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Peace Now in the Press: July 2009 Archives

by Sofia Ron-Moriah -- Ostensibly, the prime minister is opposed to the demand to freeze construction in the Judea and Samaria settlements, but in practice he has yielded to it.  This has now been confirmed explicitly by Likud ministers. 

New York Times Editorial: "The Settlements Issue"

The last American president to openly challenge Israel on settlements was George H.W. Bush and we commend President Obama for demanding that Israel halt all new construction. The controversy must not obscure Mr. Obama's real goal: nudging Israel and the Palestinians into serious peace negotiations.

In Jerusalem, where all planning is strategic and all local issues are international, the development of one property can serve as a political move intended to determine the city's future status.

by Gershom Gorenberg | July 30, 2009 | 

Obama means what he says

Debra DeLee.jpg

By DEBRA DELEE, APN President & CEO 

Opiniom.jpost.com


Israeli leaders say they're bewildered by the Obama administration's "obsession" with West Bank settlement growth. Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu was recently quoted asking/grumbling, "What do they want from me?" His aides told reporters and American Jewish leaders that Washington's position on settlements is "childish," "stupid" and "delusional" and that the Obama team should "come to its senses.

WASHINGTON (JTA) -- Five left-leaning, pro-Israel organizations teamed up to back the Obama administration's opposition to "unilateral actions" in Jerusalem.

A statement released jointly by Ameinu, Americans for Peace Now, Brit Tzedek v'Shalom, Meretz USA and J Street says that "issues of borders and sovereignty related to Jerusalem should be determined through negotiations in the context of a regional, comprehensive resolution to the Arab-Israeli conflict" and "unilateral actions that inflame tensions, impair negotiations and make the ultimate resolution of issues surrounding Jerusalem more difficult are unhelpful and should be avoided at this particularly sensitive moment."

Israeli peace poster opposes settlements

Peace Now Tisha B'Av Poster.jpgJERUSALEM, July 29 (UPI) -- Israeli occupation and settlement of Palestinian land would cause the destruction of the Third Temple if it were built, posters distributed in Jerusalem say.

The human rights organization Peace Now hung the posters all over Israel's capital Wednesday, the eve of Tisha B'Av, which commemorates the destruction of the First and Second Temples, Ynetnews.com reported.

Senators urged not to sign letter on Mideast

WASHINGTON (JTA) -- Americans for Peace Now is urging U.S. senators not to sign a letter encouraging the Arab world to normalize ties with Israel because it does not mention efforts to halt Israeli settlements.

The bipartisan letter to President Obama, circulated by Sens. Evan Bayh (D-Ind.) and James Risch (R-Idaho) and backed by the pro-Israel lobby AIPAC, is "unhelpful" because it "seems to make a straightforward and reasonable demand for the Arab world to normalize relations with Israel," but "the subtext of the letter directly contradicts and undermines the efforts" of the Obama administration "to promote Middle East peace."

Israelis who know about my experience with the Democratic Party and with Chicago politics often ask me what Barack Obama is really trying to achieve in the Middle East...
Debra DeLee, president and CEO of Americans for Peace Now, called on the president to speak directly to the people of Israel and to possibly make a visit to the Holy Land.
Americans for Peace Now will be organizing a session on settlements...
APN spokesman Ori Nir described a feeling in the past among many progressive groups that they were getting "a cold shoulder" from the embassy
JTA, Yedioth Achronoth, & ABC News articles on the meeting attended by Debra DeLee, APN President & CEO
Movement launches new campaign aimed at reminding public of security, diplomatic and economic cost of settlement project
The Court ruled in favor of the 2005 order to demolish the illegal West Bank outposts of Haresha and Yuval.
The 16 invitees include representatives of the Orthodox, Conservative and Reform movements, AIPAC as well as J Street and Americans for Peace Now, major mainstream groups like ADL and the American Jewish Commitee
The footage shows a security guard at the Dolev settlement snatching and destroying the TV crew's camera equipment and later attacking the activists' car with rocks.
"On Monday, the justices held yet another discussion on the petition filed by human rights group Peace Now and Arab land owners"
In Maale Adumim, about half the growth in recent years has come from migration, according to Peace Now
Peace Now's Hagit Ofran said some 3,000 housing units are currently under construction using permits granted under the previous government.
Peace Now's Yariv Oppenheimer: "The time has come for [Defense Minister Ehud] Barak to stop passing the hot potato to the High Court, and for him to make the decision to evacuate the outpost immediately..."
"...it is utterly meaningless to support a two-state solution without supporting a full stop to settlement activity."
(Peace Now's) Hagit Ofran said a better loan deal for purchasing a home in the settlements was a type of incentive.
The High Court of Justice is due on Monday to hold another hearing on a petition filed by Peace Now and Palestinian farmers calling for the dismantling of the illegal outpost of Migron
L.A. peaceniks turned out in force to honor one of their own, Dick Gunther, on the publication of his book "How High Is Up?"
But it is likely that the full amount the government plans to spend over the Green Line exceeds NIS 2b., Hagit Ofran of Peace Now told The Jerusalem Post.
PM Binyamin (Bibi) Netanyahu's speech at Bar Ilan University earlier this month did not bring forward any ideological change vis-a-vis the two-state solution.
Peace Now's Hagit Ofran: "The number of settlers in east Jerusalem is increasing, and whenever they decide to enter a new house in the area, the government is forced to finance it."
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