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Michael Sfard is one of Israel’s leading human rights lawyers and the legal counsel of Peace Now (Shalom Achshav) and of the organization Yesh Din.

Yesh Din recently commissioned Sfard to prepare a legal opinion on whether the current situation in the West Bank, the occupation -- regardless of Israel’s intention to de-jure annex parts of the West Bank -- can be defined as Apartheid. Michael issued a report titled “The Occupation of the West Bank and the Crime of Apartheid: Legal Opinion."

In this episode, a version of an August 10th 2020 webinar, Sfard talks about his report and what it means.

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APN's daily news review from Israel - Monday August 10, 2020

Number of the day:

59

--The number of seats the right-wing/ultra-Orthodox bloc would receive if elections were held now, two seats short of a majority in the Knesset, according to a poll. *

Yossi Alpher is an independent security analyst. He is the former director of the Jaffee Center for Strategic Studies at Tel Aviv University, a former senior official with the Mossad, and a former IDF intelligence officer. Views and positions expressed here are those of the writer, and do not necessarily represent APN's views and policy positions.

APN's daily news review from Israel - Sunday August 9, 2020

You Must Be Kidding: 
They are “germs, there’s no argument there… they spread diseases and must be kept away from society.”
—Yona Avrushmi, murderer of Peace Now activist Emil Grunzweig at an anti-occupation rally in 1983, said about protesters demonstrating against Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu. After he murdered Greenzweig, he told police investigators that the peace activists protesting against the occupation of the Palestinian Territories were “germs that must be eliminated.” Avrushmi also said that he won’t being going to counter the demonstrations, but “some young guys are going, and they know what to do, they know exactly what to do.”**

American-Israeli journalist Dina Kraft discussed the nature and impact of the unprecedented continuing protests in Israel against Prime Minister Netanyahu, government corruption, and for democracy and justice. 

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Dina Kraft is a journalist, editor, and educator. Currently based in Tel Aviv she is a correspondent for both Haaretz and The Christian Science Monitor where she reports on Israeli and Palestinian politics, culture and society. Dina is also the host of The Branch, a podcast hosted by Hadassah, which features stories of partnerships between Israelis and Palestinians, Jews and Arabs. Formerly, Kraft was based in Jerusalem and Johannesburg for The Associated Press and has reported from throughout Africa, as well as Pakistan, Jordan, Tunisia, Russia and Ukraine. 

1. Bills, Resolutions
2. Hearings & Markups
3. On the Record

Produced by the Foundation for Middle East Peace in cooperation with Americans for Peace Now, where the Legislative Round-Up was conceived. Views and positions expressed here are those of the writer, and do not necessarily represent APN's views and policy positions.

APN's daily news review from Israel  - Thursday August 6, 2020

Quote of the day:

"There are moments where all that is required of a human being, is to be a human being. The event in Beirut is one of those moments. Our offer of humanitarian aid, correct and humane..."
--Maariv's senior commentator Ben Caspit responds to the right-wing Israelis who opposed the display of Lebanon's flag on Tel-Aviv's city hall last night.*

You Must Be Kidding: 
"...we got a spectacular 'pyrotechnics show' in the port of Beirut."
--Far right-wing former MK Moshe Feiglin published a Facebook post celebrating the Beirut explosion.**

"Waving an enemy state's flag is a criminal offense!"
--Yair Netanyahu, Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu’s son, tweeted after the Tel-Aviv municipality lit up city hall with the Lebanese flag out of solidarity.**

“...We get the flag of an enemy state. The world has gone upside-down."
--Right-wing former Israeli minister of justice Ayelet Shaked also expressed her opposition to the Tel-Aviv display of solidarity**

APN joined with fellow pro-Israel organizations in a letter to the House Democratic Caucus urging the principles of diplomacy-first, a US-Israel partnership based on shared security and democratic interests, and the defense of Palestinian rights - including for statehood, as priorities in selecting the new Foreign Affairs Committee Chair.

Members of House Democratic Caucus
United States House of Representatives
Washington, DC

Dear Members of the House Democratic Caucus:

We are pro-Israel organizations writing to urge you to select a House Foreign Affairs Committee chairperson for the 117th Congress whose foreign policy views are aligned with those of the solid majority of Jewish Americans and other supporters of Israel. We believe the committee’s next chair, among other qualifications, should demonstrate a clear record of support for and a firm commitment to the following principles:

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Eran Nissan is a key organizer and activist in the current Anti-Netanyahu, anti-corruption and pro-democracy protest movement in Israel. He is a former staff member of Peace Now, and currently works for Mehazkim, a progressive Israeli activist nonprofit. 

Yossi Alpher is an independent security analyst. He is the former director of the Jaffee Center for Strategic Studies at Tel Aviv University, a former senior official with the Mossad, and a former IDF intelligence officer. Views and positions expressed here are those of the writer, and do not necessarily represent APN's views and policy positions.