To return to the new Peace Now website click here.

Peace Now in the Press: January 2008 Archives

The collapse of the border between Gaza and Egypt represents more than anything the collapse of the Israeli concept which holds that Hamas can be made to break through the suffocation and complete blockade of the people living inside the Strip.

Jerusalem Post: "State approves W. Bank radio station"

Peace Now spokesman Yariv Oppenheimer agreed with Gush Shalom's position that the creation of Radiosh was illegal, because the station would advance an inherently political agenda and added that Peace Now backed the petition.

JPost & Ha'aretz articles on Migron settlement evacuation

Peace Now says the announcement "hints that that the government is planning to move the outpost to a new location that would be available legally, with appropriate infrastructure."
As a field monitor for the Israeli group Peace Now, Ofran is responsible for monitoring the steadily growing Israeli network of hilltop settlements and military bases, industrial zones, restricted "bypass roads", walls and fences.
Both outposts have been dismantled in the past, said Hagit Ofran, who tracks settlement growth for the dovish Israeli group Peace Now.
Peace Now head Yariv Oppenheimer expressed jubilation over Avigdor Lieberman's decision to pull Yisrael Beiteinu out of the coalition.
Israel Beitenu's (Israel Our Home) entry into the government was, in fact, a slap in the face for the average voter who expressed, again unambiguously, deep mistrust for the politics of the Right-wing extremists.

Albany Times Union: "U.S. Jews must raise their voices"

Even though the vast majority of American Jews (87 percent, according to a recent poll by Americans for Peace Now and the Arab American Institute,) believe peace will come through a two-state solution, far too many look at the failure of previous negotiations and can't bring themselves to believe the effort to achieve peace is worth risking their active support.

Washington Post: "West Bank's Jewish 'Outposts' Dig In"

Dror Etkes, who monitored outposts for the Israeli advocacy group Peace Now, said the government is reluctant to take action because, while it officially describes the outposts as unauthorized, it has played a major role in planning, funding and encouraging some of them.
Reactions to Olmert's comments on the outposts came quickly, with Peace Now saying in a statement that "Olmert should stop commentating, accept the responsibility and dismantle outposts."
A Peace Now spokesperson told Israel Radio that "since Olmert took office, not a single outpost has been dismantled. Olmert should stop acting like a commentator and start taking action against illegal outposts."
Nir was one of the invited contributors to the Middle East Institute's "Viewpoints" newsletter for January
Galia Golan (a founding member of Peace Now) said that the 12-month deadline that President Bush had set for reaching a deal on key issues such as the status of Jerusalem, Palestinian refugees and the final borders of the two states was realistic.
One of the petitioners, Peace Now, said Israel had built 122 settlements in the West Bank with official state sanction.
Americans For Peace Now sent a letter to the U.S. leader Friday urging him to immediately establish a U.S. mechanism to monitor the process, clarify that the "road map" requires both sides to honor their obligations, press both sides to formalize their negotiating teams, and insist that Palestinians fight violence and terror.

Ha'aretz: "Twilight Zone / Five masked men"

The (Peace Now) report adds: "The settlers claim that the land is owned by land dealer Moshe Zar ... We are unable to confirm the ownership claim."
About 100 left-wing activists gather near illegal outpost of Migron, call on government to evacuate all illegal outposts and stop construction in territories
According to Peace Now, 75 outposts are built at least partly on private Palestinian land.
It became clear that often the state's own information was incomplete in comparison with the data presented by the U.S. administration or gathered by Peace Now's monitoring staff
From Shalom Achshav's Secretary General: "In the current state of affairs, the removal of Olmert will bring about general elections, a paralysis of the political system..."
1