Dear Friend,
Soon, Passover. I've long believed that being Jewish is a calling-a vocation, if you will-and if that is so, then Pesach is surely an extraordinary contribution to the vocational education of the Jews.
When President Obama visits Israel this week, he will attempt neither to unmoor the old peace process nor outfit a new one. But with new leverage in hand, a determined Secretary of State John Kerry at the helm, and riding a wave of domestic and worldwide popularity, the president may never have stronger winds at his back in the search for Israeli-Palestinian peace. To take advantage of them, he will soon need to open his sails. If the president hopes to ever make any real headway, however, he should first rid his outlook of an old trope that has become an excuse for inaction: the idea that "The U.S. cannot want peace more than the parties themselves."
National Geographic (2013)
For most Israelis, military service is mandatory. Aziz Abu Sarah meets with some of the young people who form the
backbone of the Israel Defense Forces, and rides along as they encounter protesters from the Palestinian village of
Nabi Saleh. (8:23) Watch >
Re-Engaging the Israelis and Palestinians: Why an American Role in Initiating Israeli-Palestinian Negotiations is Necessary and How It Can be Accomplished
James A. Baker III Institute for Public Policy (March 14, 2013)
Lays out
specific recommendations for the U.S. administration to advance prospects for a two-state solution and addresses
the prospects for negotiations under current political, economic and security considerations in the region. Special
attention is paid to the environment for negotiations in Israel and Palestine, respectively. PDF >
B'Tselem (March 2013)
Part of a comprehensive report on restriction of movement of Palestinians in the West Bank. Includes up-to-date
lists of Israeli checkpoints and restricted roads, as well as sections on other occupation practices and their
effects. Read More >
In the context of surging efforts to promote -- and block -- boycott/divestment/sanctions efforts, and in the context of a serious debate within Israel and the Jewish community about how to deal with growing international criticism of Israel, we believe it is important to make clear what APN does, and does not, support.
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Americans for Peace Now (February 2013)
Jerusalem expert Danny Seidemann explains why settlement construction in E-1 makes a viable two-state solution
virtually impossible. (4:45) Watch >
Jo-Ann Mort is vice chairperson of Americans for Peace Now and CEO of the New York City-based strategy firm ChangeCommunications.
(This essay first appeared in fathomjournal.org on January 31,
2013)
This election was a failure for the sitting Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his young guard in the Likud,
especially Education Minister Gideon Saar and Environment Minister Gilad Erdan, both of whom took leading roles in
the campaign. It was an astounding success for former journalist Yair Lapid and his centrist Yesh Atid party, and a
resounding comeback for the Zionist-left, especially the Meretz Party.
Terrestrial Jerusalem (2013)
Jerusalem expert Danny Seidemann outlines how the Israeli government has been using settlement construction to
integrate parts of East Jerusalem into Israel while detaching them from the Palestinian population PDF >
60 Minutes (2009)
Has peace in the Middle East become nothing more than a pipe dream? As Bob Simon reports, a growing number of
Israelis and Palestinians feel that a two-state solution is no longer possible. (13:10) Watch >