Last week, APN asked Pope Francis to use his leadership – and his voice - to build on the gestures of humility and reconciliation that he has become famous for. We asked him to advocate for peace - and he did.

In addition to laying a wreath at Herzl’s grave and visiting the Yad Vashem Holocaust museum in Jerusalem, Pope Francis also took time to offer a prayer near the separation wall, and to extend an unprecedented invitation for a peace prayer summit in Rome.

Thank you, Pope Francis, for speaking up. We wish you all the best as we all continue to work together for peace

The holiday of Shavuot, which begins the night of Tuesday, June 3rd, and continues through Thursday, celebrates the giving of the Torah at Mount Sinai. Shavuot completes the cycle that celebrates the origin of the Jews as a people, starting with Passover. The holiday of Shavuot, once an agricultural festival, has come to represent the importance of the Torah, and our understanding that freedom is not complete until there is rule of law to guide us.

While Israeli politicians flip the finger at the world to score points with right-wing voters at home, they are alienating Israel’s most important, loyal allies: Progressive U.S. Jews.

Lately, American friends are asking me whether Israeli leaders are thinking straight, whether they realize how unreasonable their statements sound here in Washington, and how odd some of their policies seem.

With Israeli-Palestinian efforts at an impasse and immediate-term hopes for progress toward any agreement fading, the appeal of new ideas is understandable. This is no doubt why discussion of Israeli unilateral options—generally in terms of unilateral “withdrawals” from [or annexations of parts of] the West Bank—is in the air. In this context, it’s essential to distinguish between ideas that are genuinely new and constructive, and ideas that simply perpetuate the avoidance and denial adopted by successive Israeli governments. The former are welcome.  The latter are predicated on the belief that catering to the settlers is preferable to confronting them, even if doing so comes at the expense of the best interests of Israel. This latter approach is antithetical to peace and a two-state solution, now or in the future.

They Say, We Say: "Why shouldn’t Israel be able to build in areas that everyone – including the Palestinians - knows Israel will keep in any future peace agreement?"
They Say, We Say: The Gaza experience proves that "land for peace" doesn't work


The Illusion of the Unilateral Solution (Shaul Arieli, Walla.co.il, 5/27/14)
Lapid: Unilateral annexations will lead coalition to collapse (YNet, 5/27/14)
Are we about to witness a new Israeli unilateral initiative? (Hard Questions, Tough Answers with Yossi Alpher, 5/27/14)
One state, two states (Jerusalem Post editorial, 5/18/14)
Paved with Good Intentions, Lined with Settlements (Lara Friedman, Open Zion, 3/14/13)
Killing the Two-State Solution Through the Suspension of Disbelief (Lara Friedman, Huffington Post, 3/7/13)
The Siren Call of Israeli Unilateralism (Lara Friedman, the Daily Beast, 6/18/12)

Dror Moreh, an award-winning Israeli filmmaker, recently wrote a letter exclusively for APN underscoring the importance of the work we are doing.  His most recent film, The Gatekeepers, was nominated for Best Documentary Feature at the 2013 Academy Awards. Dror Moreh wrote this letter for Americans for Peace Now, because the only reasonable way to resolve the conflict is a two-state solution. And that's the message former Shin Bet directors make in his documentary The Gatekeepers. The Gatekeepers won several awards, including Los Angeles Film Critics Association Award for Best Documentary/Non-Fiction Film.

Read Dror Moreh's important letter here

Listen here for an APN briefing call with Moreh.

The three video clips below are interviews of Moreh talking about his work.

1.  Bills, Resolutions & Letters
2.  NDAA May Madness Continues – Senate Version  
3. Members on the Record  
4. From the Press

Haaretz - May 28, 2014
APN's Ori Nir: American Jews are running out of patience with Israel
http://www.haaretz.com/opinion/.premium-1.595852

The Forward - May 29, 2014
Peace Now's Yariv Oppenheimer quoted in APN Board Member Leonard Fein's profile of Dani Dayan
http://forward.com/articles/199134/the-deceptive-style-of-settlement-leader-dani-daya/?

The Forward - May 30, 2014
APN spokesperson quoted in story on US Jewish peace groups
http://forward.com/articles/199129/american-dovish-groups-facing-grim-new-reality-aft/