Al Mayadeen English

  • Ar
  • Es
  • x
Al Mayadeen English

Slogan

  • News
    • Politics
    • Economy
    • Sports
    • Arts&Culture
    • Health
    • Miscellaneous
    • Technology
    • Environment
  • Articles
    • Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Blog
    • Features
  • Videos
    • NewsFeed
    • Video Features
    • Explainers
    • TV
    • Digital Series
  • Infographs
  • In Pictures
  • • LIVE
News
  • Politics
  • Economy
  • Sports
  • Arts&Culture
  • Health
  • Miscellaneous
  • Technology
  • Environment
Articles
  • Opinion
  • Analysis
  • Blog
  • Features
Videos
  • NewsFeed
  • Video Features
  • Explainers
  • TV
  • Digital Series
Infographs
In Pictures
  • Africa
  • Asia
  • Asia-Pacific
  • Europe
  • Latin America
  • MENA
  • Palestine
  • US & Canada
BREAKING
Pope Leo XIV: Peacemakers do not flee, but dare to stay even if it costs them some sacrifice.
The Pope to the Lebanese: You are a diverse country and a community made up of communities united by one language, the language of hope, which has allowed you to start anew.
Pope Leo XIV to the Lebanese: You are a people who do not give up, but a people who persevere in the face of difficulties and know how to be reborn.
Al Mayadeen's correspondent in South Lebanon: Israeli occupation targets bulldozer working to remove rubble of destroyed home in Shebaa.
IRGC sources tell Al Mayadeen that reports of Iranian missile strikes on northern Iraq are false, calling them rumors spread by enemy-linked media.
Trump: Venezuela airspace should be considered 'closed in its entirety'
AFP: Ukraine behind attack on Russian 'shadow fleet' tankers in Black Sea
Sheikh Qassem: We, our allies, the honorable in our nation, our people, and our army will never accept being subservient to the US or 'Israel'
Sheikh Qassem: They must despair, for whatever they do, this people cannot be defeated or broken, and we shall neither fall nor yield
Sheikh Qassem: Threats neither advance nor delay matters, yet the possibility of war or its absence exists because 'Israel' and the US are weighing their options

'Israel' fabricates PR plot to sway US officials over ongoing genocide

  • By Al Mayadeen English
  • Source: The Intercept
  • 30 Nov 2023 14:44
5 Min Read

Senior Israeli military officials are providing exclusive briefings for US Congress members on the Gaza war in what is dubbed a "PR blitz".

  • x
  • Anti-war activists rally during a pro-Palestinian demonstration demanding a ceasefire in Gaza, at Freedom Plaza in Washington, Saturday, Nov. 3, 2023 (AP/Jose Luis Magana)

Senior Israeli military officials are providing exclusive briefings for US Congress members on the Gaza war, a report by The Intercept revealed. These briefings have intensified amid growing inquiries within the Capitol Hill regarding "Israel's" actions in the war, coinciding with increased calls for a ceasefire.

According to a source knowledgeable about the meetings in the Senate, there is an ongoing public relations effort by "Israel" facilitated by a select group of senators. The majority of recent briefings on the matter have been restricted to members only, excluding congressional staff and the general public, in what was dubbed as a "PR blitz".

On Monday, a briefing was set to take place with Senator Duckworth and three IOF senior officers. The memo read:

“Sen. Duckworth would like to invite your boss to a last-minute meeting" with Israeli officials to discuss several points, including "Israel’s strategy, how they are waging the war, and what to expect in the day after the scenarios." 

The briefings began as calls for a ceasefire and global backlash reached the Israeli occupation's actions in Gaza. Demands for a ceasefire on Capitol Hill initially progressed gradually but have gained momentum in the past few weeks. As of Tuesday morning, a collective total of 43 members from both houses of Congress have advocated for a ceasefire. Senator Bernie Sanders, a progressive who had previously expressed support for "Israel" following the October 7 attack, mentioned on Tuesday that he is considering introducing a bill that would condition aid to "Israel", according to The Intercept.

The IOF, in an effort to control the narrative, has fabricated a "PR blitz to keep all senators at bay."

What appears to be unusual is not the act of holding a meeting itself, but the frequency, the secrecy, and the subjects being discussed. Senator Cory Booker refused to comment on the substance of the briefing, alluding to its secrecy. However, The Intercept indicated that the material was not supposed to be classified, opposing Booker's statement. 

Senior Israeli military officials, including Maj. Gen. Tal Kelman, former head of the strategic directorate and Iran Division; Col. Itai Shapira, a former senior Israeli Intelligence officer; and Lt. Col. Yotam Shefer of the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories, were scheduled to conduct private briefings for members of the US Congress. The Israeli Embassy referred questions to the IOF, which have not responded to inquiries.

Briefings included an in-person session on Capitol Hill and another with retired Maj. Gen. Amos Yadlin, the former chief of Israeli military intelligence, who is expected to brief Sen. Martin Heinrich. Additionally, a closed screening of footage showing excerpts of Operation Al-Aqsa Flood on October 7 was organized by Sens. Richard Blumenthal and Marco Rubio.

“It’s important to bear witness in real-time,” Sen. Jacky Rosen, D-Nev., who contributed to the arrangement of the viewing, told reporters. “Sometime in the future, we’ll go — there’ll be a museum, there’ll be a memorial, there’ll be another Yad Vashem or Holocaust museum.” 

A source said to The Intercept, "It isn’t a coincidence that these briefings are now happening as public opinion is shifting and the pressure to corral lawmakers and the recipients of their campaign contributions."

Read more: Netanyahu less likely to listen to ceasefire even if by US

PR plot unnecessary: The US proves its unconditional support to 'Israel'

Despite "Israel's" insecurity in its American backers, the reality is that the US has immense leverage over "Israel" to force it to stop its genocide in Gaza. 

US officials have advised "Israel" against a major strike that would result in an overwhelming humanitarian crisis that the world could not handle but that it must conduct more precise military operations. 

This comes as the White House also demanded all limits on weapons and ammunition permissible to "Israel" from US stockpiles be lifted, a report by The Intercept revealed.

The lifting of limits was part of the White House's supplemental budget proposal, which was given to the Senate on October 20. "This request would allow for the transfer of all categories of defense articles," according to the suggested budget.

The billions of dollars the US has been providing the Israeli occupation with are clearly not enough for its genocidal actions, since the request is for unknown weapons depots in "Israel" that the Pentagon developed for use in regional crises.

Read more: US says Israelis must fight more 'surgically' in Gaza: NYT

  • United States
  • Gaza Strip
  • Occupied Palestine
  • Capitol Hill
  • Operation Al-Aqsa Flood
  • Palestine
  • IOF
  • Israel
  • Gaza

Most Read

13 elite Israeli troops were wounded in a confrontations in Beit Jinn, Syria.

13 elite Israeli troops wounded in confrontations in southern Syria

  • West Asia
  • 28 Nov 2025
Russia and China are not part of the Resistance Front, but they are playing an important role in building structures to bypass US power and thus facilitate a multipolar and freer world. (Al Mayadeen English; Illustrated by Zeinab el-Hajj)

The Resistance Front and BRICS

  • Opinion
  • 29 Nov 2025
Four killed, ten wounded in targeted California shooting in Stockton

Four killed, 10 wounded in 'targeted' California shooting

  • US & Canada
  • 30 Nov 2025
Point-blank killings: 'Israel' executes 2 Palestinian youths in Jenin

Graphic footage: IOF execute 2 Palestinians from point blank in Jenin

  • Politics
  • 27 Nov 2025

Coverage

All
In Five

Read Next

All
Yemen protests
West Asia

Yemenis mark Independence Day, renew support for Palestine, Lebanon

Netanyahu speaks during a meeting with U.S. Vice President JD Vance, at the Prime Minister's Office in occupied al-Quds, on Wednesday, Oct. 22, 2025. (AP)
Politics

Pardon for power: Netanyahu to retreat on reform if given immunity

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, right, and his Turkish counterpart Hakan Fidan arrive for a joint news briefing after their meeting, in Tehran, Iran, Sunday, Nov. 30, 2025. (AP)
Politics

Iran, Turkiye share strategic interests despite differences: Araghchi

In this file photo dated Wednesday, March 21, 2018, a youth holds a flag with the image of Abdullah Ocalan, the jailed leader of the Kurdistan Workers' Party, or PKK, in Istanbul, Turkey (AP)
Politics

PKK calls on Turkey to release Ocalan to advance peace process

Al Mayadeen English

Al Mayadeen is an Arab Independent Media Satellite Channel.

All Rights Reserved

  • x
  • Privacy Policy
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Authors
Android
iOS