NEW FROM FMEP
Settlement & Annexation Report: September 19, 2025 (Kristin McCarthy)
- Israel Advances Plans for 1,276 New Settlement Units; 2. Israel Tells PA It Will Act Unilaterally on Al-Ibrahimi Mosque/Cave of the Patriarchs in Hebron; 3. Escalating Attacks, Violence, Dispossession and Takeover in Ramallah Area; 4. U.S. Secretary of State Attends Settler Archaeology Event in Silwan; 5. Bonus Reads
Poetry of the Camps: Poems from Gaza on Homeland, Miracles, and Freedom (New Occupied Thoughts episode)
FMEP Fellow Hilary Rantisi speaks with zehra imam, who launched Poetry of the Camps, a poetry program in Gaza with young writers. Basman Aldirawi and Duha Hassan Al Shaqaqi, former participants in the program who have become co-leaders of it, joined in the conversation. Basman and Duha shared what it meant for each of them to be writing poetry in Gaza during the genocide. They discussed the process of bringing students together virtually from all over the Gaza Strip, with different backgrounds and experiences, to write poetry. The themes of their sessions were miracles, homeland, the concept of colorism, love letters to Palestine, and freedom. They share a poem titled “Balsam” written by a student participant about her friend who was killed in the Israeli assault and discuss their experiences during the genocide: Basman, who was in Egypt on 10/7/23 and could not return to Gaza and Duha, who survived the genocide and was evacuated from Gaza just a few weeks ago.
On the Global Sumud Flotilla Heading for Gaza (New Occupied Thoughts episode)
FMEP Fellow Peter Beinart speaks with David Adler, co-general coordinator of the Progressive International, who is currently on the Global Sumud Flotilla, a humanitarian convoy currently on its way to Gaza. They discuss the remarkable cross-section of people who have joined the flotilla and what they hope to achieve by it while also looking at different ways Israel works to discredit and undermine this effort.
GAZA
More than 250,000 displaced from Gaza City in past month, UN figures show (The Guardian 9/18/25)
“More than a quarter of a million people have been displaced from Gaza City in the last month, according to figures from the UN, with tens of thousands more forced to flee makeshift homes and shelters daily in the face of a new Israeli offensive. Strikes by Israeli artillery, tanks and warplanes hit Gaza City again on Thursday as a UN official said “new waves of mass displacement” were under way, after about 60,000 fled the new assault in 72 hours earlier this week…An unbroken column of traffic heavily laden with household utensils, blankets, mattresses, gas cylinders and often entire families packed Gaza’s narrow coastal road on Thursday as a steady stream of Palestinians headed south towards areas designated by Israel…Swathes of Gaza City, once a busy commercial and cultural hub, have been reduced to uninhabitable ruins. Until weeks ago, more than a million people were living there, many already displaced numerous times.” See also IDF tries to force civilians out of Gaza City as ground offensive continues (The Guardian 9/17/25); The Forced Displacement of Gazans, in Pictures and Maps (WaPo 9/19/25); Gaza City’s communications cut amid widening Israeli ground invasion (WaPo 9/17/25)
Smotrich says Gaza a ‘real estate bonanza,’ talking to the US about dividing it up (TOI 9/17/25)
“Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich says that the Gaza Strip is a “real estate bonanza,” and that he is in talks with the Americans on how to divide it up the coastal enclave after the war. There is “a real estate bonanza” in Gaza that “pays for itself” and he has “already started negotiations with the Americans,” Hebrew media quotes the far-right minister saying at a real estate conference in Tel Aviv. “We have poured a lot of money into this war. We have to see how we are dividing up the land in percentages,” Smotrich says, adding that “the demolition, the first stage in the city’s renewal, we have already done. Now we just need to build.”…Last month, the Washington Post reported that Trump administration was weighing a proposal for the postwar reconstruction of Gaza that would put the Strip under US control for a decade and pay roughly a quarter of its population to relocate, many of them permanently.” See also Israel’s ‘Real Estate Bonanza’ Involves Wiping Gaza Off the Face of the Earth (Haaretz 9/19/25); Israel launches ‘significant’ Gaza City operation (Al Monitor 9/16/25)
My U.N. Commission’s Finding: Israel Is Committing Genocide (Navi Pillay, Chair of the U.N. Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and Israel//NYT 9/16/25)
“Today the United Nations commission that I lead is publishing its legal analysis of Israel’s conduct in the Gaza Strip. Our conclusion is stark: Israel has committed genocide against Palestinians in Gaza. This finding is based on investigations and extensive evidence into the period between Oct. 7, 2023, when the war began, and July 31, 2025. It has been corroborated by multiple sources and assessed through the rigorous legal framework of the U.N. Genocide Convention of 1948, to which Israel is a party…The scale of destruction is devastating. More than 64,000 Palestinians have been killed, including over 18,000 children and nearly 10,000 women, according to Gazan health officials. Estimated life expectancy in Gaza has collapsed from 75 years to just over 40 in a single year, one of the steepest declines recorded. Hospitals, schools, churches, mosques and entire neighborhoods have been destroyed. Our analysis found that starvation has been used as a weapon of war and that the medical system has been deliberately destroyed. Maternal health care has been severely undermined. Children have been starved, shot and buried under rubble. According to UNICEF, one child has died every hour in Gaza. These are not the accidents of war. They are acts calculated to bring about the destruction of a people…
What does this mean for the international community? It means its obligations are not optional. Every state has an obligation to prevent genocide wherever it occurs. That obligation requires action: halting the transfer of weapons and military support used in genocidal acts, ensuring unimpeded humanitarian assistance, stopping the mass displacement and destruction, and using all available diplomatic and legal means to stop the killing. To do nothing is not neutrality. It is complicity.” See also Israel has committed genocide in Gaza, says UN commission of inquiry (The Guardian 9/16/25); UN inquiry finds top Israeli officials incited genocide in Gaza (Reuters 9/16/25); This Is What Malnutrition Does to Children’s Bodies (NYT 9/14/25);
The Genocide in Gaza (Drop Site 9/19/25)
“At least 33 Palestinians killed and 146 injured in the past 24 hours, according to Gaza’s ministry of health. One Palestinian was killed and 17 injured while seeking aid. The total recorded death toll since October 7, 2023 is now 65,174 killed, with 166,071 injured. Four more deaths, including one child, were recorded over the past 24 hours due to starvation and malnutrition, bringing the total since the start of the war to 440, including 147 children. Nearly a quarter of a million Palestinians have been displaced since mid-August when Israel launched its offensive on Gaza City, with around half fleeing in the past week alone, according to the UN. The UN also said that Gaza City’s lifelines are collapsing as 11 UNRWA shelters have been hit in the past five days and aid continues to be severely restricted. The Israeli military warned on Friday it will operate with “unprecedented force” in Gaza City.” See also How Israel is using robots, exploding vehicles and paratroopers to erase Gaza City (Middle East Eye 9/19/25); 32 Palestinians killed by IDF fire in Gaza over past 24 hours, Health Ministry says (Haaretz 9/19/25); Four IDF soldiers killed in roadside bomb attack in southern Gaza’s Rafah (TOI 9/18/25); Gaza Officials Say 98 Palestinians Killed in Israeli Strikes in Past Day, Four Died of Malnutrition (Haaretz 9/17/25)
Key aid groups suspend work, face tough choices as Israel invades Gaza City (WaPo 9/16/25)
“Key aid groups suspended or greatly curtailed what remains of their operations in eastern Gaza City on Tuesday after Israeli tanks arrived at the city limits as part of a ground offensive to seize the city. “Our staff and a million more people in Gaza are facing a harrowing, untenable decision: Stay and maybe be killed, or leave their homes, maybe never to return,” said Sean Carroll, president and CEO of American Near East Refugee Aid, known as Anera, a Washington-based nonprofit. Anera suspended all work in Gaza City on Tuesday. Carroll said staff members are planning to move south. Tens of thousands of residents could lose access to vital water delivery, among other basic services, aid organizations warned. For months, groups have labored to deliver food, water and medical care to Gaza City, where the enclave’s starvation crisis is at its worst. Staff members at more than a dozen humanitarian aid sites, including three health clinics, have been instructed to shelter in place or leave their headquarters since Thursday, according to U.N. security announcements reviewed by The Washington Post…Aid workers warned that many people did not have the financial resources to comply with Israel’s relocation orders.” See also $1k for a Tent, $2k for a Ride to Khan Yunis: The Extraordinary Cost to Evacuate Gaza City (Haaretz 9/17/25);
Civilians made up 15 of every 16 people killed by Israel in Gaza since March, data suggests (The Guardian 9/19/25)
“About 15 of every 16 Palestinians the Israeli military has killed since its renewed offensive in Gaza began in March have been civilians, data collected by the independent violence-tracking organisation Acled indicates…Researchers from Acled, which is backed by western governments and the UN, tracked reports of losses sustained by Hamas and allied armed groups in Gaza from the Israeli military, reliable local and international media, statements from Hamas and other sources over a six-month period…More than 16,000 Palestinians have been killed since Israel broke a two-month ceasefire in March with a huge wave of airstrikes across the devastated territory, according to statistics published by the UN…The Guardian revealed last month that internal data from the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) indicated a civilian death toll of 83% between the outbreak of war in October 2023 and May of this year.” See also Gaza’s Hunger Crisis Dominates Headlines, but Most Deaths Come From Israel’s Airstrikes (Haaretz 9/5/25); ‘The bombing has been insane’: Gaza City Palestinians scramble to flee Israeli assault (BBC 9/16/25); Panic as Israel Warns High Rises in Gaza City Will Be Struck With Minutes to Get Out (Abdel Qader Sabbah//Drop Site 9/15/25)
IDF, Shin Bet Using Gazan Militias for Military Operations in Exchange for Pay and Territory (Haaretz 9/17/25)
“The IDF and Shin Bet security service are using Gaza-based militias to carry out military operations in exchange for pay and control over territory in the enclave, according to testimonies from Israeli soldiers and commanders serving in Gaza. Haaretz reported last year that Gaza civilians had been used by the IDF since the start of the war for targeted tasks, primarily scanning tunnels and inspecting suspicious buildings. In recent weeks, however, soldiers say recruitment has grown into organized groups that Israeli field forces must coordinate with – sometimes without having actual control over them. Each militia consists of dozens of armed men, most from prominent Gaza clans, including the Abu Shabab family. In addition to receiving cash payments, the militias are allowed to carry weapons, which enables them to profit by controlling aid truck routes and charging for the right to set up tents in areas with high civilian presence.”
REGION//GLOBAL
Rubio says Netanyahu has full support of US over plans to destroy Hamas (The Guardian 9/15/25)
“The US secretary of state, Marco Rubio, has put the Trump administration’s full support behind Benjamin Netanyahu in a visit to Jerusalem, saying Washington’s priorities were the liberation of Israeli hostages and the destruction of Hamas. In public remarks standing alongside Netanyahu, Rubio did not mention the possibility of a ceasefire, and did not repeat his earlier criticism of Israel for carrying out an airstrike last week aimed at Hamas leaders in Doha, the capital of another close US ally, Qatar.” See also Trump’s Laissez-Faire Stance Gives Netanyahu Free Pass for Gaza Escalation (NYT 9/16/25); Gulf leaders call on Trump to rein in Israel after Qatar emergency summit (The Guardian 9/15/25); Trump tells aides Netanyahu ‘f—king me,’ but won’t break publicly with him – report (TOI 9/18/25); Rubio, in Israel, Says a Diplomatic Solution to Gaza War May Not be Possible (NYT 9/15/25);
As the world frets over Palestine’s status, Israel flattens Gaza (Ishaan Tharoor//WaPo 9/18/25)
“At the United Nations next week, Palestine is top of the agenda. On Monday, a day before President Donald Trump strides to the dais of the General Assembly, the chamber will reconvene a special summit on the two-state solution. The meeting is a diplomatic initiative launched jointly by France and Saudi Arabia in the shadow of Israel’s almost 2-year war in the Gaza Strip, where its campaign to root out militant group Hamas has killed tens of thousands of Palestinians and destroyed the majority of the densely populated territory…“For those recognizing Palestine, it is an attempt to respond to domestic demands to do something about the genocide in Gaza by reaching for outdated policy tools precisely because the leaders do not have the courage to reach further,” Yousef Munayyer, senior fellow at the Arab Center Washington, a think tank, told me. “At the same time, for [Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu it underscores the new depths of isolation Israel finds itself in.” On the ground, the conditions needed for a viable Palestinian state are nowhere in sight: Jewish settlements proliferate across the West Bank, while Israeli forces are in the midst of a punishing offensive on Gaza City, forcing hundreds of thousands of residents into yet another desperate scramble for safety in an enclave where there are no safe places to go. But diplomats believe that recognition of Palestine, as Spanish Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares told me last year, is “the best tool right now to protect the two-state solution.”’ See also From Palestine push to Sharaa’s UN debut: What to watch at UN summit (Al Monitor 9/18/25); US vetoes UN Security Council resolution demanding immediate Gaza ceasefire and hostage release (AP 9/19/25); Palestinian Authority President Abbas to Address United Nations Through Video After U.S. Visa Denial (Haaretz 9/19/25); Starmer to recognise Palestinian state ‘after Trump state visit’ (The Guardian 9/17/25); 142 back, 10 oppose French-Saudi roadmap for two-state solution at UN: What to know (Al Monitor 9/12/25); EU lays out new tariffs and sanctions on Israel over war in Gaza (AP 9/17/25);
Two [Israeli] soldiers killed by knifeman driving Gaza-bound aid truck at West Bank-Jordan crossing (TOI 9/18/25)
“Two Israeli soldiers were killed in a shooting and stabbing attack near Allenby Crossing between the West Bank and Jordan on Thursday. The assailant was a Jordanian who had been driving a humanitarian aid truck headed for the Gaza Strip.” See also Assailant Kills 2 Israeli Soldiers at West Bank-Jordan Border (NYT 9/18/25); After deadly attack, IDF chief halts Gaza aid entering from Jordan; Allenby Crossing shut (TOI 9/19/25);
Staggering Death Toll Rises to 32 in Single-Deadliest Israeli Strike on Journalists (Drop Site 9/18/25)
“Last Wednesday, on September 10, the Israeli military carried out a wave of bombings in Yemen’s capital of Sana’a, killing dozens of people at several locations. Among the targets hit was a building that Israeli officials referred to as “the Houthis’ military public relations headquarters.” Videos and images of dead and wounded civilians, including several children, quickly began to disseminate on social media after the attack. Among the dead were reported to be a large number of journalists and media workers—with as many as 32 killed in the strike. In a report on the aftermath of the Sana’a bombings, Human Rights Watch cited experts who noted that the office building struck by Israel was home to the media headquarters of Ansarallah, which is the de facto government of the region, as well as the offices of two local newspapers.” See also Houthi drone smashes into entrance of Eilat hotel (TOI 9/18/25); See also Israel killed 31 journalists in Yemen strike, press freedom group says (WaPo 9/19/25); Scoop: Israel presented Syria with proposal for new security agreement (Axios 9/16/25);
Israel’s Qatar attack was a costly failure (Barak Ravid//Axios 9/16/25)
“A week after Israel’s missile strikes in Qatar, it’s clear not only that the assassination attempt against Hamas leaders failed, but that it backfired…The strike increased the feeling inside the Trump administration and around the world that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government is reckless and has become a destabilizing force in the region…Israel’s plan was to take out several of Hamas’ top leaders all at once as they met to discuss President Trump’s Gaza peace proposal. Five Hamas members were killed, along with a Qatari security officer, but the key targets all survived…Instead, the failed attack led to the indefinite suspension of negotiations. Hamas’ negotiators went underground, and the outraged Qatari mediators suspended their efforts. A senior Israeli official told Axios Hamas had been moving “in the direction of a deal” and “we could have reached a breakthrough within days.” Instead, the official argued, the strike sabotaged the talks…Netanyahu wanted to apply more pressure on Qatar to squeeze Hamas, but the attack led to a swell of international solidarity with the Gulf emirate.” See also Scoop: Netanyahu spoke to Trump before Israel bombed Qatar (Axios 9/15/25); Hamas leader gives first TV interview since Israel’s Doha attack: What to know (Al Monitor 9/17/25); Scoop: Netanyahu spoke to Trump before Israel bombed Qatar (Axios 9/15/25);
RIVER TO THE SEA
Israel Is Orchestrating an Economic Collapse in the West Bank (Jessica Buxbaum//Foreign Policy 9/17/25)
“Rauf, who didn’t want his last name used to protect his identity, had his permit revoked when Hamas attacked Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, as with the other approximately 115,000 Palestinians from the West Bank who also held work permits. Nearly two years into the war, only about 8,000 permits have been reinstated. With hundreds of thousands of Palestinians out of work, unemployment has skyrocketed to over 30 percent in the West Bank, as of the last time unemployment data was gathered in September 2024—approaching the highest it’s ever been…Not only is work scarce in the occupied territory, but Israeli-imposed economic restrictions in place from before the war—like withholding Palestinian tax revenues—have strangled the West Bank’s job market…In the first year of the war, a survey conducted by the International Labour Organization found that over 50 percent of West Bank employees had their hours decreased, more than 60 percent had their incomes reduced, and 65 percent of businesses slashed their workforce. The lack of available jobs in the West Bank together with legal options to work in Israel cut off means more workers are potentially endangering their lives just to earn a living.”
We Are ‘Super Sparta’: Netanyahu Says Israel Faces Isolation, Must Shift to Self-reliance (Haaretz 9/15/25)
“Israel is currently in a “type of isolation,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu admitted on Monday, acknowledging that nearly two years into its war in Gaza, Israel must adapt. Speaking at the “Fifty States – One Israel” economic conference hosted by the Finance Ministry’s Accountant General’s Department, with the largest delegation of American legislators to ever visit Israel, Netanyahu said Israel needs to adjust to said isolation, including by producing weapons, to lessen its dependence on foreign nations…However, Netanyahu added that Israel will need to behave like “Sparta,” famous for its wars with ancient Athens. “We’ll need to develop weapons industries here. We’re going to be Athens and super Sparta. Over the next few years, we’ll have no other choice. We’ll have to defend ourselves and know how to attack our enemies.”’ See also Netanyahu admits Israel is economically isolated, will need to become self-reliant (TOI 9/15/25);
Israeli intelligence agency balked at Netanyahu’s strike in Qatar (WaPo 9/12/25)
“When Israel announced Tuesday that it had launched a strike on senior Hamas leaders in Qatar, one security agency was notably missing from the official statements: the Mossad. That’s because Israel’s external intelligence agency had declined to carry out a plan it had drawn up in recent weeks to use agents on the ground to assassinate Hamas leaders, according to two Israelis familiar with the matter who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive information. The Mossad director, David Barnea, opposed killing the Hamas officials in Qatar partly because such an action could rupture the relationship he and his agency had cultivated with the Qataris, who had been hosting Hamas and mediating ceasefire talks between the militant group and Israel, these people said. The Mossad’s reservations about a ground operation ultimately influenced how the strike was carried out and perhaps its likelihood of success. They reflected a broader opposition within the Israeli security establishment to the attack ordered by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.”
Smotrich Isn’t Bluffing: Israeli Minister’s Plan to Annex 82% of the West Bank Is a Road Map (Amira Hass//Haaretz 9/4/25)
“In some 20 years of political activity, Bezalel Smotrich has proven himself to be goal-oriented and highly capable of executing his intentions. From his opposition to the Gaza disengagement, to leading the right-wing organization Regavim, and now as the minister responsible for settlements – he was also the first to openly say that the release of hostages is not the top priority – many of his positions have become government policy. That’s why Smotrich’s announcement earlier this week, at a press conference alongside senior figures from the settlement establishment, must be taken seriously: the formal annexation of 82% of the West Bank…As early as late 2016, in an interview with Ravit Hecht in Haaretz, Smotrich laid out his goal: to extinguish Palestinian hopes for a state between the river and the sea. He described three options for the Palestinians: voluntary mass emigration (his preferred choice); remaining in the land as subjects without rights or national aspirations; or full-scale war against those who refuse to accept the decree…When it comes to anti-Palestinian policy, Smotrich is not a fringe figure. He is in the mainstream. That’s why his annexation plan is not a fantastical delusion.”
Israel Demolishes Palestinian Village Attacked by Settlers in West Bank (Haaretz 9/18/25)
“The Israeli army began demolishing buildings and infrastructure in a Palestinian village in the southern West Bank, less than two weeks after it was attacked by Jewish settlers…A villager said that the security forces cut cables belonging to security cameras that were repaired after a settler riot there two weeks ago, which defense officials say was one of the worst nationalist crimes in recent times…One of the homes demolished by an order of the Civil Administration was owned by a resident who was stabbed in the abdomen during the raid, while settlers assaulted his wife and children…Jewish suspects in the riot have not yet been arrested.” See also Bedouin families left homeless as Israel demolishes Negev village (Middle East Eye 9/18/25); Israel Demolishes Dozens of Bedouin Homes as Residents Set Houses Ablaze in Protest (Haaretz 9/17/25);
How Israel’s War Economy Defied Economic Predictions (Assaf Bondy & Adam Raz//Jacobin 9/16/25)
“Many observers thought that years of prolonged war would cripple Israel’s economy. But the opposite has happened. By giving billions of shekels in compensation to reservists, Israel has managed to keep its citizens spending while Gaza burns.” See also Netanyahu is only obstacle to bringing hostages home, families say (BBC 9/14/25);
Israel’s culture minister threatens national film awards after Palestinian story takes top prize (The Guardian 9/17/25)
“Israel’s culture minister, Miki Zohar, has announced that funding for the Ophirs, the country’s national film awards, would be cancelled after The Sea, a film about a 12-year-old Palestinian boy, won the best feature film prize.” See also Oscar-winning Palestinian says home in West Bank raided by Israeli soldiers (The Guardian 9/13/25);
U.S. SCENE
Seven Senate Dems call for recognition of a Palestinian state (JI 9/19/25)
“The resolution was led by Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-OR) and co-sponsored by Sens. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Tim Kaine (D-VA), Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Peter Welch (D-VT), Tina Smith (D-MN), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) and Mazie Hirono (D-HI). The resolution came in conjunction with plans by several U.S. allies to recognize a Palestinian state and alongside a similar push from progressive House lawmakers. Merkley and Van Hollen recently traveled to Israel and released a scathing report accusing Israel of deliberate ethnic cleansing and collective punishment…Van Hollen said in a statement that Congress should assert its own stance on the issue because “the Netanyahu government has obstructed that goal [of a two-state solution] and the Trump Administration has abandoned it.”’ See also Democratic Senators Call for U.S. Recognition of Palestinian State (NYT 9/18/25); Senators say US is complicit in Israel’s ethnic cleansing of Gaza (The Guardian 9/11/25); One year after Ayşenur Ezgi Eygi was killed, the US has not investigated. Her family wants answers (The Guardian 9/6/25); Growing number of Americans say U.S. supports Israel too much in Gaza war, poll shows (WaPo 9/18/25);
For the first time, Bernie Sanders calls Israel’s war in Gaza a genocide (WaPo 9/17/25)
“Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont) said Wednesday that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza — becoming one of the highest-profile elected U.S. officials to do so and marking the first time he has used the term to describe Israel’s nearly two-year military campaign in the enclave, which has come under growing international criticism. In an op-ed published on his website, Sanders wrote: “The intent is clear. The conclusion is inescapable: Israel is committing genocide in Gaza.” While acknowledging Israel’s right to defend itself following Hamas’s Oct. 7, 2023, attack, Sanders said that “over the last two years, Israel has not simply defended itself against Hamas” but has “waged an all-out war against the entire Palestinian people.”’ See also Bernie Sanders accuses Israel of ‘genocide’ in Gaza, the first US senator to do so (TOI 9/17/25)
UC Berkeley shares 160 names with Trump administration in ‘McCarthy era’ move (The Guardian 9/12/25)
“The University of California, Berkeley has given the Trump administration the names of 160 faculty members and students as part of an investigation into “alleged antisemitic incidents”, a move a targeted scholar likened to a “practice from the McCarthy era”…UC Berkeley officials confirmed on Friday that 160 people, including faculty, students and staff, had received letters warning of the disclosures and said the decision to send the information to the Trump administration was made by the University of California’s systemwide general counsel…[Professor Judith] Butler [whose name was among those shared by UC-Berkeley with the Trump administration] questioned why the university was not resisting the government’s inquiries, citing other institutions’ presidents, who have said they would not capitulate to certain federal demands in an effort to maintain academic freedom. “It’s shocking … did you consider not complying with this request?” Butler said.” See also University leaders among 100+ signatories to Jewish letter decrying Trump’s campus antisemitism wars (JTA 9/18/25); A Statement From US Jews Opposing Trump’s Attacks on Colleges and Students (The Nation 9/18/25);
Immigration judge orders Mahmoud Khalil deported to Syria or Algeria (Politico 9/17/25)
“An immigration judge in Louisiana has ordered pro-Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil, a legal permanent resident of the U.S., deported to Syria or Algeria for failing to disclose certain information on his green card application, according to documents filed in federal court Wednesday by his lawyers. Khalil’s lawyers suggested in a filing that they intend to appeal the deportation order, but expressed concern that the appeal process will likely be swift and unfavorable.”
Trump Sanctions Palestinian Human Rights Groups for Doing Their Job. Anybody Could Be Next. (Sarah Leah Whitson//The Intercept 9/16/25)
“For decades, the Treasury Department has politicized its authority to impose sanctions. Now, however, with the Trump administration sanctioning three Palestinian human rights organizations, civil society activists around the world are shocked and terrified: Could they be next? The alarm is due to the brazen willingness of President Donald Trump to sanction the staff of these Palestinian groups specifically because of their advocacy with the International Criminal Court to hold Israeli war criminals accountable. It’s the first time the U.S. has levied sanctions against an organization specifically for its efforts to use lawful, peaceful tools of advocacy in pursuit of legal accountability. There is no pretense other than the groups’ work on legal issues that the administration doesn’t like.”
Google Secretly Handed ICE Data About Pro-Palestine Student Activist (The Intercept 9/16/25)
“Google handed over Gmail account information to ICE before notifying the student or giving him an opportunity to challenge the subpoena.”
ICE Gains Access to Israeli Spyware Maker Paragon’s Tool (Haaretz 9/3/25)
“The contract between the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the Israeli spyware company Paragon has been reactivated, in what some say is the first sign of a shift in the current administration’s policies towards offensive cyber. Last year, a $2 million contract was signed between Paragon and ICE, which is part of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), for its Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) unit. However, it was frozen a month later amid the Biden administration’s policy to clamp down on the offensive cyber industry, which sells technologies that allow states access to encrypted smartphones and has been misused across the globe over the past decade.”
Cuomo, Staunch Supporter of Israel, Says ‘Horrific’ Gaza War Must End (NYT 9/15/25)
“Former Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo of New York has long cast himself as a “hyper-aggressive” supporter of Israel, not only defending its war in Gaza but actively confronting fellow Democrats who do not. But as his lagging campaign for mayor of New York City enters its final weeks, there are signs that Mr. Cuomo’s stance has begun to shift. In an interview with The New York Times on Monday, Mr. Cuomo said the situation in Gaza had become “horrific,” called for an immediate end to the war and gently distanced himself from Israel’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, a man he had signed up to defend in the International Criminal Court less than a year ago.” See also Mamdani reiterates vow to arrest Netanyahu as poll shows NYers prefer him over any opponent on Israeli-Palestinian conflict (JTA 9/12/25);
An Israeli Group Aiding Gaza Becomes a New Favorite of US Pro-Israel Groups (Alex Kane//Jewish Currents 9/18/25)
“Last month, the United Jewish Appeal–Federation of Jewish Philanthropies of New York (UJA) announced that it had donated $1 million to the Israeli humanitarian organization IsraAID to assist relief efforts in Gaza…The UJA donation arrived amid increasing Jewish communal criticism of starvation in Gaza…The gift also highlighted a relatively new endeavor for IsraAID itself, an independent nonprofit which was founded in 2001 and is mostly funded by private donors and foundations, though it has worked with the Israeli foreign ministry to provide relief in particular international contexts…IsraAID says that it has provided aid to 100,000 Palestinians in Gaza, and that it hopes to increase its work in the Strip. But it has not provided many details about how it carries out this work. Unlike most other aid groups, IsraAID does not have its own staff working directly inside Gaza. Instead, it says it works with other organizations that are vetted and trusted by the Israeli military, but does not name them due to security concerns…This secrecy, however, has raised concerns among other humanitarian groups.”
Ben & Jerry’s co-founder quits over Gaza battle with owner Unilever (Al Monitor 9/17/25)
“One of the co-founders of Ben & Jerry’s has resigned following a dispute and lawsuit between the US ice cream company and its owner, Unilever, over its public stance on the Gaza war…In a post on the X platform late Tuesday, Jerry Greenfield announced the news of his resignation after 47 years at the company, saying he could no longer “in good conscience” remain an employee of Ben & Jerry’s and that the company had been “silenced” by Unilever.”
Candace Owens’ Israel allegations derail MAGA unity over Charlie Kirk (Axios 9/17/25)
“MAGA swiftly coalesced in grief and anger after Kirk was assassinated last week. The fact that disagreements over Israel pierced that unity underscores how divisive the issue has become — and how much foreign policy orthodoxy is evolving on the right.”
Pro-Israel donors unload on Trump’s toughest GOP critic (Axios 9/18/25)
“The Republican Party’s pro-Israel allies are going all-out to unseat Rep. Thomas Massie. He’s responded by making those attacks a centerpiece of his campaign…Pro-Israel donors are funneling money to MAGA Kentucky, a Trump-aligned super PAC that’s aired several anti-Massie ads.”
PERSPECTIVES//LONG READS
Israel is waging a holocaust in Gaza. Denazification is our only remedy (Orly Noy//+972 Magazine 9/18/25)
“What Israel is doing in Gaza City is not the tragic byproduct of chaotic events on the ground, but a well-calculated act of annihilation, executed in cold blood by “the people’s army” — that is, the fathers, sons, brothers, and neighbors of us Israelis. How is it that, despite the mounting testimonies from Gaza’s concentration and extermination camps, no mass refusal movement has taken root in Israel? That after two years of this carnage barely a handful of conscientious objectors sit in prison is truly inconceivable…Who are these obedient souls who keep this system running? How can a society so deeply fractured — between the religious and the secular, settlers and liberals, kibbutzniks and urbanites, veteran immigrants and new arrivals — unite only in its willingness to slaughter Palestinians without a moment’s hesitation?…Israel is unleashing a holocaust in Gaza, and it cannot be dismissed as the will of the country’s current fascist leaders alone. This horror runs deeper than Netanyahu, Ben Gvir, and Smotrich. What we are witnessing is the final stage in the nazification of Israeli society. The urgent task now is to bring this holocaust to an end. But stopping it is only the first step. If Israeli society is ever to return to the fold of humanity, it must undergo a deep process of denazification.”
Israeli Soldiers’ Vulnerability Is a Healthy Reaction From People Who Have Committed Horrific Acts (Amira Hass//Haaretz 9/18/25)
“The soldiers who took their own lives and will take their own lives, or those who tried and will try, the conscripts who strive to be released from combat duty and those who are emotionally scarred – they’re all the sane ones. Their bodies and souls refuse to consider obeying an order a supreme value. And it makes no difference how many of them view their military service and the acts of their commanders, army and state as crimes…While Israeli society is normalizing the annihilation of the Gaza Strip in all the news broadcasts and over a cup of coffee on upscale boulevards, the soldiers who wake up shouting and go to their mental health officer for an exemption are a straw to grab onto in the heavy darkness we’re immersed in.”
When Universities Become Informants (Judith Butler//Chronicle of Higher Education 9/13/25)
“In this case, we were each informed of the existence of a file passed to the government without access to the file itself. We were not allowed to know the substance of the allegation nor were we provided with a review process where our own accounts could be considered. In the missive, Robinson does say that the incidents of antisemitic harassment or discrimination are “alleged,” implying that the allegations were not necessarily reviewed or adjudicated but left to stand on their own. Instead of treating the allegations according to established Title VI procedures, the university forwarded the allegation to an office of the federal government. Some of the allegations are anonymous, according to the university’s legal counsel. The fact that someone somewhere, protected by anonymity, has made allegations of this kind is apparently sufficient to forward the names to an office of the federal government that has demonstrated contempt for civil rights and established university procedures. We are all due the equivalent of protections offered by the Sixth Amendment of the Constitution — the right to a lawyer, the right to an impartial jury, the right to know who your accusers are, the nature of the charges, and the evidence provided. We are also due the opportunity to rebut such an allegation with our own evidence…Will those of us on the list be branded by the government as “terrorist sympathizers”? Will our travel be restricted? Will our email be surveilled? Students on the list are now potentially exposed to abduction, deportation, termination of employment, expulsion from the university, harassment, and detention by a government that has already shown its willingness to do all of the above.” See also Kafka-land at UC Berkeley (Judith Butler//The Nation 9/16/25)
China and the Gaza Genocide: A Strategic Distance (Razan Shawamreh//Al Shabaka 9/16/25)
“This policy memo shows how China’s “biased impartiality,” which privileges the Israeli regime, drives its strategic distancing from the genocide in Gaza. This position is not simply the result of US dominance over Israel-related affairs but a calculated decision to protect China’s long-term interests. By calling for Palestinian unity without exerting pressure on the Israeli government, Beijing shields its ties with the Zionist state under the guise of restraint. In addition, it deflects responsibility for stopping the genocide onto the UN Security Council (UNSC), casting ceasefire, humanitarian access, and prisoner release as obligations for others in order to absolve itself of direct accountability.”
In the West Bank, Trump Is Not Standing in Israel’s Way (Philip Gordon, National Security Advisor to VP Kamala Harris//NYT 9/18/25)
“The Trump administration has not officially given its blessing to Israeli annexation of the West Bank. But it appears to be doing nothing to stand in Israel’s way…Given America’s apparent acquiescence, only international action can prevent a coming disaster.” See also Netanyahu and an Israel Without Restraint (Roger Cohen//NYT 9/17/25)
Israel’s opposition is plotting a return to power. But it remains its own worst enemy (Joshua Leifer//+972 9/15/25)
“Despite a strong showing in the polls, Israel’s center-left camp is still in denial about its only trump card: joining forces with Palestinian-led parties.”