APN Legislative Round-Up: March 24, 2017

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March 27, 2017 - Hamas, Syria, Hezbollah: should Israel deter proactively or avoid provocation?

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Yossi Alpher is an independent security analyst. He is the former director of the Jaffee Center for Strategic Studies at Tel Aviv University, a former senior official with the Mossad, and a former IDF intelligence officer. Views and positions expressed here are those of the writer, and do not necessarily represent APN's views and policy positions.

This week, Alpher discusses Hamas' accusation that the Mossad assassinated a senior militant Friday in the heart of Gaza City; whether the killing could lead to escalation and possibly a new conflict with Hamas in Gaza; if Israeli involvement in the killing would reflect a more aggressive deterrent policy; the application of this deterrent policy on Israel's northern fronts; and the dangers of this more aggressive Israeli policy.

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News Nosh 3.26.17

APN's daily news review from Israel
Sunday March 26, 2017
 
Quote of the day:
"But one minute and 33 seconds after the video begins, something happens that shows that, as opposed to what the police claim, (riot policeman Moshe) Cohen works in an organization where violence against civilians has become routine, acceptable. In those last 16 seconds, a few of his colleagues from the unit enter the picture and see him acting violently, kicking (Palestinian truck driver) Shweiki in the back and knocking him to the ground, bleeding from his head."
--Haaretz+ police correspondent writes that violence actually is part of the culture of Israel police.*
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News Nosh 3.27.17

APN's daily news review from Israel
Monday, March 27, 2017
 
Quote of the day:
“Natural growth on the one hand, and lack of planning on the other, has forced the Arab population to build without permits on a massive scale. The demolition of these homes, constructed out of distress in the absence of equitable planning, violates morality and basic civil rights."
--Some 250 Jewish and Arab professionals from the fields of building and architecture, wrote in an open letter to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, calling for an immediate end to the policy of house demolitions in the Arab sector and calling upon the authorities to advance worthy and fair planning policies.*

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News Nosh 3.28.17

APN's daily news review from Israel
Tuesday March 28, 2017
 
You Must Be Kidding: 
Only 5% of Israelis believe that the main problem Israel faces is the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.** 
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APN's Ori Nir: "We know that relations between Jews and Arabs can be different"

OriNir_HSOne of the things I like the most about “The Moth,” the radio/podcast storytelling program, is how successful it is at cutting through the cynicism and snark that characterize our discourse, particularly here in DC, and touching one’s heart.

In pursuit of Israeli-Palestinian peace, too, we could use less scorn, less debate and vitriol, and more listening, more empathy, more heart-to-heart interaction.

This is the impetus behind "The Dove: Stories Amidst Conflict." Presented by Americans for Peace Now, The Dove is a storytelling event about Israeli-Palestinian peace, in which storytellers focus on hope and prospects for reconciliation. On Thursday, April 6th in Washington, DC, The Dove will feature myself and others, who as journalists have experienced and covered this relationship on the ground – both the good and the bad – and who will accentuate hope for peace through their stories.

We have no illusions. We know that stories told live in DC have little impact on actions taken – or not taken – on the eastern side of the Mediterranean. But we also know that relations between Jews and Arabs can be different, and that empathetic interaction between people can contribute to change.

I hope you will join us for an insightful, inspiring evening. And who knows, maybe sooner rather than later, a Middle Eastern dove may flap its wings in Jerusalem, where Israelis and Palestinians could sit down together to tell stories that bring them closer to mutual understanding, reconciliation, and peace.

Learn More >

Buy Tickets >

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News Nosh 3.29.17

APN's daily news review from Israel
Wednesday March 29, 2017
 
Quote of the day:
“I came as a public representative, and AIPAC knows who I represent. What, do you [at Army Radio] think my views can be bought by financing my trip?”
--Meretz MK Tamar Zandberg responded to Army Radio journalist who questioned why she attended a demonstration against AIPAC when she invited to speak on a panel at the AIPAC conference.*
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Salute to Lara Friedman

Lara FriedmanAfter seventeen years at Americans for Peace Now, our longtime director of policy and government relations, Lara Friedman, is moving on to become the president of the Foundation for Middle East Peace (FMEP), an important member in the community of Washington-based groups striving for peace and security for Israelis and Palestinians.

Over the past two decades, Lara – perhaps more than anyone else – has defined APN, its footprint in DC and beyond, its mission and its role. Today, she is one of the leading US experts on all things relating to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and is recognized as such worldwide.

Thankfully, we are not losing Lara. As she likes to point out, she is moving only several city blocks away. She will still post her invaluable weekly Legislative Roundups on our web site and keep sending them to her long list of subscribers. We are confident that Lara will further tighten the already robust cooperation between APN and FMEP.

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This week, Lara sent out a heartfelt message to our Board of Directors, saying: "(…) it has been an honor, a privilege, and a joy to be part of APN these many years. I am immeasurably proud of this organization and its work. And while leave-taking is bittersweet, I take comfort in knowing that APN will continue to be the most principled, powerful American Jewish voice working for peace and security for a democratic, progressive Israel."

We are very proud of Lara. We’re deeply grateful for all she has done for APN and for our cause.

In recognition of Lara’s immense accomplishments, with APN and for APN, please make a tax-deductible donation for Americans for Peace Now.

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News Nosh 3.30.17

APN's daily news review from Israel
Thursday March 30, 2017
 
Quote of the day:
Haaretz+ journalist question to Palestinian who was an administrative detainee in Israeli prison and who helped create the Israeli TV series that Culture Minister Miri Regev hates: What would you want a Jewish and Israeli viewer to think after he watches the series?
Administrative detainee Abed al-Basat: “That we are human beings and we have a right to independence..."
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Interview with APN's Debra DeLee in J, the Jewish News of Northern California

Trump the peacemaker? Peace Now activist ponders the possibility

BY ROB GLOSTER | MARCH 28, 2017

A Jewish American group struggling to keep alive the two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict hopes to get a boost from an unlikely source — Donald Trump. In February, the president publicly disavowed it as the best solution to Mideast peace and also appointed a staunch opponent of the plan as the U.S. ambassador to Israel.

Debra DeLee, president and CEO of Americans for Peace Now, who still sees the two-state solution as the only viable way for Israel to survive as an independent and democratic nation, said Trump’s reputation as a non-ideological dealmaker could be a “terrible detriment or it could be a very small, possible ray of hope.”

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