Lara Friedman, APN's Director of Policy and Government Relations, appeared Friday on Viewpoint with Jim Zogby, where she discussed congressional action on the Middle East and its impact on peace efforts.

Watch the interview here.

Excerpts and link to: Ha'aretz: "Knesset votes down proposal to probe funding of leftist NGOs" follows those of the Post article.

Tuesday, July 19, 2011

The Palestinian leadership seems determined to bring its case for statehood to the U.N. in September. The details remain unknown, but that hasn't stopped pundits and groups from staking out hard-line positions opposing the effort.

READ APN'S PRESS RELEASE HERE

Forward: "APN Calls for Boycott of Products Made in the West Bank"

JTA: "U.S. Jewish groups against Israel's boycott law consulting on next steps"

JTA Blog: "Americans for Peace Now: We'll boycott the anti-boycott law by boycotting settlement products"

NEWLY ADDED: Jerusalem Post: "OU president slams US Jewish groups over anti-boycott law"

The Speaker of the Knesset and Likud Party Member writes: The Boycott Law is a double-edged sword that threatens to harm Israel's international standing, and to play into the hands of those criticizing the quality of the country's democracy.

Continue Reading

Backers of a new Israeli law penalizing anyone who targets Israel or West Bank settlements for boycotts tout it as a tool to fight back against anti-Israel campaigns, but American Jewish organizations seem remarkably united in deeming the measure an affront to freedom of expression.

Continue Reading...

The Israeli journalist and author writes:

This article is against the law. To be more precise: It includes a call for boycotting the products of West Bank settlements, a call that will be illegal in Israel as soon as legislation just approved by the Knesset is published in the official gazette and takes effect.

Continue Reading

Peace Now's actions immediately received a massive amount of coverage in Israel and internationally.

See articles with links, plus the full English translations of Yedioth Ahronoth: "They Boycotted the Boycott" and Ma'ariv: "Peace Now: Boycott Settlement Goods"

Ha'aretz: "U.S. on Israeli boycott law: Freedom to protest is a basic democratic right"

YNET: "Knesset braces for 'Boycott bill' vote"

By KHALED ABU TOAMEH

Erekat: "We hope Quartet meeting will come out with serious statement that focuses on the two-state solution on basis of 1967 borders."

"The bill will turn the Knesset into the thought police for Israeli society, and will mortally hurt the principle of the freedom of speech," said Peace Now Secretary General Yariv Oppenheimer.

by Zvika Brott

The museums who dare display works of art with a leftist political bend, the cultural institutions that stage plays about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the national libraries that dare offer their readers books including criticism of the occupation and its consequences must all be prepared. They are going to be the targets of the next assault.

July 3, 2011

A plan for 30 housing units in the Ras Al-Amud neighborhood of Jerusalem was deposited for review last week, in the first step of the approval process for the newest east Jerusalem housing project for Jewish residents, Peace Now reported.

Peace Now sent black flags to all 120 Knesset members yesterday in protest and as a warning of the infringement on the freedom of expression.

Peace Now chairman Yariv Oppenheimer said Netanyahu and Defense Minister Ehud Barak were going to great lengths to legalize isolated outposts deep in the territories, even if this involves land expropriations, but "as far as evictions are concerned, the state is dragging its feet." He said this will encourage settlers to keep building illegally.

By Chaim Levinson