Americans for Peace Now (APN) welcomes the news of the agreement between Israel and the United Arab Emirates to normalize relations between the two countries. While the two countries have unofficially been normalizing relations in recent years, an official normalization could be an important development on the path to future comprehensive peace between Israel and its Arab neighbors.
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BACKGROUND
The Sumarin family has been living in the same house in East Jerusalem for generations. Yet unless the
Israeli Supreme Court rules in their favor, they will soon be evicted, their home and their land taken from
them. Please urge your representatives in Congress to speak out against this injustice and sign the letter aimed
at stopping this eviction of a Palestinian family from their home.
This case goes far beyond the struggle of one family to save its home. It is a part of a broader
fight against the efforts of Israeli settlers to displace East Jerusalem Palestinians and to create facts on
the ground that would block the path for an Israeli-Palestinian peace agreement on Jerusalem.
Congresswoman Jackie Speier (D-CA) is circulating a Dear Colleague letter addressed to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, urging his government “to intervene on behalf of the Sumarin family and halt their eviction from their long-standing home."
Please urge your Representative to sign on to Congresswoman Speier’s letter.
American-Israeli journalist Dina Kraft discussed the nature and impact of the
unprecedented continuing protests in Israel against Prime Minister Netanyahu, government corruption,
and for democracy and justice.
LISTEN:
Dina Kraft is a journalist, editor, and educator. Currently based in Tel Aviv she
is a correspondent for both Haaretz and The Christian Science Monitor where she reports on Israeli and
Palestinian politics, culture and society. Dina is also the host of The Branch, a podcast hosted by
Hadassah, which features stories of partnerships between Israelis and Palestinians, Jews and Arabs. Formerly,
Kraft was based in Jerusalem and Johannesburg for The Associated Press and has reported from throughout
Africa, as well as Pakistan, Jordan, Tunisia, Russia and Ukraine.
NEW ITEMS
RECORDING: "Annex and Dispossess: Peace Now's Hagit Ofran on her New Report"
VIDEO and AUDIO RECORDINGS - July 10 Webinar with Peter Beinart - "My Case for Equality" (July 10, 2020)
APN with Progressive Israel Network partners in support of Van Hollen amendment to prevent US funding for illegal annexation (July 10, 2020)
APN Senators to Join Van Hollen Amendment (July 9, 2020)
ACTION ALERT: "Say No To Your Tax Dollars Paying For Illegal Annexation" (July 8, 2020)
Peace Now New Report - Annex and Dispossess: Use of the Absentees’ Property Law (July 7, 2020)
The joint statement issued by eight members of the Progressive Israel Network: Ameinu, Americans for Peace Now, Habonim Dror North America, J Street, the New Israel Fund, Partners for Progressive Israel, Reconstructing Judaism,and T’ruah:
As progressive organizations committed to supporting democracy and equality in Israel and a just and peaceful future for Israelis and Palestinians, we have made clear our staunch opposition to any unilateral Israeli annexation of occupied territory in the West Bank. Such a move would violate international law and severely imperil Israel’s future as a secure, democratic homeland for the Jewish people. It would aim to permanently relegate the Palestinians to life in disconnected enclaves without independent statehood or basic civil rights.
It is because of these concerns that we strongly support Senator Chris Van Hollen’s proposed amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act, which stipulates that US security assistance to Israel cannot be used to implement unilateral annexation in the West Bank. Like the Senator and his colleagues who have co-sponsored this amendment to date, we believe US security assistance to Israel should be used to help Israel meet its legitimate defense needs — not to implement actions that will undermine its own security and democracy, trample on Palestinian rights and harm US interests.
All those who value human rights and Israeli democracy, support a peaceful resolution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and want to see an end to decades of occupation should agree that it would be unacceptable for US tax dollars to help foot the bill for an act as extreme and destructive as unilateral annexation. Our organizations thank Senator Van Hollen and his colleagues for their strong leadership and clarity on this issue, and we urge their fellow Members of Congress to join with them in standing up for the democratic values and shared interests that are meant to form the heart of a mutually beneficial US-Israel relationship.
Americans for Peace Now is urging members of the US Senate to co-sponsor Senator Chris Van Hollen’s amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act, which would block Israel’s Netanyahu government from using any US aid to fund the annexation of parts of the West Bank.
Update: this action, now closed, ran in July 2020.
Annexation is a game changer. Prime Minister Netanyahu’s plan to unilaterally annex parts of the West Bank, with the blessing – indeed the encouragement – of the Trump administration, is a dire threat to the prospects of a peaceful future for Israelis and Palestinians.
Last week, Senator Chris Van Hollen introduced an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act (the bill that authorizes providing U.S. aid to Israel), which would block the Netanyahu government from using any US aid to fund its illegal annexation.
Tell your Senators to cosponsor the Van Hollen amendment or thank them if they already have.
(Note: This embedded video may not start at the beginning. You can manually move the red line back to do so.)
Audio Recording:
Watch/listen to the conversation from Friday, July 10 with Peter Beinart, a leading American Jewish advocate for Israeli-Palestinian peace, and Hadar Susskind, APN President and CEO.
Beinart speaks in more detail on the genesis of, and thoughts presented in his new essay. In it, he has moved publicly from a long-held position advocating for a two-state solution to now making the case for equality between Jews and Palestinians in a shared or confederated state.
Peter Beinart is Professor of Journalism and Political Science at the City University of New York. He is also a Contributor to The Atlantic, a CNN Political Commentator, Editor-at-Large of Jewish Currents and a Non-Resident Fellow at the Foundation for Middle East Peace. He is the former editor of the New Republic.
A new report by Peace Now’s Settlement Watch team looks at Israel's
application of the "Absentees' Property Law." This law is used to evict and/or restrict Palestinians from living
in their East Jerusalem properties in area annexed by Israel after the war in 1967.
The experience of the annexation in Jerusalem demonstrates the real concern that the law will be similarly applied to any areas in the West Bank that Israel annexes, potentially depriving hundreds of thousands of Palestinians of their property.
Go HERE for a summary of the report
Go HERE for the full report
After 16 years in the Knesset, including six years as chairperson
of Israel’s Meretz party, Zehava Galon is back to human rights activism as the President of Zulat for Equality
and Human Rights, a new Israeli activist think tank.
LISTEN