Americans for Peace Now (APN) today denounced the government of Israel's actions to move forward with yet more settlement approvals in both East Jerusalem and the West Bank. APN once again urged U.S. officials - President Obama, Secretary of State Kerry, and Special Envoy Indyk - to engage forcefully to convince Prime Minister Netanyahu to cease and roll back these reckless, destructive decisions.
(Translated to English and provided by Israel News Today)
I want to tell you a few personal words. Words written from my heart.
Let me introduce myself briefly: I was the personal secretary of five prime ministers. Almost half of the prime ministers in Israel since its establishment. For many years, I sat next door to the prime minister, and I saw a lot. Mostly, I heard.
This week, Alpher discusses that given both an intensifying Israeli-Palestinian negotiating process and a spike in violent incidents with Palestinians, which way we are heading; whether, in addition to the Saudi decision to reject a UN Security Council seat, there are additional manifestations of anger or disappointment with America among its Middle East friends; and what was significant about Israel's recent municipal elections for the broader public and political scene.
Earlier this week, APN Director of Policy and Government Relations, Lara Friedman, had the honor (and fun) of participating in the 2013 Google Ideas Summit in New York, as part of a panel entitled, "Digital Word Warriors." The panel was moderated by Michele Dunne, of the Atlantic Council.
The Jewish National Fund has in the past been caught lying about its role in East Jerusalem evictions of Palestinians. Now its role in Israeli land policy in the Negev is revealed to be much larger than it admits. A former JNF board member demands the organization take responsibility for its actions.
For many years the Jewish National Fund (KKL/JNF), the group known largely for planting trees in Israel, has denied any involvement in taking Bedouin land as part of its efforts to Judaize the Negev. Its website says, "KKL-JNF develops land only in areas designated in the master plans as instructed by, and as requested by the ILA (Israel Land Authority), which are state lands or KKL-JNF lands."
Putting it simply, they were just taking orders.
Click here for more.
Last week, my colleagues in the Israeli Peace Now movement issued two blockbuster reports. These weren't the regular "more construction was announced" fare. These reports have huge implications, both negative and positive, for peace and the two-state solution.
This week, Alpher discusses the renewed mystery regarding the cause of Yasser Arafat's death in 2004, what does Saudi Arabia's election to the UN Security Council followed by its prompt resignation tell us about Saudi-American relations and the Saudi role in the Iran and Syria issues, and why did it take so long for PM Netanyahu and Finance Minister Lapid to appoint Karnit Flug (pictured) as new governor of the Bank of Israel?
Today the Israeli Peace Now movement issued a report documenting a surge in settlement construction during the first half of 2013. The report contradicts the popular narrative that settlement construction in the West Bank slowed during the run-up to the re-start of Israeli-Palestinian peace talks.
The following article was published in the English edition of Israel's Haaretz daily on October 13, 2013
By Ori Nir
Two recently published surveys should make the Israeli government pause and ponder the impact of its intransigent policies on its staunchest supporters, American Jews.
This is the ninth in a series of reviews of new books on Middle Eastern affairs. We asked Dr. Gail Weigl, an APN volunteer and a professor of art history, to review Sayed Kashua's novel on Jewish-Arab relations in Israel.
1. Bills, Resolutions & Letters
2. Iran Charm Offensive, Meet Congressional Wall
3. Iran Pandering, Meet Government Shutdown Point-Scoring
4. Congressional Reaction/Concern Over Syria Deal
5. Hearings
6. Members on the Record (on other issues)
7. From the Press
The Israeli daily, Ma'ariv, recently ran a story about construction in East Jerusalem, and told its readers, "These figures were given to us by Hagit Ofran, who heads the Settlement Watch program for Peace Now [Shalom Achshav]. Ofran carefully monitors each and every construction permit given to neighborhoods beyond the Green Line and documents them. She was the only one who could give us the precise numbers in an orderly Excel chart."
Last spring, APN launched a planned giving program. Donors are invited to take us into consideration when thinking about their future. We tell them that our cause is a marathon rather than a sprint. It's not a struggle we'll win overnight. We will win it, though, if we continue to support the Israel we love and the goal of a two-state solution. APN remains the best hope for Israel's future. Please take a look at our new legacy giving program - another way you can support APN.
This week at J Street, APN hosted the panel: Settlements--Not Too Late, moderated by APN's President and CEO, Debra DeLee. Panelists included APN's Lara Friedman, the Director of Policy and Government Relations, and Peace Now's Secretary General, Yariv Oppenheimer, as well as Dan Rothem, Senior Research Consultant of the S. Daniel Abraham Center for Middle East Peace and Daniel Seidemann, Founder and Director of Terrestrial Jerusalem.
Returning to Israel after a week in Washington, Israel-Palestine experts Daniel Seidemann and Dan Rothem are encouraged by the Obama administration's commitment to advance peace efforts between Israel and the Palestinians. They spoke with us at APN's office in Washington.
