Legislative Round-Up- August 23, 2024

Produced by the Foundation for Middle East Peace. Views and positions expressed here are those of the writer, and do not necessarily represent APN's views and policy positions.

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

Of note:

  • New episode of FMEP’s Occupied Thoughts podcast 8/23/24: The Accountability Archive, ft. FMEP non-resident Fellow Nour Joudah speaking with Philip Proudfoot and Mahdi Zaidan from the Accountability Archive (@archivegenocide), which describes itself as a “crowdsourced record of journalists, politicians, and public figures endorsing or encouraging the ethnic cleansing of Gaza and/or defaming pro-Palestinian activists.”  The trio discuss  how the archive came about, how it is coming along, and plans for the future, as well as what it has been like to undertake both such a massive project as well as the experience of wading through such incredibly graphic material.
  • New CRS report 8/20/24: Possible U.S.-Saudi Agreements and Normalization with Israel: Considerations for Congress

1. Bills & Resolutions

(WE STAND WITH ISRAEL AGAINST THE EVIL UN) HR 9374: Introduced 8/16/24 by Lawler (R-NY) and 28 cosponsors (including 3 Democrats – Gottheimer, D-NY, Moskowitz, D-FL, and Landsman, D-OH),  “To amend the United Nations Participation Act of 1945 to provide for a prohibition on contributions to the United Nations relating to Israel,” aka the “Stand with Israel Act.” Per Lawler’s press release, the Act “will require the withholding of U.S. funding to UN agencies that expel, downgrade, suspend, or otherwise restrict the participation of the State of Israel. The bill is modeled after the current prohibition of funding to any UN entities that elevate the status of the Palestinian Authority to a member state.” The press release also notes that the bill is “endorsed by the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), Jewish Institute for National Security of America (JINSA), FDD Action, Republican Jewish Coalition (RJC), Combat Antisemitism Movement (CAM), Zionist Organization of America (ZOA), Christians United for Israel (CUFI), and Heritage Action. Also see: Bipartisan lawmakers put UN on notice over ‘rampant anti-Israel bias’ – “GOP Rep Mike Lawler, Dem Rep Jared Moskowitz are leading the bill” (Fox News 8/19/24)

COMING SOON: Reps. Carson (D-IN), Jayapal (D-WA), and Schakowsky (D-IL) are reportedly getting set to lead the introduction of the “UNRWA Funding Emergency Restoration Act of 2024.” From Carson’s website: “Congressman Carson will soon introduce the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) Emergency Restoration Act of 2024 to restore funds that were blocked earlier this year to the critical humanitarian agency that provides food, shelter, and healthcare to refugees in Gaza. In September of 2023, Congressman Carson led a letter to Senator Risch of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee requesting the Senator to immediately release his hold on funds for food assistance to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency. These funds were blocked even after Congress approved the funds in December of 2022. Congressman Carson’s efforts, supported by 63 of his Congressional colleagues in the House and Senate, provided $75 million in food assistance to over one million Palestinian refugees. Prior to the current war, over 40 percent of people in Gaza were severely food insecure – that number is expected to dramatically increase.”

2. Letters

Targeting Free Speech/protest/academia

Other stuff

3. Hearings & Markups

None.

4. Israel/Palestine in 2024 Politics/Elex

Members of Congress & the DNC

Primaries

Elex – general

General

5. Selected Media & Press releases/Statements

Never-ending (and ever-escalating) witch hunt targeting academia

Other stuff