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January 2010 Archives

Jerusalem Post: "Israel's approach on Iran 'responsible'"

"We have argued from the start that this is bad legislation and the Obama administration has made clear that it agrees," APN President and CEO Debra DeLee said in a statement on the measure.

By HILARY LEILA KRIEGER

This entry is cross posted at Dialy Kos.

Please Note: This is an opinion diary not a definite statement of fact, it is the diarists interpretation of the facts as he sees them

As we head into the second decade of the 21st century the Jewish community finds itself in the beginnings of a cultural battle with regards to it's traditional support for progressive politics, the Zionist Movement and International Neo-Conservative ideologies.

IPS: "U.S.: Obama Losing Control of Iran Policy"

In a statement Friday, Debra DeLee, president of Americans for Peace Now, urged that the bill be modified when members of the House and Senate meet to reconcile their respective versions of the legislation.

by Ali Gharib

WASHINGTON, Jan 29 (IPS) - In a surprisingly swift move on Thursday night that could have wide-ranging implications, the U.S. Senate passed a bill containing broad unilateral sanctions to punish foreign companies that export gasoline to Iran or help expand its domestic refinery capabilities.

APN Legislative Round-Up for the Week Ending January 29, 2010

1.  Senate Passes Iran Sanctions Bill - S. 2799 
2.  Text of Senate floor "discussion" of S. 2799 
3.  APN Hill Event on Jerusalem 
4.  Berman (D-CA) on the record at APN event in LA

By MATTHEW WAGNER

At Pollard's request, Rabbi Ya'acov Shapira will work to strengthen Jewish hold on disputed east J'lem house.

At the request of Jonathan Pollard, Rabbi Ya'acov Shapira, head of the Merkaz Harav Yeshiva, will launch various educational and spiritual activities designed to strengthen the Jewish hold on a disputed house in east Jerusalem.

VIDEO: House Foreign Affairs Chair praises APN

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When speaking at APN's Yitzhak Rabin Luncheon, House Foreign Affairs Chair Howard Berman had this to say about APN: 

"I cannot overstate the role you have in forcing those of us in positions [of power] to be challenged [on] conventional assumptions about how to go forward."


Washington, DC -- Americans for Peace Now today expressed disappointment over the Senate passage of S. 2799, which includes the Iran Refined Petroleum Sanctions Act. APN urges House-Senate conferees to amend it to make it consistent with the national interests of the United States, with President Obama's foreign policy, and with a rational approach to Iran.

House Foreign Affairs Chair praises APN

Haaretz editorial: Badge of Terror

There is no way to describe the West Bank settlers' attack on the Palestinian village of Bitilu but as a well-planned terror attack. The settlers' "military" organization and violent resistance to the cabinet decision to destroy the illegal outpost of Givat Menachem, as described by Chaim Levinson in Haaretz yesterday, are no different from the activities of other terrorist organizations. This includes the incitement, ranting and raving preceding the act of vengeance on Bitilu, the attempt to set a house on fire, the injuring of villagers with stones, and the threat to continue these violent tactics. 

On Thursday, January 28, 2010, APN co-sponsored a forum on Capitol Hill featuring Danny Seidemann and Gregory Khalil.

This event was also co-sponsored by Project Engage (an initiative of the Kairos Project), and the Foundation for Middle East Peace.

Badge of terror

By Haaretz Editorial

There is no way to describe the West Bank settlers' attack on the Palestinian village of Bitilu but as a well-planned terror attack. The settlers' "military" organization and violent resistance to the cabinet decision to destroy the illegal outpost of Givat Menachem, as described by Chaim Levinson in Haaretz yesterday, are no different from the activities of other terrorist organizations. This includes the incitement, ranting and raving preceding the act of vengeance on Bitilu, the attempt to set a house on fire, the injuring of villagers with stones, and the threat to continue these violent tactics.

Haaretz Editorial: Call It by Its Name: Terrorism!

Israel's Haaretz Daily on Wednesday documented a violent attack by West Bank settlers on defenseless Palestinians.

Today, the newspaper devoted its editorial to the ongoing and escalating violent campaign that settlers call "Price Tag." Haaretz urges us all to call it for what it is: Terrorism.

Here is the full text:

Los Angeles, CA -- Americans for Peace Now announced today the election of Martin I. Bresler as the new Chair of its Board of Directors. 

Born in Brooklyn and a life-long New Yorker, Mr. Bresler practiced law for almost forty years, most spent as a partner of Stroock & Stroock & Lavan. He holds a business degree from City College of New York (Baruch School), and a law degree from Harvard Law School. Mr. Bresler served in the United States Army before he started his career in law. In recent years, Mr. Bresler has been APN's representative to the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, of which APN is a member.

Stagnation can kill

In recent weeks, APN has been emphasizing the need for President Barack Obama to step up his efforts to pursue peace for Israel, and to be willing to play political hardball to get Israelis and Palestinians to make progress towards peace.

APN is not trying to win any popularity contests. We know that this is the only way forward. We also know that, absent a peace process that people can believe in, things can get worse.
Following President Obama's admission to Time Magazine last week that Middle East peacemaking has turned out to be harder than he expected, speculation is mounting that Obama will decide that he has no political choice but to abandon his ambitious Mideast peace efforts.
 
This would be a terrible mistake. If he addresses the Middle East at all tonight, at his State of the Union Address, the President should make clear that he will not make this mistake.
 
The lesson to be drawn from 2009 is not that peace is too difficult or has too high a political price.  The lesson of 2009 is that it takes more than patience and polite words to make peace.

Middle East Peace Report- January 26, 2010

Time for Pressure?; Berman Speaks Up for Peace; Mixed Messages; Protest Movement Picks Up Steam; Follow the Money

Tell Obama to step up the pressure

In an interview with Time Magazine last week, President Barack Obama acknowledged that his efforts to promote peace for Israel were stymied by the forces of inertia from within Israeli and Palestinian societies.

Obama said: "I think the Israelis and Palestinians have found that the political environment, the nature of their coalitions, or the divisions within their societies were such that it was very hard for them to start engaging in a meaningful conversation."

Now - emboldened by the Democratic loss in the Massachusetts Senate race - critics want him to put peace for Israel on the back burner.

Speaking at an Americans for Peace Now luncheon in honor of APN activist and Jewish community leader Irwin Levin, Berman (D-CA) said: "Over the years, I discovered two things: first, I learned that there were indeed many Palestinians who were prepared to accept Israel and who genuinely believe in coexistence. Second, I discovered the immense toll the occupation is taking on Israel."

The RJC's low blow

Yesterday, after the Republican Jewish Coalition (RJC) slammed Congressman Berman for speaking to APN, I took them on over Twitter.

I was deeply frustrated with the RJC's low blow:

1) The RJC's attack on Berman was transparently about petty partisan politics. And peace for Israel is more important than that.

2) The RJC argued that a discussion about the toll of the occupation on Israel is somehow beyond the pale. But for America to be a real friend of Israel, we need to be open and honest about what's at stake. I have a beef with anybody who tries to stifle debate on Israel.

In LA, Testimony to APN's DC Impact

Anybody present at APN's Yitzhak Rabin luncheon in Los Angeles yesterday witnessed a strong testimony to APN's impact in Washington.

Howard Berman (who chairs the House Foreign Affairs Committee) spoke of his admiration for APN's "firm commitment to peace" and praised us as being "among the most reliable and valuable sources of information about the peace process, especially regarding Israeli settlements in the West Bank."
 
Americans for Peace Now,
Project Engage,
Foundation for Middle East Peace,
 Churches for Middle East Peace,
and J Street

invite you to a discussion with

Berlanty Azzam*
Student, Bethlehem University

Brother Jack Curran
Vice President for Development, Bethlehem University

Tania Hary
Director of International Relations, GISHA


The Right of Palestinians to Study and Travel


Wednesday February 3, 2010, 1:00-3:00pm
Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, 1st Floor
1779 Massachusetts Avenue, NW | Washington, DC

* The Israeli authorities have not granted Ms. Azzam's request for an exit permit from Gaza. She will participate in the event through an audio connection.

Berlanty Azzam, a Palestinian from Gaza and a candidate for a business degree at the University of Bethlehem in the West Bank, was arrested and forcibly returned to Gaza by Israeli authorities in October 2009, two months before her graduation, on the grounds that Israel had banned travel of Gazans to the West Bank. With assistance from GISHA (Legal Center for Freedom of Movement), Ms. Azzam appealed to the Israeli High Court, explaining that she had received an Israeli permit to travel to the West Bank in 2005.  The Court rejected her appeal, while stating that Ms. Azzam presented no security risk.

In December, 33 members of Congress wrote to Secretary of State Clinton, urging that the U.S. press Israel to stop denying access for Gazan students to the West Bank, noting limited opportunities in Gaza and U.S. support for higher education opportunities for Palestinians.

Sandwiches will be served.

To RSVP send an email to: info@fmep.org or call 202-835-3650.
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Berman to APN: Israel in Danger of Ceasing to be a Jewish Democracy; Praises APN's Commitment to Peace

Los Angeles, CA - House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman, Rep. Howard Berman today told a group of Americans for Peace Now activists and supporters in Los Angeles that if Israel maintains its rule over the West Bank and Gaza, it will either cease to be a democracy, or will cease to be Jewish.

By Donald Macintyre in Jerusalem

Demonstrations against evictions of Palestinians to make way for Jewish settlers

At least 15 protesters were arrested yesterday as several hundred left-wing Israelis held their biggest demonstration yet against demolitions and evictions of east Jerusalem Palestinians designed to make way for Jewish settlers.

APN Legislative Round-Up for the Week Ending January 22, 2010

1.  Bills and Resolutions 
2.  Rep. George Miller (D-CA) on the record 
3.  Speculation over Iran sanctions legislation continues 
4.  APN to Obama: Time to play hardball, for the sake of Middle East peace 
5.  APN blog post: Israel's Democracy in Jeopardy 
  

Sheikh Jarrah - a microcosm of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict

Another Friday, another protest in Sheikh Jarrah. 

Another Friday where Israeli police react with fury and force, trying to bar and then break up the event, and arresting peaceful protesters. 

Another Friday and more evidence that democracy - and key pillars of democracy like freedom of speech and freedom of association, let alone the freedom to protest peacefully - are under threat in Israel.

When the Sheikh Jarrah protests first started an Israeli friend told me that they would never have any impact -- that Jerusalem is something that Israelis just can't think rationally about.  He said that even though we are talking about settler activities in neighborhoods that few Israelis can find on a map, let alone ever visit, the average Israeli hears "Jerusalem" and stops listening. 

I hope he is wrong.  Because this is about more than settlers targeting houses in this one Palestinian neighborhood.  Sheikh Jarrah is a microcosm of the entire Israeli-Palestinian conflict - as pointed out by Didi Remez in a podcast he did with APN earlier this week, following his arrest in last week's protest.  It is about Israeli actions and policies that are wholly inimical to peace.  It is emblematic of the battle between those who believe in a negotiated peace -- for Israel's own sake -- and those who prefer the zero-sum logic of occupation, domination, and perpetual conflict. 

In one neat little package the Sheikh Jarrah protests encompass the core issues at the heart of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the peace process: territory, settlements and borders, displacement of Palestinians, and of course, Jerusalem.

I have watched (from afar) these protests grow, week after week.  I have watched them gather more and more "mainstream" support, especially in the face of the extraordinary actions of Israeli police. I hope my friend turns out to be wrong -- that Sheikh Jarrah will be the issue that focuses Israelis minds on what is really at stake and motivates them to action.

By Nir Hasson

Hundreds of left-wing activists, including several prominent politicians, protested in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood in East Jerusalem on Friday.

The protest has become a weekly event in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood, held to protest a Jewish takeover of Palestinian homes in East Jerusalem through the use of ownership documents dating from the period of the British mandate in Palestine.

Yedioth Ahronoth (p. B8) by Uri Misgav -- On the hilltop stands a building, like a colonial palace in the Third World. Around it lie the barren pastures of the surrounding villages, a flock of sheep chewing the grass, and two Palestinian shepherds suspiciously eyeing the construction.

Israeli Media: Obama's Frustration is Israel's Loss

According to the Israeli press, there was gloating in Israel's right-wing government yesterday, when Time Magazine published President Barack Obama's words of frustration with his administration's inability to elicit bold action toward peace from the leaders of Israel and the Palestinians.

"If you promise not to reveal the name of senior Israeli officials, you can hear more than a bit of gloating at the expense of Obama and his advisers," wrote Yedioth Ahronoth's veteran diplomatic correspondent Shimon Shiffer. A senior Israeli official told Shiffer: "It took [Obama] a year to 'discover America," and "did [Obama] really believe that bowing to the Saudi king would help him harness the moderate Arab world to the negotiation wagon?"
 

Drawing the wrong conclusions (my response to Jim Besser)

I read with some disappointment James Besser's response (in the New York Jewish Week) to APN's call for President Barack Obama to be more aggressive in the pursuit of Middle East peace.

Besser concedes that:

"APN is probably right that U.S. pressure on both sides is the only strategy with any real hope of pushing the two sides back to the negotiating table."

But he also argues that:

"Leaving aside the question of whether that's smart policy or not, politics suggests the administration is likely to move in the opposite direction."

Let's hope David Axelrod isn't drawing this same mistaken conclusion.  As we argued in the same paper that Besser is critiquing, Obama has little to lose -- and everything to gain -- by stepping up pressure to make progress toward peace.

The IDF in Haiti: Pride in Proportion

I wanted to take a minute to salute Israel and its military for the impressive work that the IDF is doing to help the earthquake survivors in Haiti.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Ori Nir - (202) 408-9898; onir@peacenow.org

Washington, D.C - Americans for Peace Now today called on President Barack Obama to learn the lessons of last years' unmet expectations on Middle East peace and focus this year on assertive action toward peace for Israel and its neighbors.


Democracy in jeopardy: Israel intensifying efforts to quash dissent

Today a friend asked if I thought the story of Israel's recent deportation of Jared Malsin - the American (and Jewish) editor of a Palestinian news outlet - was important.  I responded that if you consider it important that Israel arrests a working journalist, holds him in virtual solitary confinement under miserable conditions for a week until he can't stand it anymore, and then deports him under highly dubious legal circumstances - then yes, it is.

But that is not the whole story.  Because this is not an isolated issue.

It is clear to all of us who work on issues related to peace, human rights or Israeli civil society, that the government of Israel is deliberately and systematically upping the ante and increasing the pressure on those who do not toe the Israel policy line.

Obama laments lack of bold gestures by Israel

In an interview published today by Time Magazine, President Barack Obama spoke about some of the obstacles he's faced in his efforts to pursue peace for Israel:

I'll be honest with you. A: This is just really hard. Even for a guy like George Mitchell who helped bring about the peace in Northern Ireland. This is as intractable a problem as you get. B: Both sides--I think the Israelis and Palestinians--have found that the political environment, the nature of their coalitions, or the divisions within their societies were such that it was very hard for them to start engaging in a meaningful conversation. And I think that we overestimated our ability to persuade them to do so when their politics ran contrary to that.

From Abbas' perspective, he's got Hamas looking over his shoulder and I think an environment generally within the Arab world that feels impatient with any process.

And on the Israeli front, although the Israelis I think after a lot of time showed a willingness to make some modifications in their policies, still found it very hard to move with any bold gestures.  And so what we're going to have to do--I think it is absolutely true that what we did this year didn't produce the kind of breakthrough that we wanted and if we had anticipated some of these political problems on both sides earlier, we might not have raised expectations as high.

Moving forward, though, we are going to continue to work with both parties to recognize what I think is ultimately their deep-seated interest in a two-state solution in which Israel is secure and Palestinians have sovereignty and can start focusing on developing their economy and improving the lives of their children and grandchildren.

(emphasis added)



Is Bibi deliberately thwarting peace talks?

Every time the peace process begins to take a step forward, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu seems to trip it up.

Take this latest example: Last week, US National Security Advisor Jim Jones visited Israel. During his meetings Jones reportedly expressed optimism that American efforts to renew Israeli-Palestinian peace negotiations would result in a renewal of talks next month.

But then comes Netanyahu and announces that, even after a peace agreement, Israel must control territory between any future Palestinian state and Jordan. This is the first time Netanyahu has made such a demand.

Sheikh Jarrah heats up.

In yesterday's Middle East Peace Report, I provided coverage of the manner in which Israel's police interfered with a perfectly legal (and sensible) demonstration against the settler take-over of homes in the East Jerusalem neighborhood of Sheikh Jarrah:

Washington, DC Event with Sammy Smooha and Asa'ad Ghanem


Americans for Peace Now,
Middle East Institute,
and Foundation for Middle East Peace
 
invite you to a presentation and discussion with
 
Sammy Smooha
Professor, University of Haifa
 
Asa'ad Ghanem
Professor, University of Haifa


The Status and Fate of the 
Palestinian-Arab Minority in Israel
 
Wednesday January 27, 1:00 - 3:00pm
Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, 1st floor
1779 Massachusetts Ave., NW
Washington, DC
 
 
Sammy Smooha and As'ad Ghanem, both professors at the University of Haifa, have been polling Israel's Arab citizens for years, examining their opinions of their current status and future in Israel. Mr. Ghanem and Mr. Smooha's views diverge but they agree that Israel is a deeply divided society and the status of the Palestinian-Arab minority is one of the gravest problems facing Israel. Mr. Ghanem and  Mr. Smooha will discuss the relationship between Israel's Arabs and the Israeli state and the prospect for their future.



Sammy Smooha is a professor of sociology at the University of Haifa. Mr. Smooha specializes in ethnic relations in Israel and elsewhere and in the social dynamics of Israeli society.  He has published widely on the internal divisions and conflicts in Israeli society, especially on the relations between Mizrahim and Ashkenazim, and between Arab and Jewish citizens. He has authored several books including, Israel: Pluralism and Conflict and Arabs and Jews in Israel.  He is currently a senior research fellow at the United States Institute of Peace; he is working on a comparative study of Israel's treatment of its Arab minority to the treatment of minority populations in N. Ireland, Estonia, Slovakia and Macedonia.


As'ad Ghanem is a researcher and lecturer at the School of Political Sciences, University of Haifa.  Mr. Ghanem's theoretical work has explored the legal, institutional and political conditions in ethnic states. He is an expert on Palestinian political orientations, the political structure of the Palestinian Authority, and majority-minority politics.  He has initiated and designed several policy schemes and empowerment programs for Palestinian-Arabs in Israel. He has authored and edited numerous articles and books including Palestinian Politics After Arafat: A failed National Movement, and the forthcoming Ethnic Politics in Israel - The Margins and the Ashkenazi Centre.

Please note the event begins at 1:00 pm
 
Sandwiches will be served

To RSVP send and email to: info@fmep.org

Looking to Obama's Second Year

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In advance of the State of the Union address, APN asked President Barack Obama to recommit to pushing peace for Israel.

This followed blessings of hope prepared by Rabbi Neil Comess-Daniels on the anniversary of Obama's inauguration.

APN also recently called on President Obama to be prepared to play hardball with Israel, the Palestinians, and the Arab world.

As President Obama embarks on his second year in office, he and his team continue to reiterate their commitment to achieving Israeli-Palestinian peace. Indeed, President Obama's peace team remains actively engaged and for the first time in months there are encouraging signs of progress toward renewing peace talks.  

An important lesson from 2009, however, is that it will take more than patience and polite words to make peace.  In his first year in office, President Obama articulated a clear vision for Middle East peace, worked tirelessly to make progress toward that goal, and in tangible terms achieved something significant, in the form of Israel's decision to adopt a partial settlement moratorium.  His efforts to make further progress, however, were stymied by intransigence on the part of both Israel and the Palestinians, by lack of clear buy-in and support from the Arab world, and by his own resolve to be unfailingly patient and polite, regardless of the behavior of others.    

In order to achieve a breakthrough toward peace in 2010, the Obama Administration will have to be prepared to play political hardball, re-orienting the US approach to Middle East peace efforts in the following ways:


Americans for Peace Now, 
Project Engage (an initiative of the Kairos Project), 
and the Foundation for Middle East Peace

invite you to a discussion on

Jerusalem: The Key to Israeli-Palestinian Peace?

with Danny Seidemann and Gregory Khalil

Thursday, January 28, 2010
11:00 am- 12:30 pm
2255 Rayburn House Office Building, Washington DC


Danny Seidemann is an Israeli attorney, founder and director of the Israeli NGO Terrestrial Jerusalem, and a senior advisor with The Kairos Project. After litigating a variety of cases in Israeli courts and working more than 20 years on the most sensitive issues related to the disposition of Jerusalem, Danny has come to be regarded as the world's leading expert on geopolitical Jerusalem. His analysis is relied upon by negotiators and the international community.  Danny is frequently cited in top Israeli, Arab and international media. He lives with his wife and three daughters in Jerusalem and is a retired Reserve Major in Israel's Defence Forces. 
  
Gregory Khalil is an American attorney and the President and Co-Founder of The Kairos Project, a new not-for-profit initiative in Washington D.C. that seeks to educate mainstream faith-based America and its leaders about the causes of---and solutions to---the conflict that currently ravages the Holy Land.  Previously, Greg served as a legal advisor to the Palestinian leadership on peace negotiations with Israel. Much of his extended family still lives in Beit Sahour, a Christian Palestinian town near Bethlehem. He has lectured widely on the conflict and is published in The New York Times and The Review of Faith & International Affairs. Greg is a graduate of UCLA and Yale Law School and currently lives in Washington, D.C.

Please RSVP to spistritto@peacenow.org or 202-408-9898.

Sheva Brachot

Seven Blessings Celebrating the First Year in Office of President Barack Obama.

By Rabbi Neil Comess-Daniels

1) We are in awe and in wonder before and within the Unity of All and we express our appreciation for being Jews embraced by the bountiful freedoms that are "America."

2) We are in awe and in wonder before and within the Unity of All, realizing that our presence in this nation is a gift, as it is for all our fellow citizens.

Middle East Peace Report- January 19, 2010

Israeli-Palestinian Talks on the Horizon?; Netanyahu's Double-Speak; Gehry Quits Controversial Jerusalem Museum; Cold Turkey; Cracking Down?; Cracking Down? Part II

APN Event in Brooklyn


"What Do We Mean by a Jewish Democratic State?"
February 6, 2010
11:00 am
Congregation Beth Elohim, Brooklyn
Eighth Avenue & Garfield Place
Park Slope, Brooklyn

Join Dr. Gadi Taub as he discusses what it means for Israel to be a Jewish and Democratic state. Gadi Taub is an Israeli author, historian, and op-ed columnist. He received his Ph.D. in American History from Rutgers University, and is currently a member of the faculty at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. He writes frequently for the Hebrew and International press on politics, literature, and culture.



The Gaza war one year later: strategic lessons learned

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Q. A year after Israel's Operation Cast Lead in Gaza, how would you assess the ramifications and consequences?

A. Given the limited military, geographic and political nature of last January's Gaza war, the ramifications are surprisingly far-reaching. They cover the extent of deterrence achieved, consequences for future strategies of war-fighting by Israel and others, and of course the international reaction in the realms of war-prevention and diplomacy as well as human rights. And they are a decidedly mixed bag.

Where does it end?

By Leonard Fein.

Trying to make sense of Israel's assault on Gaza, which ended exactly a year ago this week, is a daunting challenge. There is no agreement on how many Gazans were killed nor on how many were combatants, how many innocent bystanders. The Israeli authorities claim that 49 women and 89 children were among the killed, but the Israeli human rights organization B'Tselem says the accurate numbers are 107 women and 320 children.

Disrespect Muslim cemetery in Jerusalem at Israel's peril

There is good news today regarding a dangerous project in Jerusalem: famed architect Frank Gehry pulled out of a plan to build a "Museum of Tolerance" on top of an ancient Muslim cemetery.

APN repeatedly called on the Simon Wiesenthal Center to move the planned museum to another site. Now that Gehry has backed out we have a new opportunity to get the Wiesenthal Center to do the right thing.

APN Statement: A Year after the Gaza War

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A year after the end of the Gaza War, Americans for Peace Now is reflecting on what Operation Cast Lead left behind.

We, Americans who believe that only through peace could Israel achieve true security, are grieving the victims of this war and of the hostilities that preceded it, on both sides of the Israel-Gaza border.

A Chance to do the right thing on the Museum of Tolerance in Jerusalem

In a rare bit of good news regarding Jerusalem, this week it was confirmed that famed architect Frank Gehry has pulled out of the Simon Wiesenthal Center's (SWC) misguided plans to build a "Museum of Tolerance" smack-dab on top of the most important historic Muslim cemetery in Jerusalem.  As he exits the project he takes with him his ambitious blueprint for the structure, taking away the government of Israel's lame argument that the project is vital to Israel since it will create an architectural gem of international stature in the heart of West Jerusalem. 

The Government of Israel and SWC's longstanding insistence on building the museum on the site of this historic Muslim cemetery from the start provoked widespread consternation and outrage among right-thinking people in the US and Israel, not to mention the Muslim world.  In a sort of tragi-comedy (where the irony of the situation was apparently lost only to the SWC), it has also forced SWC leaders (and in particular Rabbi Hier) to transform themselves into rhetorical, moral, and ethical contortionists, twisting and turning the facts and arguments to try to defend a plan that is patently indefensible. 

The exit from the project of its celebrity architect offers Israel and the SWC a wonderful face-saving opportunity -- a chance to change course and come up with a new plan on a new site.  Doing so will ensure that if a Museum of Tolerance is built in Jerusalem, it is built in a manner that reflects and supports the value for which it is named and to which, ostensibly, it is dedicated.

Continue to read a Backgrounder on the project

McCain & Lieberman play politics with Israel

During their visit to Israel this week, Senators John McCain and Joe Lieberman chose to score political points rather than to help promote peace for Israel.

The senators pounced on a statement made by George Mitchell. After being pushed repeatedly by Charlie Rose on this point, Mitchell observed that previous presidents had withheld loan guarantees to Israel in order to push Israel to make progress towards peace. Pundits in Israel quickly interpreted this statement as a veiled threat.

Peace Now petition challenges Hebron settlement

HebronMB.jpgYesterday, Israel's High Court of Justice held a hearing on a Peace Now petition calling for the removal of settlers who live in a military base in Hebron.

This is but the latest in a series of Peace Now legal actions that have compelled the Israeli government to stop -- and even to roll back -- settlement actions that violate Israeli law.

Obama Premises for Re-Starting Permanent Status Talks?

For some time there has been a debate over whether President Obama will, or should, release his own ideas about the content of an Israeli-Palestinian permanent status agreement (PSA).  Now, as there appears to be a renewed push underway to launch Israeli-Palestinian permanent status talks, there is again discussion of whether it is time for President Obama to lay down some clear US ideas about those talks.

Interestingly, the Obama Administration has already gone a good way in this direction.  The fact is, with little fanfare and nobody really noticing, the Obama Administration has - in speeches and other statements of President Obama and his top officials - been gradually laying out some clear premises upon which it believes any permanent status talks will be based.  While these statements fall short of directly stating US expectations for the content of a PSA, they very clearly communicate US policy on some of the key permanent status issues, and it is no great leap to infer from them some clear US expectations about the shape and content of a PSA.

Transforming these discrete policy utterances into a cohesive set of premises about peace could arguably be very helpful in energizing President Obama's Middle East peace effort, reasserting US leadership and confidence in the Middle East policy arena.  Doing so could also reassure Israelis and Palestinians - as well as key allies in the region whom the US needs help from in launching talks - that the US recognizes and validates their core concerns.  Moreover, were the US to release a formal policy statement of some kind, along the lines discussed below, it would be very difficult for Israel or the Palestinians to attack the content, since it genuinely includes nothing that has not already been said.

Facing Israel's diplomatic "Price Tag" strategy: lessons for Obama

Since Special Middle East Envoy George Mitchell's appearance on Charlie Rose, the Israeli press has been full of reports of official indignation and outrage.  The running theme is: how dare Mitchell threaten Israel with cutting aid if it does not play ball on the peace process?  

And in a gift to Israeli hasbara-niks, this weekend's visit to Jerusalem by two of Obama's chief opponents in Congress, defeated Republican presidential candidate John McCain (R-AZ) and his lackey, Joe Lieberman (I-CT) spent most of Sunday telling the Israeli media how they would never allow such a thing to happen.

What Mitchell actually said, after Rose pressed him on whether the US has any sticks to use in the Israeli-Palestinian arena, was this

APN Event in Los Angeles


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Go HERE to see the full invitation

A Year of Israel Rebuffing the US on Gaza Crossings

As we near the 1-year anniversary of the end of the Gaza War, the Gaza Strip remains under siege, with Israel allowing very little - in terms of either goods or people - to enter or exit the area.  Last week, in an appearance on the Charlie Rose show, Middle East Special Envoy George Mitchell said that he thought Israel would have be better off if it opens the crossings (and thus lifts or seriously alleviates the siege).  

This is not the first time senior US government officials have argued that Israel should lift the siege.  Indeed, almost exactly a year ago President Obama made the same argument - and made it several times since - only to be ignored by Israel.

Mitchell's determination deserves support

On Mondays, we at APN look for a quote -- Quote of the Week -- to feature in the Weekly Update that we send to our supporters.

This week, I looked through the extensive interview that President Obama's Special Envoy to the Middle East George Mitchell gave to PBS's Charlie Rose for good quotes.

hard_tough2.gifAlpher answers questions on Egypt's decision to build an underground wall at the Rafah border, Israel's next steps in the Gilad Shalit negotiations, and Labor MK Ophir Pines-Paz's resignation from politics.


Last week (January 7), Defense Minister Ehud Barak issued an order "mitigating" the settlement freeze - in effect revising the terms of the settlement "moratorium" imposed earlier by military order.  The order was immediately denounced by settlers as meaningless, but the headlines told the real story, at least in terms of how the decision is viewed politcally:  Haaretz: "6 weeks into settlement freeze, Barak eases restrictions"; YNet: "Barak orders settlement freeze mitigations" and Maariv (Hebrew) "Following the Freeze: Eases in Construction." 

Now, in the "adding insult to injury" category, it is being reported today that the Israeli High Court of Justice has decided to re-examine the cases of two illegal outposts - outposts that in the past the government of Israel has admitted are completely illegal and promised to demolish.  In the words of Peace Now Secretary General Yaariv Oppenheimer,  "The government of Israel is thumbing its nose at the rule of law and granting immunity to illegal building by settlers. On the same day that the Civil Administration destroyed 14 Palestinian buildings, the settlers are again being granted a judicial gift, as the process changes from evacuation to authorization. The defense minister ensures protection of the status of the Supreme Court within the Green Line - but decides to ignore the law and submit to settler pressure beyond it."

Background on both stories after the break.


Settler Violence Surging; APN Documenting and Cautioning


Hebron-Settlers.gifA frightened kidnapped Israeli soldier is sending a taped video message to the Israeli public. He tells who he is, assures his loved ones that his captors are treating him well. They are feeding me, he says, and adds "kosher food," as the barrel of a gun nudges his shoulder. As the camera zooms out, the viewers realize that the captors are not Hamas terrorists but rather two armed settlers. 

Nahum Barnea's weekly column in today's Yedioth Ahronoth offers some fascinating nuggets - insights into Prime Minister Netanyahu's modus operandi.
For example, the stunning fact that Bibi speaks English "to his confidants in the bureau, the people whom he truly trusts." I found it ironic. This week, Israel's Education Minister, Gideon Saar - a Netanyahu confidant - announced unveled an ambitious campaign to improve the poor Hebrew of Israel's next generation.
Of course, the influence of rich American Jews in Netanyahu's neighborhood is eye-opening.
Long, but worth reading.

Influences, Money and Appointments

by Nahum Barnea

Yedioth Ahronoth Jnuary 8, 2010

    "Are you on a landline or a cell phone?" Netanyahu demanded to know.  Netanyahu fears wiretapping of his calls.  Most prime ministers have feared wiretapping, mainly by our own forces, but he is more afraid.  Therefore, he prefers to be connected to a landline.

  

"Jerusalem: Going for the Gold" by Jo-Ann Mort

Published in Dissent Magazine

The mantra of the current Israeli government that Jerusalem is "the eternal, undivided capital of the Jewish people" does nothing to resolve the stalemate over the city's status. Nor does saying these words make Jerusalem truly undivided. The truth is that the city is divided both socially and culturally between west and east. And, as important, it is plagued by problems like poverty and sectarian division both within the Jewish community itself and on the Palestinian side--problems largely ignored because of the city's uncertain status.

Jerusalem Post: "Beit Orot holds NY fundraising dinner"

E.B. SOLOMONT, Jpost correspondent in New York , THE JERUSALEM POST

NEW YORK - Inside a glittering New York City ballroom on Wednesday night, several hundred people turned out to support the construction of Jewish housing near an Arab-populated part of east Jerusalem.

By Anshel Pfeffer, January 7, 2010

Senior Israeli security officials are warning of a drastic increase in the number of right-wing extremists prepared to use violent means to stop any attempt to dismantle settlements.
Settlers Demonstrate Against Settlement Freeze 186x140.jpgIsraeli extremists opposed to the settlement freeze have made threats deemed credible by the authorities on the life of Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak.  Also, the arrested Jewish terrorist Yaacov Teitel reportedly told Israeli investigators that he wanted to kill Peace Now Director General Yariv Oppenheimer.


Jerusalem Blitz (latest news and analysis)

Special report from Daniel Seidemann and Lara Friedman

As more reports of new settler activities and settler plans in East Jerusalem accumulate now on an almost daily basis, it is becoming clear that we are in the middle of a Jerusalem settlement blitz.  

This blitz is part real and part hype.  The motivation behind the blitz is clear: fear that the peace process will take root.  The goal of the blitz is also clear:  to prevent this from happening.  

The good news here is that the nature of this blitz - consisting of a combination of relatively obscure, small projects and projects that are unlikely to actually be implemented - demonstrates how few cards the settlers and their supporters have to play in Jerusalem. 

The bad news is that every report of new provocative plans in Jerusalem - even reports that are mostly hot air - represents a very real and tangible blow to the effort to re-launch the peace effort.  As such, the Obama Administration and the international community cannot let the Israeli government off the hook in Jerusalem - even as the Israeli government will try to disclaim responsibility, assert that it has no authority, and will try to downplay the importance of these Jerusalem provocations.  Jerusalem is the first and best test of how serious the Netanyahu government and the international community are about peace.

Washington Jewish Week: "No Solutionists" by APN's Ori Nir

Increasingly, you hear them at public events and symposia. You read their analyses in the press and on blogs. They are the "no-solutionists."

Ultra-skeptical, hypercynical, often giddy about their political nihilism, they typically argue something along these lines: "As a realist, I realize that there are problems in this world that simply can't be resolved. The Israeli-Palestinian conflict is one of them."

No Solution

They say: You keep talking about a "solution" to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. But there are problems that simply can't be "solved." The Israeli-Palestinian conflict is one of them.

By Amos Harel, Haaretz Correspondent, and Haaretz Service

Defense Minister Ehud Barak has received a death threat, apparently from far-rightists who oppose his involvement in implementing the 10-month freeze in West Bank settlement construction, Channel 10 news reported on Tuesday.

"If you think of destroying the settlements, you are mistaken, and I will kill you," read part of the letter, which has been transferred to the Shin Bet Security Service for investigation, according to Channel 10.

THEY SAY: A prominent American Jewish human rights organization, the Simon Wiesenthal Center, has received a green light from Israel's Supreme Court to build the Museum of Tolerance in West Jerusalem. Why is Americans for Peace Now siding with the Arabs against the project?

The Forward: "Can Tax-Free Donations Fund Settlements?"

By Josh Nathan-Kazis

An early January announcement that Israeli authorities had approved a new Jewish settlement on the campus of an American-funded yeshiva in East Jerusalem came just weeks after President Obama issued a statement condemning new Israeli construction in the area.

When I returned to Israel in the summer of 2000, following a four-year stay in the West Coast, I had two job offers. Ha'aretz offered me the Israeli-Arab beat, covering Jewish-Arab relations in Israel. And Yediot Ahronot offered me a unique beat, which would be created especially for me: the positive beat. All the time we only report bad stuff, the editor explained to me. We need good news and we need someone to proactively pursue good news, to make it his beat, the editor said.


THEY SAY: Why is Americans for Peace Now pressing for another ceasefire, when the last ceasefire was used by Hamas, predictably, to shore up its forces and prepare for even steeper violence against Israel. Israel is fighting a war against an organization dedicated to wiping it off the map. Given this reality, APN should be supporting Israeli efforts to defeat Hamas, not putting pressure on Israel to establish self-defeating, short-lived ceasefires with it.

They say: Israel is today again at war in Gaza. Doesn't the continued violence from Gaza prove, clearly, that Americans for Peace Now and others are wrong in arguing that giving land to the Palestinians will deliver any sort of peace for Israel?

Land for Peace: A Good Deal or Too High a Price

THEY SAY: Israel is a tiny country - smaller than many U.S. states - with little strategic depth. Asking Israel to give up land to the Arabs is the same as asking Israel to sacrifice its security.

Hard Questions, Tough Answers with Yossi Alpher

hard_tough2.gif

January 5, 2010

Alpher answers questions on unrest in Iran, Prime Minister Netanyahu's efforts to co-opt the opposition Kadima party, and Israel's successful airport security measures.

Jerusalem settlement déjà vu (this time it's the Mt. of Olives)

Headlines in Israel and the US continue to report progress toward launching Israeli-Palestinian permanent status talks.  And where there is smoke there must be fire - as the axiom goes - and thus even many cynical observers are today feeling moderately hopeful that new talks may break out.

But developments in Jerusalem challenge that hopefulness.  

Last week, Israel announced new tenders for 700 units in large East Jerusalem settlements.

Quietly on December 29th, with no fanfare or press coverage, steps were taken to expedite final approval of the http://peacenow.org/entries/wp263 (link has expired) Shepherds Hotel settlement plan - paving the way for the imminent demolition of that iconic building and the beginning of construction of the first Jewish settlement to be established in the heart of the densely-populated Palestinian neighborhood of Sheikh Jarrah.  (The link is to a screen shot from the Jerusalem Municipality website - Hebrew only).

Most recently, on January 4th (Monday) the Jerusalem Municipality approved the construction of four large buildings to house 24 families - in what will be the first Israeli settlement construction on the Mount of Olives since 1967.  The site is adjacent to the existing Beit Orot settlement (a yeshiva housed in pre-1967 building with some additional trailers).

Haaretz Editorial: Time to Talk

Important piece in today's Haaretz:

Time to talk

The peace process between Israel and the Palestinians has become an empty phrase since Israel's elections, interchangeable with the word "daydreaming." On the Israeli side, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has insisted on conditions that will prevent a renewal of the process such as Palestinian recognition of Israel as a Jewish state, or not freezing construction in East Jerusalem. On the Palestinian side, President Mahmoud Abbas has insisted on freezing all Israeli construction over the Green Line, even after Washington gave Israel "discounts."


Middle East Peace Report- January 4, 2010

Vol. 11, Issue 14

Negotiations Soon?; Road Opened; How Far Will They Go?; Adventures in Diplomacy Parts I & II; Deterrence and Diplomacy

In Your Backyard (on American-Israeli Terrorist Jack Teitel)

(From today's Ma'ariv (Hebrew only, translation by INT)

In Your Backyard
by Neta Patrick and Michael Sfard

The fact that the murder case in which Yaakov (Jack) Teitel was a suspect at the end of the 1990s, was shelved on the grounds of an unknown perpetrator (a situation in which the police has no lead for locating a suspect), is a scandal and a police fiasco.  It would be a smaller scandal if this was an exception that did not attest to the rule, but whoever follows the outcome of investigations of violent incidents against Palestinians in the West Bank knows that hundreds of cases are shelved on a daily basis without basic investigation actions being carried out in them.  Alibis are not checked, investigation teams do not visit the scene of the incident, and police lineups are not in the lexicon of the Samaria and Judea District Police.

"Shelving a case" is a euphemism for closing a case.  In theory, shelving a case does not rule out the possibility that it could be reopened if new evidence is discovered, but in practice, cases do not return from the shelf.  The statistics gathered by Yesh Din show that for several years, consistently, over 90 percent of the cases involving suspicions that Israelis committed offenses against Palestinians have been closed without an indictment.

Why is Michael Oren Telling Obama What to Do on Iran?

The Jerusalem Post is reporting that Israel's Ambassador to Washington, Michael Oren -- yes, the same Michael Oren who apparently was deeply wounded (or many people were wounded on his behalf) by criticism leveled at him by President Obama's new Antisemitism envoy Hannah Rosenthal, who callously suggested (in response to a question) that it was "unfortunate" when Oren publicly and quite un-diplomatically told the United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism's biennial convention that J Street  is "a unique problem" -- is now in the business of telling President Obama what the next steps for the US on Iran should be.  JPost reports: 

"The next step, according to Ambassador to the US Michael Oren, should be 'imposing crippling sanctions' on the Teheran regime, which is in keeping with the pledge Oren said Obama made to Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu in May that the US would end the engagement phase toward Iran if it were unsuccessful by year's end. Oren told The Jerusalem Post that 'there isn't an Israeli view and an American view' on the Iranian question, but rather 'one view.'"

Never mind that the Administration has made clear it doesn't like the "crippling sanctions" Oren is referring to -- sanctions more commonly known as the Iran Refined Petroleum Sanctions Act (IRPSA) and being energetically pushed by most of the organized Jewish community (pretty much everyone but APN).  

And never mind that Oren appears to be at odds with his bosses in his call for these "crippling sanctions," since Israeli officials reportedly are on board with the Obama Administration's efforts to pursue multilateral sanctions.

And never mind that Obama did not come close to making any such "pledge" to Bibi in May.
Ma'ale Adumim Construction 2007.JPGBy Akiva Eldar

Despite the construction freeze, dozens of settlements in the West Bank are experiencing a building boom, even on the eve of another visit to the region by U.S. envoy George Mitchell to try to restart talks for a final settlement between the Israelis and Palestinians.

(Photo of past construction in Ma'ale Adumim)