--Rogel Alpher writes in Haaretz+ about the possibility that FIFA suspends Israel from international soccer due to its settlement soccer clubs.*
Jewish Journal: September 12
“Governor Brown
should veto flawed BDS law”
By Steve Kaplan and Sandy Weiner, APN Board of Directors
J Weekly: September 15
“American
Jewish progressives must act to defend their values in Israel”
By Ori Nir, APN’s Director of Communications and Public Engagement
Times of Israel: September 12
“Bibi, Settlements, and the
‘Ethnic Cleansing’ Canard”
By Lara Friedman, APN’s Director of Policy and Government Relations
United Press International (UPI): September 16
“Israeli
settlements in West Bank up 41 percent,” Peace Now criticizes increased construction in West Bank settlements.
Newsweek: September 15
“Israel
increases settlement starts by 40% in first half of 2016,” Peace Now cites official figures that show the
largest increase in settlement construction since January 2014.
Jerusalem Post: September 15
“West
Bank settler housing starts up 17% in 2016,” Peace Now says Netanyahu’s government’s investment in settlements
is leading Israel toward a one-state reality.
Middle East Monitor: September 14
“Peace Now:
Israeli settlement construction up 40%,” highlights Peace Now’s statements regarding the recent data released
by the Israeli Central Bureau of Statistics (ICBS).
It is no secret that nowadays many Israelis have lost hope in the possibility of ever reaching a resolution to the conflict with their Palestinian neighbors and have adopted a fatalistic attitude. Many in Israel do not understand why the EU, among others, keeps pushing for something that appears to them to be unattainable.
We in the EU have no illusions that attaining peace between Israel and the Palestinians is an easy task. But we certainly do not think that it is an impossible task either. Indeed, compared to other conflicts in the region—from Syria to Libya—we believe that it is actually among the more resolvable conflicts. Moreover, there are very good reasons to encourage both Israel and the Palestinians to take confidence building steps, even small ones, that would gradually pave the way back to a credible peace process.
Barbara Green has been a volunteer for Americans for Peace Now for many years. She lives in Washington, DC.
This is an awkward time of the year for some secular Jews like me. We know it’s a time of renewal and perhaps even symbolic rebirth, but what does that mean if you don’t really think the supreme ruler is sitting in judgment and deciding your fate for the coming year? Well, it could mean a lot of things. For me it’s a time to take stock: to look back on the past year and own up to things done which shouldn’t have been, or not done which should have been, and everything in between. What could I do to put those things to right? And what do I hope to change in the coming year? A small aspiration of mine is the intention in the coming year to dial back my propensity for righteous indignation. Hardly a day passes when I’m not upset – if not downright angry – about events in the world but I’m learning that indignation no matter how righteous sometimes may be counter-productive.
Maimonides teaches the blowing of the shofar is intended to waken us from our mindless slumber, our symbolic sleep which allows us to turn away from blatant injustice. He admonishes us to “….look to our souls and better our ways and actions.” For me this means doubling down on my efforts to pursue an end to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the establishment of a Palestinian state. We Jews weren’t meant to be occupiers. Forty-nine years of holding another people under occupation is more than enough. Israeli security professionals have weighed in on this issue and concluded that the occupation does not provide security. It is a national security liability. The occupation is hurting not only Palestinians but Israelis as well – not equally but significantly.
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