The Israeli government tries to derail the Gaza ceasefire agreement and steps up its military incursion in the West Bank while U.S. politics continue to destabilize. Our reporting this past week highlights how policy, propaganda, and Israeli military aggression are shaping realities on the ground.
In Washington, lawmakers are moving forward with legislation that could have lasting consequences for Palestinian rights and broader movements for justice. Michael Arria spoke to Lara Friedman, the President of the Foundation for Middle East Peace. She walked us through the anti-Palestinian bills introduced in the new Congress, examining how they aim to stifle activism, criminalize dissent, and further entrench U.S. support for Israeli policies. These legislative efforts, pushed by a bipartisan coalition with deep ties to pro-Israel lobbying groups, will expand anti-BDS measures, increase penalties for those supporting Palestinian resistance, and codify funding streams that sustain Israeli military operations. Michael and Lara discuss how grassroots movements are organizing against these attacks and what’s at stake for free speech and advocacy in the U.S.
Jonathan Ofir looked into the death of the Bibas family, who were held captive in Gaza following the October 7, 2023 attacks. The Israeli government claimed that the two Bibas children were killed by Hamas “with their bare hands.” No evidence supporting this claim has been presented to the public. Hamas said in November 2023 that the two children, their mother, and their captors had been killed by Israeli bombing. Once again, an independent investigation is needed to distill the truth. By weaponizing grief and pushing unverified claims, the Israeli government continues to justify its military operations while shifting blame for the brutality of its war on Gaza.
On the ground in the West Bank, the situation continues to deteriorate. One month into Israel’s latest offensive, our reporting captures the daily realities faced by families living under constant threat—from home demolitions and mass arrests to military raids and settler violence. In the last month alone, more than 40,000 Palestinians in the West Bank have been displaced, and entire towns are facing siege-like conditions. The humanitarian crisis deepens by the day, with no international intervention to halt the destruction.
On a brighter note, Mohammed El-Kurd’s new book, Perfect Victims, made it onto the New York Times bestseller list! If you have not yet ordered a copy, click here to buy it through our online Bookshop.org store.
In solidarity,
Dave Reed, Publisher
Must read: There is no evidence Hamas killed members of the Bibas family. Israel is using their death to manufacture consent for genocide.
Jonathan Ofir: Israel claims Hamas killed two children in the Bibas family but has not offered any evidence. Their death has become another piece of atrocity propaganda Israel is using to justify genocide in Gaza.
Catch-up
🇺🇸 Michael Arria: Mondoweiss spoke with Lara Friedman about Trump’s pro-Israel Executive Orders and the anti-Palestinian legislation people should be watching in the new Congress.
🇨🇦 Faisal Kutty: Human rights scholar Birju Dattani was forced to resign as Canada’s Chief Human Rights Commissioner following a pro-Israel smear campaign. His case reveals how false charges of antisemitism are used to silence support for Palestinian rights.
🇮🇱 Qassam Muaddi: Following a handover ceremony in Gaza for Israeli captives, during which one Israeli soldier kissed the heads of two Hamas fighters, an outraged Netanyahu suspended the release of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners.
🩰 Open Letter: Activists are calling on the Brooklyn Academy of Music to take a clear stance in support of Palestinian human rights and cancel an upcoming performance by the Batsheva Dance Company.
🏖️ Jonathan Ofir: Media coverage of the shooting of two Israeli tourists who were mistaken for Palestinians ignored the root cause of the violence: Zionism.
❤️ Hareth Yousef: The love story of Nael Barghouti, the longest-serving Palestinian prisoner, and his wife Iman, is nothing short of a classic Palestinian folktale. Now, as Iman awaits her lover’s release from prison, Israel is not done trying to tear them apart.
🇵🇸 Tareq Hajjaj: Palestinians in Gaza say that Israel is violating the ceasefire’s humanitarian agreements in order to force them to leave their homeland.
🧑⚕️ Healthcare Workers For Palestine: There are over three decades of evidence that Israeli doctors harvest Palestinian organs in direct violation of international law. These stolen body parts were not just used for transplantation and research but for sale and profit.
🇺🇸 Mitchell Plitnick: Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s first trip to the Middle East made clear that Donald Trump is driving U.S. policy and largely adopting Israel’s belligerent stance in Gaza and Iran. The question remains whether the rest of the region can stop them.
✒️ Reem Hamadaqa: Renowned Palestinian writer Refaat Alareer was Reem Hamadaqa’s professor and close mentor. She writes of his posthumous book If I Must Die, “Alareer’s poems embody the essence of resistance, grief, steadfastness—sumud—and storytelling as survival.”
🇮🇱 Qassam Muaddi: Israel has killed 55 Palestinians after one month of its ongoing “Iron Wall” offensive in the West Bank. Killings, mass displacement, and uncertainty are the new normal.
