As Benjamin Netanyahu presents his new coalition today to Israel’s President Herzog, Americans for Peace Now (APN) is deeply concerned about the impact of the incoming government on Israel’s future as a democracy and on its relations with its Palestinian neighbors.
Produced by the Foundation for Middle East Peace in cooperation with Americans for Peace Now, where the Legislative Round-Up was conceived.
1. Bills
& Resolutions
2. Hearings &
Markups
3.
Media & Members (general)
4. Media & Members (Elex
& The Next Congress)
5. Members on the Record
(Israel & Palestine)
6. Members on the Record
(Iran)
7.
Members on the Record (the rest of the region)
1. Bills, Resolutions & Letters
(FY23 NDAA) HR 7776: On 12/15/22, the Senate voted 83-11 to adopt the joint House-Senate compromise version of the FY23 National Defense Authorization Act (which includes a number of other authorization bills). The House previously adopted the measure on 12/8/22 by a vote of 350-80). The bill now goes to the President, who is expected to sign it expeditiously.
- Once again — to keep the Round-Up from running crazy long, I’ve posted my summary of all the Middle East-related elements that made it into the final bill (and the ones that didn’t) here.
- Also, once again — Please note that the vehicle for the FY23 NDAA/omnibus is HR 7776 – a bill formerly known as the “Water Resources Development Act of 2022”. As in, HR 7776 has been repurposed into the 2023 NDAA (i.e., the original text was deleted and replaced with the consensus/compromise NDAA text).
Yossi Alpher is an independent security analyst. He is the former director of the Jaffee Center for Strategic Studies at Tel Aviv University, a former senior official with the Mossad, and a former IDF intelligence officer. Views and positions expressed here are those of the writer, and do not necessarily represent APN's views and policy positions.
Americans for Peace Now, together with Ameinu, Bend the Arc, Habonim Dror North America, J Street, New Israel Fund, the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism and T’ruah today released the following statement:
As Jewish American organizations, we oppose House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy’s pledge to strip Representative Ilhan Omar of her House Foreign Affairs Committee seat based on false accusations that she is antisemitic or anti-Israel. We may not agree with some of Congresswoman Omar’s opinions, but we categorically reject the suggestion that any of her policy positions or statements merit disqualification from her role on the committee.
Yossi Alpher is an independent security analyst. He is the former director of the Jaffee Center for Strategic Studies at Tel Aviv University, a former senior official with the Mossad, and a former IDF intelligence officer. Views and positions expressed here are those of the writer, and do not necessarily represent APN's views and policy positions.
Produced by the Foundation for Middle East Peace in cooperation with Americans for Peace Now, where the Legislative Round-Up was conceived.
1. Bills &
Resolutions
2. Hearings &
Markups
3.
Media & Members (general)
4. Media & Members (Elex
& The Next Congress)
5. Members on the Record
(Israel & Palestine)
6. Members on the Record
(Iran)
7.
Members on the Record (the rest of the region)
New from FMEP:
- 12/13/22: FMEP webinar — “Born of Fire”: New writing from and about Gaza”, ft. Dorgham Abusalim (author), Jehad Abusalim (NYU & American Friends Service Committee) & Jennifer Bing (AFSC) in conversation with Sarah Anne Minkin (FMEP) – register here
- 12/6/22: New episode of Occupied Thoughts podcast – “Promoting Risk & Undermining Rights: Morningstar’s Betrayal of Palestine & ESG,” ft. Tara Van Ho (Essex University) in conversation with FMEP’s Lara Friedman
1. Bills, Resolutions & Letters
(DISSOLVE UN INQUIRY ON ISRAEL!) S. Res. 862: Introduced 12/7/22 by Cardin (D-MD) and Hagerty (R-TN), “A resolution calling for the dissolution of the biased United Nations Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and Israel.” As its title makes clear, the resolution delegitimizes/bashes the COI, the UN, and the UN Human Rights Council, alleging that the COI is “biased,” “serves to discredit the only Jewish state,” and “is likely to further fuel anti-Semitism worldwide.” Referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations. Also see: Press release
There is a fox in the henhouse. Benjamin Netanyahu let it in.
In the course of the Israeli government coalition negotiations, the Religious Zionism party’s leader Bezalel Smotrich foxed his way to a position that would allow him to implement his plan to become the settlement tsar in Netanyahu’s government and de-facto annex the settlements and the settlers to Israel.
