The House is scheduled to vote tomorrow on H. Res. 568, an Iran-focused resolution that seeks to lower the bar for war, to tie the President's hands in negotiations, and to effectively take all options, except the military option, off the table. It appears to be no coincidence that this resolution is being brought to a vote now, just as a new round of Iran diplomacy is set to take place on May 23.

Call your member of Congress today and tell them: vote "No" or "Present" on H. Res. 568.

This week, we remembered. We remembered, with the people of Israel, their losses in war, their sorrow, and their struggle to build a just and democratic society. This week, we celebrated. We celebrated 64 years of the independence of a young nation, a nation that was born from the tears of generations, a nation based, in the words of David Ben Gurion, on "freedom, justice and peace." From sorrow to joy, we remembered and we celebrated with the people of Israel, knowing that we yet have a long road to walk together until we reach the goal of a nation of equal justice for all, of peace with its neighbors. But with hope, we remembered the past, and looked to the future.

We believe that Israel can and must coexist peacefully with a future Palestinian state if it is to survive as a democracy and a Jewish state. It is still possible. It is within reach. Unless.

Recently, we asked you to contact your members of Congress to tell them that AIPAC and its supporters don't speak for you when they call for ever-more belligerent U.S. policy on Iran.

Since we sent you that original action alert, there has been an important development: Rep. Barbara Lee (D-CA) introduced HR 4173, the "Prevent Iran from Acquiring Nuclear Weapons and Stop War through Diplomacy Act." This extremely constructive legislation calls for sustained, robust U.S. diplomatic efforts to resolve the crisis with Iran, including calling for the appointment of a high-level United States representative or special envoy for Iran.

Recently, thousands of activists were on Capitol Hill, brought there by AIPAC. They told members of Congress and their staff that they speak for all Americans, and especially American Jews, who care about Israel. These activists told Congress, in effect, to call for war with Iran. They also sent a message that achieving Israeli-Palestinian peace shouldn't be a priority.

Contact your own members of Congress today to tell them: AIPAC's activists don't speak for me.

In a few days, President Obama will be speaking in front of thousands of people gathered in Washington for the annual AIPAC policy conference. The day after his speech he will be meeting with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House. It is vital that President Obama hear from you before these events.

Right now, given election politics, it is unrealistic to expect any dramatic U.S. initiative to try to break the Israeli-Palestinian deadlock. And for the same reason, President Obama is now under tremendous pressure to "walk back" many of the pro-Israel, pro-peace positions he has staked out over the past three years. Moreover, as the drums of war with Iran beat ever louder in Congress and from AIPAC, Obama is under pressure to lower the bar for U.S. military action against Iran.

Tell President Obama to stay committed to his pro-Israel, pro-peace positions, and his responsible approach on Iran.

We are all concerned about the threat of Iran acquiring nuclear weapons. An Iran armed with nuclear weapons represents an alarming scenario that neither the U.S. nor Israel, nor for that matter, the world, can afford to dismiss, and one that the U.S. and the international community must exert all efforts to avoid.

Most of us are also concerned - and increasingly so - over the growing frenzy of talk about military action against Iran. Military action is unlikely to do more than delay Iran's nuclear program and is almost certain to have far-reaching unintended consequences for the U.S., Israel, and the region.

On January 4th the national headquarters of Chabad Lubovitch issued a statement condemning the widely publicized attack by ultra-Orthodox Jews on an 8-year-old girl in the Israeli town of Beit Shemesh last month. That attack triggered outrage in Israel, among friends of Israel in the United States and beyond. Chabad's statement said: "Violent behaviors of individuals or groups who abuse, intimidate and insult others are a flagrant offense to Torah and tzniut (modesty), in both letter and spirit, and deserve to be unequivocally condemned."

The issue of Israel has a legitimate place in the debate and discourse of a US election. As part of a serious discussion, we expect to see how each candidate would advance Israel-Palestinian peace. In order to promote such a debate, APN has launched its "Elections 2012: Responsibility over Rhetoric" campaign.