I. Legislative Branch
1) Legislation
Rep. Ramirez Introduces Resolution to Memorialize Palestinian-American Boy. On October 14, Rep. Delia Ramirez (D-IL) introduced H.Con.Res.57, a resolution honoring Wadee Alfayoumi, a six-year-old Palestinian-American boy killed in an October 2023 hate crime in Illinois.
Senate Bills to Ban Sharia Law. On October 15, Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) introduced S.3008 and S.3009, which seek to prohibit the application of Sharia law in the United States “where it would violate constitutional rights” and to bar foreign nationals advocating for Sharia law from entering the country, respectively. The proposed legislation follows H.R.5722, introduced on October 8 in the House, which would prohibit foreign nationals who adhere to Sharia law from entering or remaining in the United States.
House Bill Proposes Congressional Medal for Trump Over Gaza Deal. On October 17, Rep. Derrick Van Orden (R-WI) introduced H.R.5789 to award a Congressional Gold Medal to President Donald Trump in recognition of his “peacemaking efforts” around the world and for facilitating the peace agreement to end the war in Gaza and “bring lasting peace to the Middle East.”
2) Personnel and Correspondence
Shaheen Welcomes Hostage Release, Urges Continued Diplomatic Efforts. On October 13, Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) welcomed that day’s release of the remaining 20 living Israeli hostages from Gaza, thanked the Trump administration and regional partners for their mediation efforts, and urged all parties to secure the next phase of the ceasefire so that Israelis and Palestinians can live “side by side in peace, security and dignity.”
Rep. Moulton Announces He Will Return AIPAC Donations. On October 16, Rep. Seth Moulton (D-MA) announced that he will return past donations from AIPAC and reject any future donations from the group, illustrating the pro-Israel lobby’s declining influence among Democrats. Moulton said that “in recent years, AlPAC has aligned itself too closely with Prime Minister Netanyahu’s government,” adding that he supports “Israel’s right to exist,” but is not a friend of its current government.
II. Executive Branch
1) White House
Trump Makes Conflicting Statements on Disarming Hamas. On October 14, President Trump said on Truth Social that with all 20 Israeli living hostages released, phase two of his peace plan—which calls for Hamas’s disarmament and the demilitarization of the Gaza Strip—would begin immediately. On the same day, however, he said that Hamas had taken out “a couple of gangs that were very bad” and “that didn’t bother me much, to be honest with you.”
On October 16, Trump warned that if Hamas “continues to kill people in Gaza, which was not the Deal, we will have no choice but to go in and kill them.” Later that day, he clarified that “somebody will go in” but “it’s not going to be us.”
On October 19, Trump told reporters on Air Force One that Hamas has been “quite rambunctious” and “they’ve been doing some shooting.”
Trump Expects Expansion of Abraham Accords Soon. On October 17, Trump said that he expects an expansion of the Abraham Accords and hopes that Saudi Arabia will join. The previous day, Special Envoy Steve Witkoff said at an event at the US Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, DC, that the Abraham Accords “will seriously expand now.”
Kushner: Trump Felt Israel Was “Getting a Bit Out of Control.” In an interview with CBS’s 60 Minutes that aired on October 19, ahead of their October 20 visit to Israel, Special Envoy Witkoff and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner firmly rejected the claim that Israel has committed genocide in Gaza. Speaking about his October 11 visit to Gaza, Kushner said that the area he saw “looked almost like a nuclear bomb had been set off.” Witkoff and Kushner also said that they felt “a little bit betrayed” by Israel’s airstrikes in Qatar, with Kushner adding that Trump felt that Israel was “getting a little bit out of control…and that it was time to be very strong and stop them from doing things that he felt were not in their long-term interests.”
Vice President Vance to Visit Israel. Axios reported that Vice President JD Vance is expected to visit Israel from October 21 to 23 to push for implementation of the Gaza deal.
Trump Appoints Mark Savaya as Special Envoy to Iraq. On October 19, Trump announced the appointment of Mark Savaya, the founder of a Detroit-area marijuana dispensary, as Special Envoy to Iraq. Trump said that Savaya “was a key player in [his] campaign in Michigan, where he, and others, helped secure a record vote with Muslim Americans.”
2) Department of State
Department Alleges Hamas May Attack Gaza Civilians. On October 18, the Department of State said that it had “credible reports” that Hamas may violate the ceasefire by attacking Palestinian civilians in Gaza, and warned that “measures will be taken to protect the people of Gaza and preserve the integrity of the ceasefire.” On October 19, Hamas rejected the claim as false.
3) Department of War
CENTCOM Leader Warns Hamas to Stop Violence. On October 15, CENTCOM commander Adm. Brad Cooper urged Hamas to “immediately suspend violence and shooting at innocent Palestinian civilians in Gaza.”
Military Leaders Meet in South Lebanon to Discuss Hezbollah Disarmament. On October 15, military leaders from the United States, France, the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon, and the Lebanese Armed Forces met in Naqoura, Lebanon, for the 11th Pentalateral meeting to coordinate efforts to discuss the cessation of hostilities in southern Lebanon and the disarmament of Hezbollah.
