News Digest — 7/31/25
US Senate Rejects Bid To Block Arms Sales To Israel Over Gaza
Two resolutions that would have blocked arms sales to Israel in Gaza were blocked in the US Senate on Wednesday evening (30th), although they garnered more support than similar measures earlier this year.
The two resolutions were introduced by Senator Bernie Sanders, a Vermont Independent aligned with the Democrats. They failed by 73 to 24 and 70 to 27 in the 100-member chamber in voting late on Wednesday night (30th).
Similar measures, also introduced by Sanders, failed by 82-15 and 83-15 in April.
A decades-long tradition of strong bi-partisan support for Israel in the US Congress means resolutions to stop weapons sales are unlikely to pass, but backers hope raising the issue will encourage Israel’s government and the US administration to do more in Gaza to ‘protect civilians.’
All of the votes for the resolutions came from Democrats, with all of President Donald Trump’s fellow Republicans opposed. Sanders said in a statement that he was pleased a majority of the Democratic caucus had backed the effort.
The resolutions would have blocked the sale of $675 million in bombs and shipments of 20,000 assault rifles.
Senator Jim Risch of Idaho, the Republican chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said in a speech opposing the resolutions that the terrorist group Hamas was to blame for the situation in Gaza. “It is in the interest of America and the world to see this terrorist group destroyed,” he said.
Israel has consistently said its actions in Gaza are justified as self-defense and accuses Hamas of using civilians as human shields, a charge Hamas denies.
The US Senate vote came as France and Canada have indicated they plan to recognize a Palestinian state, with Britain also saying it would recognize a Palestinian state at September’s UN General Assembly meeting if the fighting in Gaza has not stopped by then.
‘Establish Palestine In London And Paris,’ Israeli Lawmaker Tells UN Gathering
Amir Ohana, Speaker of the Knesset, blasted France and Britain over plans to recognize unilateral Palestinian statehood, telling the inter-Parliamentary Union that European countries should cede their own territory for a Palestinian state.
The Speaker of the Knesset castigated Britain and France Wednesday (30th) over their plans to recognize Palestinian statehood, suggesting the two countries use their own territory to establish the new state.
Speaker Amir Ohana spoke at the Sixth World Conference of Speakers of Parliament in Geneva, organized by the inter-Parliamentary Union in collaboration with the United Nations.
Officials representing Iran, Yemen, and the Palestinian Authority boycotted the address, leaving the hall in protest of Ohana’s speech.
During his address, Ohana reiterated Israel’s protest of plans by Britain and France to recognize unilateral Palestinian statehood in September, calling the move a reward for Hamas’ invasion of Israel on October 7th 2023.
“Rewarding Hamas, by recognizing a Palestinian state in light of October 7, will not bring stability, coexistence and cooperation. It will bring more murder of Israelis and Jews,” Ohana said.
The Knesset Speaker mocked the planned recognition, which Israel has said would have no impact on the status quo in Judea, Samaria, and Gaza, with Ohana suggesting Britain and France offer their own capitals for a future Palestinian state.
“If you wish for that, if you wish for what you call a Palestinian state, put it up in London, Paris, in your countries, which become more and more and more similar to the Middle East.”
Ohana warned that European pressure on Israel has hampered efforts to conclude the war in Gaza.
“The so-called peace that some European countries advocate will only result in more war. But the war we are fighting will result in peace.”
“Stand for truth over propaganda,” Ohana continued, urging European powers to “stand on the right side of history – our side.”
Ohana condemned the recent use by multiple media outlets – including The New York Times and The Spectator – of photographs of a Gazan toddler born with cerebral palsy to bolster false claims of a famine in the Gaza Strip.
Muhammad Zakariya Ayoub al-Matouq, an 18-month-old Gazan child, was photographed by the Times and The Spectator to portray the impact of the alleged famine in Gaza, despite his emaciated figure being the result of pre-existing conditions, including cerebral palsy and Hypoxemia.
During the speech, Ohana also addressed chants by Iran’s parliament of “Death to Israel” and “Death to America,” comparing the calls for the destruction of the two countries to genocidal rhetoric in Nazi Germany prior to the Holocaust.
British Officials Slam Recognition Of Palestinian State
A delegation of senior British parliamentarians visiting Israel has harshly criticized Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s intention to recognize a Palestinian state. Former minister Sir Gavin Williamson, Labour’s Lord John Woodcock, and conservative MP Bob Blackman are touring Israel this week.
Speaking to Israel Hayom , the senior British Conservative and Labour figures argued that Starmer’s plan would do nothing to advance the two-state solution or alleviate Palestinian suffering. They warned it could instead embolden terrorist organizations like Hamas and alienate key allies such as Israel.
Gavin Williamson, a former UK defense and education secretary who is now in the Conservative opposition, accused Starmer of acting out of fear rather than strategic vision. “My instinct is that if Starmer does this, it will be out of weakness, not due to a considered strategy, but fear of Labour backbenchers.” he said.
Asked whether political pressure was behind Starmer’s statement, Williamson replied, “Yes, political pressure,” adding that such a step was not right for now. As a former defense secretary, he emphasized Israel’s vital importance to the UK. “The threat landscape is different, and the daily challenges vary. But both countries must stay united in their understanding that cooperation helps them better confront these threats.”
Asked if he supported the two-state vision in theory, Lord John Woodcock replied, “Correct. We support the vision, but it has always been clear that there must be an agreement between Israel and the Palestinians. Right now, Israel is at war in Gaza. There are still 50 hostages, some alive, some dead held by Hamas. The idea that Britain or the West should take action that Hamas and Iran would view as a reward is grim… it will only embolden the extremists.”
Veteran conservative MP Bob Blackman, who first visited Israel in the 1990s, described the UK’s internal struggles since the outbreak of the war. “What shocked me the most in the UK were people celebrating in the streets. It was astonishing that these hate marches against Israel continued week after week. Palestinian propaganda was allowed to flourish. All of this has put immense pressure on the British government,” said Blackman, noting that despite being in opposition, he believed the government had contributed to the belief among MPs that Palestinians should be rewarded for what they suffer at Israel’s hands.
“In my view, the last thing we should do is reward Hamas with a state after the atrocities they committed on October 7, 2023,” Blackman said. “Israel’s biggest problem in the UK is that Hamas propaganda is received very strongly. Even the media reports what Hamas claims as fact, even though we know from the ground that it is not true. Israel simply doesn’t get the same level of sympathy in our media as Hamas, and that’s a real problem.”
Hezbollah Rejects Disarmament Push, Vows To Retain Weapons
Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem stated Wednesday (30th) that demands for the group’s disarmament ultimately serves Israel’s interests, as US officials continue to press Lebanon to dismantle the Iran-backed terrorist group’s arsenal.
“Those who call for submitting arms or practically demand submitting them to Israel… We will not submit to Israel,” Qassem said in a televised address, as quoted by Reuters.
The remarks follow reports that the US is pushing the Lebanese government to issue a formal commitment to disarm Hezbollah before any ceasefire agreement can be reached in the ongoing conflict with Israel. According to five sources cited by Reuters, the Trump administration has linked a disarmament pledge to halting Israeli military operations in Lebanon.
Hezbollah, which has suffered heavy losses in the war with Israel over the past year – including the deaths of thousands of terrorists and the destruction of civilian areas – has so far refused to surrender its weapons but is reportedly considering reducing its arsenal.
“Those who call for disarmament on a domestic, global or Arab level serve the Israeli project,” Qassem said on Wednesday (30th), adding that the United States was targeting Hezbollah’s drones and missiles because they “scare” Israel.
He accused US Special Envoy Thomas Barrack of prioritizing Israel’s security over Lebanon’s. “Israel will not be able to defeat us and it will not be able to take Lebanon hostage,” Qassem declared.
The proposal discussed earlier this month in Beirut would require Hezbollah to disarm within four months in exchange for an Israeli troop withdrawal from southern Lebanon and an end to Israeli air strikes.
Israel has continued to strike Hezbollah targets in Lebanon since a November ceasefire went into effect, due to the fact that the terrorist organization has continued to re-establish its infrastructure in violation of the agreement.
Israel, Syrian Officials To Meet In Azerbaijan To Discuss Situation In Southern Syria – Report
A meeting between Israeli and Syrian ministers is due to take place in Baku, Azerbaijan, on Thursday (31st), a diplomatic source told French outlet Agence Franch-Presse.
The diplomat noted that Israel’s Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer and Syria’s Foreign Minister Assad al-Shaibani are scheduled to attend.
The meeting will focus on “the security situation, particularly in southern Syria,” the diplomat told AFP, requesting anonymity due to the sensitive nature of the meeting.
Last week, Dermer and Shaibani met in Paris along with US Special Envoy to Syria Tom Barrack and discussed the violence in southern Syria’s Sweida.
Notably, a US citizen was killed during the clashes between Druze and Bedouin militias in Sweida.
Syrian and Israeli officials agreed to meet again after no final accord was reached in US-mediated talks in Paris on de-escalating the conflict in southern Syria, state-run Ekhbariya TV reported on Saturday (26th), citing a diplomatic source.
The source described the dialogue as “honest and responsible,” in the first confirmation from the Syrian side that talks had taken place.
On Friday (25th), US envoy Tom Barrack said officials from both countries spoke about de-escalating the situation in Syria during the talks on Thursday (31st).
One Of Yemen’s Last Jewish Women Makes Aliyah To Israel – Report
One of Yemen’s last remaining Jews, Badra Youssef, has made aliyah, Israel media reported on Wednesday (30th).
Youssef reportedly left Yemen in June after her husband Yahya’s death, according to Yemeni independent journalist Ali Ibrahim Al-moshki.
“Thank God for your safe arrival, Aunt Badra,” Moshki wrote, writing that she and her husband were some of the wonderful patriotic Jews of Yemen.”
According to Moshki, the couple lived in Yemen “through much bitterness,” and rejected all “temptations” of travel during their marriage.
According to the Jewish Virtual Library, the Jewish community in Yemen dates back to ancient times, with a presence that flourished particularly during the medieval period.
Jews in Yemen have faced various challenges, including periods of forced conversion and persecution, such as during the rule of Abd-al-Nabi ibn Mahdi in the late 1160s and the enforcement of the Orphan’s Decree in the 18th century.
According to various reports, there are currently four remaining Jews living in Yemen, most notably Levi Salem Musa Narhabi, who was imprisoned by the Houthis in 2016 for allegedly attempting to smuggle a Torah scroll out of the country.
U.S. National Education Association Erases Jews From The Holocaust – Alana Goodman
The U.S. National Education Association, the nation’s largest teachers’ union, plans to promote a version of Holocaust remembrance that does not mention Jews, according to its 2025 handbook, which references “victims of the Holocaust from different faiths” without mentioning the attempted extermination of the Jewish people. The NEA Representative Assembly passed a resolution to boycott the Anti-Defamation League’s Holocaust education materials earlier this month.
The 2025 handbook gives a lengthy description of its plans to “educate members and the general public about the history of the Palestinian Nakba,” while teaching that Israel was founded through forced, violent displacement and dispossession. “Teaching about the Nakba fosters critical thinking and empathy among students, prompting a deeper understanding of historical injustices and their contemporary ramifications,” said the handbook. (Washington Free Beacon)
