--Percentage of the Israeli public that believes that Isarel did not win the war, according to a Maariv poll.**
Washington, DC – Americans for Peace Now (APN) today issued the following statement:
APN welcomes the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas that was implemented yesterday. We hope fervently that this ceasefire holds, sparing both Israelis and Palestinians in the Gaza Strip further terror and bloodshed. We know, however, that unless the underlying causes of this conflict are addressed, this ceasefire will be nothing more than a prelude to the next round of fighting and misery.
Haim Oron, former leader of the left-wing Meretz party, fears that continued control of the territories will spell the end of Zionism, but isn't yet ready to give up hope.
On a recent Saturday, former leader of the left-wing Meretz party Haim Oron and his wife, Nili, spent hours at Sheba Medical Center, in Ramat Gan. They sat by the bedside of their grandson, Adi Zimri, from an elite unit of the Engineering Corps, who was seriously wounded in the fighting in the Gaza Strip. Hit in the leg by a rocket-propelled grenade while searching for Hamas tunnels, he saved his own life by applying an arterial tourniquet to staunch the blood.
Recommended Readings on the Israel-Gaza Crisis - from other sources.
Today's News Nosh - Special Section: The Israel-Gaza Crisis
From the Archives: Below is background reading from previous rounds of Gaza-Israel fighting:
APN Publications
News Nosh Special Section: The
Israel-Gaza Crisis
During this exciting time, News Nosh, our free, daily news roundup, will cover the latest news and analysis. Click
HERE to get the News Nosh email delivered to
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Most Recent:
APN Publications on The Gaza-Israel Crisis
Today's News Nosh - Special Section: The Gaza Crisis
From the Archives: Below is background reading from previous rounds of Gaza-Israel fighting:
News Nosh Special Section: The
Israel-Gaza Crisis
During this exciting time, News Nosh, our free, daily news roundup, will cover the latest news and analysis. Click
HERE to get the News Nosh email delivered to
you.
Haaretz - August 19, 2014
Seth Lipsky reflects on life of Leonard Fein
http://www.haaretz.com/opinion/.premium-1.611380
Al-Arabiya - August 16, 2014
Thousands Gather at Pro-Peace Demonstration organized by Peace Now
http://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2014/08/17/Thousands-of-pro-peace-Israelis-stage-demo-.html
+972 Blog - August 16, 2014
Thousands Gather at Pro-Peace Demonstration organized by Peace Now
http://972mag.com/10000-protest-in-tel-aviv-for-a-just-peace-end-to-occupation/95569/
JTA - August 17, 2014
Thousands Gather at Pro-Peace Demonstration organized by Peace Now
http://www.jta.org/2014/08/17/news-opinion/israel-middle-east/thousands-of-pro-peace-demonstrators-gather-in-tel-aviv
JWeekly.com - August 21, 2014
Demonstration organized by Peace Now calls for peace with Palestinians
http://www.jweekly.com/article/full/72426/tel-aviv-protest-calls-for-peace-with-palestinians/
We know that pro-Israel does not mean blindly supporting policies that are irrational, reckless, and counter-productive. Pro-Israel means supporting policies that are consistent with Israel's interests and promote its survival as a Jewish, democratic state.
You've heard the arguments of the religious and political right-wing, and so have we. They've had their say. Now, we'll have ours.
Go HERE for all installments of APN's "They Say, We Say"
The answer to Hamas terrorism is Israel’s blockade of Gaza, which is the only thing preventing Hamas from getting even more – and more powerful – weapons. And when Hamas attacks, Israel has no choice but to respond with force. Eventually, Israel can and will defeat Hamas and force them out of Gaza. In the meantime, it is Hamas, not Israel, that bears full responsibility for the plight of civilians in Gaza. And don’t forget that many of these same civilians voted for Hamas and actively aid them in their terrorist activities.
The successive rounds of Hamas-Israel fighting that have followed Israel’s unilateral “disengagement” from the Gaza Strip and Hamas’ subsequent takeover of the area, have made a number of things very clear, including the fact that neither blockades nor overwhelming military force have defeated Hamas, nor can they prevent Hamas from arming itself and attacking Israel, if it is motivated to do so. To deny these facts is to deny reality. These rounds of fighting also put into the spotlight some other important truths, not only about Gaza/Hamas, but about this conflict in general:
We know that pro-Israel does not mean blindly supporting policies that are irrational, reckless, and counter-productive. Pro-Israel means supporting policies that are consistent with Israel's interests and promote its survival as a Jewish, democratic state.
You've heard the arguments of the religious and political right-wing, and so have we. They've had their say. Now, we'll have ours.
Go HERE for all installments of APN's "They Say, We Say"
Why does the Left criticize Israel for its policies and actions on Gaza? For years, Hamas has terrorized Israelis with rocket attacks from Gaza. Israel has a right to self-defense that nobody can deny.
We have consistently and unequivocally condemned attacks on Israeli civilians by Gaza-based Palestinian terrorists and supported Israel's right to defend itself in the face of such attacks. Israel has a right to self-defense and an obligation to protect its citizens from attack. This right and obligation, however, poses tremendous challenges for Israel, as demonstrated in each round of Israeli military operations against Gaza.
First, as past efforts have clearly demonstrated, Israeli military action can at best achieve short-term tactical gains in Gaza. What it cannot achieve is the destruction of Hamas, the total removal of the threat of rockets from Gaza in the future, or a resolution to what is fundamentally a political challenge, the future of the Gaza Strip – a challenge that can only be resolved through a negotiated solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Second, Israeli military action in Gaza, no matter how carefully targeted, inevitably leads to large numbers of casualties among innocent Palestinian civilians, including children, and massive destruction of homes and civilian infrastructure in one of the most densely populated places in the world. Israeli statements assigning all blame to Hamas cannot prevent images of death and destruction in Gaza from being disseminated to the entire world, stoking concern and even outrage, both among anti-Israel forces and among those who are in no way anti-Israel but who object to seeing such a degree of disproportionate force being used in this manner.
Third, to the extent that Israeli military action may be able to deal a blow to Hamas, it cannot avoid at the same time strengthening more extremist forces in Gaza and, potentially, in the West Bank, where the viability of the Palestinian Authority is increasingly in doubt. Political instability within the Gaza Strip and the weakening or dissolution of the Palestinian Authority would likely result in chaos, which is definitely not in the national security interest of Israel, the United States, Egypt, or any other relevant parties.
Fourth, as military action against Gaza inevitably escalates with each round of fighting, Israel risks each time becoming bogged down in another open-ended, ill-defined mission in Gaza, increasing the dangers to Israeli soldiers and civilians alike. And open-ended military action in Gaza increases the danger that Israel could face a multi-front conflict, with the possibility of new fronts opening up in the West Bank, East Jerusalem, and even along the Lebanon border.
Fifth, Israeli official statements and actions that appear to send a message that it would prefer to keep fighting in Gaza rather than change its policies (like the blockade) risk sending the world a message that Israeli is exploiting the right to self-defense to engage in a punitive campaign and pursue military adventurism. This message risks undermining the credibility of Israel’s claims that it is indeed acting in self-defense.
This week, Alpher discusses military stagnation and attrition, how the Israeli public is viewing Netanyahu and Yaalon's caution, last week's promise by Netanyahu of a "new political horizon" and his release of a report that Hamas had planned an intifada and a power grab on the West Bank, the talk of a new and dramatic proposal from Abu Mazen, and a UN option, and where this bewildering catalogue of diplomatic and military initiatives leaves us.
(Monday, August 25, day 49 of the Gaza conflict)