Lost in the uproar over Donald Trump’s Gaza comments was another bombshell: the White House will soon announce its position on annexation of the West Bank. Signs indicate it will fully support expanding Israeli control over the occupied territory.
More weapons to Israel; Hannibal Directive on October 7th; Trump, Netanyahu float random destinations for ethnically cleansed Gazans; Trump’s ICC sanctions
Brutal weather for Gazans with little or no shelter; Trump claims Israel will ‘hand over Gaza’ to US; horrors in West Bank, especially for children; far-right group in US is building a list of pro-Palestine activists to deport
Only a “lucky few” get past Israeli bureaucracy and out of Gaza for medical care; West Bank: lone resistance fighter storms Israeli army post, kills several Israeli soldiers; 1,000 after Shireen Abu Akleh’s assassination; Jenin horrors; campus protest
The Israeli government is launching a campaign to post video / banner ads on news and social media sites, part of a $150 million project to counter the battering Israel’s reputation has sustained by its actions in Gaza.
In light of the recent incarceration of Ali Abunimah in Zurich, it’s useful to examine the Israel lobby in Switzerland. As former HRW official Sarah Leah Whitson noted: “Switzerland has shamelessly kowtowed to the pro-Israel lobby by deporting an American citizen because he advocates for Palestinian rights.”
Israel lobby groups have given Trump over $230 million, part of the lobby’s pervasive influence in shaping American policy in favor of Israel
Commentary: The release of 3 Israeli women held captive in Gaza on Sunday attracted significant global media attention. However, there was comparatively limited coverage of the 90 freed Palestinian women, who had been kidnapped and detained by Israel without charge.
As ceasefire deal moves through web of approval, Israel keeps killing in Gaza; Trump admin supports return to war; hostage/prisoner release details; Blinken gets an earful at final press briefing; more.
In 2024, the U.S. State Department faced sharp criticism for supplying arms to Israel amid allegations of human rights abuses in Gaza. Internal dissent raised alarms over eroding U.S. credibility, the lack of accountability for Israel’s restrictions on humanitarian aid, and the displacement of civilians—actions seen as undermining America’s human rights commitments.