APN/ Peace Now in the News: January 23-27, 2017

APN's Lara Friedman in The Hill: January 27, 2017
"David Friedman is the wrong choice for US ambassador to Israel"

The nomination of David Friedman to be the next ambassador of the United States to Israel has stirred a fierce debate, focused primarily on Friedman’s well-documented bombastic rhetoric and his views on settlements, the occupation, and the Palestinians — views that are at odds with decades of bipartisan U.S. policy.

As the Senate gets ready to consider Friedman’s nomination, what has been largely overlooked is the fact that, based on his own very clear and public record, Friedman is by any objective standard disqualified from serving as America’s diplomatic envoy to any country, and especially to Israel. Continue Reading...

I24 News: January 26, 2017
No action after closed door UN Talks on Israeli Settlement Construction,” Peace Now says that Netanyahu is taking advantage of Trump’s recent election as President of the United States to appeal to Israel’s right-wing settler population.

The Jerusalem Post: January 26, 2017
Peace Now: Israel Begins to Act On 73% of the 2,500 Settler Homes,” Following the Housing Ministry’s approval of tenders for new housing units in the West Bank, Peace Now urges Netanyahu “to take responsibility for the future of Israel by halting settlement construction and assuring the future of Israel as both Jewish and democratic.”

Haaretz: January 24, 2017
Israel Approves Construction and Planning of 2,500 Settler Homes in West Bank,” Peace Now speculates that by approving construction of new settlement homes, Netanyahu is trying to appease the right in response to their criticism of his actions during Operation Protective Edge.

The Times of Israel: January 24, 2017
PA: Trump Encouraged Israel to Okay 2,500 Settlement Homes,” Americans for Peace Now says that the construction of 2,500 new settler homes may be the largest number approved since 2013.

VICE News: January 24, 2017
Israel Just Approved Construction of 2,500 Settlements in the West Bank,” Ori Nir, spokesperson for Americans for Peace Now, warns that moving the American embassy to Jerusalem would have “destabilizing repercussions in the region.”