Feature Story Archive

AIPAC doesn't speak for me

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Ramat Shlomo Settlement 320x265.jpgFor months APN has been working to get President Barack Obama to step up his efforts in support of peace for Israel. We've called on him to be prepared to confront Israel, the Palestinians, or the Arab states when they fail to play ball.

Last week the Obama administration did just that.

Livni - Fayyad - Bresler - DeLee b 3-10 320x265.jpgA leadership delegation of Americans for Peace Now, on a fact-finding trip to Israel and the West Bank, met today in Ramallah with Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad, and in Jerusalem with Israel's Opposition Chair MK Tzipi Livni.

(Pictures on left: Livni with APN's Debra DeLee & Martin Bresler; right: Fayyad with Bresler)


biden israel 320x265.jpgOn Monday -- during the vice president's visit to Israel -- American peace envoy George Mitchell announced that Israelis and Palestinians will soon resume peace talks.

This is good news for those of us who care about peace for Israel. Negotiations are needed to achieve a peace agreement between Israel and the Palestinians.

But then on Tuesday -- while Biden was still in Israel -- the Israeli government announced plans for 1600 new housing units in contested East Jerusalem.
APN New Logo 186x140.jpgWashington, DC -- APN welcomes today's announcement that Special Envoy George Mitchell will be brokering indirect talks between Israel and the Palestinian Authority. APN welcomes the involvement of Arab governments in the process that lead to today's announcement.

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APN today released new policy language to address the changing political situation in Iran.

March 2010

An Iran armed with nuclear weapons represents an alarming scenario that neither the U.S. nor Israel, nor for that matter, the world, can afford to ignore, and one that the U.S. and the international community should be exerting all efforts to avoid. 
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I'm proud to be one of the thousands of Israelis and Palestinians who joined the demonstration on Saturday night in the East Jerusalem neighborhood of Sheikh Jarrah. The crowd, mobilized by a broad range of groups (including the Israeli Peace Now movement), is united in our opposition to settler groups who are evicting Palestinian families and moving into their homes there.


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Residents of east Jerusalem neighborhood celebrate holiday with songs of praise for Cave of Patriarchs massacre. Left-wing activists plan protest


Thumbnail image for Yossi Alpher 186x140.jpgAlpher answers questions about Palestinian rioting in Hebron and the Syrian "resistance" summit. 


Stop the Violence - Stop the Hate

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Israel is going through a dark time, marked by increased settler violence, intensified incitement against pro-peace leaders and causes in Israel, and vicious demonization of pro-peace, pro-democracy forces. Enough is enough. Stand for peace. Condemn the use of violence by settlers.


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Over a thousand Peace Now activists and supporters gathered in Tel Aviv Saturday for a satirical demonstration to assert the notion that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his Defense Minister Ehud Barak's peace rhetoric is not backed up by actions.

In the masquerade tradition of the Jewish holiday of Purim, which is celebrated this week, demonstrators were handed masks of Netanyahu and Barak, and placards referring to the Netanyahu government's make-believe peace overtures.

Yossi Alpher 186x140.jpgAlpher answers questions about the assassination of Hamas militant Mahmoud al-Mabhouh.

Q. How does the Mabhouh assassination in Dubai affect Israel's overall security?

A. In many ways, both positively and negatively. The murder in his Dubai hotel room of Hamas militant Mahmoud al-Mabhouh last month and the sensational revelations that have followed focus on the death of the man allegedly in charge of military contacts between Hamas and Iran.
mask3.jpgOn Saturday night hundreds of Peace Now activists will converge in Tel Aviv to make an important statement: Benjamin Netanyahu and Ehud Barak may talk a lot about peace, but -- when it comes to actions -- they are implementing an anti-peace agenda.
APN New Logo 186x140.jpgCONTACT: Ori Nir - (202) 408-9898; onir@peacenow.org Washington, DC -Americans for Peace Now today welcomed President Obama's appointment of Robert Stephen Ford as ambassador to Syria and urged the Senate to promptly approve the appointment.

Thou shall not steal

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Squatter land 186x140.jpgActing on a Peace Now petition, Israel's Supreme Court demanded yesterday that the Israeli government submit a detailed timetable for razing 16 structures in two West Bank settlement outposts.

The structures were built in violation of Israeli law. Some of the land in these outposts is listed in Israeli-government documents as Palestinian-owned, private property. None of the land is owned by the squatters.

Violations of the West Bank settlement construction freeze have occurred in at least 34 settlements, a quarter of the total.  Below, see footage captured by Peace Now of stealth construction of foundations during the night in the settlement of Talmon.


APN and Peace Now Condemn Attacks on NIF

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APN New Logo 186x140.jpgWashington, DC - Israel's Peace Now movement and Americans for Peace Now strongly condemn the vicious attacks on the New Israel Fund, on its Chair, Naomi Chazan, and on the NIF's grantee organizations who are quoted in the United Nations' fact-finding mission's report on last year's Gaza war. 

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When speaking at APN's Yitzhak Rabin Luncheon, House Foreign Affairs Chair Howard Berman had this to say about APN: 

"I cannot overstate the role you have in forcing those of us in positions [of power] to be challenged [on] conventional assumptions about how to go forward."


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Berman to APN: Israel in Danger of Ceasing to be a Jewish Democracy; Praises APN's Commitment to Peace

Los Angeles, CA - House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman, Rep. Howard Berman today told a group of Americans for Peace Now activists and supporters in Los Angeles that if Israel maintains its rule over the West Bank and Gaza, it will either cease to be a democracy, or will cease to be Jewish.

Looking to Obama's Second Year

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In advance of the State of the Union address, APN asked President Barack Obama to recommit to pushing peace for Israel.

This followed blessings of hope prepared by Rabbi Neil Comess-Daniels on the anniversary of Obama's inauguration.

APN also recently called on President Obama to be prepared to play hardball with Israel, the Palestinians, and the Arab world.

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A year after the end of the Gaza War, Americans for Peace Now is reflecting on what Operation Cast Lead left behind.

We, Americans who believe that only through peace could Israel achieve true security, are grieving the victims of this war and of the hostilities that preceded it, on both sides of the Israel-Gaza border.

HebronMB.jpgYesterday, Israel's High Court of Justice held a hearing on a Peace Now petition calling for the removal of settlers who live in a military base in Hebron.

This is but the latest in a series of Peace Now legal actions that have compelled the Israeli government to stop -- and even to roll back -- settlement actions that violate Israeli law.

hard_tough2.gifAlpher answers questions on Egypt's decision to build an underground wall at the Rafah border, Israel's next steps in the Gilad Shalit negotiations, and Labor MK Ophir Pines-Paz's resignation from politics.


Settlers Demonstrate Against Settlement Freeze 186x140.jpgIsraeli extremists opposed to the settlement freeze have made threats deemed credible by the authorities on the life of Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak.  Also, the arrested Jewish terrorist Yaacov Teitel reportedly told Israeli investigators that he wanted to kill Peace Now Director General Yariv Oppenheimer.


E Jerusalem Construction Site 186x140.jpgSpecial analysis from Lara Friedman (Americans for Peace Now) and Danny Seidemann (Ir Amim).

Over the weekend the news broke in the Israeli press that the government of Israel had approved the issuance of new tenders for nearly 700 units in East Jerusalem settlements (377 in Neve Yaakov, 117 in Har Homa and 198 in Pisgat Ze'ev). 

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The Israeli government announced on November 25 that it was beginning a 10-month moratorium on new construction in West Bank settlements. 

Americans for Peace Now welcomed the Israeli government's announcement and joined the Obama Administration in hoping that this Israeli decision, backed by good faith, will be sufficient to catalyze new Israeli-Palestinian peace negotiations.

Settlement bw and Logo 320x265.JPGWashington, DC -- Americans for Peace Now (APN) today welcomed the Israeli government's announcement of a moratorium on most settlement construction and joined the Obama Administration in hoping that this Israeli decision, backed by good faith, will be sufficient to catalyze new Israeli-Palestinian peace negotiations. Such negotiations are the only real path for resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
 

Why Peace Now? An Appeal by A.B. Yehoshua

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The renowned Israeli author and a founder of Peace Now is one of the most moral voices in Israeli society.

"Israel is capable of doing miraculous things, heroic things. I've seen them happen throughout my life. Surely a country that can do countless heroic things can find a way to peace."


Peace Now Ad - Bulldozer3 186x140.jpgEhud Barak on November 10, 2009: "We will not leave a single stone unturned in the effort to return to negotiations"

Small Text in Picture: "Construction in the settlement of Kiryat Arba (Hebron), October 2009"


Leave No Stone Unturned

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Small Text in Picture: "Construction in the settlement of Kiryat Arba (Hebron), October 2009"

The Israeli Peace Now movement today published an ad in the print edition of the Haaretz newspaper taking to task Israeli Defense Minister for his failure to stop settlement construction despite his pro-peace rhetoric.
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Special analysis from Lara Friedman (Americans for Peace Now) and Danny Seidemann (Ir Amim).


Yesterday Special Envoy Mitchell met with Israeli chief negotiator Yitzhak Molcho in London.

Short History of Israeli Right Wing Terrorism

YaakovTeitel 186x140.jpgYaakov (Jack) Teitel (pictured in Israeli custody) is not the first and probably not the last Israeli terrorist to target Palestinians or Israeli supporters of peace.

Furthermore, many of these Jewish terrorists came from the ranks of the West Bank settlers.

Read on for a partial list of Israeli groups and individuals who took violent action to sabotage peace.


Standing up for Jerusalem

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Boy Yelling Sheik Jarrah 320x265.jpgThe settler take-over of a home in the midst of a Palestinian neighborhood of East Jerusalem on Tuesday did not go unanswered. Last night the Israeli Peace Now movement mobilized over a hundred demonstrators to protest at the site.


MK Settlement Tour 186x140.jpgPeace Now is generating pressure on Israel's government to make real progress towards peace. That pressure is clearly being felt by Labor leader Ehud Barak, who is slowly losing control of his party.

(MK Daniel Ben-Simon, pictured in the middle, resigned as Labor Party Whip in protest shortly after participating in this Peace Now settlements tour)

A Lesson from the Rabin Assassination

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Rabin with flag 320x265.jpgAmerican baby-boomers will always remember where they were when President Kennedy was assassinated.

Israelis, who today are marking the 14th anniversary of Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin's assassination, will always remember where they were when Rabin was murdered by an Israeli religious-nationalist Jew, determined to undermine the peace efforts of Rabin's government.


APN Salutes J Street Conference

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Hagit Podium J Street 09 186x140.jpgAPN congratulated J Street this week for its successful First National Conference.

APN was a participating organization for the conference and presented a session: "West Bank Settlements: Obstacles on the Road to Peace - A View From the Ground and From the Diplomatic Arena"

The attendance was standing-room-only to hear the panel which included Hagit Ofran, Peace Now Settlement Watch Director (pictured).
Breaking_News_2_320x265.jpgWashington D.C. APN's Board of Directors met here today and unanimously agreed to urge Israel's government to launch its own independent investigation of alleged violations of human rights and international law that may have taken place in the context of the Gaza war, including those documented in the United Nations Human Rights Council report on last winter's Gaza conflict,known as the "Goldstone Report."


abbasvote3.jpgPalestinian President Mahmoud Abbas set January 24, 2010 as the date for new elections for both the presidency and the legislature of the Palestinian Authority.

Monday's Middle East Peace Report took a look at recent polls of the Palestinian public.
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Recently, a gunman killed two young people at a Tel Aviv gay and lesbian center; a settler attacked Peace Now activists; Militants tried to assassinate Peace Now supporter Professor Zeev Sternhell.  Unfortunately, the list could go on.

APN's Ori Nir relates the increasing brutalization of Israeli society to incidents he witnessed while covering the West Bank as a reporter twenty years ago.

APN Map Graphic2 186x140.jpgGo HERE to see the APN-produced flyer with a map of the West Bank detailing:
 
  • Israeli and Palestinian areas
  • Settlements and outposts
  • Constructed and planned barrier route
Yariv - Hagit - Akiva 320x265.jpgUpcoming APN events in New York, Washington, D.C., Los Angeles, and the S.F. Bay Area will feature:

Yariv Oppenheimer, Shalom Achshav (Peace Now, Israel) General Director (right)

Hagit Ofran, Shalom Achshav Settlement Watch Director (top left)

Akiva Eldar, Ha'aretz Chief Political Columnist (bottom left)

Yossi Alpher 186x140.jpgAlpher responds to questions on the ramifications of a continuing US military presence in Afghanistan, the recent unrest in Jerusalem, and Abbas' decision not to demand UN action on the Goldstone report.

Nobel Committee Chairman with Picture of President Obama 186x140.jpgWashington, D.C - Americans for Peace Now (APN) today congratulated President Barack Obama for winning the Nobel Peace Prize and urged him to keep pushing for Middle East peace, viewing the prize as an international expression of confidence in his policy of engagement, negotiations and multilateralism, particularly in the Middle East.

Picture: Chairman of the Nobel Peace Prize committee Thorbjorn Jagland holds a picture of President Obama.
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by Tovah Lazaroff , THE JERUSALEM POST

Peace Now charged Monday that settlers had accelerated the pace of construction and started work on more than 800 new homes in the last three months to thwart US demands that they stop building.

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CONTACT: Ori Nir (202) 408-9898

Washington, D.C - Americans for Peace Now (APN) today expressed alarm at the spiraling violence in Jerusalem and urged the Obama administration to take immediate action to help stop the deterioration.

"Recent history teaches us that clashes in Jerusalem have a tendency to ripple throughout the region..."

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Born and raised in Jerusalem, Ori Nir is the spokesman for Americans for Peace Now.  Previously, Ori worked for Haaretz Daily, Israel's leading newspaper, where he covered Palestinian affairs and Israel's Arab minority.  He also served as Washington bureau chief for Ha'aretz and the Forward, America's largest and most influential independent national Jewish weekly newspaper.

Gilad Shalit Video Released

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Gilad Shalit2 from Video 9-24-09 186x140.jpgA video from September 14th of the captured Israeli St.-Srg. Gilad Shalit, held in Hamas captivity for more than 3 years, was released to the public following a deal which included Israel's release of 20 Palestinian female prisoners.  WATCH THE VIDEO that has raised hopes he can and will be freed from captivity.

Thumbnail image for Hillary Clinton & George Mitchell 186x140.jpgVolume 11, Issue 3

Talks to Renew; Jerusalem Tensions; Hamas Outflanked by Gaza Violence; Palestinians Increasingly Moderate on Final Status Issues; New Unit to Combat Settler Violence; On the Road to Normalization; Engaging Iran, Backing Obama...

Obama at G20 on Iran 9-09 320x265.jpgWashington, D.C - Americans for Peace Now (APN) praised President Obama's comments regarding Iran's construction of a covert uranium enrichment facility near the city of Qum.
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"Peace Now claims that the entire outpost is built on private Palestinian land"

JPost.com Staff , THE JERUSALEM POST

Touring the Netiv Ha'avot outpost in Gush Etzion along with other members of the Knesset's Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee on Wednesday, MK Yuli Tamir (Labor) confronted the settlers and reprimanded them for what she said was their illegal presence at the site.



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A Three-Way Summit; Call My Bluff; Hoping for a Diplomatic Solution; Peres and the Russian Deal; Checkpoint Removal; Unfriendly Fire


Vol. 11, Issue 2

A Three-Way Summit: President Barack Obama will host Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas for a summit meeting tomorrow night in New York.
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Key lawyer working on behalf of Peace Now named one of the "Israelis of the year"

by Dan Izenberg , THE JERUSALEM POST

On a recent roots trip to Poland, from where his parents immigrated in 1968, Michael Sfard found a lithograph which summed up in one picture what his professional life as a human rights lawyer is all about.

May This Be A Year Of Emerging Peace

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On Friday night, September 18, Jews around the world began celebrating Rosh Hashanah, the start of the Jewish New Year.

Americans for Peace Now hopes that the new year will be a sweet one.

May it be a year of emerging peace.

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Volume 11, Issue 1

When Will Israeli-Palestinian Talks Renew?; The Fierce Urgency of Peace; Settler Campaign Falls Flat; Who is a Sucker?; What to Make of the Iranian Proposal?; Did Netanyahu Agree to Withdraw from the Golan Heights?

Alpher responds to question on where the broader Obama plan for the Middle East stands, and the level of unrest anticipated if West Bank Settlers are evacuated.

Engaging Iran, Promoting Peace

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Iranmap(med).jpgFor those who believe in Mideast peace, Iran remains an issue of central importance, and our policy on Iran represents the only effective approach for dealing with Iran - one that looks soberly at the current situation and offers the most pragmatic, constructive, and effective way forward.

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Alpher responds to a question on PM Netanyahu’s decision to sanction more settlement construction and his capacity to manage a peace process, and on the substance of Arab CBM’s (Confidence Building Measures) towards Israel.

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JERUSALEM (JTA) -- Hundreds of activists attended a symbolic groundbreaking ceremony for a new neighborhood connecting the West Bank city of Maaleh Adumim with Jerusalem.

A government minister from each of the Likud, Yisrael Beiteinu and Habayit Hayehudi parties attended Monday's ceremony in the controversial E-1 area, the Jerusalem Post reported.


BibiObama3.jpgAides to Binyamin Netanyahu told the media on September 3rd that the Israeli prime minister will approve building hundreds of new homes in West Bank settlements before he considers a settlement freeze. Early the next day, the White House issued a stern message telling Bibi that he cannot have the cake and eat it too.

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The founder of APN, professor of history at Queens College and its Director of the Jewish Studies Program, penned a letter for the upcoming Jewish New Year about redicating ourselves to the cause of APN, which begins:

All of us who believe in Israel and in peace wonder sometimes if enough progress is being made toward our goals. There has been progress, and friends of Americans for Peace Now can take a lot of the credit.

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by Hagit Ofran, Peace Now Settlement Watch Director

Posted: August 26, 2009 04:00 PM

Following the meeting between US Senator Mitchell and Israeli PM Netanyahu, it seems that Israel and the US are getting close to some kind of agreement or understanding about a settlement freeze.

A settlement freeze is one of the key factors in order to enable a resumption of peace talks.

Unfortunately, I doubt I have to begin to look for another job. Settlement activity will always be one of the most important issues on the political agenda of our region.

APN mourns Senator Kennedy

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Americans for Peace Now today mourns the passing of a Senator Edward Kennedy, a long-time advocate of peace for Israel.

As far back as 1989, in a letter to APN, Senator Kennedy articulated a position that still rings true today:

ARTICLES from Ha'aretz, Jerusalem Post, AP, and Ynet appear below viedoes

VIDEOS

Yariv Oppenheimer on IBA News - 8-24-09 186x140.jpgTwo videos embedded from Israel News (in English) about settlement construction, featuring Peace Now's Yariv Oppenheimer (pictured left), and Idan Goldberger.

Pisgat Ze'ev Tenders Map 320x265.jpgIs something new happening in the East Jerusalem settlement of Pisgat Ze'ev?

Yes. According to a report in yesterday's Hebrew-language business daily "The Marker", the Israel Lands Authority has decided to accept "appeals" by contractors relating to the failed Pisgat Ze'ev tenders, and award contracts for the construction of at least 450 new units.  An image of the article from the print version of The Marker (Hebrew-only) can be viewed/downloaded here.

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In the face of verbal and physical attacks,
I stand with Peace Now.



Christians United for Israel?

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Last month, members of the largest pro-Israel lobbying organization in the country gathered in Washington, DC. And no, I'm not talking about AIPAC. 4,000 evangelical Christians participated in Christians United for Israel's (CUFI) 4th annual Washington Summit on July 20-22, hearing from speakers such as Sen. Joseph Lieberman (I-CT) and Congressman Eric Cantor (R-VA), and spending a day lobbying on Capitol Hill.

 
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The Israeli security expert answers questions about the outcome of Fateh's Sixth General Conference and Egyptian President Mubarak's trip to Washington
 
Hard Questions, Tough Answers -- an APN exclusive -- is published weekly and accessed in the Publications items on the homepage or at http://peacenow.org/issue-briefs.
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Like many people I know, I spent a lot of time wrestling with how to react to the recent New York Times op-ed by Rob Malley (who I know well and admire tremendously) and Hussein Agha, entitled "The Two-State Solution Doesn't Solve Anything."  Fundamentally, while I respect the sincerity of their analysis, I think they got it wrong.  Here's why:


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As has been widely reported, 71 Senators signed onto the AIPAC-backed Bayh-Risch letter. APN had serious concerns about the letter, and we urged members to refuse to sign it until/unless it was first amended.  We are pleased that apparently many senators shared our concerns, forcing the letter's backers to hold the letter open 5 days longer than originally intended and requiring them to exert tremendous efforts, and expend a great deal of political capital, to achieve this number of signers.

Middle East Peace Report

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August 10, 2009- Vol. 10, Issue 45


News and analysis from the Israeli and Arab press that goes beyond the American headlines:

THE FIRST IN MANY YEARS: Palestinian delegates traveled to Bethlehem from around the Arab world last week to participate in Fatah's 6th conference, the first held in 20 years, and the first ever held on Palestinian soil.

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The leaked cable that Israel's Consul General in Boston, Nadav Tamir, sent to his superiors in Jerusalem last week is still reverberating in Israel and the U.S.In the confidential cable, which was leaked to the Israeli media, Tamir harshly criticized the Israeli government for escalating its disagreements with Washington's regional peace initiative.

Solidarity_Rally1.jpgIsrael’s Peace Now movement and Americans for Peace Now express solidarity with the gay and lesbian community in Israel, following the attack on the gay youth center in Tel Aviv, and strongly reject the intensifying violence and intolerance within Israeli society.

2009-08-05-ForeignMinisterNasserJudeh_186.jpgJordan's Foreign Minister Nasser Judeh tells APN that he supports "sequential, reciprocal, concurent" measures to be taken by Israel and the Arab world in support of credible negotiations of a regional peace deal, but comments that no "unilateral action" should be taken, which might undermine peace efforts.
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On August 4, the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) published a full page ad in the New York Times challenging President Barack Obama's approach to bringing peace to Israel.

The ad urged the Obama administration to stop pressuring Israel over settlements. "The settlements are not the impediment," it claimed.


Freezing for peace - VIDEO

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(link to video in youtube is below)

Peace Now activists in Israel have gone to the street to remind Israelis that settlements are a burden to Israelis. They have been handing out yellow Post-It notes that say "Not just Obama's problem. Not just the world's problem. The settlements are our problem."

New PeaceNow.org

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Combines Dynamic Content, Cutting Edge Technology

Washington, D.C - Americans for Peace Now (APN) today unveiled its new Web site, PeaceNow.org, designed as the most effective place on the Web for information, discussion and action on peace for Israel.

East Jerusalem Map.jpgThe background and details on the current controversy of a new settlement housing project green-lighted in East Jerusalem.

APN Meets with President Obama

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APN President and CEO Debra DeLee met this afternoon with President Barack Obama. She was part of a small group of Jewish leaders who were invited to the White House.

Immediately following the meeting, DeLee said "President Obama and his team are doing all the right things to generate progress towards peace for Israel. We will continue to support these efforts."

Hummus or Hamas?

YA-Br2.jpgIf you haven't already, you must see this video of our very own Yossi Alpher (APN's guest author of Hard Questions/Tough Answers) and Ghassan Khatib sitting down for an interview with international superstar Sacha Baron Cohen, whose new movie "Bruno" debuts today in theaters worldwide...

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When even Jimmy Carter says Gush Etzion should remain in Israeli hands, there's no need anymore to discuss whether we're going to hold onto the large settlement blocs, including the "new" neighborhoods of Jerusalem, in any final peace agreement.

 This is territory we've insisted on in the "land swaps" we've been negotiating with the Palestinians since Camp David. They accept the principle of land swaps across the Green Line, the Israeli peace camp insists on it, the Clinton and Bush

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Some stunning footage just became available of a settler attacking a team of Peace Now activists who were surveying West Bank settlement construction.

The assault took place at the settlement of Dolev. The incident was captured on video and reported by Israel's Channel 2 Television, whose news team was documenting Peace Now's work, and was also assaulted.

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The new resolution that the Union of Reform Judaism that was just adopted by the URJ's Board of Trustees meeting in New Orleans shows just how supportive most American Jews are of President Obama's push for Mideast peace.

It is significant that the organization representing the largest Jewish denomination in the U.S. comes out with such language on Obama's regional policy, on his Cairo speech, on settlements and on settler violence.

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(This blog was authored by APN Intern Elizabeth Goldstein)

The Jerusalem Media & Communications Centre conducted two polls this year of Palestinians: one in late January, one in late June. The surveys indicate that in general Palestinians seem to feel better about their leaders and the U.S. role now than earlier in the year. At the same time, indifference and distrust for all politicians is prominent when it comes to local politics, U.S. relations, and relations with Israel.

Earlier today we published our latest edition of Settlements in Focus, "Top 5 Bogus Excuses for Opposing a Settlement Freeze." The response has been tremendous -- clearly, many many people are sick of spin and want real facts.

This response is very encouraging.  Also encouraging is the experience of the past two weeks, during which I brought Hagit Ofran - the head of Peace Now's Settlement Watch and the foremost expert on West Bank settlements - and Danny Seidemann of Ir Amim - the foremost expert on everything related to Jerusalem land and settlement issues - to meeting on Capitol Hill and in the Obama Administration.  From these meetings - more than 30 on the Hill and with Administration officials - it was clear: this Administration is absolutely serious about Israeli-Palestinian peace.  And this Administration is resolute in its demand for a total settlement freeze.  And Democrats in Congress are firmly behind President Obama.

So that's another very encouraging sign.

And here's one more: today's op-ed in the Wall Street Journal by Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak.  It's a powerful statement, expressing hope for and commitment to Israeli-Arab peace, and making clear that if Israel takes serious steps toward peace (perhaps a settlement freeze?) the Arab world stands ready to reciprocate.   It is just one more encouraging sign of the times.

Israel's Chief Justice lashes out over outposts

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Israel's High Court Chief Justice Dorit Beinisch lashed out at the Israeli government for failing to take action against illegal settlement construction.

"For years, we have been hearing from you about demolition orders that the authorities issue," Chief Justice Beinisch scolded the government lawyer. "But each time, nothing happens. You keep saying the law must be observed, and this is obvious. But, then, it is your duty to honor what you say."

People for Peace

Shalom Achshav

APN's direct connection to Israel