Authors / Alex Kane

Newsletter
The Other Movement to Divest from Israel
Experts on anti-BDS laws say the statutes could ensnare companies that pull out of Israel over the planned judicial overhaul.
Alex Kane
March 21, 2023

Report
ADL Staffers Dissented After CEO Compared Palestinian Rights Groups to Right-Wing Extremists, Leaked Audio Reveals
A special meeting called to answer internal critics shows that the ADL’s vocal opposition to the anti-Zionist left is controversial even within the organization.
Mari Cohen and Alex Kane
March 8, 2023

Newsletter
Israel’s Raids on Palestinian Cities: An Explainer
A closer look at the IDF operations that are intensifying violence in Israel/Palestine.
Alex Kane
February 28, 2023

Newsletter
Civil Rights Complaint Details an Anti-Palestinian Climate at GW
Palestinian students ask the Department of Education to crack down on discrimination at George Washington University.
Alex Kane
February 14, 2023

Report
J Street’s Balancing Act Comes Under Pressure
The liberal Zionist organization is proving too critical of Israel for the mainstream Democratic establishment it courts—and not critical enough for its own constituency.
Alex Kane
February 1, 2023

Newsletter
Planting a Palestinian Flag at Israel’s Anti-Government Protests
A group of activists are pushing weekly pro-democracy protesters to stop ignoring the occupation.
Alex Kane
January 31, 2023

Newsletter
Biden’s Education Department Delays Defining Campus Antisemitism
To the relief of Palestinian-rights advocates, the department’s Office for Civil Rights did not adopt the controversial IHRA definition of antisemitism this past December.
Alex Kane
January 24, 2023

Newsletter
The International Court of Last Resort
Human rights groups are pressuring the International Criminal Court to prosecute war crimes in Israel/Palestine.
Alex Kane
January 4, 2023

Report
Palestine Is a Proxy Fight in a Fractious DSA
With a sizable gap between the left’s demand for Palestinian liberation and the pro-Israel tack of national politics, Palestine takes center stage in arguments about discipline and electoralism.
Alex Kane
December 15, 2022

Newsletter
What the FBI’s Investigation of Shireen Abu Akleh’s Killing Won’t Resolve
The probe is the first by a US agency into the death of the Palestinian American journalist.
Alex Kane
November 29, 2022

Newsletter
AIPAC Spent Big to Defeat Progressives This Election Cycle
The lobbying group’s $28.5 million blitz could make Democrats think twice about criticizing Israel.
Alex Kane
November 15, 2022

Newsletter
Four Takeaways From the 2022 Midterms
What do election results mean for Israel/Palestine policy, youth politics, policing, and reproductive justice?
Alex Kane, Matthew Miles Goodrich, Akela Lacy, and Amy Littlefield
November 10, 2022

Newsletter
ACLU Asks Supreme Court to Take Up Right to Boycott
If the top court does hear the case, it would lead to an unprecedented ruling on whether anti-boycott laws violate the First Amendment.
Alex Kane
November 1, 2022

Newsletter
When Is Violence “Terrorism”?
The use of the term to condemn Palestinian armed struggle raises questions about who gets to define it.
Alex Kane
October 25, 2022

Report
In Internal Memo, American Jewish Committee Blasts Op-Ed on “Jewish-Free Zones” at Berkeley Law
The group’s disavowal of an article written by Israel advocate Kenneth Marcus revealed tension over the best strategy to combat campus Palestine activism.
Mari Cohen and Alex Kane
October 14, 2022

Newsletter
The PA’s Faltering Authority
Palestinian opposition to the PA’s security coordination with Israel has risen to a level of intensity unseen since the Second Intifada.
Alex Kane
October 11, 2022

Newsletter
How Social Media Companies Silence Palestinians
A new report shows how Facebook and Instagram harm Palestinian freedom of expression—but leaves out the role of Israel’s Cyber Unit.
Alex Kane
October 4, 2022

Newsletter
Israel’s Repressive Toolkit Ensnares a Palestinian Human Rights Lawyer
Salah Hammouri has been jailed without trial for six months. If he’s ever released, he also faces deportation.
Alex Kane
September 20, 2022

Newsletter
How the IDF Ignores Its Own Rules of Engagement
Experts say revising the IDF’s open-fire regulations may accomplish little in a context where soldiers often ignore existing limits.
Alex Kane
September 13, 2022

Newsletter
As Israel Raids Palestinian Human Rights Groups, US Response Is Muted
Advocates say the State Department’s lack of condemnation emboldened Israel to launch unprecedented assaults on civil society organizations.
Alex Kane
August 23, 2022

Newsletter
What a Bureaucratic Pentagon Decision Says About Biden’s Palestine Policy
By keeping the US Security Coordinator’s military rank the same, Biden doubled down on the pre-Trump status quo: supporting the Palestinian Authority, but doing little to end Israel’s occupation.
Alex Kane
August 16, 2022

Newsletter
Israel’s Gaza Offensive: An Explainer
A closer look at an operation that killed dozens of Palestinians.
Alex Kane and Mari Cohen
August 9, 2022

Newsletter
Republicans Are Helping New York Democrats Target the Left’s Israel Criticism
The New York Solidarity Network is the latest example of a national trend: members of both parties joining together to squash progressive scrutiny of Israel.
Alex Kane
August 2, 2022

Newsletter
Ben & Jerry’s Path to Boycotting Israeli Settlements
The president of the Ben & Jerry’s Foundation speaks about the impact of visits to the occupied territories.
Alex Kane
July 26, 2022

Newsletter
“We Want Accountability”
As Biden visits Israel, the slain Palestinian American journalist Shireen Abu Akleh’s family pushes for justice.
Alex Kane
July 12, 2022

Report
Progressives Introduce Amendment to Force US Investigation into Israel’s Killing of Shireen Abu Akleh
The amendment comes after the State Department released a waffling statement on the death of the Palestinian American journalist.
Alex Kane
July 6, 2022

Newsletter
Ben & Jerry’s Clashes With Unilever Over BDS
The ice cream maker is suing its parent company for selling off its business interests in Israel to a local company that plans to sell in West Bank settlements.
Alex Kane
July 5, 2022

Report
What the Fossil Fuel Industry Learned from Anti-BDS Laws
Attacks on Israel’s critics have become the template for efforts to suppress climate activism, gun control advocacy, and other progressive movements.
Alex Kane
April 4, 2022

Newsletter
How the War in Ukraine Is Changing Israel’s Refugee Policies
Rules are changing in a hurry for non-Jewish Ukrainian refugees, but refugees from other regions haven’t yet benefited.
Alex Kane
March 29, 2022

Report
Internal ADL Memo Recommended Ending Police Delegations to Israel Amid Backlash
The controversial program, now on pause, was characterized by senior staff as high cost and low reward.
Alex Kane and Sam Levin
March 17, 2022

Newsletter
Knesset Renews Permanent Residency Ban for Palestinian Spouses of Israeli Citizens
The controversial law is intended to protect a Jewish demographic majority.
Alex Kane
March 16, 2022

Newsletter
A Progressive Foreign Policy Response to the War in Ukraine
An interview with Matt Duss, Bernie Sanders’s foreign policy adviser, on Russia’s invasion.
Alex Kane
March 1, 2022

Newsletter
How the Seattle Jewish Federation Blocked a Donation to B’Tselem
Donor-advised funds have legal discretion to deny gifts to groups that criticize Israel.
Alex Kane
February 23, 2022

Newsletter
Deutsche Welle Firings Set Chilling Precedent for Free Speech in Germany
Seven Arab and Muslim journalists have lost their jobs for the alleged “antisemitism” of criticizing Israel.
Alex Kane
February 16, 2022

Report
Jamaal Bowman Withdraws Co-Sponsorship of Bill Backing Israel’s Abraham Accords
Bowman’s reversal on the Israel Relations Normalization Act points toward growing opposition to the diplomatic agreements within the broader progressive movement.
Alex Kane
February 15, 2022

Report
Why Liberal Zionist Groups Won’t Say “Apartheid”
Pressed for specific disagreements with the use of the term, leaders of several prominent Jewish organizations focused on how its application might alienate their constituencies.
Mari Cohen and Alex Kane
February 10, 2022

Newsletter
The Amnesty Report on Israeli Apartheid: An Explainer
Responses to common questions about the human rights organization’s decision to recognize the nature of the occupation.
Alex Kane
February 9, 2022

Newsletter
No Justice for a Palestinian American Who Died in IDF Custody
The soldiers responsible for Omar Assad’s death at 78 have faced no meaningful consequences.
Alex Kane
February 2, 2022

Conversation
Activestills and the Making of a Decolonial Archive
Members of the Israel/Palestine-based photo collective explain their approach to their work.
Alex Kane
January 28, 2022

Newsletter
A Brooklyn Rally Against Antisemitism Offers Right-Wing Solutions
After a Jewish man was attacked for wearing an IDF hoodie, demonstrators responded with calls for more cops.
Alex Kane
January 5, 2022

Newsletter
Desmond Tutu’s Lifelong Struggle Against Apartheid
South Africa’s moral leader frequently clashed with Israel and the American Jewish establishment.
Alex Kane
December 29, 2021

Newsletter
AIPAC’s New PACs Signal a Strategic Shift
Washington’s flagship Israel lobby is turning to a more explicit fundraising model.
Alex Kane
December 22, 2021

Newsletter
Middle East Studies Association Votes to Consider Endorsing BDS
An endorsement of the BDS movement would be another indicator of just how much Israel’s apartheid system disquiets academia in the US.
Alex Kane
December 9, 2021

Report
Jamaal Bowman’s Trip to Israel Sparks Debate in DSA Over Electoral Strategy
The congressman’s divergence from DSA’s line on Israel/Palestine has led the socialist group to reexamine its approach to endorsements.
Alex Kane
December 7, 2021

Report
George Washington University Employees Offered Support to Palestinian Students. Now They Say They’re Paying the Price.
After criticizing “Israeli apartheid” and offering a processing space to Palestinian students in June, a campus office has been prevented from serving its regular functions, according to a civil rights complaint.
Alex Kane
November 16, 2021

Conversation
“I Campaigned on Right, Not on Fear”
If he loses due to his support for BDS, Florida congressional candidate Omari Hardy says his “conscience will be clear.”
Alex Kane
October 25, 2021

Feature
Ritchie Torres Is the Future of “Pro-Israel” Politics
While lawmakers of color have challenged the Democratic consensus on Israel, the Bronx congressman has become a powerful voice for upholding the status quo.
Alex Kane
October 18, 2021

Report
Philanthropist Michael Leven Donated to Canary Mission Blacklist
The revelation makes him the third major American Jewish funder associated with the project.
Abby Seitz and Alex Kane
October 14, 2021

Report
Sanders Pushes Gaza Aid in Exchange for “Yes” Vote on Iron Dome Funds
The Senate’s most prominent Israel critic will join the rest of the Democratic caucus in voting for aid for the anti-missile system.
Alex Kane
October 7, 2021

Analysis
A Guide to the Fight Over Iron Dome Funding
We answer readers’ questions about the vote to fund Israel’s anti-missile system that has exposed sharp divisions among Democrats.
Alex Kane
September 28, 2021

Report
House Progressives Renew Effort to Block Bomb Deliveries to Israel
An exclusive report on a long-shot push—led by Reps. Ocasio-Cortez, Tlaib, and Pocan—to stop the export of US-made weapons.
Alex Kane
September 14, 2021

Report
Days Before Approving Humanitarian Aid to Gaza, State Department Agreed to Contentious Bomb Sale to Israel
Days after progressive legislators attempted to block the sale, the administration quietly granted the export license.
Alex Kane
May 25, 2021

Report
Progressive Legislators to Introduce Resolution Blocking Bomb Sale to Israel
The resolution is a rebuke of the Biden administration’s Middle East policy, and a stark signal of progressive Democrats’ anger over Israel’s punishing assault on Gaza.
Alex Kane
May 19, 2021

Newsletter
“They Have Never Lived One Day of Freedom”
An interview with Rep. Betty McCollum, author of a bill that would restrict US military aid in support of the occupation.
Alex Kane
May 14, 2021

Analysis
A Guide to the Current Crisis in Israel/Palestine
We asked our readers what they needed to know about the situation in Israel/Palestine. Our staff is compiling a developing set of answers to the most commonly asked questions.
Mari Cohen, Joshua Leifer, and Alex Kane
May 13, 2021

Report
Former AIPAC Senior Operative Launches Group to Cultivate Democratic Support for Israel
Jonathan Kessler wants to offer progressives “a channel for their dissatisfaction that’s not disruptive of the US-Israel alliance.”
Alex Kane
March 18, 2021

Report
How the ADL’s Israel Advocacy Undermines Its Civil Rights Work
Interviews with eight former ADL employees found that CEO Jonathan Greenblatt has repeatedly chosen to support crackdowns on criticism of Israel over protecting civil liberties, putting him in conflict with his own civil rights office.
Alex Kane and Jacob Hutt
February 8, 2021

Report
The Settlers’ Man in Florida
The Republican Party in the era of Trump has become the party of the Israeli settler right, and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis its most devoted champion.
Alex Kane
July 30, 2020

Conversation
From Bad to Worse
Ghada Majadle of Physicians for Human Rights fears that Israel’s restrictive policies could exacerbate the effects of a coronavirus outbreak in the West Bank and Gaza.
Alex Kane
March 20, 2020

Report
The Rise and Fall of The Israel Project
A leaked cache of documents reveals how the pro-Israel media advocacy group operated—and the factors that led to its demise.
Alex Kane
February 18, 2020

Report
IfNotNow’s Primary Strategy
The anti-occupation group is holding the 2020 contenders accountable on Israel/Palestine.
Alex Kane
July 3, 2019

Dispatch
Protesters Shut Down Pro-Palestine Event
A commemoration of the Nakba in Queens was canceled over threats.
Alex Kane
May 23, 2019

Report
Netanyahu’s Cynical Betrayal of Holocaust History
Israel has made a Faustian bargain with the Central European far right.
Alex Kane
February 28, 2019

Report
The Left is Demanding “Abolish ICE.” But Jewish Groups Are Less Sure.
Left-leaning pillars of the American Jewish community are split on the newest progressive rallying cry.
Alex Kane
July 5, 2018