Peace Now activists in Israel have gone to the street to remind Israelis that settlements are a burden to Israelis. They have been handing out yellow Post-It notes that say "Not just Obama's problem. Not just the world's problem. The settlements are our problem."
The following is a statement on the Obama Administration's policy on Jerusalem issued today by APN, Ameinu, Brit Tzedek v'Shalom, Meretz USA, and J Street:
Water is a big problem in the Middle East. Israel doesn't have much, and some of what it does have is a source of great dispute
In May, on a visit to Jerusalem, I spent half a day in Silwan, where an extremist settlers' group runs and profits from an archaeological site - arguably the most sensitive and most politically-charged archaeological dig in the world.
The group, Elad, is busily Judaizing Silwan, turning it into "Ir David," (the "City of David") both by turning it into a site that exclusively champions the Jewish narrative of Biblical Jerusalem and by settling extreme right-wing Jews in this vast, densely-populated Palestinian village.
How did it happen that the government of Israel officially sub-contracted to an extremist settlers' organization
one of the most sensitive sites in Israel, a stone's throw from the world's most sacred site to Jews and the third
most sacred site to Muslims? How did it happen that the government appointed the cat to guard the cream?
This post was written by APN Intern Elizabeth Goldstein
The issue of water in Israel may be back in the public conscience. Last week, New York Times op-ed contributor Stanley Weiss wrote about the effect that water crises have had, or could have on the political climate of the region. Such news is not often reported on, but Israel's problem with water and the heavy effect the issue may have on the Arab-Israeli conflict is not one that should be disregarded. Amidst all the talk about a settlement freeze and the occasional reminders that the blockade on Gaza is ongoing, I offer a reminder that this issue also deserves attention.
Testimonies about the IDF's conduct during the Gaza War by 54 Israeli soldiers have renewed debate in Israel about the moral toll of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict on Israeli society.
Not surprising they have been criticized by some. They even sparked a counter effort. Clearly, they've struck a nerve.
According to the website of "Christians United for Israel" (CUFI) a number of members of Congress, Jewish community officials, and even a senior Israeli diplomat are speaking at their conference this week.
This is disturbing, because CUFI advocates policies that are bad for Israel, bad for America, and bad for peace.
The crown prince of Bahrain, Shaikh Salman bin Hamad al-Khalifa, wrote a powerful op-ed that was published by the Washington Post today. It's a must read.
Last night I got an email from an APN activist who raised some concerns about how a settlement freeze would be enforced. The activist was responding to APN's call to action. Her email raises an important question that I thought was worth raising in this forum:
APN President and CEO Debra DeLee met this afternoon with President Barack Obama. She was part of a small group of Jewish leaders who were invited to the White House.
Immediately following the meeting, DeLee said "President Obama and his team are doing all the right things to generate progress towards peace for Israel. We will continue to support these efforts."
If you haven't already, you must see this video of our very own Yossi Alpher (APN's guest author of Hard Questions/Tough Answers) and Ghassan Khatib sitting down for an interview with international superstar Sacha Baron Cohen, whose new movie "Bruno" debuts today in theaters worldwide.
Click here if you're having
trouble viewing the video
Be sure to leave your very own "Tough Question" for Yossi on how to achieve peace in the Middle East or on the
health benefits of hummus.
Seriously, Yossi and Ghassan do amazing work at bitterlemons.org, an Israeli-Palestinian Crossfire, and bitterlemons-international.org, a Middle East Roundtable.
Israeli diplomats were recently instructed not to use the term "natural growth" in reference to West Bank settlement expansion. Instead, Israeli spokespersons must talk about the need to provide and maintain "normal life" for the settlers.
The following report was written by Adie Angrist, a student at the University of Michigan (originally from Brookline, MA), who has been volunteering with Peace Now in Israel this summer:
It was the muggiest day of the week in Tel-Aviv and Noa's car was a sauna. But we had an important mission to accomplish and thank goodness for that.
(This post was written by APN intern Elizabeth Goldstein)
On Thursday, July 2nd, Americans for Peace Now held the first of its "Summer Intern Events." Two international journalists came to the Rayburn House Office Building to talk about their perspectives as reporters on the status of events in the Middle East, including - but not limited to - the Arab-Israeli Conflicts.
Some stunning footage just became available of a settler attacking a team of Peace Now activists who were surveying West Bank settlement construction.
The assault took place at the settlement of Dolev. The incident was captured on video and reported by Israel's Channel 2 Television, whose news team was documenting Peace Now's work, and was also assaulted.
The following was written by our intern Dan Fischer:
APN's Ori Nir told me that when he was a teenager in Israel, he used to play with his friends the "ultimate chutzpah" game. They would try to one-up each other by completing the sentence: "The ultimate chutzpah would be..."
Israel's Foreign Minister Avigdor "drown them in the Red Sea" Lieberman scored high last week when he complained to the Knesset's Foreign Affairs and Security Committee that Israel has bad PR internationally.
Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu one-upped even Lieberman Tuesday.
The new resolution that the Union of Reform Judaism that was just adopted by the URJ's Board of Trustees meeting in New Orleans shows just how supportive most American Jews are of President Obama's push for Mideast peace.
It is significant that the organization representing the largest Jewish denomination in the U.S. comes out with such language on Obama's regional policy, on his Cairo speech, on settlements and on settler violence.
Please check out my latest op-ed:
