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April 2011 Archives

What to make of the Palestinian reconciliation deal?

We took time out today from Yariv Oppenheimer's U.S. speaking tour to chat on video about the significance of the Fatah-Hamas reconciliation agreement.

Watch it:

It's an unfortunate truth that when people who have long been at each other's throats begin to try to find peace, they often know very little about each other.

This week's announcement of a unity agreement between Hamas and Fatah revealed just how true this is for Western, Jewish and/or Israeli observers of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. We deal in headlines and sound-bites, with very little information that goes back more than five years - unless it goes to 1948. The vast expanse of years before Israel's founding, and between that war and the most recent, often get very short shrift.

America, James Baker once said, cannot want peace more than the parties to the conflict. The truth to this sentence encompasses more than the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the Israeli-Syrian one or even America's involvement in various conflicts around the world.

Americans for Peace Now urged the Obama administration not to squander what it said was an opportunity to advance the peace process, saying any new government should be judged by its actions and not by the positions of its component parties.

APN: Palestinian Reconciliation Deal is an Opportunity for Obama

Abbas_Obama_Cartoon186x140.jpgWashington, DC -- APN today welcomed news of a Fatah-Hamas deal.  To the degree that the agreement provides for elections and a joint government, this is an opportunity that the Obama administration should not squander.  Commenting on today's development, APN President and CEO Debra DeLee stated:

"Today's announcement of a Fatah-Hamas deal to jointly form a government and to hold new elections is good news, and we hope that the agreement is implemented.  While we still don't know all the details of the agreement, we know that a Palestinian government representing all Palestinians, with security and governance capacity in both the West Bank and Gaza, is vital to the achievement of a peace agreement.


APN on the Gaza-Hamas Challenge

The news just broke that a deal has been reached between Fatah and Hamas to create a Palestinian unity government that will serve for one year, until elections are held.

It is still too early to know if this deal will hold. There have been many reports of breakthroughs on this front that failed to materialize. Nevertheless, this is a good opportunity to take a look at the challenges posed by Hamas' rule of Gaza and at how those challenges might be addressed.

Alpher responded last month to the following questions for an APN mailing insert:

Would a Palestinian state threaten Israel's existence? Why can't we accept that the Israeli-Palestinian conflict cannot be resolved, and, accordingly, find ways to manage the conflict or just live with it? Where does Israel's Peace Now movement come into the picture? How does it contribute to Israel's overall security?

Despite Netanyahu's rhetoric, the facts on the ground - illegal outposts, failure to abide by court rulings, unfettered settler activity- make peace a distant dream.

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Ori Nir - WJW Graphic 186x140.jpgAs much as it is about divine intervention, miracle, and faith in God, the story of Passover is about leadership and courage.

For the Sea of Reeds to miraculously part, one of the Israelites had to take the first step in. That person, according to tradition, was Nachshon. He dived into the spray without assurance that the sea would split. He knew that if the sea didn't recede, he would drown, and that turning back would mean certain death for him and his fellow Israelites at the hands of Pharaoh's advancing army.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/25/opinion/25mon1.html

President Obama began his presidency vowing to negotiate an Israeli-Palestinian peace. He backed off in the face of both sides' obstinacy and after a series of diplomatic missteps. Since then, the stalemate, and the mistrust, have only deepened, and it is clear that nothing good will happen until the United States fully engages.

President Obama, how about this year in Jerusalem?

Sid_Topol_186x140.jpgBy Sid Topol

As I celebrate Passover this year, I will be thinking not only of my people's distant past but also of our recent past and our future. I will be thinking of the fact that we will soon mark 44 years of Israel's rule over another people and pondering why Israel's leaders - and ours - have not yet found a way to rid the Jewish state of this moral, economic, political and security burden. I will be thinking of the profound positive benefits that an Israeli- Palestinian peace accord would have for American interests regionally and globally.

Reading the Conflict: The Lost Years

Last week, APN's Noam Shelef called on President Obama to "get peace unstuck," referring to the new Americans for Peace Now policy recommendations for the President. These come as the Obama Administration appears to be trying, like so many Administrations before it, to manage the Israeli-Palestinian conflict toward some kind of murky solution, rather than genuinely grapple with it, in all its complexity.  

The New Zeitgeist: Israeli-Palestinian Status Quo Is Untenable

peace now sign 186x140.jpgToday, a group of leading Israel cultural figures, among them winners of the prestigious Israel Prize, gathered in Tel Aviv to announce their welcome of an independent Palestinian state next to Israel, with its borders based on the 1967 borders.  
DU_Flyer450.jpg
Yariv Oppenheimer, General Director of Shalom Achshav
(Peace Now, Israel)

Yariv_Oppenheimer_Cutout200.jpg
Israel's Peace Imperative

Monday, May 2, 2011, 7:00 P.M.

Hillel UW
4745 17th Ave NE Seattle
206-527-1997

RSVP to (323) 934-3480 or apnwest@peacenow.org

With the Middle East experiencing a democratic awakening, the future looks both hopeful and uncertain, while the need for Israel to move forward on a path towards peace and strengthening its democracy is more crucial than ever.

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As General Director of Peace Now, Oppenheimer is Israel's leading advocate for a sustainable resolution to the Israeli-Arab conflict that provides for Israel's security and is consistent with Israel as a Jewish state and a democracy. Towards this end, Oppenheimer and Peace Now support bringing a negotiated end to the Israeli occupation of the West Bank and the implementation of a "two-state solution" for Israel and Palestine.

Oppenheimer is one of the most significant political figures in contemporary Israeli society. He speaks throughout the country and internationally, is regularly interviewed and cited by the Israeli and foreign press, and is a frequent interviewee on radio and television broadcasts.

Born in Tel Aviv in 1976, Oppenheimer was just 18 years old and newly conscripted into the Israeli Army when he attended the 1995 peace rally in Tel Aviv where Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin was killed. Oppenheimer says "that night made me more committed and eager to continue my activity and to fight for peace." Fifteen short years later, he now sits at the highest level of peace activism by leading the Israeli Peace Now Movement, the very same organization that coordinated that fateful rally in 1995.

Oppenheimer was Commander of New Recruits in the Israeli Defense Forces (1995-98), Youth Department Director of the Israeli Labour Party (1998-2002), and has a Law & Public Policy Degree from the College of Interdisciplinary Center of Learning in Herzliya.

Peace Now's Yariv Oppenheimer in Seattle & Denver

Yariv_tour_collage.jpgHere are opportunities to meet and hear Peace Now General Director Yariv Oppenheimer, a leading figure in contemporary Israeli society (bio below):



SEATTLE, WASHINGTON

Monday, May 2, 2011, 7:00 p.m.

Israel's Peace Imperative

Community Program at the University of Washington Hillel

4745 17th Ave NE Seattle
206-527-1997



DENVER, COLORADO

Thursday, May 5.

12:00 - 2:00 p.m.

The Conflict Resolution Institute at the University of Denver presents..."Israeli-Palestinian Peace: A Negotiated Necessity"

7:30 p.m.

Private APN Reception to Welcome Yariv to Colorado

at a home in East Denver (RSVP for location)



Friday, May 6, 7:00 p.m.

Discussion with Yariv Oppenheimer at Temple Micah

2600 Leyden Street - Denver
(303) 388-4239


For further information on any of the above and interest in arranging a meeting during Yariv's visit, please contact David Pine, Americans for Peace Now West Coast Regional Director at dpine@peacenow.org or 310-871-2234

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As General Director of Peace Now, Oppenheimer is Israel's leading advocate for a sustainable resolution to the Israeli-Arab conflict that provides for Israel's security and is consistent with Israel as a Jewish state and a democracy. Towards this end, Oppenheimer and Peace Now support bringing a negotiated end to the Israeli occupation of the West Bank and the implementation of a "two-state solution" for Israel and Palestine.

Oppenheimer is one of the most significant political figures in contemporary Israeli society. He speaks throughout the country and internationally, is regularly interviewed and cited by the Israeli and foreign press, and is a frequent interviewee on radio and television broadcasts.

Born in Tel Aviv in 1976, Oppenheimer was just 18 years old and newly conscripted into the Israeli Army when he attended the 1995 peace rally in Tel Aviv where Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin was killed. Oppenheimer says "that night made me more committed and eager to continue my activity and to fight for peace." Fifteen short years later, he now sits at the highest level of peace activism by leading the Israeli Peace Now Movement, the very same organization that coordinated that fateful rally in 1995.

Oppenheimer was Commander of New Recruits in the Israeli Defense Forces (1995-98), Youth Department Director of the Israeli Labour Party (1998-2002), and has a Law & Public Policy Degree from the College of Interdisciplinary Center of Learning in Herzliya.
Alpher answers questions about the revival of the Israeli left, and the Israeli and American preparations for possible UN recognition of a Palestinian state in September. 

By HELENE COOPER

WASHINGTON -- A Republican invitation for Israel's conservative prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, to address Congress next month is highlighting the tensions between President Obama and Mr. Netanyahu and has kicked off a bizarre diplomatic race over who will be the first to lay out a new proposal to reopen the stalled Israeli-Palestinian peace talks.

Legislative Round-Up: Week Ending 4/15/11

=======================
APN Legislative Round-Up
     for the week ending
      April 15, 2011
=======================

1.  Bills & Resolutions
2.  Congress passes FY11 Funding Bill, including Middle East Funds
3. Two Hearings on the Middle East
4.  Ackerman Statement at Shifting Sands hearing
5.  NORPAC on the Hill
6.  Rep. Reed (R-NY) on Terror Against Israel: AIPAC Talking Points Not Strong Enough
7.  Lieberman Calls for Regime Change in Syria
8.  Odds & Ends


[Apologies for the late Round-Up - I was in Turkey last week.  In my absence APN released a major policy statement, recommending an Action Plan to President Obama to get peace efforts back on track.  The full text is available here.]


Goldberg v. Friedman, Round 2 (sigh) [UPDATED]

Jeffrey Goldberg over at the Atlantic is apparently still very unhappy with me. What else explains his determination to turn what should be a policy discussion into what is becoming a series of personal attacks? For his latest installment, see here. For previous installments, see his earlier attack, and my response. As before, I believe a direct, open letter to Goldberg is the best response.

Last week, just as violence was raging again between Israel and Gaza, I recommended I Shall Not Hate, a memoir by Gazan doctor Izzeldin Abuelaish, whose niece and three daughters we killed by Israeli forces during 2009's Operation Cast Lead.

I don't know that I'll consistently tie all my recommendations in with current events, but this week, as we in the Jewish community finish our Passover cleaning and prepare to celebrate our freedom, it seems painfully appropriate that we consider the ways in which freedom is systematically denied, in our names, to another people, the Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank. Today, I recommend Saree Makdisi's Palestine Inside Out: An Everyday Occupation.

Get peace unstuck

On Tuesday, APN released an eight-point Action Plan for President Obama to reinvigorate his peace efforts.

Click here to read APN's new policy plan.

Now, there are reports that President Barack Obama is deciding whether to make a major policy speech on Israeli-Palestinian peace in the coming weeks.

This speech could be an important opportunity for the president to begin reasserting U.S. leadership in the effort to resolve the conflict and end the occupation.

Thank You!

Thank you for writing to President Obama!

Help keep our efforts strong by making a donation now.

Your contribution supports the work of Peace Now and APN.











It's an axiom that making changes takes courage. The unknown is a frightening place. It's one reason many American Jews are wary of U.S. pressure on Israel to negotiate with the Palestinians toward a two-state solution, and to finally end the building of settlements in the West Bank and in East Jerusalem, until a border can be drawn between Israel and a Palestinian state. Any push from the U.S., they fear, might create change that could threaten Israel.

Alpher answers questions about the latest round of Israel-Gaza violence.

Action Plan for President Obama

Action_Plan_Graphic186x140.jpgThe urgency of the Israeli-Palestinian situation today cannot be overstated.  Current peace efforts have lost all credibility.  Settlement construction in the West Bank and East Jerusalem continues, undermining the viability of the two-state solution.  Moderate Palestinian leaders, unable to deliver progress to their people through negotiations, are under increasing pressure to pursue alternative strategies.  Violence and tensions on the ground are rising. 

Washington, DC - Americans for Peace Now (APN) today announced a new campaign calling on President Obama to re-focus on achieving Israeli-Palestinian peace.

APN's campaign will include engagement with the administration and Congress, public mobilization, education and advocacy in Washington, and media outreach.

The campaign is anchored in a policy statement that APN's Board of Directors approved earlier today. The policy document proposes a specific action plan for the President, including calling on the President to personally take control of his Middle East peace policy, to enunciate the clear principles on which he expects a peace agreement to be made, and to directly engage Israelis and Palestinians, in person, during a trip to the region. The document is available here.

"President Obama's first phone calls from the Oval office more than two years ago were to Palestinian President Abbas and to Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu. Since then, however, his personal involvement in Israeli-Palestinian peacemaking has all but dissipated. And recently, the administration's efforts on this issue seem to have shifted from conflict resolution to conflict management. This is a mistake. There is no managing this conflict. The situation can quickly escalate, as recent developments show," said Debra DeLee, APN's president and CEO.

DeLee said: "There is broad support both in the Israeli and Palestinian publics, and in the international community for a two-state solution. There is also an international consensus on what a final settlement between Israelis and Palestinians should look like."

What is lacking is leadership and political will in the White House to bring Israeli and Palestinian leaders together and help them come to an agreement. We strongly believe that President Obama can do it and should do it. We are telling him: ''Now is the time. Please, don't wait."

Babies_Talk_Settlements_186x140.jpgAnd you thought babies could only talk about financial investments?

Watch the video below:

My response to Goldberg: Don't Shoot the Tweeter [UPDATED]

Prominent journalist Jeffrey Goldberg doesn't like a tweet I sent out yesterday. Here is the tweet: "Haaretz WikiLeaks exclusive: Israel ruled out military option on Iran years ago (so what about that Goldberg spin?) | http://bit.ly/ffANEa" (119 characters, of which 30 characters are devoted to Goldberg).

APN's Lara Friedman on Viewpoint with James Zogby 4/7/11

On April 7, 2011 I was a guest on Viewpoint with James Zogby, talking about settlements, the peace process, and the latest controversy over the Goldstone Report (and the recent op-ed by Judge Goldstone).  You can check it out here.


APN Passover Haggadah Readings

Haggadah_Cover.jpg

On Passover, we acknowledge the struggle that Israel and her neighbors still wage for peace and security.

Each year, APN sends to our friends and colleagues some language which can be added to the reading of the Haggadah. We believe it is important that as we recount the history of our journey from Egypt to freedom, that we acknowledge the struggle that Israel and her neighbors still wage for peace and security.

Sheet Music for Make Those Waters Part






Legislative Round-Up: Week Ending 4/8/11

=======================
APN Legislative Round-Up
     for the week ending
      April 8, 2011
=======================

1.  Bills & Resolutions
2.  Grandstanding on Goldstone
3.  Israeli Right-Wingers Welcomed in House Foreign Affairs Committee
4.  HFAC Hearing on the UN (with significant focus on Israel)
5. Op-Ed in The Hill by Israeli Civil Society/Human Rights Activists
6. Upcoming Mideast Hearing
7. APN Welcomes Introduction of Israeli Peace Initiative
8.  Blog Post: Gifts for the Obama-Peres Meeting: Settlement Approvals in West Bank & East Jerusalem
9.  Odds & Ends


Reading the Conflict: I Shall Not Hate

When I undertook this regular feature last week, I explained what I hope to do and why I feel qualified to do it (if you want to catch up, you can do so here). But there's one more thing I need to explain.

Bombed_Bus_4-7-11_320x265.jpgAmericans for Peace Now strongly condemns the attack by terrorists on a school bus in southern Israel today.


"the IPI serves as a timely reminder to the Obama administration (which has welcomed the initiative) that there is in Israel an influential and credible peace lobby..."

Read all of Alpher's comments on the newly released Israeli Peace Initiatiative (IPI) endorsed by an impressive group of Israeli security experts (not officially connected to the current Israeli government).

APN Welcomes Israeli Peace Initiative

New_Peace_Initiative_186x140.jpgWashington, D.C. -- APN today welcomed news of the imminent release of the Israeli Peace Initiative (IPI), reportedly endorsed by a number of leading Israeli political, intelligence, and security figures.

APN President and CEO Debra DeLee commented:  

"The Israeli Peace Initiative is a powerful demonstration of how the Israeli government could push for peace if it were genuinely interested in the two-state solution.  The fact that so many of the signers on the IPI come from the Israeli security and intelligence community only reinforces the fact that peace is vital and urgent for Israel's national security.

Articles re: More Settlement Housing Construction

Only days before President Peres was to meet with President Obama in Washington, Israel made a significant announcement about increased housing construction in settlements. See excerpts and links to the following articles:

NY Times: "On Eve of Meeting in Washington, Israel Announces More Housing Construction"
Jerusalem Post: "Jerusalem committee advances plan for Gilo housing"
Jerusalem Post: "Barak approves master plans for 4 settlements"
YNET: "Settlers angry expansion plans don't include Itamar"
AFP: "East Jerusalem settlement set to grow: Peace Now"

Peace_Now_Video_2States_186x140.JPGPeace Now lays out the basics in this short animated video with English subtitles.

WATCH...

hilltop youth 186x140.jpg
By Yariv Oppenheimer

Democratic discourse can not tolerate incitement and calls for revenge in response to terror attacks, no matter how horrendous. The Secretary-General of Peace Now responds to the article by the member of the hilltop youth, Meir Bartler, who called openly for vengeance..



Make Those Waters Part

Doug_Mishkin_186x140.jpgAPN offers the song "Make Those Waters Part" by Doug Mishkin for you to add to your Passover Seder. The song appears on his album Woody's Children, as well as on Celebrate Passover and on Sing Out For Justice (produced by the Union for Reform Judaism). Mishkin is a lawyer, singer-songwriter, and member of Temple Micah in Washington, D.C.

To be read (or sung) just prior to the Maggid.

Listen to the song.

Download a printer-friendly version.

Access APN Seder inserts from previous years.

Peres closeup 186x140.jpgThe Netanyahu government has marked the occasion of President Shimon Peres's visit to Washington with some very unwelcome "gifts" to the Obama Administration:  on Sunday, the government of Israel let the Jerusalem Municipal Planning Committee approve a plan for massive settlement expansion in the southern part of East Jerusalem

Judge_Goldstone186x140.jpg...significance of Judge Richard Goldstone's recent Washington Post op-ed revealing his new conclusions regarding the problematic nature of the Goldstone report?

Alpher also addresses PA FM's Malki's comments on the regional revolutionary situation, its potential effect on the Palestinian assessment of prospects for progress; Abbas on Palestinian plans for September, and any new explanations regarding the failure of his 2008 peace talks with then-PM Ehud Olmert?

Reading the Conflict

The daily flood of information from Israel/Palestine can leave one feeling both overwhelmed and, paradoxically, under-informed. Background is often thin or lacking all together, and in the rush of details, meaning can be lost.

This, of course, is where books come in handy!

Legislative Round-Up: Week Ending 4/1/11

=======================
APN Legislative Round-Up
     for the week ending
      April 1, 2011
=======================

1.  Bills & Resolutions
2.  APN to Rep. Weiner: Peace Now can show you the occupation in the West Bank
3.  Sarah Palin & Settlements: A Teachable Moment?
4.  Upcoming Hearings
5.  Odds & Ends