Today, the Israeli Central Bureau of Statistics released their summary of construction in 2013. The increase in
construction starts confirms what Peace Now has been reporting throughout 2013, massive increases in construction
in the West Bank. Overall, there was a 123% increase in construction starts in 2013.
The CBS reports that in 2013 construction began on 2,534 housing units. Compared to 2012, which had 1,133 units
that began construction. Furthermore, approximately half of the units (1,161) which began construction were
for public buildings. In 2012 there were only 113 units for public buildings that began construction.
Peace Now: "It's official, the Netanyahu government is committed to only one thing: building
settlements. It shows the lack of commitment to negotiations and other issues like the housing shortage inside
Israel. The state has focused its resources on construction beyond the green line."
To view the CBS report click here
--Amira Hass investigated the killing of Muatazz Washaha, 24, and found that a young man who didn't show up for a police summons was shot dead at point-blank range in his house and that the Israeli media covered for the killing.**
--Yoel Marcus writes in Haaretz+ that Israelis must focus on how to live in peace with the Palestinians and divide what was once Palestine.**
A powerful debate between APN's Lara Friedman and Rabbi Daniel Gordis in the New York Times.
Introduction
Israel’s expansion of settlements in the occupied territories has been an obstacle to the two-state solution, considered the most likely hope for peace with the Palestinians.
LA Jewish Journal - February 26, 2014
APN Board Member Sandy Weiner and Steve Kaplan: Boycotting Settlements is the way to fight
BDS
http://www.jewishjournal.com/opinion/article/a_victory_against_anti_israel_bds
Oberlin Review (campus newspaper) - February 24, 2014
Interview with APN's Lara Friedman
http://oberlinreview.org/4947/news/off-the-cuff-lara-friedman-former-foreign-service-officer-and-director-of-policy-and-government-relations-with-americans-for-peace-now/
Arutz 7 - February 25, 2014
Peace Now's Yariv Oppenheimer warns: There are more potential Baruch Goldsteins in the
settlements
http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/Flash.aspx/287956#.UwzaWPldW5I
Arutz 7 - February 25, 2014
Peace Now opposes taxpayer funding for extreme right non-profits
http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/177851#.UwzbKPldW5I
Update: this action, now closed, ran in March 2014.
When President Obama meets Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu in the White House on Monday, their conversation will
no doubt focus on two issues that are central to the Obama Administration’s foreign policy agenda: Iran and
Israeli-Palestinian peace efforts.
Tell President
Obama that you are a part of his constituency for peace. Make sure he knows that Americans who care about Israel
have his back.
Uncertainty Dampens Growth on Both Sides of Green Line
By Nathan Jeffay
The latest coalition of Israelis and Palestinians hoping to affect the settlement of the conflict is not your usual bunch of peace activists. They are wealthy businesspeople who work in a broad range of sectors, from construction to high-tech. They don’t need to struggle to be heard in the halls of power — they already have the ears of everyone from Israel’s prime minister to the leaders of Hamas.
--Percentage of Hebrew-speaking Israelis likely to support a regional peace agreement.
-- Ezies Elias Shehadeh, an Israeli-Arab tourism teacher at a Jewish high school, on being separated from her students and strip-searched at Eilat airport on the way back from a school trip.*
Israelis and supporters of Israel are increasingly concerned about international pressure — and with good reason. There was last year’s directive from the European Union, which threatened important Israel-EU cooperation; the recent uproar about SodaStream, which brought Israel unflattering media attention; and the almost daily news of some European country singling out an Israeli company for negative treatment.
Are these victories for the global BDS movement — the movement calling on people and nations to boycott, divest from and sanction Israel? Absolutely not.