Washington, DC – Americans for Peace Now (APN) strongly condemns today’s terrorist attacks in Tel Aviv and the West Bank.  Coming in the context of the extremely volatile situation in Jerusalem and this past weekend’s controversial killing of a Palestinian citizen of Israel by Israeli police, these attacks signal a potentially dangerous expansion and escalation of tensions and violence. 

For the sake of Israelis – both Jewish and Palestinian – and for Palestinians in the West Bank, Gaza, and East Jerusalem, a further descent into violence and conflict must be prevented.   This escalating crisis – between Israel and the Palestinians and within Israeli society itself – once again sends a resounding message to Israelis and Palestinians, and their respective leaders: allowing the Israeli-Palestinian conflict to fester, while occupation deepens and all hope for a political horizon via a negotiated solution are destroyed, will only result in more pain and suffering for Israelis and Palestinians alike.

In an event sponsored by J Street U, Ori Nir (Director of Communications and Public Engagement, APN) and Ghaith al-Omari (Executive Director, American Task Force on Palestine) spoke at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, MD on Friday, November 7, 2014. See below for more pictures and quotes from the event.

...Keep the status quo

By tradition, the binding of Isaac – the Akedah – which occurs in this week’s Torah portion, is held to have taken place on the site known today as the Temple Mount. During the last few days, as tensions in Jerusalem reached new heights over the Temple Mount, I have been reading the portion and thinking about the meaning the Temple Mount has for Jews – and about how sad it is that, rather than respecting it as a place of peace, sacred to both Muslims and Jews, extremists on both sides choose this site to fan the flames of holy war.

Despite the Republican win, U.S. policy on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict over the next two years depends first and foremost on President Obama, not Congress. But will he finally stand up to Netanyahu?

Tuesday's election delivered the Senate into Republican hands and gave them the largest House majority in 80 years. What impact will this election have on America’s policy vis-à-vis Israel and the quest for Israeli-Palestinian peace?

Sun Sentinel (Florida) - October 21, 2014
Rabbi Bruce Warshal op-ed: I still contribute to Americans for Peace Now (APN)
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/florida-jewish-journal/opinion/fl-jjps-warshal-1022-20141021-story.html#page=1

San Diego Jewish World - October 22, 2014
APN press release (in its entirety): APN condemns Jerusalem terrorist attack
http://www.sdjewishworld.com/2014/10/22/palestinian-kills-baby-injures-7-bus-stop/

Jerusalem Post - October 13, 2014
Peace Now's Anat Ben-Nun: Don't blame Peace Now for destructive Israeli government policies in East Jerusalem!
http://www.jpost.com/Opinion/Bad-policies-in-east-Jerusalem-378802

Jerusalem Post (blog)  - October 5, 2014
Blogger and Evangelical broadcaster Earl Cox criticizes Peace Now's policies
http://www.jpost.com/Blogs/Israel-Uncensored/Ultra-left-Liberal-Peace-Now-Obama-and-Livni-Adding-to-Israels-Woes-378109

LA Jewish Journal (Rosner's blog) - October 6, 2014
Shmuel Rosner criticizes both Netanyahu and Peace Now for conduct re Givat Hamatos incident
http://www.jewishjournal.com/rosnersdomain/item/bibi_vs._peace_now_a_potentially_dangerous_moment

JP Updates (blog) - October 6, 2014
Blogger Shai Franklin criticizes Netanyahu for lashing out at Peace Now
http://jpupdates.com/2014/10/06/op-ed-bibis-visit-soothes-demographic/

The Jewish Chronicle (UK) - October 7, 2014
Conflict with Netanyahu "catapults Peace Now to center stage"
http://www.thejc.com/news/world-news/123921/peace-now-spoils-bibis-us-party

On Thursday, December 4 at 7:30 p.m. at Valley Beth Shalom in Encino, CA, APN will sponsor the 4th Annual event to honor the leadership of Jerry Bubis. "Getting Real About Jerusalem" will feature Danny Seidemann, Israeli attorney and foremost expert on geopolitical Jerusalem.

Last week, the Israeli online magazine +972 reported that Maj. Gen. (ret.) Amos Yadlin, the former head of military intelligence and the current director of the Institute for National Security Studies, and Nobel laureate Elie Wiesel, signed onto an ad congratulating settlers for taking over some 7 buildings (with more than 20 apartments) in East Jerusalem, in the Palestinian neighborhood of Silwan, which the settlers call the City of David/Ir David.  The ad read:

On the eve of Sukkot, we are happy to congratulate the dozens of new families that are joining the Jewish settlement of Ir David these days.  We salute the Zionist work of those who take part in this mission. Strengthening Jewish presence in Jerusalem is the challenge for all of us, and by your act of settlement you make us all stand taller. Together, we will welcome the pilgrims who are visiting on the holiday. We appreciate and endear you.

Yadlin and his co-signers are, in effect, endorsing the sacrifice of Israel’s future at the altar of Elad.  This is the right-wing organization that for decades has been the engine behind settlement in Silwan—an enterprise that has historically been and continues to be especially problematic politically, morally, and legally.  While recently Elad has endeavored to transform itself into a “mainstream” organization associated with cultural and touristic activities, its raison d’etre has not changed: to create facts on the ground that prevent a two-state solution and to establish an exclusionary, Jewish/Israeli hegemony in the heart of Palestinian East Jerusalem.

Shemini Atzeret -"the Eighth [day] of Assembly"- is celebrated beginning Wednesday night, October 8th. Outside of Israel, a second day is celebrated which is referred to as Simchat Torah ("the Rejoicing of the Torah"). In Israel, the holidays of Shemini Atzeret and Simchat Torah are combined into one and either name can be used to refer to the holiday.

Shemini Atzeret immediately follows the holiday of Sukkot.  The special celebrations for this holiday are the beginning of the prayers for rain, and the celebration of the completion of the yearly reading of the Torah Scroll, and returning it back to its beginning to start again during Simchat Torah.

Some commentaries focus on the meaning of the name "Atzeret," meaning "to gather" or "store up." He suggests that the sentiments that we have expressed throughout the entire fall holiday season - repentance, reconciliation, renewal - should be gathered up and stored within us for the following year. We hope that as we turn back to the beginning once again, we will store up all the hopes, all the strength that we have, and turn it into our work for the coming year. This year, may we have gathered enough strength to work for peace - and achieve it.

Beginning Wednesday night, October 8th, the Jewish holiday of Sukkot begins. During the week-long holiday, Jews build a special kind of home to dwell in for the week, called a sukkah. The sukkah is a deliberately temporary house, which can have no more than one permanent wall, and whose roof must be open to the sky, covered only partially by natural materials such as branches. Over the course of the week, the Sukkah is supposed to be one’s home: to eat meals in, to celebrate, and even to sleep in.

Our Israeli sister organization, Peace  Now,  broke the news that on the eve of Rosh Hashana, when the Netanyahu government hoped that nobody was paying attention it went ahead with final approval of a plan for construction of a new settlement in East Jerusalem –2,610 housing units in Givat Hamatos.

Beginning this Friday evening and continuing through Saturday night, the holiday of Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, will be observed by Jews throughout the world.  This year, on Rosh Hashana, ethicist Michael Walzer reminded us that throughout the season leading up to Yom Kippur, Jews engage in the accounting of one's soul -cheshbon nefesh: we examine our behavior, taking an honest measure of ourselves in the year that has passed.  This self-reflection reaches its pinnacle on Yom Kippur.

On the second day of Rosh Hashana, we read the Torah portion in which Abraham brings his son Isaac up to Mount Moriah to sacrifice him. This story is part of cycle of readings that begins on the first day of Rosh Hashana with the story of Hagar and Ishmael being cast out into the desert. Many commentaries note that the two readings are connected - that the (near-) sacrifice of Isaac is a measure for measure punishment of Sarah and Abraham for their treatment of Hagar and Ishmael - a "see how you feel" moment, as it were.