The Senate Foreign Relations Committee advanced Gov. Mike Huckabee’s nomination to be U.S. ambassador to Israel on a party-line vote on Wednesday, committee chair Sen. Jim Risch (R-ID) said.

The vote, which took place about a week after Huckabee’s confirmation hearing, suggests that Huckabee is likely to see minimal Democratic support when he comes to the Senate floor in the coming weeks, although Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA) has said he’s likely to support Huckabee.

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.

Tom Barrack, the nominee to be U.S. ambassador to Turkey, fielded questions about how he will approach the significant gaps between the U.S. and Turkey on a variety of bilateral and regional issues, but provided few specific answers on his approach beyond saying that he would work to cultivate dialogue with Ankara and other regional partners.

Tuesday’s questioning from members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee highlighted senators’ significant and myriad frustrations with the U.S.’ ostensible ally.

The Anti-Defamation League and Academic Engagement Network helped sponsor a conference on combating antisemitism in law at UCLA last week featuring speakers affiliated with anti-Zionist organizations, whom attendees said used the event to promote anti-Israel and antisemitism rhetoric. The ADL said afterward that it was “pleased to co-sponsor the conference,” while the head of AEN said she would have pulled out of the event had she known of the speakers’ list.

In addition to the ADL and AEN, the conference was sponsored by the UCLA Hillel, UCLA Alan D. Leve Center for Jewish Studies, Yeshiva University’s Cardozo School of Law, Herbert and Elinor Nootbaar Institute on Law, Religion, and Ethics, Pepperdine Caruso School of Law, Shotz Family Foundation in honor of Hebrew Helpers, People4Peace and Mitchell Silberberg & Knupp LLP.

Retired Air Force Lt. Gen. Dan “Razin” Caine pledged on Tuesday to be a defender of the NATO alliance and to support President Donald Trump in preventing Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon during his confirmation hearing to be the next chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

While avoiding getting into specific policies, Caine told members of the Senate Armed Services Committee that he would work to strengthen U.S. alliances if confirmed as the nation’s highest ranking military officer. 

As he prepares for a confirmation hearing before the Senate Intelligence Committee, Joe Kent’s comments skeptical of U.S. strikes on the Houthis could be a subject of debate for Senate Republicans.

In a Signal chat inadvertently shared with the Atlantic editor-in-chief about plans for U.S. strikes on the Houthis, Kent — under consideration to lead the National Counterterrorism Center (NCTC) — appeared to argue against the strikes, describing them as non-time sensitive and suggesting that Israel would undertake strikes in the U.S.’ place.

The Supreme Court heard oral arguments on Tuesday in Fuld v. Palestine Liberation Organization, a case that aims to determine — after decades of litigation and legislation — whether American victims of Palestinian terrorism can sue the PLO and Palestinian Authority for their payments to terrorists and their families.

The justices extensively questioned lawyers for the families of terror victims, the U.S. government and the PLO, giving few hints as to how the final ruling in the case would land.

The Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee will announce tomorrow that it will hold a markup of the Antisemitism Awareness Act next Wednesday, two sources familiar with the matter told Jewish Insider.

The committee meeting, when senators will discuss potential amendments before voting to advance the legislation to the full Senate, will be the first forward movement on the bill since it was reintroduced in both chambers earlier this year.