I. Legislative Branch
1) Personnel and Correspondence
Senate Democrats Push Rubio to Investigate Israeli Human Rights Violations. On November 25, Sens. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) and Jack Reed (D-RI) led nine other Senate Democrats in a letter urging Secretary of State Marco Rubio to act on a September 2025 report by the Department of State’s Office of Inspector General (OIG). The report found that Israeli military units committed “many hundreds” of potential violations of US human rights law in the Gaza Strip, cases that could take “multiple years” to review. The senators urged Rubio to “quickly implement the OIG’s recommendations and adjudicate these cases in a timely manner in order to ensure compliance with US law.”
II. Executive Branch
1) White House
Trump Initiates Terrorist Designation Process for Certain Muslim Brotherhood Chapters. On November 24, President Donald Trump began the process of designating certain Muslim Brotherhood chapters as Foreign Terrorist Organizations and Specially Designated Global Terrorists. He signed an executive order directing Secretary Rubio and Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent to submit a report on whether to designate any chapters, including those in Lebanon, Egypt, and Jordan, and to move forward with any applicable designations within 45 days of submitting that report.
United States Pushes for Housing Compounds in Israeli-Occupied Part of Gaza. On November 25, the New York Times reported that the Trump administration is pushing for the rapid construction of temporary residential compounds to house Palestinians in Israeli-occupied parts of the Gaza Strip. Citing US and European officials, the report said that the compounds, referred to as “Alternative Safe Communities,” would each house between 20,000 and 25,000 Gazans and include medical clinics and educational facilities. The first compound would be built in Rafah near the Egyptian border.
Trump Suspends Immigration from “Third World Countries.” On November 27, President Trump said on Truth Social that he plans to suspend immigration from “all Third World countries,” a day after an Afghan national was named as a suspect in the shooting of two National Guard members in Washington, DC. Trump stated that all federal benefits and subsidies to “noncitizens” will end, and that he will “denaturalize migrants who undermine domestic tranquility, and deport any Foreign National who is a public charge, security risk, or non-compatible with Western Civilization.” According to Middle East Eye, when the outlet asked which countries Trump was referring to, the Department of Homeland Security pointed to a June 4, 2025, proclamation titled “Restricting the entry of foreign nationals to protect the United States from foreign terrorists and other national security and public safety threats.” The list includes Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen.
2) Department of Education
House Launches Probes into Alleged Anti-Semitism in Three Public School Districts. On November 24, the House Committee on Education and Workforce announced that it would open investigations into three public school districts in California, Virginia, and Pennsylvania for alleged anti-Semitism. The committee requested all documents, communications, and educational materials related to “Jews, Judaism, Israel, Palestine, Zionism, or antisemitism” to be submitted to the committee by December 8.
3) Department of State
GHF Shutters Operations. On November 24, the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) announced that it was permanently shutting down, stating that it had fulfilled its mission. Principal Deputy Spokesperson Tommy Pigott said that “GHF’s model, in which Hamas could no longer loot and profit from stealing aid, played a huge role in getting Hamas to the table and achieving a ceasefire.”
Deputy Secretary Rigas to Travel to Turkey, Iraq, and Israel. On November 25, the Department of State announced that Deputy Secretary of State for Management and Resources Michael Rigas will travel to Turkey, Iraq, and Israel from November 27 to December 5. According to the statement, in Turkey he will participate in official events and meet with Turkish counterparts, in Iraq he will meet with Iraqi officials, visit US diplomatic facilities, and inaugurate the new Consulate General in Erbil, and in Israel his visit will reaffirm the US-Israel relationship and focus on diplomatic facilities and foreign assistance.
4) Department of War
AFRICOM Conducts More Strikes in Somalia. On November 25, AFRICOM forces conducted airstrikes against the so-called Islamic State in Somalia.
US and Syrian Forces Conduct Airstrikes on So-Called Islamic State Weapons Storage Facilities. On November 30, CENTCOM announced that from November 24 to 27, US military personnel from Combined Joint Task Force–Operation Inherent Resolve, working with Syrian forces, located and destroyed so-called Islamic State weapons storage facilities in southern Syria.
