congress

The Bedouin village of Khan al-Ahmar, West Bank. (Faiz Abu-Rmeleh/Activestills.org)

The demolition of an entire Palestinian village could be days away

With a green light from the Supreme Court, Israel is set to a demolish an entire Bedouin village in the West Bank. Human rights advocates warn that the demolition would constitute a grave violation of international law. Israel’s Supreme Court approved a government plan to demolish an entire Bedouin village in the occupied West Bank last…

By Joshua Leifer May 27, 2018

View of the Separation Wall as seen from the Palestinian town of Abu Dis. (Miriam Alster/FLASH90)

Congress won’t allow Palestinians their day in court

The PLO faces punishment—the closure of its diplomatic office in the U.S.—for seeking justice in the International Criminal Court. By James J. Zogby Imagine that you are a victim of a violent crime or theft but are forbidden from reporting it because Congress has passed a law that not only prohibits you from reporting the…

By +972 Magazine November 27, 2017

Illustrative photo of Israeli Border Police officers frogmarching a Palestinian detainee in East Jerusalem during the tension surrounding Al-Aqsa Mosque, July 21, 2017, East Jerusalem. (Oren Ziv/Activestills.org)

Palestinian rights make a rare appearance in Congress

A first-of-its-kind bill introduced this week focusing on the rights of Palestinian children could pave the way for greater transparency and accountability in America’s dealings with Israel. Members of Congress on Tuesday introduced a bill requiring the U.S. Secretary of State to certify that funds bound for Israel “do not support military detention, interrogation, abuse, or…

By Samer Badawi November 15, 2017

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Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. (Photo: Kobi Gideon / GPO)

Netanyahu’s Israel is a cauldron waiting for the next explosion

While Israel proceeds along its merry way, each day building more settlements and demolishing more Palestinian homes, it is far from being the secure and stable dream Netanyahu envisioned. By James J. Zogby For half of the past two decades Benjamin Netanyahu has served as prime minister of Israel. Whatever his ultimate fate (given the…

By +972 Magazine September 18, 2017

The U.S. Capitol Building (Upendra Kanda, CC)

Criminalizing support for Palestinian human rights

Progressive American senators are having a hard time explaining their support for a law that would criminalize support for the Palestinian boycott movement, BDS. By James J. Zogby It is fascinating to watch some U.S. senators tripping over themselves as they attempt to defend their support for or opposition to proposed legislation that would make…

By +972 Magazine August 13, 2017

A woman carries a sign in support of the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) campaign, October 11, 2011 (Anne Paq/Activestills.org)

America’s BDS law is an attack on far more than free speech

The world long ago made clear to the Palestinians that violence is not a legitimate path for seeking independence. Now Congress is trying to criminalize one of the few nonviolent tools left. A pair of laws currently making their way through the United States Congress would impose criminal sanctions on Americans who support an economic…

By Michael Schaeffer Omer-Man July 21, 2017

U.S. Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis meets with Israeli Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman at the Pentagon, March 7, 2017. (DOD photo by U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Jette Carr)

With U.S. budget cuts looming, could aid to Israel be next?

Israel’s ‘security assistance’ comes from the same pot of money as economic aid. With the White House promising cuts to that part of the federal budget, could we see a surprise reduction in Israel’s share? Recent White House statements hint at a massive increase in U.S. military spending and a corresponding cut in the country’s…

By Samer Badawi March 13, 2017

President Donald Trump. (Jette Carr/Department of Homeland Security)

Trump and Netanyahu are allies in a losing battle

Both the American and Israeli governments reek of paranoia, fear, and desperation. The struggle against them must begin with the knowledge that we are opposing a desperate and fearful group. By all accounts, the new administration in the U.S., and the veteran one in Israel should be relaxing and enjoying the heights of power they have attained.…

By Roi Maor February 9, 2017

Colin Powell holding a model vial of anthrax while giving a presentation to the United Nations Security Council in February 2003.

Colin Powell acknowledges 200 Israeli nukes

In leaked emails the former secretary of state acknowledges Israel’s nuclear arsenal, which he is pointed at Tehran. By Eli Clifton According to hacked emails reviewed by foreign policy website LobeLog, former Secretary of State Colin Powell acknowledged Israel’s nuclear arsenal, an open secret that U.S. and Israeli politicians typically refuse to acknowledge as part of Israel’s strategy of “nuclear…

By +972 Magazine September 15, 2016

Coexist (Photo by 1000 Words / Shutterstock.com)

What U.S. Jews must do to fight anti-Muslim bigotry

I’m proud of American Jews mobilizing to fight Islamophobia. But to fully fight hate, U.S. Jews must confront the role pro-Israel organizations continue to play in spreading anti-Muslim bigotry. By David Harris-Gershon Anti-Muslim rhetoric coming from American lawmakers and presidential candidates reached a fevered pitch earlier this month when, standing before a cheering crowd aboard…

By +972 Magazine December 24, 2015

Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu addresses a joint session of the U.S. Congress, May 24, 2011. (Photo by Avi Ohayun/GPO)

Netanyahu is the Iran deal’s victor, he’ll just never admit it

For 20 years the Israeli prime minister has been demanding the U.S. and the world put a stop to Iran’s nuclear ambitions, and that’s exactly what Obama delivered. And no, there won’t be any consequences for the public fight with the American president. It has become somewhat of a trope in recent months to warn…

By Michael Schaeffer Omer-Man September 3, 2015

BDS graffiti on Israeli separation wall, Bethlehem, West Bank, June 17, 2014. (Photo by Ryan Rodrick Beiler/Activestills.org)

Congress: There is no legitimate form of Palestinian resistance

Congress uses U.S. trade policy to undercut European pressure against Israeli settlements. A new U.S. bill legitimizes Israeli settlements and delegitimizes Palestinian non-violent resistance to the occupation. The United States Congress is about to pass a law that erases the Green Line and delegitimizes one of the most effective non-violent tools Palestinians have for fighting…

By Michael Schaeffer Omer-Man April 26, 2015

Speaker Boehner holds a press conference with Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and Congressional leaders following his address to a joint meeting of Congress. May 24, 2011. (Speaker Boehner / CC-BY NY 2.0)

Netanyahu’s hypocrisy about intervening in other countries’ affairs

What would happen if a foreign country started lobbying for bills in the Israeli Knesset, going so far as to seek the insertion of specific clauses into them? The Right in Israel isn’t the biggest fan of foreign countries getting involved in its affairs. It’s true when it comes to the European Union providing shelter…

By Haggai Matar April 7, 2015