Person for Peace: Lara Friedman
Lara Friedman is Director of Policy and Government Relations for Americans for Peace Now. As a leading authority on US foreign policy in the Middle East, Israeli settlements policy, and Jerusalem, Ms. Friedman frequently meets and briefs Members of Congress, US Administration officials, foreign diplomats, and other members of the foreign policy community. She is a frequent resource for journalists and policymakers, and regularly publishes opinion and analysis pieces in the US and Israeli press. A former Foreign Service Officer, she served in Jerusalem, Washington, Tunis and Beirut, and is fluent in French, Spanish, and Arabic. Originally from Tucson, Arizona, Ms. Friedman is a life-long Wildcats basketball fan and is generally happier when the sun is shining.
Recent Postings

Below is the message sent May 14, 2012 to House staffers expressing APN's opposition to H. Res. 568.
Tomorrow, the House is scheduled to bring H. Res. 568, dealing with Iran, to the floor under suspension of the rules.
Americans for Peace Now (APN) urges members of Congress to vote NO or PRESENT on this resolution.
APN Legislative Round-Up
for the week ending
May 11, 2012
=======================
1. Bills, Resolutions & Letters
2. Draft House version of Defense Authorization Ups the Ante on Iran
3. FY13 Foreign Ops - House Version
4. Hearings & Confirmations
5. Members on Passage of HR 4133
6. Members on the Record
7. From the Press
Thank you, Ambassador Oren. On Sunday you told an audience in Detroit what "pro-Israel" means. You said that "The person who is pro-Israel recalls what Jewish life was like without a Jewish state and works to ensure that there always will be a Jewish state." Someone who "knows that there is a place at our table for divergent views. But irrespective of politics... asks, 'how can I contribute to Israel, how can I enrich it and be enriched by it...?'" Someone who "appreciates the immense threats the people of Israel face every day" and "understands the threats to Israel of not achieving peace but also understands the threat to Israel of making a peace that will quickly unravel..."
The Supreme Court, however, apparently has not changed its mind on the question of whether rule of law applies to outposts. On May 6th, that court of rejected the State's request to postpone Ulpana's eviction. The Court ruled, instead, that the demolition must be carried out by July 1st. The full court ruling is available here (Hebrew only).
The Forward's interview with Mousa Abu Marzook highlights some fundamental truths about peacemaking: You make peace with your enemies, not your friends; you make peace not to be nice, but because it is in your self-interest; real peace must reflect a balance of interests, not an imbalance of power, and security arrangements, not trust, will be the foundation of any peace treaty.
This weekend the world got a close-up view of the growing rift between Israel's own security experts and its politicians. The venue was a conference in New York organized by the Jerusalem Post. During the conference a public argument over Iran broke out between former Israeli Mossad chief Meir Dagan and Israeli Minister of Environment Gilad Erdan, a career Likud politician whose resume does not include any significant military/security experience. 2. Hearings & Confirmations
3. Members on the Record
4. From the Press
With this decision, these three outposts become new "legal" settlements in the West Bank, with all the benefits that entails, including the right to plan and expand.
This is the first time a government of Israel has formally established even a single new settlement since the Shamir Government in 1990. Moreover, all Israeli governments have promised to remove the illegal outposts (as required, for example, under the he Roadmap). However, until now, no real outpost has been ever removed.
In characterizing all non-violent Palestinian measures as terrorism, Israel insults the memory of victims of real acts of terror.Yesterday was Yom Hazikaron, Israeli Remembrance Day. Every year on this day Israelis stop to remember their fellow citizens who have given their lives for the sake of Israel, whether in wars or at the hands of terrorists.
- 5/16 5:22a Minister Meridor predicts: Ulpana neighborhood in WB settlement of Beit El will be removed, as Sup' Court ordered http://t.co/8Ba479nG
- Israeli leading columnist explains Likud-Kadima alliance
- 5/15 12:33p Israeli Minister Landau says Jews respecting Palestinians' narrative of loss in 1948 is like commemorating dead Nazis. http://t.co/n52YjMQU
- Price-Dreier letter
- 5/16 6:03a Arafat and Sharon respond to congressman’s letter -Y'know, this has all the makings of a new Tumblr meme. http://t.co/Tbgu5zwB
- APN Urges Members to vote "No" or "Present" on H. Res. 568 (Iran resolution)
- 5/7 7:27a RT @peacenowisrael The Court Ordered the Eviction of the Ulpana by July 1st : http://t.co/SAMIBSc4
- 4/19 A new settlement in Beit Hanina
- 5/10 1:16p Just heard Israeli writer Stuart Schoffman. Always great! Says instead of BDS, concern is PDD (polarization, demonization, denial)
feed
twitter
facebook

