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Churches for Middle East Peace

Dems Nix $1 Billion for Iron Dome from Budget Bill After Progressive Pressure

A look at some increasing tensions, new appointees, and more news in this week’s bulletin.

Image: Left: US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., meets with reporters to discuss President Joe Biden's domestic agenda at the Capitol in Washington, Sept. 8, 2021 (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite); Right: An Iron Dome air defense system fires to intercept a rocket from Gaza Strip in the coastal city of Ashkelon, Israel, July 5, 2014(AP Photo/Tsafrir Abayov)

dems nix iron dome funding

Image: Left: US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., meets with reporters to discuss President Joe Biden's domestic agenda at the Capitol in Washington, Sept. 8, 2021 (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite); Right: An Iron Dome air defense system fires to intercept a rocket from Gaza Strip in the costal city of Ashkelon, Israel, July 5, 2014(AP Photo/Tsafrir Abayov)

Dems nix $1 billion for Iron Dome from budget bill after progressive pressure

Times of Israel

“Progressive Democrats on Tuesday (September 21) successfully pressured the party to remove $1 billion for Israel’s Iron Dome missile defense system from a bill to keep the United States government funded. The funds are widely expected to be approved, but at a later date. A Congressional aide, speaking to The Times of Israel on condition of anonymity, insisted that the Iron Dome funding would eventually be approved, but instead would be attached to the 2022 Defense Appropriations Bill. The clause approving the $1 billion to restock Israel’s Iron Dome interceptors — crucial to protecting Israeli towns from rocket attacks and which became somewhat depleted during May’s Gaza war — had caused a hangup in the House of Representatives, as party leaders sought to push forward a bill to raise the debt ceiling.”

 
Jewish Israelis flock to Temple Mount

Image: This picture shows the Mughrabi ramp, leading from the Western Wall (Wailing Wall) to the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound that includes the Dome of the Rock Mosque (background) in Jerusalem's Old City, on Sept. 10, 2021. (Ahmad Gharabli/AFP via Getty Images)

Jewish Israelis flock to Temple Mount in greater numbers
Al-Monitor

“Hundreds of Israeli Jews are expected to ascend the Temple Mount compound today and throughout the week until Sept. 27, celebrating the Sukkot holiday. Security is being beefed up for the week across Israel and especially around the Temple Mount compound, but the site will remain open with the usual visiting hours for Jews. The Temple Mount is the holiest site in Jewish tradition. It is also one of the holiest sites for Muslims, housing Al-Aqsa Mosque and the Dome of the Rock, Haram al-Sharif. It is the most sensitive and volatile point in Israel and the site of many conflicts over its history.”

 
Jenin possible escalation

Image: A Palestinian man flashes a poster by the militant group Islamic Jihad of the six Palestinians who escaped from an Israeli prison, as people celebrate in the Jenin camp in the northern Israeli-occupied West Bank, on Sept. 6, 2021. (Jaafar Ashtiyeh/AFP via Getty Images)

West Bank city of Jenin roils as Israel prepares for possible escalation
Al-Monitor

“Sept. 13 marked the 28th anniversary of the Oslo Accord, which the Palestine Liberation Organization and Israel signed in 1993. Yet the Palestinian territories seem to be closer than ever to a comprehensive intifada and further from peace. Since Sept. 6, the West Bank and Gaza Strip have gone through daily confrontations and clashes between Palestinians and the Israeli army, after the escape of six Palestinian inmates from the Gilboa Prison. On Sept. 13, two separate stabbing attacks occurred in Jerusalem, which wounded a number of settlers. A few hours earlier, doctor Hazem Joulani in Jerusalem was killed, as he had reportedly attempted to carry out a stabbing attack, according to the Israeli police.”

 
 
What's Happening at CMEP

Sheikh Jarrah Virtual Tour: Join CMEP and MEJDI Tours on September 29th at 11 am Eastern for a virtual tour. We'll travel via Zoom through the City of David, Silwan, and Sheikh Jarrah, starting with the relevant background and sharing the local narratives. This is an in-depth opportunity to view, learn, and discuss with your live guide. CMEP staff will be present to talk about current events and advocacy opportunities related to the Holy Land.

Webinar: an introduction to the Nagorno-Karabakh Conflict of 2020 - Armenia and Azerbaijan at War: Join Churches for Middle East Peace (CMEP) on September 28th at 10 am EST for a webinar that will provide a historical introduction to Armenia and Azerbaijan at War - specifically an introduction to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict of 2020. We'll be joined by Olesya Vartanyan from The Crisis Group.

 
 

Support CMEP

Online Shopping? Don't forget to set Churches for Middle East Peace as your charity partner on amazon.smile.com!

 
Israel schools explore nakba

Image: Palestinian refugees during Israel's War of Independence. (David Eldan / GPO)

Israeli school system takes small but significant step in discussing the Nakba
Haaretz

“A question on the history matriculation exams this summer surprised people familiar with the battle of narratives that plagues the subject. For the first time in this exam that accompanies high school graduation, students were asked to analyze a historical source on the Palestinian Nakba – when more than 700,000 Arabs fled or were expelled from their homes during the 1947-49 war – and the Israeli responsibility for it, even it is partial.”

 
new ambassador to Israel

Image: Then-Deputy Secretary of State Thomas R. Nides (center) talks to South Korean Foreign Minister Kim Sung-hwan (right) in Seoul, South Korea, on February 29, 2012. (AP Photo/ Lee Jin-man, Pool)

Biden’s pick for ambassador to Israel to appear before Senate for confirmation
Times of Israel

“US President Joe Biden’s nominee to serve as the next ambassador to Israel will appear before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee for a confirmation hearing on Wednesday (September 22). Tom Nides will be among nine Biden administration nominees to face the Foreign Relations Committee, according to the panel’s schedule published on Monday (September 20). Nides is not expected to face significant opposition to being confirmed and has been holding talks with lawmakers on both sides of the aisle in preparation for the hearing, sources familiar told The Times of Israel."

 
Hezbollah brings fuel to Lebanon

Image: Posters of Hezbollah's leader, Syria's president and Iran's supreme leader in the village of al-Ain. (BBC News)

Hezbollah brings Iranian fuel into Lebanon to ease shortages
BBC

“Eighty lorries with 4m litres (1.1m gallons) of diesel on board crossed the border from Syria, where a tanker is docked, Hezbollah's Al-Manar TV said. The fuel is being imported via Syria in an effort to avoid embroiling Lebanon in US sanctions on Iran. Hezbollah has said hospitals and other key services will get priority access. An economic collapse has left Lebanon dangerously short of fuel as well as other basic necessities, such as medicine, electricity and even drinking water… The BBC's Anna Foster in al-Ain says Thursday's fuel delivery is relatively small, given the country's huge shortages, but it makes a political statement. It has come from Iran, via Syria, transported by Hezbollah - all three are subject to US sanctions. The international community now needs to decide how to respond in the face of Lebanon's increasing desperation, our correspondent adds."

CMEP's Bulletin is a weekly round-up of news from the Middle East and represents an array of perspectives on the issues we cover. CMEP does not necessarily agree with all the views expressed in the articles, and they do not speak on CMEP's behalf.

Churches for Middle East Peace (CMEP)
110 Maryland Ave NE, Suite 311 | Washington, District of Columbia  20002
(202) 543-1222 | info@cmep.org

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