future will be fought.”
In first, Israel’s foreign minister visits Somaliland: What to know (Al Monitor 1/6/26)
“Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced on Dec. 22 Israel’s recognition of Somaliland, prompting angry reactions from the African Union, China, Turkey, Somalia and several other African countries. The European Union did not directly condemn the recognition but insisted that Somalia’s sovereignty should be respected. Israel became the first United Nations member to recognize Somaliland. Ethiopia and the United Arab Emirates maintain close economic and strategic relations with Somaliland but have not officially recognized it.” See also Israel’s Somaliland gambit reflects a doctrine of endless escalation (Omar H. Rahman//+972 Magazine 1/13/26)
Adelaide festival apologises to Randa Abdel-Fattah and invites her to participate in 2027 writers’ week (The Guardian 1/14/26)
“The new Adelaide festival board has issued a public apology to Palestinian Australian academic Randa Abdel-Fattah, and has promised she will be invited to Adelaide writers’ week in 2027. Abdel-Fattah immediately accepted the apology, posting on Instagram that it was a vindication “of our collective solidarity and mobilisation against anti-Palestinian racism, bullying and censorship”.” See also An Australian writers’ festival cut a Palestinian author in the wake of a terror attack. Then it fell apart (The Guardian 1/13/26)
RIVER TO THE SEA
Israel poised to start construction of bypass through heart of West Bank (The Guardian 1/13/26)
“Israel plans to start work next month on a bypass road that will close off the heart of the occupied West Bank to Palestinians and cement the de facto annexation of an area critical for the viability of a future Palestinian state. The road is a key part of the blueprint for a vast illegal new settlement in the E1 area east of Jerusalem, which would fragment the occupied West Bank. The Israeli finance minister, Bezalel Smotrich, said the plans were intended to “bury the idea of a Palestinian state”. Designed as a sealed transit corridor for Palestinian vehicles, the bypass will provide Israel with a pretext to bar Palestinians from existing roads in the planned settlement area, where only Israeli vehicles will be permitted.” See also For Hundreds of Palestinians, a 2-kilometer Jerusalem Commute Takes Three Hours (Haaretz 1/11/26); Palestinian child shot dead by Israeli troops in occupied West Bank (Al Jazeera 1/16/26); After Soldiers Kill Palestinian in West Bank Over Suspected Ramming Attack, IDF Says No Evidence Found (Haaretz 1/11/26);
Israel pushes ahead with vast illegal settlement in heart of West Bank (The Guardian 1/6/26)
“Israel is moving to start construction on a vast illegal settlement in the heart of the West Bank, designed to “bury the idea of a Palestinian state”…For years, construction was blocked by the US and the country’s European allies, for the same reason that the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, and key ministers have embraced the plan. Both critics and supporters agree that moving tens of thousands of Israeli settlers into a triangle of occupied land between Jerusalem, Bethlehem and Ramallah would be critically damaging to efforts to reach a two-state solution.” See also Netanyahu: ‘Handful of kids’ not from West Bank behind rising settler violence (TOI 12/31/25); There is not a blade of grass that is not affected (Humans of Masafer Yatta//12/24/25); ‘A Handful of Kids?’ An Army of Israeli Youths Is Being Deployed to Expel Palestinians in the West Bank (Amira Hass & Matan Golan//Haaretz 1/9/26); Israeli troops steal 250 goats from Syria and smuggle them to occupied West Bank (Middle East Eye 1/16/26);
‘The settlers brought the violence’: the ethnic cleansing of a West Bank village (The Guardian 1/14/26)
“While Eshaq’s children loaded mattresses, a fridge, sacks of flour and suitcases of clothes into a truck, masked soldiers escorted a teenage Israeli shepherd down the main village road, where he posed for photos on his donkey, flashing a V sign. The ethnic cleansing of Ras ‘Ein al ‘Auja was underway, and the men and boys who made life untenable for Palestinians here had come to celebrate. Eshaq’s home, a community of about 135 families, was the largest and most established of the Bedouin villages dotted on hillsides in this part of the Jordan valley. By the start of this year, it was also the only one left. A campaign of intensifying settler violence – arson, mass theft, beatings, intimidation and destruction of property – forced out village after village until their last remaining neighbours, in nearby Mu’arrajat, fled in July. Israeli settlers now have full control of more than 250 sq km (100 sq miles) of land in this part of the occupied West Bank, where a decade ago only Bedouin herds grazed, said Dror Etkes, founder of settlement monitoring group Kerem Navot…The project to push them out of their homes began before the war in Gaza but gathered speed and strength as political and media attention focused elsewhere. “When the war started settler leadership understood they had an unprecedented opportunity to step up ethnic cleansing for the area,” Sarit Michaeli, international director of rights group B’Tselem. “The midterm goal is to remove Palestinians from all the open land in the West Bank, and they are doing this with the full participation of the Israeli government. The settler maps make clear that ultimately they want to empty the land of Palestinians.”’ See also ‘This Is Another Nakba’: How Over 100 West Bank Palestinians Had to Leave Their Homes In Just One Day (Matan Golan//Haaretz 1/13/26); An Attack Can Happen Any Second’: My Eyewitness Testimony of Rampant Settler Violence (Haaretz 1/8/25); ‘The Situation Has Become Too Difficult’: Palestinian Villagers Leave Their West Bank Homes Over Harassment by Israeli Settlers (Haaretz 1/11/26);
Palestinian bus drivers are on the front lines of Israeli racial violence (Charlotte Ritz-Jack//+972 Magazine 1/15/26)
“From Jerusalem to Haifa, bus drivers and ticket inspectors are facing an unprecedented surge in attacks — be it from ultra-Orthodox youth or soccer hooligans — forcing many to choose between livelihood and safety…During a mass demonstration by Jerusalem’s ultra-Orthodox community against conscription to the Israeli military last week, Palestinian bus driver Fakhri Khatib, driving Egged bus 64, found himself surrounded by a mob of young protesters banging on the side of the bus. He called the police for help, but none arrived. In a bid to escape the mob, he first reversed the bus several meters. But the protesters followed, and soon managed to prise open the door. As they forced their way inside, they kicked, spat at, and threatened Khatib, leading him to fear for his life. At this point he accelerated forward, unaware that 14-year old Yosef Eisenthal was clinging to the underside of the front bumper. Eisenthal was killed as Khatib drove away, while three more teenagers were wounded. Two other Palestinian bus drivers, neither of whom have spoken publicly, were attacked that night.…The case has thrust renewed attention onto a phenomenon that bus drivers and labor unions have been grappling with for years…But according to Koach LaOvdim (“Power to the Workers”), a trade union that has represented bus drivers since 2015 and now organizes roughly one-third of drivers nationwide, violence has surged to unprecedented levels over the past two years in a climate shaped by the aftermath of October 7 and Israel’s genocide in Gaza.”
Israel is ‘restoring governance’ to the Negev — by terrorizing Palestinians (Oren Ziv//+972 Magazine 1/9/25)
“With the pretext of a stolen horse, police have turned the Bedouin village of Tarabin Al-Sana into a war zone. A fatal shooting was only a matter of time…As in the West Bank, the state’s logic in the Negev is limited solely to the use of force, collective punishment, and ever bolder displays of meshilut — a Hebrew word meaning “governance” that has become a euphemism for harassment and collective punishment of Arab citizens.”
Why Israelis are leaving in record numbers (Hila Amit//+972 Magazine 1/7/26)
“In total, over 150,000 Israelis have left the country in the past two years alone, rising to over 200,000 since the current government took power. For this article, I interviewed several Israeli Jews who have left the country over the past two years. Their testimonies point to a profound loss of faith in the Zionist project itself — one that may signal a broader systemic unraveling. Mass emigration during what the state frames as an existential crisis exposes a central contradiction: If Israel is meant to serve as a safe haven for Jews, why are so many choosing to flee it?”
U.S. SCENE
US appeals court reverses decision that freed Mahmoud Khalil from ICE detention (The Guardian 1/15/26)
“A federal appeals court on Thursday reversed a lower court decision that ordered the release of the former Columbia University graduate student Mahmoud Khalil from immigration detention, delivering the Trump administration a victory in its efforts to deport the pro-Palestinian activist…In a statement on Thursday, Khalil said: “Today’s ruling is deeply disappointing, but it does not break our resolve. The door may have been opened for potential re-detainment down the line, but it has not closed our commitment to Palestine and to justice and accountability. I will continue to fight, through every legal avenue and with every ounce of determination, until my rights, and the rights of others like me, are fully protected.”’ See also Calling Trump ‘Authoritarian,’ Judge Seeks to Restrict Student Deportations (NYT 1/15/26); How new protest laws are impacting political demonstrations (WaPo 1/2/26)
Netanyahu: Israel seeking to end U.S. aid within 10 years (JI 1/9/26)
“In an interview with The Economist released Friday, Netanyahu said that during his December visit to President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, Fla., he told Trump that Israel “very deeply appreciate[s] the military aid that America has given us over the years.” But, he said, “we’ve come of age and we’ve developed incredible capacity. And our economy, which will reach, certainly within a decade, will reach about a trillion dollars — it’s not a huge economy, but it’s not a small economy. So I want to taper off military aid within the next 10 years.”’
Militant pro-Israel group Betar US to halt NY operations after settlement with state attorney general (JTA 1/13/26)
“The militant pro-Israel group Betar US has agreed to halt its operations in New York in a settlement with state Attorney General Letitia James, whose office found that the group had committed a “campaign of violence, harassment, and intimidation against Arab, Muslim, and Jewish New Yorkers.” The settlement announced Tuesday followed a months-long investigation into Betar US triggered by “multiple complaints and public reports about Betar’s violence against and harassment of Muslim, Arab, Palestinian, and Jewish activists,” James’s office said. The investigation found that Betar encouraged its followers to bring weapons to pro-Palestinian protests, trespassed onto private property to steal Palestinian flags and followed and struck people wearing keffiyehs. The group boasted on social media about its activities, including incidents of violence, a practice that the settlement agreement notes. The settlement agreement details inflammatory social media posts that demeaned and called for violence against Palestinians in Gaza…Overall, James’ office found that Betar US violated civil rights regulations by harassing people who were exercising their constitutional right to protest.” See also New York Attorney General Slams Pro-Israel Group Betar U.S. for Biased Harassment of Arabs, Muslims (The Intercept 1/13/26);
PERSPECTIVES//LONG READS
De-Healthification: Israel’s Engineered Collapse of Palestinian Life (Layth Malhis//Al Shabaka 1/11/26)
“This policy brief introduces de-healthification as a framework for understanding Israel’s systematic destruction of Palestinian healthcare infrastructure, particularly in Gaza. Rather than viewing the collapse of Gaza’s health system as a secondary outcome of the genocide, the brief argues that it is the product of long-standing policies of blockade, occupation, and structural neglect intended to render Palestinian life unhealable and perishable…By tracing the historical evolution of de-healthification, this brief argues that naming the process is essential for accountability. Because intent is revealed through patterns of destruction rather than explicit declarations, the framework of de-healthification equips policymakers, legal bodies, and advocates to identify healthcare destruction and denial as a core mechanism of settler-colonial control.”
The ADL Could Focus on America’s Biggest Driver of Antisemitism. Instead, It’s Obsessed With Mamdani. (Joshua Shanes//Slate 1/1/26)
“During these same weeks, the most powerful Republican politicians and media personalities in the country have leaned deeply into open antisemitism…A week later was Turning Point USA’s AmericaFest, at which a parade of speakers defended the right of open Nazis to exist within the Republican Party. Tucker Carlson spewed a series of claims about a cabal fighting American national interests as he defended himself against Ben Shapiro’s criticism for platforming Fuentes. Steve Bannon said, to cheers, that Shapiro—whose prominent Jewishness stood out at the affair—“is like a cancer, and that cancer spreads.” And J.D. Vance—the vice president of the United States—also defended the neo-Nazis in his party. He contrasted the GOP’s “free thinkers” to the threat of “a bunch of drones who take their orders from George Soros.” He concluded to the excited crowd: “By the grace of God, we always will be a Christian nation.”…So what does the country’s self-described defender against antisemitism, the Anti-Defamation League, have to say about the nation’s dominant political movement welcoming unapologetically antisemitic members into its ranks? Shockingly little. It has chosen not to focus much on these powerful people spouting or platforming explicit, even pro-Nazi, antisemitism. Indeed, it has ignored and even defended many of them. Instead, the ADL seems laser focused on Mamdani…So why the focus on Mamdani? The answer is that this is not about antisemitism but rather about preserving Israeli power over Palestinians. Though many Jews are unhappy that Mamdani won’t condemn the phrase “Globalize the Intifada”—he has said he dislikes it but will not denounce it—the mayor-elect is accused of antisemitism mainly because he supports Israel’s existence only as a democratic state and opposes one that gives preferential treatment to Jews over Palestinians.” See also The ADL’s turn away from civil rights was years in the making — Oct. 7 accelerated it (Arno Rosenfeld//The Forward 1/15/26);
Israel’s Religious Zionist Camp No Longer Denies Jewish Terror. It Celebrates It (Haaretz 1/8/25)
“According to UN data, in 2025 there were more than 1,770 settler attacks causing bodily harm or property damage – an average of five a day. More than a thousand Palestinians were injured, and thousands were forced to flee their homes. In an interview with Fox News last week, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attempted to downplay the situation, claiming the perpetrators were “a handful of kids, about 70 kids, not from the West Bank, teens who come from broken homes.” The Makor Rishon interview exposes this as utter nonsense. The interviewees themselves testify that these young Cossacks grew up and were educated in the settlements, and that their actions are part of an organized, systematic mechanism of abusing Palestinians in order to seize their land. The army assists, the police look away, and the state encourages and funds it. These are the two faces of Israel: one that denies Jewish terrorism, and one that celebrates it openly, with fanatical pride. They are not contradictory; they are complementary. The lies from above create a façade and room to maneuver, while the sadistic joy rising from below fuels the militias.” See also Israeli Indifference to Palestinian Suffering Is Fertile Ground for the Growth of Sadism (Amira Hass//Haaretz 1/7/26)
Israel Is on the Brink of Civil War, Says the New Israel Fund Chief. Here’s What It Will Look Like (Haaretz 1/9/26)
“The Israeli left has gotten used to fighting small, isolated battles. Mickey Gitzin, head of the New Israel Fund, thinks on a completely different scale – and says leftists can’t leave now”
‘Steadfastness’ without substance: How Hamas narrates the Gaza war today (Menachem Klein//+972 Magazine 1/14/26)
“In an updated text, the group is unapologetic for its conduct, taking credit for the damage Israel’s genocide did to itself while offering no political horizon.”
Fighting fascism in America during a genocide in Palestine (Amahl Bishara//+972 Magazine 12/30/25)
“As Palestinians, we must insist on being at the center of our own liberation; others have spoken on our behalf for far too long. This movement for justice must be focused on the lived realities inside Israel-Palestine, as well among Palestinian refugees who have been on the frontline of dispossession for generations. At the same time, as members of other polities, we Palestinians in the diaspora have concurrent responsibilities. In the United States today, people refer to rising fascism here and I think about genocide there, whether in Gaza or Sudan, or genocide then, 80 or hundreds of years ago. We protest a prison at the mall here and must also remember prisons everywhere, from the Everglades to Egypt and El Salvador, while recognizing how everyday sites around us are proximal to systems of violence. Solidarity politics and a commitment to dignity for all demands that we think in relation. We are called to break those rules that cordon off one story, like the history of the Holocaust, from another, like the Nakba, or ICE detentions, or American settler colonialism. Indeed, the effective use of legal categories like genocide and the struggle against global systems of violence demand this connective work.”