The House of Representatives and the Senate are considering the “Anti-Israel Boycott Act,” measures that would criminalize boycotts, divestments and sanctions (BDS) targeting Israel and its occupation of the West Bank.

Americans for Peace Now (APN) opposes BDS targeting Israel.

This legislation, however, intentionally blurs the distinction between Israel and the occupation. It clearly states that under this bill, measures targeting West Bank settlements and the occupation would be regarded as targeting Israel. APN opposes the occupation and supports boycotting West Bank settlements, the most visible physical manifestation of the occupation.

While opposing BDS, APN believes that boycotts are a legitimate non-violent expression of protest, which should not be criminalized.

These measures do just that: they criminalize free speech, as pointed out by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU).

For the Senate version of the bill see here. For the House version see here.

S.720 and H.1697, if passed, will set a terrible precedent. They must be opposed.

Click here to send your Representative and Senators a letter urging them to oppose these bills.

July 24, 2017: Yossi Alpher: - Temple Mount crisis escalates
July 24, 2017: PeaceCast - #20: Zooming in on the Temple Mount / Haram al-Sharif
July 19, 2017: Press Release: APN to Trump Administration: Help Prevent Further Escalation in Jerusalem
July 14, 2017: Press Release: APN Condemns Temple Mount Attack; Urges Calm
Tough Questions, Expert Answers
July 21, 2017 - Ir Amim: A Primer on Events at the Temple Mount/ Haram al-Sharif
July 21, 2017 -Terrestrial Jersalem: Major New Crisis on the Temple Mount/Haram al Sharif
July 19, 2017: Palestinian Activism Reawakens in Jerusalem after Holy Esplanade Attack

Ofer Zalzberg, a senior analyst with the International Crisis Group is a leading expert on the Holy Esplanade, the site in Jerusalem that Jews refer to as the Temple Mount and Muslims call the Haram al-Sharif. Ofer analyzes the current crisis and discusses ways in which similar crises may be avoided in the future. 

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. Hearings
3. On the Record

The following is a timeline of major "Price Tag" attacks (as reported by Israeli sources).  It documents a clear escalation in attacks, and the increasing spread of attacks inside the Green Line.  Italics indicate so-called "triggers" - events or developments that appear to be linked to subsequent attacks - although as has been noted in the Israeli press, "According to the Shin Bet, the right-wing extremists no longer appear to need a 'trigger' to take action, while the targets of the violence are also widening..." We will update this regularly.

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 Temple Mount crisis; where we start analyzing this; the Israeli mistakes; the Arab response; where Washington is in all this; and how the Temple Mount crisis might end.