This week, Alpher discusses why the Israeli political right is so brutally attacking the Breaking the Silence NGO, and why now; whether mainstream Israelis are defending Breaking the Silence; why is the foreign funding a problem, whether the settlers and right-wing NGOs are funded from abroad; the allegations regarding exaggerations and supporting BDS; the oft-quoted statement that the IDF is the most moral army in the world; what he suggests regarding Breaking the Silence and the right-wing campaign against it; the bigger picture: the right wing and the occupation.

Thousands of Israelis, Jews and Arabs, participated in a Peace Now-sponsored march Saturday night, December 19. Starting at the Likud headquarters in Tel Aviv and ending in a rally at the Yitzhak Rabin memorial, marchers demonstrated against the bigotry, intolerance and incitement of Israel’s right wing, targeting progressive organizations and activists. Participants accused Benjamin Netanyahu’s government of setting a belligerent public tone, which inspires and encourages right-wing organizations and pundits to further escalate the discourse.

Peace Now activists carried signs saying “The Right will not Silence Me,” and “Drive away the Darkness; Stop the Fascism” as well as stickers saying: “I too am Breaking the Silence,” reference to the anti-occupation soldiers’ organization that is currently the target of right-wing attacks.

Please read these important messages from Jerusalem expert Danny Seidemann and filmmaker Dror Moreh. We hope you find them compelling, and support our efforts to bring lasting peace for Israel and Palestine. May 2016 bring us closer to this goal.

Todah Rabah,
Americans for Peace Now

 

Dear Friend,

Why is Jerusalem burning?

I'm usually the opposite of a prophet of doom. Many journalists see peddling the apocalypse of Jerusalem as a fast track to a Pulitzer Prize, so there's a tendency to overstate the city's volatility. But Jerusalem is usually a far more stable city than its reputation. At the beginning of the recent uptick in violence, people were saying, "Ah, this happens every year around the Jewish High Holidays. This is just another perennial round of skirmishing. We see this all the time."

Today, APN sent the following message to foreign policy staffers in the offices of members of the House of Representatives:

On behalf of Americans for Peace Now (APN), America’s veteran grassroots, Jewish, Zionist, pro-peace organization and the sister organization to the Israeli Peace Now movement (Shalom Achshav), I’m writing to urge your boss to refuse to cosponsor H. Res. 567 – a resolution that would reverse almost 5 decades of U.S. policy with respect to Israeli settlements – and to oppose this resolution if it is brought to a vote.