1. Bills, Resolutions
2. Letters
3. Hearings
4. Israel/Palestine in 2024 Elex/Politics
5. Selected Media & Press releases/Statements

This week’s round-up was guest-written by Haydn Welch and Sheridan Cole, advocacy officers at the Middle East Democracy Center, with contributions by Lara Friedman.

1. Bills & Resolutions

(US-JORDAN RELATIONS) S. 4563: Introduced 6/18/24 by Rubio (R-FL) and Rosen (D-NV), “A bill to improve defense cooperation between the United States and the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan.” Referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations. Also see: Press release – Rubio, Rosen Introduce Bill Encouraging U.S.-Jordan Security Partnership

FY25 SFOPs – House

>>State-of-play: After the House Appropriations Committee marked up and passed the base text of the FY25 SFOPS appropriations bill on 6/12, the Republican-led House is moving forward with the bill, which includes the submission of a freewheeling array of amendments (many of which are relevant to the MENA region). The deadline to submit amendments to the bill was June 18, 2024 and the House Rules committee is scheduled to meet next week. The full list of amendments can be found here: https://rules.house.gov/bill/118/hr-FY2025-SFOPS 

Lara’s full analysis/summary of the Middle East-related details of the FY25 SFOPS bill and the accompanying report is available here.

>>Amendments of Note:

• Meeks (D-NY) submitted an amendment that would strike a provision included in the House bill, section 7035(c)(5), that would block certain funds to the Department of State until any arms withheld from Israel are delivered, even if it was withheld to comply with U.S. law. 
• Delia Ramirez (D-IL) submitted an amendment that would strike the prohibition on funding to UNRWA.
• Sarah Jacobs (D-CA) submitted two amendments that would strike prohibitions on funding to the International Criminal Court and the International Court of Justice. 
• A raft of ridiculous, anti-Palestinian amendments were also included, including bans on funding: the administration or enforcement of NSM-20, the citation of statistics from Gaza’s health ministry, a visa to/parole into the U.S. to any individual with a passport issued by the PA, any entity that participates in BDS.
• Dean Phillips (D-MN) and Gerry Connolly (D-VA) both submitted amendments that would support civil society in Tunisia. The Phillips amendment would allocate an additional $10 million to support democracy, civil society, and economic development in Tunisia, while the Connolly amendment would allocate $5 million to support Tunisia’s civil society. 

FY25 Defense Appropriations – House

>>State-of-play: Following the House Appropriations Committee marking up and passing the base text of the FY25 Defense appropriations bill on 6/13, the deadline to submit amendments to the bill was June 20, 2024 and the House Rules committee is scheduled to meet next week. The full list of amendments can be found here: https://rules.house.gov/bill/118/hr-FY2025-Defense 

>>Amendments of Note:

• André Carson (D-IN) submitted an amendment which would strike Sec. 8114, which prohibits funds to UNRWA, and an amendment requiring a report to Congress on the death of Palestinian American journalist, Shireen Abu Akleh. 
• Joe Wilson (R-SC) submitted an amendment that encourages the Department of Defense to “harmonize the defense industrial bases” between the United States and Israel.

Gregory Meeks (D-NY) submitted an amendment that would strike Sec. 8166(a) and (b), which bars funding for withholding, halting, reversing, or canceling the delivery of defense articles or services to Israel.

2. Letters

• 6/20/24: Cotton (R-TX) accuses the Biden administration of withholding weapons and ammunition from Israel, and asks for a list of all weapons and ammunition requested by Israel, and an explanation for any delays. 
• 6/20/24: Durbin (D-IL), Casar (D-TX), Jayapal (D-WA), and Dingell (D-MI) lead 69 colleagues in urging administration to adopt “a Priority-2 (P-2) designation under the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program (USRAP) for certain Palestinians.” [“We urge you to consider opening pathways to Palestinian refugees, particularly those with family members in the United States, to seek relief in the United States.”]
• 6/20/24: Rubio (R-FL) to Biden: Ensure U.S. Taxpayer Dollars Don’t Support Criminal Regimes’ Interests at the United Nations [“It is deeply troubling that the UN has adopted resolutions that not only condemn Israel’s right to defend itself, but reward Hamas by encouraging the recognition of a “Palestinian State.”
• 6/18/24: Fox News: Eight House Republicans, led by Pat Fallon (TX) demand that Secretary Blinken halt humanitarian funding for Gaza until he shares a strategy within thirty days detailing how the funds will be prevented from indirectly funding Hamas.
• 6/18/24: Graham, Cornyn, Tillis, Blackburn, Hawley, Britt, Risch, Collins, and Thune Press DOJ for Position on ICC Action Against Israel [letter text]
• 6/17/24: Chair Foxx Requests Text Messages Sent by Columbia University Administrators [no letter posted]
• 6/17/24: Jewish Insider: Lawmakers urge administration to ‘expeditiously implement’ new Iran sanctions [letter text]

3. Hearings & Markups

6/18/24: The Senate Foreign Relations Committee’s Subcommittee on Near East, South Asia, Central Asia, and Counterterrorism held a hearing entitled, FY 2025 Budget Request for the Middle East and North Africa (video). Witnesses were Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs Barbara Leaf (statement) and Deputy Assistant USAID Administrator, Bureau for the Middle East Jeanne Pryor (statement). In the hearing, Leaf acknowledged that the Israeli government had engaged in “insufficient [post-war] planning,” claimed that insufficient humanitarian aid entering Gaza “is not because Israel is trying to impede it,” and conceded that the actions of Bezalel Smotrich are destabilizing to the West Bank. Senator Kaine (D-VA) pressed the administration on its certification via NSM-20 that Israel is not obstructing humanitarian aid, and Senator Van Hollen (D-MD) called on the administration to immediately sanction Smotrich. Also see: Barbara Leaf says that ‘reality’ might force Israel to allow PA to govern Gaza (Jewish Insider 6/19/24) 

6/26/24:The House Committee on Education and the Workforce’s Subcommittee on Workforce Protections will hold a hearing entitled, “Combating Workplace Antisemitism in Postsecondary Education: Protecting Employees from Discrimination.” From the announcement: “As employers, colleges have a legal duty and moral obligation to protect staff and faculty from discrimination and harassment…The Committee’s wide-reaching antisemitism investigation exposed these institutions’ troubling pattern of willful dereliction of their legal duties and failure to address and prevent antisemitic incidents. This hearing will allow Committee members to hold these colleges accountable for their inability to protect their employees from abuse and unlawful discrimination.” No witnesses have been announced.

4. Israel/Palestine in 2024 Politics/Elex

General

• Mondoweiss 6/19/24: Progressive organizations launch Reject AIPAC to counter the pro-Israel lobby [“Michael Arria interviews Justice Democrats spokesperson Usamah Andrabi about the Reject AIPAC coalition, the Israel lobby’s election strategy, and two of the biggest primary fights of the summer.”]
• The Nation 6/17/24 (by Rep. Tlaib, D-MI, and Nina Turner): Black Liberation and Palestinian Liberation Are Interconnected

Maryland

• Jewish Insider 6/18/24: In letter to Maryland rabbis, Hogan vows to stand with Jewish community if elected

Oregon

• Oregon Public Broadcasting 6/20/24: A major pro-Israel group spent big to influence one Oregon congressional race [“New filings show a political action committee affiliated with the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, or AIPAC, donated $1.3 million in May to a group that spent more than $3.2 million waging attacks on one of three central candidates in that race: former Multnomah County Commissioner Susheela Jayapal. The group also poured $1 million into a separate group that lavished more than $2 million in support on Maxine Dexter, the physician and state lawmaker who ultimately won the race.”]

Pennsylvania

• Jewish Insider 6/17/24: Janelle Stelson doubles down on ‘Israel’s right to decimate Hamas however it sees fit’ as she challenges Rep. Scott Perry [“The former TV news anchor is criticizing the Pennsylvania Republican as unreliable on Israel policy and as having ‘a pretty disturbing history of antisemitism’“]

Virginia

• Jewish Telegraphic Agency 6/17/24: In a Virginia primary between hardline candidates, the bottom line for Republican Jews is support for Israel

New York

• Politico 6/21/24: A Trip to Israel Changed Jamaal Bowman’s World View — And Could Cost Him His Reelection [“As coverage of the race focuses on Bowman v. Latimer as a proxy war between the left and the center, between pro-Palestinian and pro-Israel power centers in the Democratic Party, between AOC and AIPAC, it’s left out how Bowman’s evolution as a political figure brought us here. His 2021 trip to Israel now serves as a defining moment in his continued evolution — and one that could torpedo his career.”]
• New York Times 6/20/24: AIPAC Unleashes a Record $14.5 Million Bid to Defeat a Critic of Israel [“After helping recruit Mr. Latimer, the Westchester County executive, AIPAC has served as his biggest bundler, steering more than $2.4 million directly into his campaign accounts, some of it from Republican donors. Then, in mid-May, its super PAC began to spend, saturating local television despite New York’s notoriously high advertising prices.”]
  • See also: New York Post 6/19/24: Record $23M spent in NY Democratic primary brawl – most of it to oust ‘Squad’ Rep. Jamaal Bowman; Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) 6/19/24 X-post: “An unspoken secret in Congress is that much of the reflexive, blind, unconditional vote support for nearly any Israeli gov action isn’t from actual agreement…Reps are terrified of AIPAC,” alongside a graphic of NY primary ad spending; 
• Punchbowl News 6/20/24: Why Latimer could be the first successful anti-Squad challenger [‘“Is [Bowman] going to get at least 40% of the vote? Yes. Does he have an obvious ethnic benefit? Yes,’ Latimer said. ‘Will he get the people who are furthest to the left? Yes. But once you get beyond a couple of constituencies that he has strength in, he’s weak everywhere else.”’]
• New York Times 6/18/24: Race and Israel Take Center Stage in Final Bowman-Latimer Debate [“Representative Jamaal Bowman of New York sought to portray his challenger, George Latimer, as a pawn of a major pro-Israel lobby.”]
  • See also: Punchbowl News 6/19/24: Bowman slams AIPAC in final debate with Latimer; Fox News 6/19/24: ‘Outspoken Black man’: ‘Squad’ Rep Bowman points to this reason for pro-Israel lobby’s attacks; Politico 6/18/24: Racism, lying allegations fly in final Latimer-Bowman debate
• Jewish Insider 6/18/24: No more bridges left to burn in Jewish Westchester [“As Rep. Jamaal Bowman fights for his political life, Jewish leaders in the district say he’s left a long trail of betrayal in his wake”]
• City & State New York 6/17/24: Jamaal Bowman has given up on changing minds. Turnout is his only hope. [“The Democratic primary between Bowman and George Latimer could come down to voter turnout in a handful of Westchester County cities.”]
• New York Post 6/16/24: ‘Squad’ member Jamaal Bowman targets fellow Dem Ritchie Torres’ Israel support amid primary fight
• Politico 6/16/14: Jamaal Bowman’s challenger is the Cher of suburban New York [“The New York Democrat running to unseat Rep. Jamaal Bowman has an unusual double advantage against the incumbent: local political clout and the backing of a national pro-Israel group. And it’s Westchester County Executive George Latimer’s ties at home — even more so than his position on the war in Gaza — that could deny the Squad member a third term.“]
• New York Times 6/15/24: Progressive Democrats Scramble to Save One of Their Stars From Defeat [“Representative Jamaal Bowman’s views on Israel made him a top target. But his primary has become a flashpoint in a broader fight within the Democratic Party.”]
• The Nation 6/14/24: Hillary Clinton Just Made the Wrong Choice in One of 2024’s Most Crucial Races [“The 2016 Democratic presidential nominee knows George Latimer is using racist GOP talking points to attack Jamaal Bowman. Yet she has endorsed Latimer. What an embarrassment.”]

5. Selected Media & Press releases/Statements

Netanyahu & The Hill

• Disagreements continued this week within the Democratic Party over Netanyahu’s upcoming July 24 address to a joint session of Congress, as Jayapal (D-WA) and Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) both called for Netanyahu’s invitation to be revoked. 

• • Who’s planning to boycott Netanyahu’s speech?
    • Ro Khanna (D-CA), Jim Clyburn (D-SC), Bernie Sanders (D-VT)
      • Huffington Post 6/16/24: Rep. Ro Khanna Joins Other Lawmakers In Boycotting Netanyahu’s Speech To Congress [Khanna: “I’m not going to sit in a one-way lecture,” the Democrat said, citing the leader’s role in Israel’s ongoing U.S.-funded military offensive in Gaza.]
    • Elizabeth Warren (D-MA)
      • The Hill 6/19/24: Warren to boycott Netanyahu speech to Congress [“Benjamin Netanyahu has created a humanitarian disaster,” Warren said]
    • Hank Johnson (D-GA)
      • The Hill 6/17/24: Pelosi’s split from Jeffries on Netanyahu invite prompts quiet backlash from Democrats
    • Additional members planning to boycott: Greg Casar (D-TX) [“I’m not planning on attending”], Jan Schakoswky (D-IL) [“I don’t want to be there”], Stephen Lynch (D-MA) [“I’m inclined not to attend.”] Jamaal Bowman (D-NY), Maxwell Frost (D-FL), Chuy García (D-IL) [“probably not” attending], Don Beyer (D-VA) [“probably not” attending], Jim McGovern (D-MA), Jared Huffman (D-CA), Jeff Merkley (D-OR)

• On Tuesday, Netanyahu released a video in which he said he told Blinken that it was “inconceivable” that the United States had been withholding arms and ammunition to Israel. While the White House did confirm a pause on one shipment of bombs, in response to Netanyahu’s comments, press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said, “We genuinely do not know what he’s talking about.” Congressional reactions varied:

• • McConnell (R-KY) 6/18/24: McConnell: Israel Deserves Ironclad Support, Not Grotesque Micromanagement; also see: Tal Schneider (Israeli journalist) 6/18/24: X-post (Hebrew) – “In perfect coordination, shortly after Netanyahu’s surprising video about Israel not getting the weapons it needs (and the White House’s denial), the Senate Minority Leader, Mitch McConnell stood up and attacked the White House for not supplying the weapons.”
  • Torres (D-NY) 6/18/24: X-post – “If you are looking to undermine the bipartisanship of the US-Israel relationship, then release a public video attacking the Biden Administration, which, despite hysterical opposition from the far left, has held firm in support of Israel for eight months and counting. Disagreements should be had in private. Hamas is emboldened by even the appearance of a ruptured relationship.”
  • Sanders (I-VT) 6/18/24: Sanders Responds to Netanyahu’s Calls for More U.S. Weapons: “No More Bombs for Netanyahu”: “It is absurd that Netanyahu has been invited to address Congress. We should not be honoring people who use the starvation of children as a weapon of war. Instead, the United States should be withholding all offensive military aid to Israel and using our leverage to demand an end to this war, the unfettered flow of humanitarian aid to Gaza, a stop to the killing of Palestinians in the West Bank, and initial steps towards a two-state solution.”
  • Hagerty (R-TN) 6/19/24: X-post: “@WhiteHouse is mad bc @IsraeliPM @netanyahu is telling the truth. Biden Admin has refused to send Congress **formal** notifications to finalize a host of arms sales to Israel—incl F-15s, JDAM smart bomb kits, munitions—even after SFRC & HFAC informally cleared these sales!”
    • This was accompanied by tweets from other members of Congress, including: Deb Fischer, John Barrasso

Members of Congress on AIPAC/AIEF Trips to Israel

• CNN 6/17/24: Bipartisan congressional delegation will travel to Israel ahead of Netanyahu address to Congress
• Jewish News Syndicate 6/17/24: Gallant to Congress members: We’re fighting for Western civilization [excerpt: “Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant met on Monday with a bipartisan U.S. congressional delegation visiting the Defense Ministry in Tel Aviv on a trip organized by AIPAC’s American Israel Education Foundation. The nine-member group consisted of Reps. Steve Cohen (D-Tenn.), Jake Ellzey (R-Texas), Randy Feenstra (R-Iowa), Steny Hoyer (D-Md.), Glenn Ivey (D-Md.), Greg Landsman (D-Ohio), Lucy McBath (D-Ga.), Frank Pallone Jr. (D-N.J.) and Joe Wilson (R-S.C.), Gallant’s office said.”]
• Hoyer (D-MD) 6/16/24: Hoyer, Bipartisan House Members to Travel to Israel — “Congressman Steny H. Hoyer (MD-05) will serve as the senior Member on a bipartisan Congressional delegation to Israel this week in coordination with the American Israel Education Foundation. The group of nine House Members will hold high-level meetings with top Israeli leaders and receive updates on the state of the Israel-Hamas War, the humanitarian situation in Gaza, and ongoing efforts to secure a temporary ceasefire and the release of the 120 hostages held captive in Gaza by Hamas. ‘My twenty-first visit to Israel comes at a decisive moment for our two nations,’ Congressman Hoyer said. ‘I look forward to strengthening our vital U.S.-Israel relationship even further during my first visit to Israel since the terror and devastation of October 7. Both on this delegation and upon our return, we will continue working to maintain the strong, longstanding bipartisan consensus in Congress to support our ally, Israel.‘” REMINDER: AIEF is closely connected (to say the least) to AIPAC – for details see the run-down of this relationship, with receipts, in the 4/12/24 edition of the Round-Up)
• CNN 6/17/24: Bipartisan congressional delegation will travel to Israel ahead of Netanyahu address to Congress

The Battle Around Antisemitism & Criticism of Israel/Zionism

• Free Beacon 6/18/24: Rabbis Press Dem Leader Schumer To Pass Bills To Combat Anti-Semitism – Rabbis also take issue with Schumer’s comments attacking Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu [background from the archives: Meet the Rabbis Who Believe the Torah Is on Trump’s Side – “The Coalition of Jewish Values emerged in early 2017, giving a voice to the Orthodox right in America for the first time. The group claims to represent over 1,000 rabbis, but liberal skeptics suggest that figure is much closer to six]”
• Jeffries (D-NY) 6/18/24: Leader Jeffries At Nova Music Festival Exhibition: “We Have To Do Everything That We Can To Crush The Shocking Rise Of Antisemitism”
• House Ways & Means Committee 6/18/24: Six Key Moments: Hearing on Antisemitism on College Campuses
• Jewish Insider 6/20/24: Major antisemitism bills appear stalled in Congress with summer, election fast approaching

Pro-Israel Lobbying

• Jewish Insider 6/19/24: CEOs, senators strategize with hostage’s parents on Capitol Hill [“The political and business leaders agreed to principles including supporting Israel’s right to defend itself and continuing the provision of resources Israel needs to do so”]
• Washington Post 6/17/24: Key Democrats approve major arms sale to Israel, including F-15s [“Under pressure from the Biden administration, Rep. Gregory Meeks (D-N.Y.) approved the multibillion-dollar sale despite lingering concerns about the death toll in Gaza.”] Also see: New York Times, Reuters, Wall Street Journal
  • The Hill 6/19/24: Senate Dems stew over Biden’s military sale to Israel. [A small group of Senate Democrats is calling on the Biden administration to hold back a military sale to Israel so it could be leveraged to influence the conduct of the war in the Gaza Strip..after a decision this week that allowed the Biden administration to move forward with the sale.] The group included Senators Van Hollen, Schatz, Murphy, and others.
  • Wall Street Journal 6/18/24: Biden Administration Delays Moving Forward With F-15 Sale to Israel [“A month after senior congressional Democrats lifted their hold on the fighters, the State Department hasn’t yet sent the formal notification to lawmakers.”]
• Punchbowl News 6/18/24: Top CEOs meeting with senators on Israel [“A group of high-powered tech, finance and defense industry CEOs — many of whom are GOP megadonors — are scheduled to meet with top senators in the Capitol on Tuesday to advocate for continuing U.S. arms sales to Israel.”]
• Jewish News Syndicate 6/17/24: Even ‘ironclad’ US-Israel alliance ‘can rust, corrode,’ congressman [Auchincloss (D-MA)] warns
• The Hill 6/14/24: Cardin aims for bipartisan fix to shield Israeli leaders from ICC

Other stuff

• Congressional Research Service 6/14/24: Hamas: Background, Current Status, and U.S. Policy
• Mast (R-FL) 6/13/24: Build In America, Not Gaza
• Schneider (D-IL) 6/11/24: Abraham Accords Caucus Forms Bipartisan Gaza Working Group
• Sanders (D-VT) 6/14/24: Statement on Developments in the West Bank
• New York Times/Tom Friedman 6/18/24: American Leaders Should Stop Debasing Themselves on Israel