This week, Alpher discusses how the Netanyahu government plans to deal with the anomaly of its position vis-a-vis the new Palestinian government and the proposals and counter-proposals for unilateral and bilateral initiatives which are everywhere in the Netanyahu government; last weekend's dramatic withdrawal from the race of Binyamin (Fuad) Ben Eliezer, who had suddenly come under suspicion of receiving bribes and and when will the corruption trail end; who among the candidates benefits from Ben Eliezer's departure; and how dangerous is it that Palestinian prisoners under administrative detention in Israeli jails are on hunger strike, demanding to be charged and tried and why does administration detention exist in Israel?

(6/16/14) Americans for Peace Now (APN) is proud to announce the launch of our new campaign, "Reclaiming Israel’s Future." The objective of this campaign is to re-focus energy and attention on the challenges that Israelis must face in order to secure a future as a democracy and a Jewish state.

This campaign comes in the context of the failure – or the pause of indefinite duration – of the U.S.-backed peace effort. Despite the sincere efforts of Secretary of State John Kerry and President Obama, their recent initiative fell apart because, like so many efforts before it, it morphed from a political process who purpose was to resolve the conflict, into a political process that simply continued for its own sake. Along the way, this process was exploited, as has happened so often in the past, to provide cover for developments on the ground that are antithetical to any negotiated, two-state resolution of the conflict.

APN’s mission is the achievement of peace and security for Israel, and to ensure Israel’s viability as a Jewish state and a democracy. While we believe that only negotiations can deliver a final resolution to this conflict, in the form of a negotiated two-state solution, we do not believe in process for its own sake. We hope that serious negotiations can be launched again in the future, but we will not sit by, waiting and hoping for a new process to be launched. We believe that now more than ever, it is time to face unflinchingly and without apology the hard truths about Israeli policies and actions that perpetuate this conflict and seek to prevent its resolution. In this way, we are taking action now to Reclaim Israel’s Future – before it is too late.

This is a six-week initiative. Each week, we will focus on a different core issue in this conflict: settlements, Jerusalem, borders and security, hatred and incitement, issues pertaining to the conflicting narratives of Israelis and Palestinians, and a final week that looks to the future and talks about what we can do to support a two-state solution. In the coming weeks, look for notices from us about new resources and activities related to our campaign, including opportunities to take action. Make sure to read our landmark statement, "On the 47th Anniversary of the Occupation: Time for Hard Truths, Tough Actions."

Please check our website often; you can also keep track of the campaign by liking us on Facebook and following us on Twitter.

Herbert C. Kelman | American Psychologist (May - June 2007)
Analysis of the Israeli-Palestinian peace process since 1967 using attitudes and other related concepts. Also seeks to demonstrate that concepts drawn from attitude theory can be useful tools in this analysis. PDF >

On the 47th Anniversary of the Occupation: Time for Hard Truths, Tough Actions

Forty-seven years ago this week, Israel won a stunning victory in the 1967 War.  This was not a war of Israel’s choice or making.  It was a defensive war, with Israel facing threats by armies from countries on all sides seeking Israel’s destruction.  Repelling and defeating these armies, Israel sent a resounding message to the region and the world: we are here to stay. 

Israel’s victory in the 1967 War left it with a pressing question: what to do with the additional land now under its control: the West Bank (including East Jerusalem), the Gaza Strip, the Sinai Peninsula, and the Golan Heights.  As recognized by many Israelis – and demonstrated in the Camp David Accords with Egypt – these lands offered Israel the opportunity to normalize its position in the region through agreements with its Arab neighbors, based on the principle of  land for peace.

Forty-seven years later, such normalization remains a distant dream.  Rather than act in good faith to seek agreements based on land-for-peace, for 47 years successive Israeli governments have actively and passively collaborated with Israel’s own extremists in their efforts to take land-for-peace off the table in favor of fulfilling their own grandiose, messianic vision of Greater Israel.  And now they’ve succeeding in killing what many believed was the best chance for a negotiated peace agreement with the Palestinians that has ever existed, and the best chance that may exist for a long time to come.

Author and Journalist Daniel Rubinstein is Israel’s longest serving Palestinian-affairs correspondent, first with Davar (1967-1990), then with Haaretz (1990-2008) and now with Calcalist, Yedioth Ahronoth’s business daily. He is the author of three books, including The Mystery of Arafat, and The People of Nowhere about the Palestinian refugees. He was born and resides in Jerusalem.

An APN Briefing Call with Rubinstein will be Friday, June 13, 1:00 PM EST

Call-in Number: 951-797-1058
Participant Access Code: 147414

For a link to the recording available soon after, Email kcunningham@peacenow.org.