Rep. Mike Lawler (R-NY) introduced bipartisan legislation on Thursday that would expedite arms sales to U.S. partners that normalize relations with Israel and work with the U.S. in its efforts to counter Iran and its terrorist proxies. 

The Abraham Accords Defense Against Terror Act would “narrow the timeline for congressional consideration after arms sales are accepted, while maintaining existing eligibility criteria for arms sales themselves,” according to a press release on the bill. The legislation would provide “the same preferential treatment that our NATO allies receive” to eligible countries.  

An Israeli chemist who resigned from Stanford University is suing the school after he claims it was complicit in antisemitism that he faced at the school — including the alleged tampering with his lab results, Jewish Insider has learned. 

The Brandeis Center for Human Rights Under Law and Los Angeles-based law firm Cohen Williams LLP filed a federal lawsuit on Thursday on behalf of Shay Laps, a Jewish Israeli postdoctoral researcher who was hired by Stanford in April 2024 after being recommended by a Nobel laureate. Laps’ research focused on synthetic and “smart” insulin, aiming to revolutionize diabetes treatment. 

On the sidelines of the Sun Valley Conference this week, Jordanian King Abdullah II met with Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent. The Royal Hashemite Court said the two “discussed the positive economic relationship between the United States and Jordan.”

The Jordan Times, an English-language newspaper in the Hashemite Kingdom, wrote that in his meetings, the king “noted the importance of Jordan’s economic and administrative modernisation process in enhancing the Kingdom’s competitiveness and ability to attract investments, highlighting opportunities for building and strengthening economic partnerships.”

Jeff Bartos, the Trump administration’s nominee for U.S. representative to the United Nations for U.N. management and reform, said at his confirmation hearing on Wednesday that President Donald Trump’s presidency provides unique opportunities to work to compel change and reform at the U.N., including in its alleged bias against Israel.

Bartos, a Jewish Republican, previously ran for U.S. Senate and lieutenant governor in Pennsylvania.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu gathered with Senate leaders on Capitol Hill on Wednesday to discuss the ongoing efforts to reach a ceasefire in Gaza and expand the Abraham Accords.

Among those in attendance at the meeting, which was rescheduled from Tuesday, were Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD), Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), Sens. Jim Risch (R-ID), Ted Cruz (R-TX), Steve Daines (R-MT), Bill Cassidy (R-LA), Chris Coons (D-DE), Jacky Rosen (D-NV), Maria Cantwell (D-WA), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Cory Booker (D-NJ) and Adam Schiff (D-CA). 

Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced on Wednesday that the U.S. would sanction Francesca Albanese, the widely criticized United Nations special rapporteur for Israel and the Palestinian Territories.

“Today I am imposing sanctions on UN Human Rights Council Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese for her illegitimate and shameful efforts to prompt [International Criminal Court] action against U.S. and Israeli officials, companies, and executives,” Rubio said in a statement. “Albanese’s campaign of political and economic warfare against the United States and Israel will no longer be tolerated. We will always stand by our partners in their right to self-defense.”

United Airlines announced on Tuesday that it will resume flights from the U.S. to Israel on July 21, which will make it the first American carrier to resume service to Tel Aviv since the outbreak of the Israel-Iran war. The airline has suspended its service to Israel multiple times since the Oct. 7, 2023, terror attacks on Israel. 

The lack of international airlines operating in Israel has led to a shortage of flights to meet travelers’ demand and soaring ticket prices, and caused major challenges for tourists attempting to leave Israel at the outset of the war with Iran.

Google cofounder Sergey Brin recently panned the use of the term “genocide” to describe Israel’s war against Hamas, describing it as “deeply offensive” to Jewish people “who have suffered actual genocides.”

Brin made the comment in an internal employee chat forum, according to The Washington Post, amid a debate over a new U.N. report that accused corporate entities, including Google, of profiting from “Israel’s economy of illegal occupation, apartheid and now, genocide.”