 "If you stop pedaling, you fall immediately. A vacuum here
does not exist.
Dr. Husam Zomlot, PLO Ambassador to the United States during a
meeting with the APN Study Tour group in Ramallah, talking about the need for
action on behalf of a two-state solution.
Yossi Alpher is an independent security analyst. Views and
positions expressed here are those of the writer, and do not necessarily represent
APN's views and policy positions.
November 14, 2016 - Trump and the Middle East
Q. Everything we can say at this point about a Trump administration and
the Middle East is tentative and speculative. So where do we start?
A. Let’s begin by asking where, if at all, the Middle
East contributed to Trump’s election victory...
Q. Aren’t there additional contradictions in Trump’s Middle East policy
positions?
A. The most glaring one concerns Russia, Iran and
Syria...
Q. Couldn’t Trump’s demand that countries like Japan and South Korea
and NATO members pay their own way in defense matters also affect
Israel?
A. Absolutely. This is my personal near-term worst
case scenario regarding President Trump...
Q. One of Trump’s first public policy statements since being elected is
that he welcomes the challenge of ending the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Empty
bluster or a serious commitment?
A. I’m skeptical...
Q. But isn’t Trump’s Republican, evangelical and militia-minded
constituency committed to Israel’s security from a religious-ideological
standpoint?
A. Yes, at the declarative level. But as we have
seen, some potential policy directions appear to contradict this commitment...
Q. Some Middle East leaders, following the lead of Russia’s Putin and
China’s Xi, openly celebrated Trump’s electoral victory on the assumption that this
will reduce US pressures on their regimes regarding human rights
issues.
A. Indeed...
 
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Ministerial
Committee Approves Regulation Bill
Demonstrating outside of the home of Naftali Bennett, the head of the Jewish Home
party, against the "Regulation Bill" (Peace Now Director Avi Buskila is in
the dark shirt).
The "Regulation Bill" seeks to retroactively legalize illegal West Bank outposts
built on private Palestinian lands.
Peace Now: "...the government made theft a part of its official policy and took
another step on the way towards a one state reality. Such action is contrary to
international law, Jewish values and basic common sense, and was even deemed
unconstitutional by the Attorney General."
APN Study Tour
now in Israel
Top left: Peace Now's Hagit Ofran with group on Jerusalem's Mount of Olives; Top
right: The elder Tibbon, Maj. General (ret.) Noam Tibbone, spoke about security
needs with Gaza directly behind him. Bottom: The only "bombproof playground" is in
Sderet, Israel near Gaza. On the left is the outside of the play structure/shelter,
and on the right is a view from the inside.
The group has been immersed in meetings and travel to areas of significance to the
conflict and its resolution. So far, the experiences have included meetings with
the US Consul General in Jerusalem, the PLO Ambassador to the US in Ramallah, and a
powerful experience at Kibbutz Nahal Oz, right on the border with Gaza.
Go HERE to see pictures.
 APN's Instagram highlights the
Israel Study Tour
If you are not a follower of APN on Instagram, make sure to do so which has lately
been highlighting the current Israel Study Tour.
Go HERE to see and follow APN.
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