‘Ultimately, UNRWA has not been a force for stability but has instead perpetuated the refugee crisis and reinforced the conditions that have allowed terrorism to persist,’ wrote the lawmakers, led in the house by Rep. Mike Lawler
Dawoud Abo Alkas/Anadolu via Getty Images
Palestinian families stand outside a school affiliated with the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) at the Daraj neighborhood as the Israeli attacks continue in Gaza City, Gaza on February 6, 2024.
Add JewishInsider on GoogleRepublicans in both chambers of Congress are urging the Trump administration to move to permanently dismantle the United Nations Relief and Works Agency, with a new letter from House Republicans calling for a reworking of Palestinian refugee programs in the region.
In a letter sent to President Donald Trump on Tuesday, more than 90 House Republicans, led by Rep. Mike Lawler (R-NY), called for a “broader view of the agency’s operations — not only in Gaza, but across the West Bank, Jordan, Lebanon, and Syria” and for the administration to ensure that the U.S. does not “continue to rely on failed systems that have further entrenched the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.”
The U.S. stopped funding UNRWA in early 2024, after revelations that several UNRWA employees participated in the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attacks on Israel, and Congress has continued to impose statutory bans on such funding since then, in spite of efforts by Democrats to reinstate funding for the aid agency.
“Ultimately, UNRWA has not been a force for stability but has instead perpetuated the refugee crisis and reinforced the conditions that have allowed terrorism to persist,” the lawmakers wrote. “We strongly urge your administration to take decisive action to fully dismantle UNRWA and transition its functions to more credible and trusted partners that are demonstrably free of ties to terrorism and committed to transparency, accountability, and peace.”
The letter suggests transferring funding for Palestinian refugee programs to their host countries directly or to other non-governmental organizations.
The letter states that UNRWA has “perpetuated and expanded” the Palestinian refugee crisis by conferring heritable refugee status across generations, “transforming what was once a finite humanitarian issue into a permanent and growing political challenge.”
The lawmakers also argued that in serving as the primary provider of public services in several countries and territories, UNRWA has “has reduced incentives for host governments to pursue long-term solutions, leaving millions dependent on the agency and prolonging the refugee crisis.”
And it raises concerns about the role that UNRWA educational curricula may have played in radicalizing young Palestinians.
The House letter follows a similar letter last week led by Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR) with two dozen other Senate Republicans which also calls for dismantling UNRWA both in Gaza and throughout the region.
The letter highlights that UNRWA employees were involved in the Oct. 7 attacks and that 10% of UNRWA’s employees in Gaza have been found to have ties to terrorist groups. It also notes that Hamas has diverted UNRWA’s supplies and repeatedly used the agency’s facilities for terror purposes.
The letter urges the administration to eliminate UNRWA from the U.N. budget.
“Any aid organization in Gaza or otherwise must be demonstrably free of ties to terrorism and committed to transparency, accountability, and peace,” the senators wrote. “We must ensure this failed system doesn’t continue reinforcing the conditions that have fueled terrorism from generations.”
Plus, Witkoff equates hostages and Palestinian prisoners
Leonardo MUNOZ / AFP via Getty Images
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani arrives for a news conference at Gracie Mansion in New York City on March 9, 2026.
👋 Good Monday morning!
In today’s Daily Kickoff, we look at the ties between New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s administration and the family of far-left, pro-China financier Neville “Roy” Singham, and report on White House Special Envoy Steve Witkoff‘s comments at FII PRIORITY comparing the freeing of Israeli hostages kidnapped by Hamas to the release of Palestinians from Israeli prisons. We look at how Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick’s potential expulsion from Congress over federal financial crimes could provide a pathway for a staunch Israel critic to take her seat, and report on the Israeli Knesset’s 11th hour passage of its 2026 budget, pushing off a potential early election. Also in today’s Daily Kickoff: Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, Barry Diller and Jonathan Greenberger.
Today’s Daily Kickoff was curated by JI Executive Editor Melissa Weiss and Israel Editor Tamara Zieve, with assists from Danielle Cohen-Kanik and Marc Rod. Have a tip? Email us here.
What We’re Watching
- We’re continuing to monitor a potential escalation in the Middle East after the Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen launched several ballistic missiles at Israel over the weekend, marking the terror group’s entry into the latest conflict.
- More than 2,000 U.S. servicemembers are en route to the region as part of a mass Pentagon deployment. Yesterday, President Donald Trump said he wanted to “take the oil in Iran” — a move that would involve the seizure of Kharg Island. Before returning to Washington, the president told reporters on Air Force One that Tehran had agreed to allow 20 cargo ships carrying oil to transit through the Strait of Hormuz.
- Authorities in Haifa are responding to a fire at the Bazan oil refinery — the second time the site has been damaged since the start of the war a month ago — following a series of attacks this morning by both Hezbollah and Iran. Israel’s Environmental Protection Ministry said that there was no risk of hazardous leaks at the site.
- Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa is in Berlin today, where he’ll meet with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz before traveling on to the U.K., where he’ll meet tomorrow with Prime Minister Keir Starmer in London. Al-Sharaa’s trip to Germany marks the first time in 25 years that a Syrian leader has visited the country.
- New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani is slated to give remarks at Knitting Factory founder and music impresario Michael Dorf’s 33rd Annual Downtown Seder tonight at City Winery in Manhattan, with all proceeds from the event going to the Seeds of Peace nonprofit. Others in the lineup tonight include former CNN commentator Don Lemon, singer David Broza and comedian Modi.
- Ahead of the start of Passover on Wednesday evening, Jewish Insider wine columnist Yitz Applbaum is out with his recommendations for this year’s Seders. Read more here.
What You Should Know
A QUICK WORD WITH JI’S JOSH KRAUSHAAR
A useful rule of thumb to live by: Social media isn’t real life.
But one of the challenges in the brave new world of media is that extremist influencers can often create the perception of influence simply by dominating so much of the online discourse.
Hasan Piker, a far-left streamer who has been the subject of favorable media profiles despite a laundry list of antisemitic and terror-justifying rhetoric, is a case study in how traditional journalists normalize extremists — and how politicians conclude there’s a marketplace for radical views in the electoral marketplace, even when it’s typically a mirage.
In part because Democrats have been desperate to find anti-establishment voices that claim to speak for young men, Piker is seen as a popular, edgy podcaster by liberal leaders in both media and politics. (Nevermind the fact that Piker gets only about 36,000 viewers on a typical stream — about 1/25th of the typical nighttime audience of MS NOW, as The Atlantic’s David Frum pointed out.)
The New Yorker invited Piker to speak at its annual festival, treating the antisemitic streamer as just another one of the many thought leaders in attendance. Leading progressives, such as Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), joined him at rallies and on his show.
And a handful of leading Democratic presidential contenders — most notably California Gov. Gavin Newsom — expressed interest in going on his show.
This, despite the fact Piker has justified Hamas’ Oct. 7 terror attacks, forcefully denied some of the terror group’s atrocities, has called Orthodox Jews “inbred” and claimed America deserved 9/11.
Any one of those comments on their own would have typically disqualified anyone from playing a part in our political discourse. Yet in the wave of glowing profiles, Piker’s antisemitism and anti-Americanism didn’t even merit a mention.
It wasn’t until March 19, when Lily Cohen, a press advisor from the Third Way center-left think tank, took the initiative to co-write a column for The Wall Street Journal calling out Piker’s antisemitism without any caveats. The decision to call out the crazy — when few in the press or politics had the courage to do so — was a moment that proved that one principled voice in defense of normalcy can break the mirage of those who believe there’s a political marketplace for this garbage.
PHONE A FRIEND
Family of China-allied tech mogul embedded in Zohran Mamdani’s movement
Relatives of a Shanghai-based software magnate devoted to promoting Chinese, Iranian and Russian interests are operating inside the New York City chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America, supporting Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s preferred candidates for Congress and playing significant roles in shaping and advancing key elements of his agenda, Jewish Insider’s Will Bredderman has found.
Family affair: Alicia Singham Goodwin, the political director of the far-left nonprofit Jews for Racial and Economic Justice — and niece of far-left financier Neville “Roy” Singham — spearheaded a Jewish outreach operation for Mamdani’s campaign, bundled thousands in donations and was publicly credited by the mayor with originating one of his signature policy ideas. Her parents, both members of NYC-DSA, have donated to his endorsed congressional candidates and she herself has collaborated with Mamdani himself on key organizational structures inside the group.
SANCTIONS SCRUTINY
Senate Dems blast Trump for waiving sanctions on Russian and Iranian oil
A group of 25 Senate Democrats criticized President Donald Trump on Friday for lifting sanctions on Russian and Iranian oil exports, sanctions which have seen broad bipartisan support, Jewish Insider’s Marc Rod reports.
Notable quotable: “We write with deep concern and confusion over your administration’s recent decision to ease sanctions on Russian and Iranian oil exports,” the Democrats wrote in a letter to the president. “These actions speak once again to the troubling lack of strategic foresight that has marked your administration’s decision-making prior to and during its war of choice with Iran, jeopardizing the lives of our servicemembers across the region and raising costs for Americans here at home.”
Lebanon front: A war powers resolution introduced by Reps. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI), Delia Ramirez (D-IL) and Nydia Velazquez (D-NY) on Friday would block any U.S. participation in and assistance to Israeli operations against Hezbollah in Lebanon.
compare and contrast
Steve Witkoff draws equivalence between Israeli hostages and Palestinian security prisoners
White House Special Envoy Steve Witkoff on Friday compared the release of Israeli hostages kidnapped by Hamas to the release of Palestinians from Israeli prisons, stating that both experiences “feels like we’re changing lives.” He made the comment at the FII Priority summit in Miami, Jewish Insider’s Matthew Shea reports.
What he said: “People ask me: ‘Why do I like doing it?’ And I say because it feels worthy, it feels like we’re changing lives,” Witkoff said. “I remember when we met those families of the Israeli hostages and they were ecstatic because they didn’t think their children were coming home. But I was also in Gaza,” Witkoff continued. “I met Gazan families whose children were released from Israeli prisons in exchange, and they were just as grateful as the Israeli parents.”
SEAT SHAKEUP
Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick’s scandal could send another Israel critic to Congress
The scandal surrounding Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick (D-FL) could send another far-left Israel critic to Congress, after a House Ethics Committee panel found her guilty on Thursday of 25 charges and lawmakers now move toward expelling her from the chamber, Jewish Insider’s Marc Rod reports. Cherfilus-McCormick was also indicted last year for a range of financial crimes.
The latest: Even before the indictment and Ethics Committee inquiry, Cherfilus-McCormick faced primary challenges including from Elijah Manley, a young progressive who has been critical of Israel. Manley, 27, who has leaned into Cherfilus-McCormick’s indictment as fuel for his campaign, sat prominently behind her at her Ethics Committee trial last week. Dale Holness, the candidate who lost by a hair to Cherfilus-McCormick in 2021, is also running again. A poll of 300 likely primary voters in Pensacola in February found Manley leading the field with 38% of the vote, followed by Cherfilus-McCormick with 35% and Holness with just 10%. In a head-to-head matchup with Holness, Manley held a double digit lead, 45%-33%.
CHANGING TACK
Lagging in polling and fundraising, Lawler challenger hardens anti-Israel stance
Speaking to Jewish Insider last July, Effie Phillips-Staley, one of the Democrats aiming to take on Rep. Mike Lawler (R-NY) in suburban New York this fall, said that she wanted to be “very clear that the U.S. has to continue to be a critical ally to Israel” and that she wouldn’t support additional conditions or restrictions on U.S. aid to Israel. But as support for Israel has declined with the Democratic base, the progressive candidate has flip-flopped on her views towards the Jewish state, JI’s Marc Rod reports.
The latest: She received an endorsement this month from the virulently anti-Israel group TrackAIPAC, which has garnered accusations of antisemitism and dishonest tactics even from elected Democrats who are themselves critical of Israel. In a statement to JI, a spokesperson for Phillips-Staley said that her initial stance was a result of “the typical boilerplate advice from establishment Democrats to stay away from critiques of US aid to Israel.” This week, she faced criticism from local Democratic Party leaders for appearing on Hasan Piker’s stream. Her trip to Israel also included a conversation with Rev. Munther Isaac, a virulent antisemite who has justified Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel.
EARLY ELECTION AVERTED
Israel passes 2026 budget, avoiding early election
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s governing coalition narrowly beat a deadline that would have led to an early election, passing the 2026 state budget early Monday morning, a day before the March 31 deadline, Jewish Insider’s Lahav Harkov reports.
Remaining issue: The budget passed after the coalition granted NIS 800 million ($255 million) in benefits to Haredi institutions, and promised Shas and United Torah Judaism that the government would pass a law that, in effect, would continue yeshiva students’ exemption from military service, even as Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir, the IDF chief of staff, raised “10 red flags” about insufficient military manpower.
Worthy Reads
The Hawks’ Blind Spot: The Atlantic’s Jonathan Chait raises concerns about the possibility that a negative outcome in the U.S. and Israel’s war against Iran could further boost the ascendent far-right isolationist wing of the GOP. “Trump’s populist allies have learned that their most poisonous ideas have a potent audience. Figures such as [Tucker] Carlson, [Nick] Fuentes, and the far-right influencer Candace Owens have developed mass followings by supplying the forbidden fruits of anti-Semitic paranoia that the old establishment withheld. They have tapped into a deep desire to blame Israel and a Jewish cabal for the world’s problems. If Trump is seen as having failed because of a war fought alongside Israel that was urged on him by the hawks, Carlson’s case against the Republican elite will become trivially simple.” [TheAtlantic]
The Alt-War: In The Washington Post, University of Pittsburgh professor Jennifer Murtazashvili, who moved to Israel as a Fulbright scholar in January, observes how online propaganda has altered the way in which the war in the Middle East is being understood by broad swaths of the West. “We are living through the first alt-war: a conflict in which the war fought online and the war fought in reality have diverged so completely that they might as well be happening on different planets. … The liberal internationalist left and the isolationist right — two camps that have agreed on almost nothing for decades — have suddenly found themselves in lockstep, racing to declare the war a failure before it had barely begun. … Together they are the most powerful engine of the alt-war.” [WashPost]
From Karachi to Palm Beach: Bloomberg’s Faseeh Mangi profiles Bilal Bin Saqib, the Pakistani cryptocurrency expert and “key player” in Karachi’s efforts to build fiscal ties with the U.S. “Last month, Saqib posted a selfie with Zachary Witkoff and other company executives at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago club in Florida. That came around the same time that Pakistan reached an agreement with the US to revamp the Roosevelt Hotel in Manhattan, a deal negotiated by Steve Witkoff. … Starting in March of last year, he was appointed to a series of positions in quick succession: The finance minister’s chief adviser on crypto, chief executive officer of the Pakistan Crypto Council, special assistant to the prime minister on blockchain and crypto. Finally he ended up as chairman of the Pakistan Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority.” [Bloomberg]
Word on the Street
The U.S. is reportedly making preparations for a weekslong ground operation in Iran that would likely fall short of a full-scale invasion but would consist of smaller raids conducted by special forces…
Separately, the White House is mulling a plan to extract nearly 1,000 pounds of uranium from Iran that would include troops on the ground…
The Wall Street Journal looks at Pakistan’s effort to position itself as a mediator between the U.S. and Iran; over the weekend, Karachi hosted foreign ministers from Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Egypt to discuss efforts to deescalate tensions in the Middle East…
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who was in the Middle East over the weekend, said that Ukrainian intelligence revealed that Russia took photos of a U.S. air base in Saudi Arabia on three separate occasions shortly before three soldiers were injured in an Iranian attack on the base; the finding comes as, The Wall Street Journal reports, Moscow steps up its backing for Iran in part “to salvage what’s left of its shrinking web of partnerships”…
The Financial Times reports that Iran is increasingly relying on its “resistance economy” that functions through domestic production and sanctions evasion in an effort to stave off economic collapse, as The Wall Street Journal does a deep dive into Tehran’s “tentacled ecosystem that controls more than half of the economy” and keeps the regime afloat…
The White House issued a statement honoring Education and Sharing Day, U.S.A., honoring the “life, legacy, and vision of Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson,” the late Lubavitcher Rebbe…
Sens. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and Peter Welch (D-VT) introduced a resolution to block certain arms sales to the United Arab Emirates…
Sens. Ed Markey (D-MA), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Tim Kaine (D-VA), Ron Wyden (D-OR), Van Hollen, Welch and Sanders introduced a bill that would require the affirmative consent of Congress for any nuclear deal with Saudi Arabia…
Every Democrat on the House Armed Services Committee wrote to the committee’s chairman requesting a public briefing on the Iran war, saying they are “deeply troubled by the lack of transparency” from the administration…
The Democratic National Committee is expected to vote next month on a resolution opposing outside “corporate-backed independent expenditures” that explicitly criticizes AIPAC and its affiliated United Democracy Project super PAC…
Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers, a Democrat, signed into law legislation formally adopting the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s working definition of antisemitism, becoming the 37th state to do so…
Politico published, and then removed, a cartoon with antisemitic imagery that included Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu with an outsized nose and members of Congress wearing bloodied Jewish prayer shawls…
The cartoon was published a day before Politico reported on the “frustrations and anger” with the U.S. war in Iran that “were on full display” among young male MAGA adherents at last week’s CPAC conference, despite a straw poll at the Dallas confab that found overwhelming support for both the Trump administration and the U.S. involvement in the war…
The Wall Street Journal looks at San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie’s effort to address the city’s anticipated budget shortfall of $900 million through private contributions and the creation of the San Francisco Downtown Development Corporation to raise funds to revitalize the area…
The Information reports on last week’s JPMorgan Chase’s Tech100 gathering in Montana, where attendees included White House Special Envoy Steve Witkoff, Jared and Josh Kushner, Michael Dell and Dario Amodei…
Apollo Global Management is planning to open a second U.S. headquarters, with Austin, Texas, South Florida and Nashville reportedly among the shortlisted cities; Apollo plans to make the “bulk” of its future hires from the area it selects for the second HQ…
Barry Diller purchased an $11 million duplex penthouse frequented by President John F. Kennedy at New York’s Carlyle Hotel; Diller purchased the property from Karen Pritzker, who with her husband paid $12.5 million for it in 2007…
Nursing home owner Daryl Hagler sold off five properties in Brooklyn and Queens for $332 million, months after a report from New Jersey’s state comptroller found that Hagler and his business partner owed $124 million to the government for redirecting Medicaid funding and understaffing two N.J. nursing homes…
A New Jersey man was charged with plotting an attack on Within Our Lifetime founder and anti-Israel activist Nerdeen Kiswani…
The University of Florida chapter of College Republicans is suing the school for forcing the group’s disbandment after the circulation of an image of a member doing a Nazi salute, citing its First Amendment rights…
Semafor spotlights the work of the New York Post’s “runners” — reporters without a specific beat who are dispatched to cover all manner of stories — by shadowing Reuven Fenton, “one of eight siblings, three of whom are rabbis” and “one of a number of people with arguably the oldest job in American journalism, and perhaps one of the only ones that will survive AI”…
Yeah that’s Kosher released the 2026 edition of its annual guide to kosher ballpark eating…
The U.K.’s Liberal Democrats suspended the mayor of Bath after he shared social media posts calling a recent arson attack on Hatzola ambulances in London’s heavily Jewish Golders Green suburb an Israeli false flag operation…
A day after Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa and three other senior Latin Patriarchate officials were denied access to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, Israel Police announced an agreement that will allow Catholic Church officials access to the site; the accord came after intervention from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who called for Pizzaballa to be granted “full and immediate access” to the church…
The IDF withdrew the Netsah Yisrael battalion from the West Bank following a weekend confrontation between reservist soldiers and a CNN crew in which reporter Jeremy Diamond alleged his cameraman was put in a chokehold by one of the soldiers…
The Atlantic spotlights the Kurdish Peshmerga forces along the Iran-Iraq border that are preparing for possible military action in Iran…
Politico Executive Vice President Jonathan Greenberger was named the publication’s new editor-in-chief; Greenberger, who was previously the Washington bureau chief at ABC News, will assume the new role in May…
Dr. Kurt Gitter, who as a baby fled Nazi Europe with his family and would go on to become a pioneer in the field of eye surgery, as well as an avid collector of Japanese art, died at 89…
Dr. Judith Rapoport, whose work brought widespread awareness to obsessive-compulsive disorder, died at 92…
Pic of the Day
IDF Sgt. Moshe Itzhak HaCohen Katz, a U.S.-born IDF soldier from New Haven, Conn., who was killed in combat in Lebanon on Friday, was buried on Sunday in Jerusalem.
Birthdays
Actress, director, producer and ballerina, Juliet Landau turns 61..
Partner of Rose Associates, a real-estate firm in the NYC area, Elihu Rose turns 93… Professor of international trade at Harvard and winner of the Israel Prize in 1991, Elhanan Helpman turns 80… Cherry Hill, N.J. resident, Zelda Greenberg… Film and television director, Michael Stephen Lehmann turns 69… Comedian, actor, television personality, screenwriter, author and musician, Paul Reiser turns 69… Host of Public Radio Exchange’s “The World,” Marco Werman turns 65… District attorney of Philadelphia since 2017, Larry Krasner turns 65… U.S. ambassador to Bulgaria under Presidents Obama and Trump, he is a past president of the American Foreign Service Association, Eric Seth Rubin turns 65… Actor best known for his role as Steve Sanders on the television series “Beverly Hills, 90210,” Ian Ziering turns 62… Owner and founder of D.C.-area’s Ark Contracting (what else can you call your company if your name is Noah), Noah Blumberg… U.S. special representative for international negotiations in the first Trump administration, now at the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs, Jason Dov Greenblatt turns 59… Regional director in the Washington office at AJC: Global Jewish Advocacy, Alan Ronkin… Associate dean of students at Bard College, she helped 350 people escape Afghanistan amidst the U.S. withdrawal, Danna Harman… Tel Aviv-born actress, she appears on television and film in both Israel and the U.S., Mili Avital turns 54… Mexican-American chef, she won a James Beard Award for her PBS television series “Pati’s Mexican Table,” Patricia “Pati” Jinich turns 54… Financial services professional, he was formerly treasurer of Oakland County, Mich., Andy Meisner turns 53… Iranian-born LA-based retired actress, best known for her roles in “Crash” and the “Saw” franchise, also as the mother of the inspirational amputee Ezra Frech, Bahar Soomekh turns 51… Communications consultant, Gabriela Schneider… Jerusalem-born documentary photographer for the Associated Press, he won the Pulitzer Prize for Breaking News Photography in 2007, Oded Balilty turns 47… Detroit-area Jewish leader and founder at Multifaith Life, Alicia Chandler… Best-selling author of The Oracle of Stamboul and The Last Watchman of Old Cairo, Michael David Lukas turns 47… Former senior advisor to then-Ambassador David Friedman at the U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem, he is now a diplomatic advisor to the Board of Peace, Aryeh Lightstone turns 46… Chief program officer at Jewish Democratic Council of America, Robert J. Saferstein… Founder and editor-in-chief at Standard & Works, Zach Silber… Senior reporter at The Huffington Post, Jessica Schulberg… Third baseman for MLB’s Chicago Cubs, he was the MVP of the 2018 MLB All-Star Game, Alex Bregman turns 32… Associate at Arnold & Porter, she is a granddaughter of the late Dr. Ruth Westheimer, Leora Einleger…
Speaking at the FII Priority summit, the special envoy also said the current ceasefire proposal with Iran would address the regime’s nuclear enrichment and existing stockpiles
Zak Bennett/Bloomberg via Getty Images
White House Special Envoy Steve Witkoff during the Future Investment Initiative (FII) Priority Summit conference in Miami, Florida, on March 27, 2026.
White House Special Envoy Steve Witkoff compared the release of Israeli hostages kidnapped by Hamas to the release of Palestinians from Israeli prisons, stating that both experiences “feels like we’re changing lives.”
“People ask me: ‘Why do I like doing it?’ And I say because it feels worthy, it feels like we’re changing lives,” Witkoff said on Friday at the FII Priority summit in Miami. “I remember when we met those families of the Israeli hostages and they were ecstatic because they didn’t think their children were coming home.”
“But I was also in Gaza,” Witkoff continued. “I met Gazan families whose children were released from Israeli prisons in exchange, and they were just as grateful as the Israeli parents.”
“People ask me: ‘Why do I like doing it?’ And I say because it feels worthy, it feels like we’re changing lives,” Witkoff said on Friday at the FII Priority summit in Miami. “I remember when we met those families of the Israeli hostages and they were ecstatic because they didn’t… pic.twitter.com/CBpwY4bQHi
— Jewish Insider (@J_Insider) March 29, 2026
Israel released around 2,000 Palestinian security prisoners in exchange for 20 living and several deceased hostages under the U.S.-backed ceasefire and hostage-release deal with Hamas. At least 250 of the released prisoners were serving life sentences for carrying out deadly terror attacks.
During the summit, Witkoff also discussed the current conflict in Iran, as President Donald Trump continues to herald the success of ongoing diplomatic negotiations with the regime. Iran initially denied that negotiations were taking place but then formally rejected the U.S.’ 15-point ceasefire proposal, sending a five-point counteroffer that would recognize Tehran’s authority over the Strait of Hormuz.
“There are some people who have denied that we are negotiating,” Witkoff said. “We may have a different definition of negotiating than they do, or there may be people within their system today who just don’t have the ability to admit it, but we’re talking to them.”
“We have a 15-point deal on the table that the Iranians have had for a bit of time,” Witkoff added. “We expect an answer from them, and it would solve it all. It would solve the enrichment question, which is, we can’t have enrichment there today.”
Witkoff said the deal on the table would also solve Iran’s “enriched material stockpile, which they have to give up.”
“There are red lines for us, but we’re not looking to see the dissolution of the Iranian people,” Witkoff said. “They are very good people. We want them to thrive and survive and the country to join the league of nations and to be prosperous and do a lot of business. We just don’t want the destabilizing forces that they’ve generated out there.”
Witkoff said a deal could generate “collateral benefits,” such as diplomatic normalization between Saudi Arabia and Israel, a goal that has thus far been elusive for the administration. He also noted that there will be “meetings this week,” and that “ships are passing” in the Strait of Hormuz, where Iran has effectively blocked one of the world’s most critical oil passageways.
“I think the president wants a peace deal, but he also believes in — and I believe in it too — peace through strength. Without pressure, you never get anybody to the table,” Witkoff said. “We’re employing a lot of strength, we have a big fleet there, and yet we’re prepared to solve it with a diplomatic solution.”
Plus, Finebaum and Pressley pass on Senate races
Andrew Harnik/Getty Images
Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights Harmeet Dhillon arrives for a news conference at the Justice Department on September 29, 2025 in Washington, DC.
Good Tuesday afternoon!
This P.M. edition is reserved for our premium subscribers — offering a forward-focused read on what we’re tracking now and what’s coming next.
I’m Danielle Cohen-Kanik, U.S. editor at Jewish Insider and curator of the Daily Overtime, along with assists from my colleagues. Please don’t hesitate to share your thoughts and feedback by replying to this email.
📡On Our Radar
Notable developments and interesting tidbits we’re tracking
ESPN college football commentator Paul Finebaum has decided not to enter the Republican primary to replace former Auburn football coach and outgoing Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-AL), AL.com reports, after he told Jewish Insider’s Emily Jacobs last week that he was weighing a bid.
Finebaum said he was “appreciative of my bosses at ESPN for allowing me to explore this opportunity. But it’s time for me to devote my full attention to something everyone in Alabama can agree upon — our love of college football”…
Also staying out of the fray, Rep. Ayanna Pressley (D-MA), a member of the Squad, has decided not to challenge Sen. Ed Markey (D-MA), instead seeking reelection to her own House seat, she said in a statement. If she had run, Pressley would have been a formidable primary opponent to both Markey and Rep. Seth Moulton (D-MA), who is also in the race, as all three have staked out anti-Israel positions…
After AIPAC bought a series of digital ads on Instagram and Facebook targeting Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA) for his comments claiming Israel committed genocide in Gaza, Khanna released a video statement today saying AIPAC wants to “prevent me from having a seat at the table in the leadership of our country”…
Asked about Tucker Carlson’s interview with neo-Nazi Nick Fuentes at the Israel Hayom summit in Manhattan today, Harmeet Dhillon, assistant attorney general for civil rights at the Justice Department, said, “The antidote to speech that you don’t like is more speech. It isn’t shutting down speech. And so, I don’t agree with a single word that Nick Fuentes says or has to say, and the decision of whether or not to platform that person is one for my friend and former client, Tucker Carlson”…
Dhillon also called New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani an “antisemitic demagogue,” diverging from President Donald Trump, who held a friendly Oval Office meeting with Mamdani last month, and said that, under the incoming mayor’s administration, the Justice Department would be “responding with law enforcement, to the extent that the city of New York fails to protect Jews”…
Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton spoke on stage about her experiences with students in her class at Columbia University, where she teaches about international relations, following the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas terror attacks: “When you would try to talk to [the students] to engage in some kind of reasonable discussion, it was very difficult because they did not know history, they had very little context and what they were being told on social media was not just one-sided, it was pure propaganda”…
Abroad, after Trump pushed Israel yesterday to maintain a “strong and true dialogue” with Syria, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said today while visiting Israeli soldiers who were wounded in southern Syria, “In good spirit and understanding, an agreement can be reached with the Syrians, but we will stand by our principles.”
He said Israel’s requirements for such an agreement would be the demilitarization of a buffer zone in southern Syria and that the Syrian Druze community be guaranteed protection by the government…
Israeli media reports that Israel plans to present Morgan Ortagus, U.S. deputy special envoy to the Middle East, who is visiting the country today, with intelligence proving Hezbollah is rearming in southern Lebanon…
An Israeli delegation visited Germany this week to begin the handover of an Arrow 3 missile defense system, which Berlin purchased in 2023 for $3.5 billion, Israel’s largest arms deal to date. The system is set to be deployed tomorrow in Germany, the first country outside of Israel to operate it, in an effort to bolster European air defenses against Russia…
The chief of the West Midlands Police force in the U.K. admitted in a parliamentary committee hearing yesterday that the report presented to the Aston Villa soccer club that led fans of Israel’s Maccabi Tel Aviv soccer team to be banned from attending a game in Birmingham, England, last month included false and fabricated information.
The report referenced a November 2023 match between Maccabi and the West Ham soccer team that never took place, and claimed that Maccabi fans had harassed and assaulted Muslim communities during a match in Amsterdam, which Dutch law enforcement said did not occur…
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar engaged in a public spat with Irish Ambassador to Israel Sonya McGuinness at a Foreign Ministry event in Jerusalem today over the Dublin City Council’s shelved vote to remove former Israeli President Chaim Herzog’s name from a public park.
In a brief back and forth, Sa’ar accused the city council of only walking back its “antisemitic proposed decision” after international uproar and said, “There’s nothing in your system right now that can defend you from that virus of antisemitism except [for] external pressure and exposing the antisemitic nature of this government of Ireland … We will continue to expose you until you will understand that you cannot deceive the world”…
⏩ Tomorrow’s Agenda, Today
An early look at tomorrow’s storylines and schedule to keep you a step ahead
Keep an eye out in tomorrow’s Jewish Insider for reporting on recent efforts by Iran International, an independent Persian-language broadcaster, to bring the voices of U.S. policymakers to Iranian citizens.
The Senate Foreign Relations Committee will vote on the nominations of Yehuda Kaploun to be special envoy to monitor and combat antisemitism and Tammy Bruce to be U.S. deputy ambassador to the U.N. Meanwhile, the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation will hold a nomination hearing for Jared Isaacman to become head of NASA.
The House Foreign Affairs Committee will hold a vote to designate the entire Muslim Brotherhood globally as a foreign terror organization.
The Jewish Community Relations Council of Greater Washington will hold its “Lox & Legislators” Maryland Legislative Breakfast tomorrow morning, including appearances by Maryland Gov. Wes Moore, Sen. Angela Alsobrooks (D-MD), Reps. Glenn Ivey (D-MD) and April McClain Delaney (D-MD) and Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich.
The Israel Policy Forum will host its annual benefit in Manhattan honoring board members Bob Elman, former president of the American Jewish Committee, and Bob Sugarman, former chair of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations and of the Anti-Defamation League.
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IDEOLOGICAL COUNTERWEIGHT
Likely NYC council speaker Julie Menin on a collision course with Mayor-elect Mamdani
If elected in January, Menin would be the first Jewish speaker of the New York City Council
VETO VISION
U.N. member states push to eliminate Security Council veto
The move, which experts told JI is unlikely to be implemented, would enable the body to further target Israel by preventing the U.S. from vetoing anti-Israel resolutions
Plus, House committee sets vote for Muslim Brotherhood bill
Syrian Presidency
President Donald Trump greets Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa in the Oval Office on Nov. 10, 2025.
Good Monday afternoon!
This P.M. edition is reserved for our premium subscribers — offering a forward-focused read on what we’re tracking now and what’s coming next.
I’m Danielle Cohen-Kanik, U.S. editor at Jewish Insider and curator of the Daily Overtime, along with assists from my colleagues. Please don’t hesitate to share your thoughts and feedback by replying to this email.
📡On Our Radar
Notable developments and interesting tidbits we’re tracking
President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke by phone today to discuss the Gaza ceasefire and expanding peace agreements, and Trump invited Netanyahu for another visit to the White House “in the near future,” according to a readout from the Prime Minister’s Office…
The readout did not mention any discussion of Syria, despite Trump posting on social media this morning that “it is very important that Israel maintain a strong and true dialogue with Syria, and that nothing takes place that will interfere with Syria’s evolution into a prosperous State.” He said Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa “is working diligently to make sure good things happen, and that both Syria and Israel will have a long and prosperous relationship together.”
Trump did not denounce any specific Israeli actions, though the comment came just days after the IDF clashed with gunmen during an arrest operation in southern Syria, which Syrian state media said killed 13. Israeli media reported today that the Trump administration is frustrated with Israel over its continuing military action in Syria and the issue is expected to feature prominently in Netanyahu’s next White House visit…
On the Hill, the House Foreign Affairs Committee is set to discuss and vote on Wednesday on legislation that aims to classify the entire Muslim Brotherhood globally as a terrorist group, Jewish Insider’s Marc Rod reports.
The legislation may go further than the Trump administration’s recently announced efforts on the issue, which do not directly aim to proscribe the Muslim Brotherhood in its entirety, but rather focus on its branches…
Israel’s Iron Beam system, which intercepts missiles with lasers, will be delivered to the IDF for initial use at the end of the month, JI’s Lahav Harkov reports.
Brig.-Gen. (res.) Daniel Gold, head of the Israeli Ministry of Defense Research and Development Directorate, who made the announcement at the International DefenseTech Summit at Tel Aviv University today, said “the Iron Beam laser system is expected to fundamentally change the rules of engagement on the battlefield.”
The use of the laser system will drastically lower the costs of missile defense, with each use of the Iron Beam costing around $3, as opposed to about $50,000 per Iron Dome interceptor. As such, it will cost significantly less for Israel to intercept a rocket than it costs for its enemies to produce them, at $5,000-$10,000…
On the campaign trail, former Rep. Cori Bush (D-MO), who is challenging Rep. Wesley Bell (D-MO) to reclaim her former seat in Congress, posed for a photo with Guy Christensen, an anti-Israel influencer who defended the Capital Jewish Museum shooting, in which two Israeli Embassy employees were killed, JI’s Marc Rod reports.
The influencer posted a photo last week from what appears to be a recent American Muslims for Palestine conference — Christensen is wearing an AMP lanyard and speaker badge — alongside a smiling Bush, with the caption “We’re coming for you AIPAC”…
Evanston, Ill. Mayor Daniel Biss, a Democrat, who is currently running for Congress to replace retiring Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-IL), denounced the agreement reached between Northwestern University and the Trump administration to restore the university’s federal funding in a statement today.
“As a Jewish person, I am disturbed by the Trump administration’s disingenuous use of the very serious crisis of antisemitism to justify its actions. Of course, we know that this administration isn’t actually concerned about antisemitism — in fact, this administration has proven to be filled with overt Nazi sympathizers,” Biss wrote.
Jewish leaders associated with the school told JI’s Haley Cohen that they are cautiously optimistic that the deal — which, among other stipulations, ends the university’s 2024 agreement with anti-Israel student protesters — will improve campus climate for Jewish students…
Meanwhile, a Harvard student who was charged with assaulting an Israeli peer during an October 2023 “die-in” on university campus shortly after the Oct. 7 Hamas terror attacks was hired by the university in August as a graduate teaching fellow, the Washington Free Beacon reports…
In a New Yorker feature on rising political violence, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro discusses his understanding of what motivated the alleged attacker who firebombed the governor’s residence last Passover. “The prosecutor felt it was important to introduce into evidence the bomber’s claims that he did that because of ‘what I did to the Palestinians,’ so clearly there was some motivation because of my [Jewish] faith,” the Democratic governor said.
“But I think it is dangerous for you or anyone else to think about those who perpetrate these violent attacks as linear thinkers, meaning that they have a left-wing ideology or a right-wing ideology, or that they have a firm set of beliefs the way you might or I might. These are clearly irrational thinkers.”
Rep. Greg Landsman (D-OH) also recounts in the piece his experience being intimidated by a group of protesters staging a sit-in outside of his home in October 2024, recalling “that he and his family spent the day trying to get the protesters to leave, working with both local authorities and the Capitol Police, but they ‘would not move.’ His son was in the final stages of practicing for his bar mitzvah; that evening, he recited the Torah while the protesters chanted pro-Palestinian slogans outside”…
No stranger to threats of political violence, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) said today three of his New York offices were targeted with bomb threats in emails with the subject line “MAGA”…
⏩ Tomorrow’s Agenda, Today
An early look at tomorrow’s storylines and schedule to keep you a step ahead
Keep an eye out in tomorrow’s Jewish Insider for a preview of the special election taking place tomorrow in Tennessee’s 7th Congressional District.
Israel Hayom is hosting a conference in New York City tomorrow featuring American and Israeli officials and public figures, including New York City Mayor Eric Adams; Israeli Ambassador to the U.N. Danny Danon; former U.S. Ambassador to Israel David Friedman; former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton; U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Mike Waltz; Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA); Strauss Group Chair Ofra Strauss; and Israeli Minister for Diaspora Affairs Amichai Chikli, as well as released hostages Evyatar David and Guy Gilboa-Dalal.
The Embassy of the United Arab Emirates will hold a celebration marking the country’s 54th National Day at the Andrew W. Mellon Auditorium in Washington.
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BLESSED ARE THE PEACEMAKERS
Six months after Yaron Lischinsky’s murder, his parents reflect on Israeli Embassy staffer’s life and legacy
Lischinsky and his girlfriend, Sarah Milgrim, who were Israeli Embassy employees, were killed in the Capital Jewish Museum shooting earlier this year
ON THE TRAIL
Malinowski stresses he’s pro-Israel in N.J. comeback bid, while not ruling out conditions on aid
The former congressman, now running in the special election to succeed Mikie Sherrill, says the U.S. should support Israel’s security while also serving as a ‘counterweight’ to its far right and exercising case-by-case oversight on military assistance
Plus, MBS and Trump split over Israel normalization
Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images
Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (R-LA)
Good afternoon.
This P.M. edition is reserved for our premium subscribers — offering a forward-focused read on what we’re tracking now and what’s coming next.
I’m Gabby Deutch, senior national correspondent at Jewish Insider. I’ll be curating the Daily Overtime for you today, along with assists from my colleagues. Please don’t hesitate to share your thoughts and feedback by replying to this email.
📡On Our Radar
Notable developments and interesting tidbits we’re tracking
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) told The Hill that podcaster Tucker Carlson’s recent decision to interview neo-Nazi Nick Fuentes was “a big mistake.” Johnson said freedom of speech gives Carlson the right to host whomever he chooses, but that he also has a “responsibility” to not “amplify” hateful views: “I think it’s a dangerous trend to give a platform to people who are just openly and unrepentantly antisemitic and engaging in all this hateful racist stuff. It’s just not helpful”…
The Trump administration is seeking the construction of temporary residential compounds to house Palestinians who currently reside in the Israeli-controlled parts of Gaza, The New York Times reports. American officials think the quick construction of the compounds, deemed “Alternative Safe Communities,” will encourage Palestinians to seek job and housing opportunities in an area away from Hamas control…
Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad gave a casket to Israel that reportedly contains the remains of one of the three dead hostages still being held in Gaza. Identifying the body will take up to two days, according to Israel’s Health Ministry…
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman poured cold water on President Donald Trump’s request during their White House meeting last week that he move toward normalizing ties with Israel, according to an Axios report. Trump reportedly felt “disappointed” after MBS’ rejection of his request, with MBS saying anti-Israel sentiment in Saudi Arabia means such a deal is not possible right now…
Hadassah led 27 other Jewish organizations in a letter calling on the United Nations to take greater action against gender-based violence, and in particular to combat “the ongoing denial of Hamas’ weaponization of sexual violence on Oct. 7, 2023, and against the hostages illegally held in Gaza, including at the UN, [which] sends a dangerous message to Hamas and other terrorists that it can act with impunity in harming civilians”…
Senior U.S. officials met today with their Russian counterparts in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky communicated that he is open to a U.S.-brokered deal to end the Russia-Ukraine war. Zelensky said he wants to meet with Trump as soon as possible —possibly over Thanksgiving — to hash out the final points of a deal, including key issues like territorial concessions. Meanwhile, Russia struck Kyiv on Tuesday as talks progressed…
White House Special Envoy Steve Witkoff introduced the idea of a renewed push for a peace deal between Ukraine and Russia during a phone call with a senior Kremlin official last month, soon after the Trump administration brokered a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas, Bloomberg reports. The 20-point Middle East peace plan served as inspiration for the 28-point Russia-Ukraine plan, though that plan has since been significantly amended…
Washington, D.C., Mayor Muriel Bowser announced on Tuesday that she will not run for a fourth term in next year’s mayoral election, a choice that is likely to set up a competitive race to lead the nation’s capital…
The city council in Somerville, Mass., is set to vote tonight on whether to divest city funds from companies that do business with Israel. A nonbinding ballot measure calling for divestment received 55% of the votes in the city’s municipal elections earlier this month…
Trump is considering firing FBI Director Kash Patel, after the former podcast host has elicited a slew of controversy about mismanaging government resources and clashing with other Trump administration officials, MS NOW reports. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt called the story “fake news”…
The Anwar Gargash Diplomatic Academy in the United Arab Emirates is hosting a conference about the Abraham Accords tomorrow with speakers from the UAE, Israel, Morocco, Cyprus, the U.K. and the U.S. A keynote address will be delivered by Ali Rashid Al Nuaimi, chair of the defense affairs, interior and foreign affairs committee in the UAE’s Federal National Council…
⏩ Tomorrow’s Agenda, Today
An early look at tomorrow’s storylines and schedule to keep you a step ahead
Keep an eye out in tomorrow’s Jewish Insider for an interview with Hungary’s minister for European Union affairs, who in May was appointed the country’s antisemitism commissioner for the country and who visited Washington last week for meetings with the Trump administration and Jewish leaders.
White House Special Envoy Steve Witkoff will be in Moscow on Wednesday for a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, as the U.S. lobbies Russia and Ukraine to sign onto a Washington-mediated peace deal.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi will be in France to meet with his French counterpart, Jean-Noel Barrot. France recently supported a United Nations effort to push Iran to allow the International Atomic Energy Agency to inspect the nuclear sites damaged in the country’s 12-day war with Israel over the summer. Iran suspended cooperation with the IAEA following the war with Israel.
We’ll be back in your inbox with the Daily Overtime on Monday. Happy Thanksgiving and Shabbat Shalom!
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WEAPONS WORRIES
Iranian scientists’ visit to Russia raises concerns about rebuilding nuclear weapons program
The developments come on the heels of a $25 billion deal between Iran and Russia
MAKING IT OFFICIAL
Trump signs executive order pledging to designate chapters of Muslim Brotherhood as terrorist orgs
The EO gives the secretary of state and the secretary of the Treasury 30 days to identify which branches should be designated Foreign Terrorist Organizations
The two pro-Israel lawmakers said Trump should reimpose Biden-era sanctions on violent settlers if the Israeli government fails to take action
Kyle Mazza/Anadolu via Getty Images/Mostafa Bassim/Anadolu via Getty Images
Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ) and Rep. Dan Goldman (D-NY)
Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ) and Rep. Dan Goldman (D-NY) wrote a letter to President Donald Trump on Wednesday urging him to pressure the Israeli government to intervene to stop attacks on Palestinians by Israeli settlers in the West Bank and to oppose settlement expansion.
The clear-cut criticism of Israel is notable coming from two lawmakers generally seen as strong supporters of the Jewish state. The two urged Trump to reimpose Biden-era sanctions — withdrawn by the Trump administration — on those involved in the settler attacks if the Israeli government does not act.
“The Netanyahu government’s lack of action to address extreme settler violence emboldens Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad, and other terrorist groups, and builds resentment in the West Bank, while putting increased pressure on the fragile ceasefire agreement in Gaza that your Administration secured,” the two lawmakers said. “More must be done to stop settler violence and ensure that those who perpetrate acts of violence against civilians in the West Bank are not allowed to operate with impunity.”
The lawmakers called on Trump to “speak out against settlement expansion, demand accountability for settler violence, and continue to publicly oppose annexation.”
“This vigilante violence is not isolated. It is systemic and aims to impede a viable two-state solution,” the letter continues. “It is consistent with broader systemic efforts to approve illegal expansion of settlements, demolitions of Palestinian homes and structures, and annexation of the West Bank, including Prime Minister Netanyahu’s most recent actions regarding the controversial E1 settlement project.”
Booker and Goldman said that these actions by the Israeli government ultimately threaten Israel’s security, isolate it from the international community and undermine “peace efforts in the region. This includes the Abraham Accords, a critical achievement during your first Administration.”
They said that the administration should “press the Israeli government to take significant action to prevent settler violence, hold perpetrators accountable, seek justice for the victims of violent crimes already committed, and ensure the safety and security of civilians in the West Bank” and should reimpose sanctions on those involved in the attacks if the Israeli government fails to do so.
The lawmakers, who previously wrote a similar letter to the Biden administration, highlighted that they were the only members of Congress in Israel during the Hamas attacks on Oct. 7, 2023, and said they “steadfastly support the special U.S.-Israel relationship and a secure and just future for both Israelis and Palestinians.”
“We continue to believe that a two-state solution is the only viable option that affirms and protects Israel’s right to exist as a democratic, Jewish state and ensures the Palestinian people’s right to human dignity, prosperity, self-determination, and a state of their own,” the letter continues. “Unchecked extremist settler violence and de facto or de jure settlement expansion threatens the very seeds of trust and cooperation needed to make progress toward this goal, which is fundamental to an enduring peace in the region.”
The bipartisan resolution accuses Hamas of attempting ‘to suppress dissent and reassert control’ in Gaza by killing civilians
Saeed M. M. T. Jaras/Anadolu via Getty Images
Israeli hostages are handed over to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) by the Al-Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of Hamas, as part of the ceasefire agreement in effect in Gaza City, Gaza on October 15, 2025.
Reps. Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ) and Rick Crawford (R-AR) will introduce a resolution later this week condemning Hamas for its “campaign of executions and intimidation against innocent Palestinians in Gaza” since the implementation of a ceasefire with Israel earlier this month, Jewish Insider has learned.
Crawford is chair of the House Intelligence Committee. Gottheimer sits on the committee.
The bipartisan resolution criticizes Hamas’ actions against Gazans since the Oct. 10 ceasefire implementation date, accusing the terrorist group of attempting “to suppress dissent and reassert control over the territory, resulting in the deaths of scores of civilians.”
“The House of Representatives condemns in the strongest terms the killings and acts of terror committed by Hamas against innocent Palestinians in Gaza,” it reads.
The resolution also “reaffirms the commitment of the United States to supporting the implementation of the ceasefire agreement and to advancing stability and peace for innocent civilians in Gaza.”
Videos emerged in the days following the implementation of the ceasefire showing Hamas terrorists lining up and executing Palestinians in the streets of Gaza City, often on charges of “collaboration” with the enemy. Analysts described the killings as Hamas’ attempt to reassert itself as the dominant force in the Palestinian enclave following the withdrawal of Israeli forces.
Since then, Hamas has continued carrying out the executions, largely of members of rival Palestinian groups.
Adm. Brad Cooper, the commander of U.S. Central Command who is leading a civil-military coordination center in Israel to help maintain the ceasefire, released a statement earlier this month calling on Hamas to cease the killings.
“We strongly urge Hamas to immediately suspend violence and shooting at innocent Palestinian civilians in Gaza — in both Hamas-held parts of Gaza and those secured by the IDF behind the Yellow Line,” Cooper said, later calling on Hamas to begin “disarming without delay.”
Experts say the IDF-controlled eastern region of Gaza could become a tool to isolate the terrorist group and reshape the enclave’s future, even as major hurdles remain
Anas Zeyad Fteha/Anadolu via Getty Images
A view of the Jabalia neighborhood in Gaza on October 27, 2025.
After an agreement was reached between Israel and Hamas to initiate the first stage of President Donald Trump’s ceasefire proposal in mid-October, the IDF retreated to an “initial withdrawal line,” leaving Israeli forces in control of 58% of the enclave as Israel and mediators push Hamas to release the remaining deceased hostages and comply with the rest of the agreement, including disarmament and relinquishing power.
The line divides Gaza in two: an “East,” controlled by the IDF and serving as a buffer zone to Israel, and a “West,” run by Hamas and host to the concentrated Palestinian population.
In interviews with Jewish Insider, experts painted a picture of two Gazas, explaining that the area Israel holds can be used strategically to root out Hamas and maintain leverage if hostilities resume. But challenges lie ahead in rebuilding the enclave and moving Palestinians back into the eastern region.
“There are virtually no Palestinians living in the eastern part of Gaza beyond the yellow line. The eastern part does not see the movement and the maneuvers of Hamas. That’s still confined to the western part,” Ahmed Fouad Alkhatib, a Gaza native and resident senior fellow at the Atlantic Council, told JI. “Actual civilians of Gaza are all entirely under Hamas’ control in the west.”
Alkhatib said Israel has kept Palestinians from returning to the east over security and operational concerns, but also as leverage.
“How do you ensure that you don’t have Hamas members embedding themselves into the civilians, as they have done time and again? How do you ensure that Gazans coming into the east aren’t hindering clearance operations of tunnels or unexploded munitions?” Alkhatib asked. “I also think that the return of Palestinians to beyond the ‘yellow zone’ is leverage that Israel is holding onto until phase one is thoroughly and fully complete.”
Vice President JD Vance, in Israel last week, said during his trip that Palestinians should be able to move into a “Hamas-free zone” in southern Gaza “in the next couple months.” But experts warned that the timeline will be difficult given the conditions on the ground.
David May, a senior research analyst at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, said Israel has developed technology to recognize Hamas fighters and could use it to allow non-combatants access to the area under Israeli control. But even if Israel can vet who enters, eastern Gaza has endured destruction comparable to the west, and serious concerns await displaced civilians.
“The ubiquitous tunnel system that Hamas has dug in Gaza, which no doubt traverses the yellow line that serves as the ceasefire line, limits Israel’s ability to provide a safe zone in the eastern portion of Gaza,” May told JI.
Palestinians who move into the Hamas-free zone and those working on rebuilding would also face the issue of land ownership, Alkhatib noted.
“Who owns these lands, and where do people have their homes? Every plot of land in Gaza is accounted for,” he said. “You can’t just rebuild Gaza without taking into consideration that you’re doing so over pieces of land and properties that belonged to people.”
“There could be a process in which that happens, regardless of any claims to the land,” Alkhatib continued. “Basically there could be a fund established that allows for the compensation of rightful owners. But beyond that, eastern Gaza could be developed to create a compelling example that others in Gaza want to be part of.”
Despite these challenges, experts say finding ways to take in Palestinians to east Gaza could isolate Hamas in the west — a strategy Israel could use to undermine the terrorist group’s authority and bring in international support for rebuilding.
“East Gaza under IDF control would become a Hamas-free zone where the world comes together to support the emergence of thriving new political, social and economic institutions where the lives of average Gazans would flourish,” said John Hannah, a senior fellow at the Jewish Institute for National Security of America.
“Hamas-controlled west Gaza, by contrast, would be condemned to repression, stagnation and sustained misery. Over time, the east would become a huge magnet for the vast majority of Gaza’s population who would vote with their feet to live within a ‘free Gaza,’ fatally isolating and undermining Hamas rule and legitimacy,” Hannah continued.
May said this contrast can show Gazans “an alternative to life under Hamas’ corruption and oppression” and make donors more likely to contribute to rebuilding projects knowing aid won’t be intercepted by Hamas.
“If there is running water, sewer, electricity, internet, fixed roads and infrastructure, if there is something that resembles jobs and economic opportunity, and you create vetted methods for accepting incoming civilians into that area, then absolutely there could be a way in such that slowly drains the population out of west Gaza,” said Alkhatib.
However, Hannah argued that keeping half the enclave as a buffer zone could also serve Israel’s interests if fighting resumes.
“Right now, Israel controls an extensive buffer zone containing very few hostile Gazans standing between its border communities and Hamas-controlled west Gaza,” said Hannah. “How eager should [Israel] be to attract over a million or more Gazans to pick up and move much closer to Israel’s borders?”
May said Israel may have plenty of time to decide on how to proceed should Hamas continue to be uncooperative with the implementation of the rest of the first phase of the agreement.
“There is still a lot up in the air,” said May. “As ceasefire lines in the Middle East have a tendency to become permanent borders, Israel needs to plan for the possibility of the yellow line becoming a long-term territorial marker.”
Young Palestinian who took part in demonstrations in Gaza tells JI, ‘The majority of us are disgusted by Hamas and are not on the side of Hamas’ terrorism’
AFP via Getty Images
Palestinians chant slogans during an anti-Hamas protest, calling for an end to the war with Israel, in Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip on March 26, 2025.
Palestinians have a responsibility to rise up against Hamas and to call to free the hostages and end the war in Gaza, Muhammad, a law student from Gaza City, told Jewish Insider this week.
Muhammad, whose last name was withheld for fear of retribution, took part in demonstrations against Hamas in the last week in central Gaza, where he has lived for most of the time since Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel. He spoke to JI in a conversation facilitated by the New York-based Center for Peace Communications, a peacebuilding organization founded by author and Middle East analyst Joseph Braude that strives to build public support for reconciliation.
Muhammad and his parents and siblings left Gaza City, in northern Gaza, in October, following IDF instructions. They have been displaced and living in a school ever since, except for four months in which they were instructed to leave and stay in Rafah, in southern Gaza.
Muhammad said that, while Hamas has portrayed the demonstrations as planned and funded from outside of Gaza, including by the Palestinian Authority, he sees them as grassroots with participants from different parts of the population.
The common slogans on banners and chanted by protesters are against both Hamas and the PA, which many Palestinians view as corrupt, he said.
“People are fed up with Hamas’ attempt to use their bodies, their lives, as a tool to make political and even financial gains from this war,” he said. “These protests were very openly and obviously asking Hamas to step down, get out of the political and military picture in Gaza.”
The demonstrators want the war to end instead of suffering the consequences of the Oct. 7 attack, which Muhammad called “Hamas’ plan cooked up with Iran and the Muslim Brotherhood.”
“Even though it’s very risky to protest Hamas’ rule in Gaza, this is a duty and responsibility on a humanitarian and moral level for educated Gazans,” Muhammad told JI through a translator provided by Center for Peace Communications on Tuesday. “Hamas went too far in oppressing the people while not negotiating [to end the war] with good intentions. All they are doing is looking for political gains for Hamas and not humanitarian gains for Gazans … We educated people have the responsibility to inspire others to say, after 18 years of Hamas rule, ‘enough.’”
Asked why he specified that educated people should take the lead, Muhammad said that he believed that sector of society has the capacity to do so under a Hamas dictatorship in which they are inundated by propaganda.
“Anyone with the knowledge and education, who reads and learns about politics, even religion, has the responsibility to open the eyes of the public who are sometimes moved by Hamas propaganda … I believe we have a responsibility because we know how to put the words together to describe the plight of the Gazans and talk to the media and the public, to try to bring peace and a better destiny for our people,” he said.
While Hamas has inflicted violence on the protesters, Muhammad said, “the people didn’t give up” and attacked Hamas police in return. He described an incident in which Hamas police killed a man in line to buy food for his family, and the family killed the police officer. “This is a new thing that did not happen in 18 years of Hamas rule,” Muhammad noted.
Asked about the hostages, of which 59 remain in captivity in Gaza, Muhammad said that ever since Israel tied humanitarian aid to their release, “people in Gaza who have nothing to do with politics are all asking that the hostages be able to go home in peace back to Israel.”
“If the people themselves knew where the hostages were, they would bring them back because the entire issue is backfiring on Gazans. It didn’t help us at any point,” he said.
However, Muhammad emphasized that releasing the hostages is not enough, and Hamas must be removed from power in Gaza.
“If the war would end now but Hamas would stay in Gaza, we will see another Oct. 7 because Hamas would do it again and again,” he warned. “We are asking Hamas to send back all the hostages and get out of Gaza, because those are the Israeli demands to end the war.”
On Oct. 7, Muhammad said that allegations that all Gazans supported Oct. 7 are false, and that “a lot of us were terrified when we saw Oct. 7 happening. The majority of us are disgusted by Hamas and are not on the side of Hamas’ terrorism.”
Muhammad said that protesters against Hamas are seeking a leader who can bring peace to Gaza, and he has heard talk about supporting former Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Salam Fayyad, a relatively moderate Palestinian figure who is currently a lecturer at Princeton University, and Mohammed Dahlan, an advisor to the president of the UAE who has been in exile from Gaza since attempting a coup against Hamas.
Muhammad said that “Palestinians should never try to get political gains or rights through military struggle. I don’t want to see another Oct. 7. Palestinians want to live in Gaza or the West Bank without weapons. People hate Fatah [the dominant party in the PA], Hamas and the PA.”
He expressed hope that Gaza will be able to emulate “examples of great collaboration and relations between Israelis and Palestinians in the West Bank that contribute to building productive relations on many levels, cultural and economic, and were able to achieve positive things. There is an opportunity for peace.”
Muhammad called on “the Israeli right wing and the Palestinian right wing to step back and give a chance to others who are more moderate to work on peace, because it is possible.”
At the same time, Muhammad said that, given the opportunity, he would like to leave Gaza.
Of President Donald Trump’s call to evacuate all Palestinians from Gaza, Muhammad said, “I want it to not just be an idea but a real plan that is implemented … I would be one of the very first people to leave Gaza because this is my choice.”
Muhammad said that “Egypt has a responsibility to open the borders, just like any country would do for its neighbors suffering from a catastrophe, whether war or another kind. [The border] should be open for civilians so they can leave.”
He also said Egypt should give Palestinians the rights of refugees and basic needs while they are in transit.
“We understand Egypt is saying they are closing the borders because they think the Oslo Accords will not be implemented and the Palestinian issue will be forgotten if Gaza is emptied, but this is not a justified reason for the people presently in Gaza to be literally imprisoned. People like me who had nothing to do with Oct. 7 are being subjected to shelling and hunger, because Egypt wants to keep us with Hamas in Gaza,” he said.
Muhammad called on the U.S. and Arab countries to pressure Egypt to open its border to Gazans.
“My message for President Trump is that we have big hopes that he will work on a peaceful political solution that will push Hamas not only out of Gaza but the entire Palestinian picture, and he will work on real peace between Palestinians and Israelis,” he said.
2020 Democratic hopeful says the U.S. should not be taking sides in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict
AP Photo/John Locher
Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., speaks at the Iowa Democratic Wing Ding at the Surf Ballroom, Friday, Aug. 9, 2019, in Clear Lake, Iowa.
Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) said during a live CNN town hall on Wednesday night that the U.S. embassy in Israel should be moved to wherever the capital is agreed upon in negotiations with the Palestinians.
Figure it out: “The parties should negotiate whether or not the capital is in Jerusalem, where the capital is, and then the United States should move its embassy to be in the capital of each of the two states in a two-state solution,” Warren said. But Warren did not say whether she would reverse President Donald Trump’s decision to move the embassy to Jerusalem.
Stop political handouts: Warren indirectly criticized Trump for taking unilateral moves to favor Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. “Our job is to get [the Israelis and the Palestinians] to the negotiating table and stop handing out — for political reasons — just favors to one side and hurting the other,” she said.
Read the full exchange below:
Chris Cuomo: Senator, a key ally in the region, of course, Israel. President Trump moved the U.S. embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. Would you move the embassy back out of Jerusalem?
Warren: “I — here’s the overall approach we need to use. We need to encourage both Israel and the Palestinians to negotiate with each other. The United States should not be putting a thumb on the scale, should not be saying, in these negotiations, ‘We stand only with one party.’ We should recognize that Israel has a right to its security. The Palestinians have a right to self-determination and to be treated with respect.”
“The two-state solution has been the official policy of the United States and of Israel for nearly 70 years now. How do you make that happen? You want to be a good friend to Israel and to the Palestinians. Keep pushing them to the negotiating table. Let them negotiate, for all of the pieces they want, how they create a long-term, sustainable home for Palestinians and a safe, stable home for the Israelis. But our job is to get them to the negotiating table and stop handing out for political reasons just favors to one side and hurting the other. That does not in the long run move that region closer to peace and it does not treat the people in the region with the respect they deserve.”
Cuomo: So the embassy?
Warren: “The embassy is what they should be negotiating. They should be negotiating the capital.”
Cuomo: Where — where the U.S. embassy is?
Warren: “No, they should be negotiating what constitutes the capital. That’s really my point, is that that’s what the parties should decide. The parties should negotiate whether or not the capital is in Jerusalem, where the capital is, and then the United States should move its embassy to be in the capital of each of the two states in a two-state solution.”
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