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
APN's daily news review from Israel
Friday May 26, 2017
Number of the day:
58.
--Percentage of Israelis who want a two-state solution, according to a Maariv poll.*
--Percentage of Israelis who want a two-state solution, according to a Maariv poll.*
APN's daily news review from Israel
Thursday May 25, 2017
Quote of the day:
“What I discovered was that the decision to capture East Jerusalem, and certainly to annex it, was not
motivated by an existential need (in contrast to the Six-Day War, which was launched to remove an existential
threat to Israel) or by a salient security need (in contrast to the decision to invade the West Bank). The IDF
was sent into the Old City primarily for emotional reasons, and because of a personal need to settle accounts
with history felt by a few Israeli leaders in 1967, deriving from the role they had played in the 1948 War of
Independence.”
--Uzi Benziman, who was Haaretz’s Jerusalem correspondent during the Six Day War of ’67, revisits the dramatic decision that changed the face of the Middle East.*
You Must Be Kidding:
“Hahaha, you’re mistaken, Muslims have murdered over 11 million Muslims since 1948.”
--Response by the page manager of the official Israeli Foreign Ministry’s Arabic-language Facebook page to a commenter who wrote, “If you hadn’t occupied and abused the Palestinian people, perhaps you would be the chosen people, as you claim.”**
--Uzi Benziman, who was Haaretz’s Jerusalem correspondent during the Six Day War of ’67, revisits the dramatic decision that changed the face of the Middle East.*
You Must Be Kidding:
“Hahaha, you’re mistaken, Muslims have murdered over 11 million Muslims since 1948.”
--Response by the page manager of the official Israeli Foreign Ministry’s Arabic-language Facebook page to a commenter who wrote, “If you hadn’t occupied and abused the Palestinian people, perhaps you would be the chosen people, as you claim.”**
Go HERE to help provide support for Peace Now's "Two States - One Hope: A Demonstration Against 50 Years of Occupation" taking place Saturday, May 27, 2017, in Tel Aviv's Rabin Square.
APN's daily news review from Israel
Wednesday May 24, 2017
Quote of the day:
“They will tell you ‘there is no partner,’ despite the dramatic change taking place in the entire Arab
world’s attitude towards Israel, and although there is a real desire to advance relations with us and create a
strategic alliance against Iran and the radical Islamic organizations.”
-- Former IDF Judea and Samaria Division commander, Maj.-Gen. (res.) Noam Tibon called on President Trump to ignore all the false arguments he would hear and to base his peace plan on the Arab Peace Initiative that Israel repeatedly rejected.*
-- Former IDF Judea and Samaria Division commander, Maj.-Gen. (res.) Noam Tibon called on President Trump to ignore all the false arguments he would hear and to base his peace plan on the Arab Peace Initiative that Israel repeatedly rejected.*
At first glance it looks like there are a lot of winners from President Trump's Middle East trip including:
- The Saudis, who got what they wanted. They heard Trump confirm that the US would be close to the Gulf Arab states and veer away from Iran. They also sealed an arms deal with the US for $110 billion. And they never heard the words human rights from Trump's lips!
- Trump, who got what he wanted from the Saudis. President Trump was able to get an arms deal that he declared was great for the US economy. The Saudis publicly aligned with Trump's rhetoric against terrorism - thus allowing the President to find "moderate" US allies in the region. And Ivanka Trump got a $100 billion pledge from the Saudis for her women's empowerment program at the World Bank.
- Benjamin Netanyahu, who breathed a sigh of relief as Trump departed Israel for the Vatican. There was no pressure on settlements or significant concessions to the Palestinians. He heard lots of pleasantries from Trump about the strength of the US-Israel relationship. And there was the prospect of a potentially new dynamic for Middle East peace: The Saudis stating publicly their willingness to be partners for peace.
- Palestinian President Abbas, who was able to tell his people that the Palestinian cause is still on the negotiating table if and when negotiations take place.
Looks like a win-win situation, right? Well, not so fast.
Marking 50 years since Israel captured the West Bank and Gaza Strip, Israel’s Peace Now movement is organizing a mass demonstration this Saturday, May 27th, to protest against the occupation and in support of a peace deal with the Palestinians.
I am flying to Israel Friday, and will be at Tel Aviv’s Rabin square the next day, together with tens of thousands of Israeli peace activists, to help show Israelis, Palestinians and the world that there is a robust Israeli constituency for peace.
I will be there to bring you the sights and sounds of the Israeli peace camp’s show of force, and to convey your support.
Your support helps Peace Now cover the cost of this production – ranging from printing thousands of picket signs to renting expensive sound-amplifying equipment.
Donate now to help restore hope for Israeli-Palestinian peace.
Thank you for your support,
Ori Nir
Americans for Peace Now
Donald Trump just ended a 28-hour visit to Israel and the West Bank that was rich with color, atmospherics, symbolism and lofty talk about prospects for peace and commitment to peace, but appallingly short on content. During his Middle East tour, President Trump did not refer even once to the two-state solution, and said almost nothing about what Israelis and Palestinians must do in the short run to prepare the ground for future peace.
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 which leg of Trump’s Middle East tour was strategically more significant, Riyadh or Jerusalem/Bethlehem; how Trump can square his presumed achievements in Riyadh with his sweeping campaign declarations against Muslims; whether it is really such a success story; Trump's trip to Jerusalem and Bethlehem; particularly comic and sensational moments; the presentation of Trump's strategy for making peace between Israelis and Palestinians; whether any of these strategies really offer the kind of hope for the future that Netanyahu mentioned so optimistically; and the significance of Trump's closing speech at the Israel Museum where he vowed to fight Iran and terrorism, protect Israel, and pursue peace.
APN's daily news review from Israel
Tuesday May 23, 2017
You Must Be Kidding
#1:
"Netanyahu didn't really like the idea, but the President waited and the embarrassing thing is that my phone got stuck. I got a bit cheeky, insisted, turned the phone off and on. He was super patient, waited until I got the camera working. We took the picture and, let me tell you, for me—and I think also for him—it was a historical moment."
--Likud MK Oren Hazan told the Israeli media about the controversy-sparking selfie he grabbed with US President Donald Trump.*
"Netanyahu didn't really like the idea, but the President waited and the embarrassing thing is that my phone got stuck. I got a bit cheeky, insisted, turned the phone off and on. He was super patient, waited until I got the camera working. We took the picture and, let me tell you, for me—and I think also for him—it was a historical moment."
--Likud MK Oren Hazan told the Israeli media about the controversy-sparking selfie he grabbed with US President Donald Trump.*