Americans for Peace Now is pleased to announce the hiring of Dr. Debra Shushan as its Director of Policy and Government Relations, effective August 1, 2017.

Dr. Shushan will be responsible for developing and formulating APN’s policy positions. She will also direct and run APN’s relations with the US government’s executive branch, as well as with Congress.

Barbara Green has been a volunteer for Americans for Peace Now for many years. She lives in Washington, DC.

Commemorating as it does the destruction of both the first and second temples in Jerusalem, Tisha b'Av is problematic for secular American Jews. The destruction of the central institution of pre-rabbinic Judaism, first by the Babylonians in 587 BCE, and then by the Romans in 70 CE, both followed by exile from the land, were indeed terrible events in our history. Among observant Jews, Tisha B’Av has also been, and remains, a Jewish day of mourning, not only for these events, but also for a number of other historic tragedies which happened to fall during the late summer.

But it does make me wonder, what does the recitation of this litany do to our sense of self? Does it tell us we're victims and must always stay strong? We must behave toward our enemies the way they treated us? 

News from Peace Now:

The Shamasne family, who resides in East Jerusalem's Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood, recently received an eviction order from the Execution Office of Israel's Enforcement and Collection Authority. The order states that the family must evict its home by August 9th 2017, or else it will be forcibly evicted.
 
This order follows a High Court verdict from August 2013, in which the court rejected the Shamasne family appeal, and ruled that family members are not considered protected tenants and that therefore, their landlords are allowed to evict them. The landlords are settlers who had managed to gain ownership over the property on the basis of the right of return to Jews only (see more information below).

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 the aftermath of the Temple Mount and Jordanian crises, the resulting tension, and Netanyahu's territorial exchange proposal.

Huffington Post: July 26, 2017
"Read The Small Print. How Nearly 200 Congressmen Could’ve Signed On A Bill Criminalizing Free Speech And Legitimizing Israel’s Occupation Of Palestine," in her op-ed, Marilyn Katz cites APN among organizations opposing a bill criminalizing free speech.

Jerusalem Post: July 26, 2017
"Netanyahu bars IDF from evacuating settlers from Hebron home," Peace Now says settlers' takeover of Hebron home is illegal and provocative.

i24: July 26, 2017
"Netanyahu says settlers should not be removed from disputed Hebron house," Peace Now says to the Israeli government: remove settlers from Hebron building.

Times of Israel: July 25, 2017
"In protest move, 100 settlers occupy contested Hebron home," Peace Now urges evacuation of Hebron settlers from disputed home.

Produced by the Foundation for Middle East Peace in cooperation with Americans for Peace Now, where the Legislative Round-Up was conceived

1. Bills, Resolutions & Letters
2. FY18 ForOps – House Version
3. FY18 DoD Approps – House Version
4. Hearings
5. On the Record

Americans for Peace Now hosted a briefing call with Jerusalem affairs expert Daniel Seidemann on Tuesday, August 1  to analyze the recent events in Jerusalem and their repercussions.

Listen here