I. Legislative Branch
1) Legislation
Bipartisan Bill to Combat Antisemitism in Extremist Movements. On August 19, Reps. Eugene Vindman (D-VA) and Don Bacon (R-NE) introduced H.R.5011, which would require the secretary of defense to report to Congress on the role of antisemitism in extremist movements in the United States.
2) Personnel and Correspondence
House Democratic Whip Walks Back “Genocide” Remark. On August 18, House Minority Whip Katherine Clark (D-MA) said that she was not accusing Israel of genocide, adding, “We all need to work with urgency to bring the remaining hostages home, surge aid to Palestinians and oppose their involuntary relocation, remove Hamas from power, and end the war.” Clark’s comments came after a video surfaced on August 15 in which she referred to Israel’s actions in Gaza as genocide.
Senate Democrats Press Administration Over Settler Violence and Killings of Journalists in Gaza. On August 18, Sen. Ruben Gallego (D-AZ) led six other Senate Democrats in a letter to Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent, urging the Trump administration to investigate reports that Israeli settlers are obstructing humanitarian aid deliveries to Gaza and attacking Palestinian civilians, including US citizens, in the West Bank, and to impose targeted sanctions under Executive Order 13818 on individuals found responsible.
On August 21, Sen. Brian Schatz (D-HI) led 16 other Senate Democrats in a letter to Secretary Rubio urging him to “press the Israeli government to protect journalists in Gaza and allow international media to access the territory.”
II. Executive Branch
1) White House
US Officials Discuss Latest Gaza Ceasefire Proposal. On August 18, President Donald Trump said on Truth Social, “We will only see the return of the remaining hostages when Hamas is confronted and destroyed.” The following day, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said that the United States continues to discuss a ceasefire proposal for a 60-day truce in Gaza that Hamas reportedly has accepted. That same day, US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee said he was “optimistic,” while also remaining “realistic,” about the latest round of negotiations. On August 20, Huckabee blamed the stalled ceasefire talks on the decision by some European leaders to recognize Palestinian statehood.
Trump Calls Netanyahu a “War Hero.” On August 19, President Trump called Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu a “war hero” for bombing Iranian nuclear sites and said that the same label should apply to himself. He added, “If we didn’t [strike Iran], they would probably by this time…have a nuclear weapon and they would have used it.”
2) Department of State
US Criticizes South Sudan Repression as Israel Considers Relocating Gazans There. On August 18, the US Mission to the United Nations criticized South Sudan’s transitional government for repression, instability, and failure to deliver peace. The statement came amid reports that Israel is in talks to transfer Palestinians from Gaza to South Sudan.
US Envoys Discuss Syria and Lebanon. On August 19, US Ambassador to Turkey and Special Envoy for Syria Tom Barrack met in Paris with Israeli and Syrian officials, including Israeli Druze leader Sheikh Muwaffaq Tarif, to discuss the situation in al-Suwayda and efforts to de-escalate tensions. Barrack told the Washington Post that he now supports a more decentralized political system in Syria, describing the possibility of “not a federation but something short of that, in which you allow everybody to keep their own integrity, their own culture, their own language, and no threat of Islamism.” On August 24, Barrack, Deputy Special Envoy for Middle East Peace Morgan Ortagus, and Ambassador Huckabee met with Prime Minister Netanyahu. The envoys urged Israel to scale back strikes in Lebanon and discussed negotiations with Syria. Barrack also met with Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer, Minister of Foreign Affairs Gideon Sa’ar, and Minister of Defense Israel Katz.
Department Fires Press Officer for Israel Statements, He Says. On August 21, Department of State press officer Shahed Ghoreishi said that he was fired after drafting a statement asserting that the United States does not support the “forced displacement of Palestinians in Gaza.” Ghoreishi told The Hill that he was not given a reason for his termination, but that he believes that the Gaza language he recommended, and his reference to “Judea and Samaria” in another draft press statement, triggered his firing.
Rubio Speaks with Turkish and Canadian Foreign Ministers. On August 19, Secretary of State Rubio spoke with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan to discuss the situation in Syria and Iran’s nuclear program. On August 21, Rubio spoke with Canadian Foreign Minister Anita Anand about the situation in Gaza.
United States Joins Calls for Immediate Humanitarian Access in Sudan. On August 20, the United States joined the African Union, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Switzerland, the United Arab Emirates, and the United Nations in a statement raising concern over Sudan’s worsening humanitarian crisis. The group urged Sudan’s warring parties to immediately lift all impediments to humanitarian aid, to keep key supply routes open, to adhere to the 2023 Jeddah Declaration on protecting civilians in Sudan, to restore telecommunications, and to protect critical infrastructure.
Department Sanctions Four ICC Officials. On August 20, Secretary Rubio announced sanctions on four International Criminal Court (ICC) officials, including two judges and two prosecutors, under Executive Order 14203, for engaging in efforts “to investigate, arrest, detain, or prosecute nationals of the United States or Israel without the consent of either nation.”
Department Sanctions China Businesses over Iranian Oil. On August 21, the Department imposed sanctions on two China-based operators that facilitated imports of Iranian oil.
3) Department of Defense
AFRICOM Conducts Strikes in Somalia. On August 17, US forces conducted an airstrike against al-Shabab in Somalia.
CENTCOM Carries Out Raid in Syria Targeting IS Member. On August 19, US forces conducted a raid in northern Syria, killing a senior member of the so-called Islamic State.
4) Department of the Treasury
Treasury Targets Iranian Oil Exports. On August 21, the Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control sanctioned Greek national Antonios Margaritis and his network of companies, along with other entities and vessels, for their involvement in the Iranian petroleum trade.
5) Department of Homeland Security
USCIS to Screen Visa Applicants for “Anti-Americanism.” On August 19, the US Citizenship and Immigration Services announced that it will begin screening applicants for work, study, and immigration visas for “anti-Americanism,” including reviewing social media activity. The review will cover “any involvement in anti-American or terrorist organizations” and “evidence of antisemitic activity,” the statement said.
