I’ve written a series of columns from Israel in the past two weeks because I believe that if Secretary of State John Kerry brings his peace mission to a head and presents the parties with a clear framework for an agreement, Israel and the Jewish people will face one of the most critical choices in their history. And when they do, all hell could break loose in Israel. It is important to understand why.

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Secretary of State John Kerry caused outrage in Israel recently when he declared: “For Israel there’s an increasing delegitimization campaign that has been building up. People are very sensitive to it. There is talk of boycotts and other kinds of things. Today’s status quo absolutely, to a certainty, I promise you 100 percent, cannot be maintained. It’s not sustainable. It’s illusionary.”

Members of the Israeli government were indignant. Israel, they declared, will not negotiate under pressure. Advice givers, stay away! But Kerry was only repeating what Israel’s own finance minister, Yair Lapid, had already said: The Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (B.D.S.) movement is beginning to bite.

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On Wednesday on Al Jazeera America talk show, "The Stream," APN's Lara Friedman discussed settlements & BDS, explaining APN's position opposing BDS targeting Israel and supporting boycotts targeting settlements, settlement products, and the occupation.  She appeared with guests representing the pro-BDS camp -- Josh Ruebner (US Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation), and Yousef Mumayyer (The Palestine Center) -- and the camp opposing all Israel-related boycotts -- Avi Mayer (The Jewish Agency for Israel).

SodaStream, an Israeli company with a production facility in a West Bank settlement, made headlines recently due to the superstar status of its spokeswoman, Scarlett Johansson. But the real stars of the Israeli business community are those who joined with their Palestinian counterparts in an effort to use their economic heft to urge political leaders to achieve a two-state solution as soon as possible.

1. Last will and testament

A will includes your instructions for how your property is distributed after your death. If you die without a valid will, your property will be divided based on the laws of the state in which you live. If you have been saving a precious heirloom to pass on to a favorite relative, that won’t happen unless your will specifies it. If a legacy gift to Americans for Peace Now is in your plans, that won’t happen either unless it is designated in your will.

But a will can do so much more than provide directions for the distribution of your assets. With a valid will, you can decide:

• Who should serve as your executor, trustee, or personal representative, as well as an alternate, should the person you name be unable to serve in this capacity
• If there are specific pieces of property you would like to give to certain people, such as your car, antique furniture, or jewelry
• What arrangements to make for and who will be guardians of minor children or family members with special needs
• Whether to divide your assets equally among loved ones or give according to circumstances
• Whether those you are considering leaving assets to can handle an inheritance in a lump sum or whether they should receive the gift over a period of years

A will is a living document. Be sure to review it periodically when life events such as marriage, divorce, or the birth of a child or grandchild may affect your giving wishes.

2. A living will

Also called an advanced directive for health care, it instructs your physician on what types of life-sustaining treatment or procedures you do or do not want if you cannot articulate your wishes at the time.

3. A health care power of attorney

Appoints someone to make medical decisions for you that may not be included in your living will. Name a trusted family member or friend who lives in your area and who understands your opinions and values about medical decisions.

4. A durable power of attorney for property,

Also known as your agent or attorney-in-fact who has the legal authority to coordinate your affairs and manage your assets if you can no longer do so.

5. A letter of instruction

Communicates your wishes to your family about matters such as funeral plans and obituary information that are not usually included in other documents. Keep your letter of instruction at home where it can be easily found. If the only copy of your letter of instruction is in a safe-deposit box or at your attorney’s office, your wishes may not be known or followed.

6. A list of important documents

To help your loved ones find and access your assets, list all of your financial accounts. Also provide names and contact information for important individuals such as lawyers, accountants, and others with whom you conduct financial business. Other useful documents to keep in a safe place along with estate planning documents include

• Birth certificates
• Marriage certificates
• Adoption papers
• Divorce agreements
• Prenuptial agreements
• Insurance policies
• Loan documents
• Real estate titles
• Deeds
• Powers of attorney
• Social Security records
• Partnership agreements

Once you’ve completed the various components of your estate plan, you’ll have the peace of mind of knowing that you have a valid plan that addresses your needs and wishes and those of the family members and charities that are important to you.

Exceptions: What Can Override a Will

While a will is a critical legal document, other estate planning tools may supercede what’s written in a will. These include trusts, beneficiary forms, and will substitutes.

Trusts. Property held in a trust is distributed according to the terms of the trust—regardless of what the will says.

Beneficiary designations. Beneficiaries you designate for retirement accounts or insurance contracts can supersede the terms of a will. Beneficiaries are commonly named on IRAs and other retirement plans, insurance and annuity contracts, and individual investment accounts.

Will substitutes. A partnership or shareholders’ agreement may dictate how property is distributed. It’s also possible that state law can order how some property is distributed to make sure that a spouse and minor children receive part of the estate.

If you are a trustee, financial advisor or attorney preparing a will or helping an individual prepare a will and need legal information about Americans for Peace Now, please refer to the following.

• Americans for Peace Now Tax ID Number: 13-3509867

If you are administering an estate that names Americans for Peace Now as a beneficiary, please provide your contact information (name, address, phone number, and email). We will be in touch with you to express our appreciation for the gift and inquire how and to whom we might acknowledge it.

Please direct all estate gift correspondence to the national office of Americans for Peace Now at this address:

Americans for Peace Now
1320 19th ST NWSTE 400
Washington, DC 20036-1635

If you have any questions about any part of the process of making a gift please feel free to contact Rob McCulloch at (617) 686-2265.

".... The question of boycotting settlements has sparked a spectacular public display of Jewish angst. Apparently, many who view themselves as the judges and juries of what is 'kosher' progressive Jewish activism have ruled that such a boycott is simply unacceptable. This, despite the fact that most American Jews recognize that settlements are a problem in terms of Israeli security, Israel's ability to have peace, and in terms of Israel's reputation.  Wringing one's hands about settlements and the fate of the two-state solution does not substitute for actually doing something to try to stop Israel careening down this self-destructive path. Continued settlement expansion represents a clear existential threat to Israel as a democracy and as a Jewish state. Supporting Israel means taking concrete action to prevent Israel from continuing down a path that leads either to a bi-national state, which, by definition, will no longer have a Jewish character, or to an apartheid-like reality, in which Israeli democracy will be lost and Israel will become an international pariah..."

They Say, We Say: BDS & Criticism of Israel

APN Policy

7/7/16: APN’s Proud Record on BDS
5/19/16: APN policy on BDS-Related Legislation (Federal & State)
2/8/16: APN Action Alert: Tell Congress: Pro-Settlements is NOT Pro-Israel
1/19/16: Press Release: APN Welcomes EU Statement Differentiating between Israel and West Bank Settlements
11/11/15: Press Release: APN Welcomes EU Guidelines for Labeling Settlement Products
2/12/14: APN: on efforts to combat BDS by undermining academic freedoms and free speech
March 2013:  APN Weighs in on BDS, Criticism of Israel (expanding position to explicitly support boycott/activism targeting settlements & occupation)
7/19/11: APN Joins Peace Now's Call for Boycotting Settlements (press release)
4/23/10: APN on Criticism of Israel and BDS - New Policy Language

Boycotting Occupation vs. Boycotting Israel

2/20/17: APN's Lara Friedman at Huffington Post: Israeli Occupation Is Poisoning America’s Democracy

2/8/17: Abusing "Anti-Semitism" to Quash Criticism of Israel - the Campaign in Congress & U.S. States (including table tracking all legislation) [LATEST VERSION IS HERE]

12/16/16: APN's Lara Friedman: The Stealth Campaign to Use U.S. Law to Support Settlements: Taking the Battle to the States - Updated/Expanded Table (Go directly to table - state legislation, passed & pending, plus blacklists) [LATEST VERSION IS HERE]

10/5/16: APN's Lara Friedman: The Campaign to Legislate Support for Settlements: The Battle in Congress - ** including regularly updated table of legislation, passed & pending** [LATEST VERSION IS HERE]

9/12/16: APN Board members Steven Kaplan & Sanford Weiner: Governor Brown should veto flawed BDS law

7/5/16: Resources on the Question of Constitutionality & anti-BDS/pro-settlements laws

6/7/16: APN's Lara Friedman: APN Explainer: The Pitfalls of the New York Executive Order on BDS

2/16/16: APN's Lara Friedman: Setting the Record Straight (again) on U.S. Labeling Policy [UPDATED*]

2/4/16: APN's Lara Friedman on The Hill - Cotton's "Made in Israel" bill: latest salvo in campaign to change US settlements policy

2/1/16: APN's Lara Friedman in LobeLog: Obama Admin Is Right to Reject “Settlements=Israel” Conflation

1/28/15: APN's Lara Friedman: The Campaign to Legislate Support for Settlements: Taking the Battle to the States - **including regularly updated table of legislation, passed & pending**

1/27/15: APN's Lara Friedman: Settlement Product Labeling Policies, U.S. vs. EU

12/1/15: APN's Lara Friedman in LobeLog: The Stealth Campaign in Congress to Support Israeli Settlements

11/5/15: APN's Lara Friedman in Heinrich Boll Foundation (Blog): Changing the Conversation on Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions

4/27/15: APN's Lara Friedman in The Hill: Dear Congress: ‘Pro-Israel’ is not ‘pro-settlements’

4/20/15: APN's Lara Friedman in Haaretz: A defeat for Israel, a victory for settlers and BDS

3/2/14 Lara Friedman debate with Daniel Gordis in the New York Times: Is a Settlement Boycott Best for Israel?

2/4/14: Lara Friedman op-ed - Sodastream, ScarJo, and the Myth of Benevolent Occupation

1/28/14: Debra DeLee op-ed - Love Israel. Oppose BDS. Reject SodaStream.

2/12/14: Lara Friedman on Al Jazeera America's "The Stream" - episode on BDS (clips available here)

7/11/12: Debra DeLee blogpost: Upon Reflection (on APN's 7/4 statement - covered in Haaretz, here)

7/4/12: Press Release: APN to Presbyterian Church (USA): Don't support Israel-related divestment

3/29/12: Lara Friedman blogpost - Call to boycott settlements picks up steam!

3/25/12: Lara Friedman op-ed - Stop the excuses, boycott the settlements

3/1/12: Jo-Ann Mort op-ed - The Dishonesty of Park Slope Coop's BDS Debate

Israel and the Israel’s "Anti-Boycott Law"

7/28/11: Peace Now - Peace Now’s FB Page “So Sue Me – I Boycott Products of the Settlements” Ranked 5th most important Israeli Protest Page 7/20/11: Articles on APN's position boycotting settlements (JTA, Forward, JPost)
7/19/11: Hagit Ofran oped - The Forgotten Incentive of Settlement Businesses
7/14/11: Lara Friedman op-ed - Israel's New Boycott Law and U.S. Law: Like Apples and Orangutans
7/13/11: Lara Friedman blogpost - Boycotting Settlements ("Monday will go down in history as the day that the Israeli Knesset voted to suspend democracy in Israel."