If the aim of the Israeli government is to prevent a peace deal with the Palestinians, now or in the future, it’s close to realizing that goal. Last week, it approved the construction of a new Jewish settlement in the West Bank, another step in the steady march under Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to build on land needed to create a Palestinian state.

The Obama administration, with every justification, strongly condemned the action as a betrayal of the idea of a two-state solution in the Middle East. But Mr. Netanyahu obviously doesn’t care what Washington thinks, so it will be up to President Obama to find another way to preserve that option before he leaves office.

The best idea under discussion now would be to have the United Nations Security Council, in an official resolution, lay down guidelines for a peace agreement covering such issues as Israel’s security, the future of Jerusalem, the fate of Palestinian refugees and borders for both states. The United Nations previously laid down principles for a peace deal in Resolution 242(1967) and Resolution 338 (1973); a new one would be more specific and take into account current realities. Another, though weaker, option is for Mr. Obama to act unilaterally and articulate this framework for the two parties.

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J Weekly: October 2
“A Shrine to Tolerance Shows Grave Insensitivity”
By Ori Nir

The opinion piece by Rabbi Abraham Cooper (“Museum of Tolerance not being built atop Muslim cemetery,” Sept. 23) takes issue with my assertion that the Wiesenthal Center is knowingly building its Museum of Tolerance at the site of a historic Muslim cemetery and that bones of people buried there have been dug up to make room for the museum (“American Jewish progressives must act to defend their values in Israel,” Sept. 16).

My assertion is based on facts. These facts have been discussed in Israeli courts and in the Israeli public arena, and are included in Israel’s Supreme Court ruling. The heart of this ruling was not the question of whether there were skeletons buried where the museum now stands, but the manner in which the bones in the “Purple Zone” would be handled.

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Middle East Monitor: October 7
“Monitoring group: West Bank settlement construction has quadrupled,” draws on Peace Now’s Settlement Watch data.

Wall Street Journal: October 5
“Israel Defends Planned West Bank Construction,” an article on tension in US-Israel relations over settlements quotes Peace Now statistics.

LA Times: October 5
“U.S. condemns Israel’s plan to create more housing in the West Bank,” Peace Now warns that new Shiloh construction may grow to 300 housing units.”

Times of Israel: October 5
“US invokes Peres legacy in biting condemnation of settlement expansion,” Peace Now blasts Israeli government for approving hundred new homes for settlers in Shiloh.

Israel Hayom: October 2
“Report: Nearly 100 housing units to replace Amona outpost,” quotes Peace Now’s responses to the advancement of plans for 98 settlement homes near Shiloh.

Jerusalem Post: October 1
“Plans for 98 new settler homes advance,” Peace Now draws attention to the Israeli Higher Planning Council’s advancement of plans for 98 new homes in Shiloh settlement.

i24news: October 1
“Israel approves 300 new West Bank settlement homes after Amona demolition order,” Peace Now says the Israeli government is set to approve construction of 300 new housing units near Shiloh.

On the Eve of Elections: The U.S. and the Elusive Quest for Middle East Peace
A discussion with a leading authority from Washington, DC

Lara Friedman
Director of Policy and Government Relations
Americans for Peace Now

Thursday, October 20, 7:30 p.m.

Westside Jewish Community Center
5870 W. Olympic Blvd., LA (parking structure in back, or park on the street)

RSVP to apnwest@peacenow.org or 323-934-3480

Friedman, whom the Jewish Daily Forward Newspaper listed as a "must-read pundit on the Middle East," is a go-to expert for those working inside government, those looking to influence U.S. policy, and for journalists. Her opeds and analyses are frequently published in the US and Israeli press, and she is a highly requested and respected speaker in forums throughout the U.S. and internationally.

Statement by Lara Friedman, Americans for Peace Now
Delivered at the United Nations Security Council – October 14, 2016

The full statement can be viewed as a pdf here
Watch the full testimony here
View the post-meeting press conference here.

Distinguished members of the Security Council,

As a representative of Americans for Peace Now – an organization that is committed to Israel’s existence and its future – it is not easy for me to speak before this body today.

It is not easy because while this forum will focus in large part on human rights violations by Israel, there are states represented here whose own human rights records are abysmal. There are even states in this forum that still do not recognize the existence of Israel, 70 years after that nation’s birth and despite its membership in the UN’s General Assembly.

It is also not easy for me to speak here today because of the deteriorating political climate in Israel as far as democracy is concerned. For some time now we have been witnessing an ugly campaign against courageous Israeli human rights and civil society NGOs – carried out by reactionary groups in Israel and by the Israeli government itself. Campaigns that target the legitimacy of NGOs like our Israeli sister organization, Shalom Achshav – Peace Now.

These groups are being targeted because their work reveals facts that some prefer to hide – facts that challenge the official Israeli government narrative.

Americans for Peace Now (APN) today announced that its director of policy and government relations, Lara Friedman, will be speaking October 14, 2016 before the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) at a special session organized to examine the issue of “Illegal Israeli Settlements: An Obstacle to Peace and a Threat to the Two-State Solution.”

 APN President and CEO Debra DeLee commented:

 “We are extremely proud that Americans for Peace Now has been invited to address the Security Council on the issue of Israeli settlement policies. This is an issue on which APN and our Israeli sister organization, Shalom Achshav, are justifiably recognized as the leading experts, both in terms of knowing and in terms of explaining the facts about settlements and their implications for peace and the two-state solution. And the facts point to a clear conclusion: the Israeli government’s policy of prioritizing settlements threatens the vital interests of Israel – its people and its national future. This Security Council meeting is a welcome opportunity to highlight the damage settlements are doing to Israel and the quest for peace.” 

APN hosted a briefing call on Friday, October 14th, at 3:00 pm Eastern Time with Lara Friedman, APN director of policy and government relations, and Israeli legal expert Michael Sfard. The call was moderated by APN's Aaron Mann.

Friedman and Sfard discussed the content of a UN Security Council special session, entitled “Illegal Israeli Settlements: An Obstacle to Peace and a Threat to the Two-State Solution,” at which Friedman spoke.

Listen to the briefing call here.