Americans for Peace Now (APN) calls upon fellow American
Jewish organizations to join it in condemning Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's embrace of the
extremist right-wing political party Otzma Yehudit ("Jewish Power").
APN's daily news review from Israel
Wednesday February 20, 2019
Quote of the day:
“The Kahanists and the homophobes: the two parties no one wants, but Netanyahu needs.”
—Haaretz’s Allison Kaplan Sommer writes about Netanyahu’s lobbying of rightist religious parties to merge with the Kahanist-Jewish supremacist 'Otzma Yehudit' (‘Jewish Power’) party and Eli Yishai’s far-right ultra-Orthodox nationalist party, 'Yachad,' which is campaigning against LGBT parenthood, and both of which are at great risk of failing to reach the threshold to enter Knesset, which could throw as many as three Knesset seats away and potentially make or break Netanyahu’s success in forming a right-wing bloc. Haaretz’s Bradley Burston writes that Netanyahu is 'evil' for trying to keep a Kahanist party in the Knesset in order for him to save his own seat.*
—Haaretz’s Allison Kaplan Sommer writes about Netanyahu’s lobbying of rightist religious parties to merge with the Kahanist-Jewish supremacist 'Otzma Yehudit' (‘Jewish Power’) party and Eli Yishai’s far-right ultra-Orthodox nationalist party, 'Yachad,' which is campaigning against LGBT parenthood, and both of which are at great risk of failing to reach the threshold to enter Knesset, which could throw as many as three Knesset seats away and potentially make or break Netanyahu’s success in forming a right-wing bloc. Haaretz’s Bradley Burston writes that Netanyahu is 'evil' for trying to keep a Kahanist party in the Knesset in order for him to save his own seat.*
Americans for Peace Now joins fellow pro-diplomacy groups in urging lawmakers and presidential candidates to support rejoining the Iran nuclear deal, with which President Trump has placed the US in violation, and to oppose starting a war of choice with Iran.
The following is the statement and list of signatories.
Pro-diplomacy groups representing millions of American voters urge lawmakers to publicly articulate and support the following principles with respect to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) that verifiably blocks each of Iran’s pathways to a nuclear weapon and created a much-needed diplomatic relationship between Iran, the United States, and U.S. allies:
Monday, February 25, 2019
Less than two months before Israel’s general elections, Benjamin Netanyahu – fighting to stay in power and out of court – is trying to use his contacts with regional Arab leaders to portray himself domestically as an irreplaceable statesman.
Netanyahu also embraced the extremist right-wing political party Otzma Yehudit, whose leaders have publically endorsed the racist ideology of Rabbi Meir Kahane. See APN's official statement here and a joint statement with other American Jewish organizations here.
After returning from an extensive tour to half a dozen Middle Eastern countries, including Israel, Middle East expert Prof. Mark Rosenblum spoke with APN about Israeli politics, regional geopolitics, and the relationship between the two.
Gilead (Gili) Sher is an Israeli lawyer, scholar, expert on, and
practitioner of, Israeli negotiations with the Palestinians. He was Prime Minister Ehud Barak’s chief negotiator
between 1999 and 2001. Now he directs the Center for Applied Negotiations at Israel’s Institute for National
Security Studies (INSS) in Tel Aviv.
APN’s acting CEO Aviva Meyer joined Ori Nir for a conversation with Sher on February 15th, 2019 at Georgetown University's government Department, where Sher is now the Goldman Visiting Professor.
We addressed the impact of the diplomatic impasse between Israelis and Palestinians, and what can be done to pave the road to a two-state solution in the absence of formal negotiations over a comprehensive peace accord.
APN's daily news review from Israel
Tuesday February 19, 2019
Quote of the day:
"I was there in the room, I know exactly what Netanyahu agreed to. Every letter in the draft was
written by him. But because he does not have the courage to reach a decision [to make peace], he says it’s
because of them. There is no leadership here.”
--Outgoing MK Tsipi Livni rejects Likud claim that Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu thwarted a secret plan by former US president Barack Obama and former IDF chief of staff Benny Gantz to withdraw from the West Bank.*
--Outgoing MK Tsipi Livni rejects Likud claim that Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu thwarted a secret plan by former US president Barack Obama and former IDF chief of staff Benny Gantz to withdraw from the West Bank.*
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
Monday February 18, 2019
Quote of the day:
"I am really ashamed. I grew up in Canada and there there is diversity. It isn’t a perfect model, but
it is better than growing in a bubble. In our home, the children learn that there are good and bad people
everywhere in the world, regardless of religious belief, and do not hate or fear the other."
--Rivka Polak, a resident of Karnei Shomron settlement, said after a group of parents from the settlement pressured the local council to fire the Arab cleaning women from at the local schools because they they were Arab.*
--Rivka Polak, a resident of Karnei Shomron settlement, said after a group of parents from the settlement pressured the local council to fire the Arab cleaning women from at the local schools because they they were Arab.*
APN's daily news review from Israel
Sunday February 17, 2019
Quote of the day:
"I would just like to add that those who truly listened to what I said at the introduction to the
story, and didn't rush to slam me online, (they) realized I was actually in favor of lenient punishment for the
accused soldiers, since we are the ones sending them into this impossible reality. Are you happy now? I will
continue expressing my opinion on this show. You won't be able to silence me!"
--Channel 13 News TV journalist Oshrat Kotler told viewers after being attacked for saying, "We send the kids to the army, to the territories, and we get back 'animals.' This is the result of the occupation."*
--Channel 13 News TV journalist Oshrat Kotler told viewers after being attacked for saying, "We send the kids to the army, to the territories, and we get back 'animals.' This is the result of the occupation."*
Watch this video with highlights of the 2015 Study Tour
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