Americans for Peace Now strongly condemns today’s ramming attack near the West Bank Makabim checkpoint, which left one Israeli soldier dead and six other people injured. Our condolences to the soldier’s family and recovery wishes to the injured.

We were so glad to see all of you who joined us on October 24th, 2023 for our Giant Community Hug event. In these challenging and turbulent times, we were grateful to have the chance to share music and poetry and heartfelt conversation and offer us all a moment of respite and hope. We hope you felt embraced by the warmth and shared humanity. We know we do. 

If you want to revisit the event-- or if you were unable to make it, and want to experience it for the first time-- we recorded it.  Please click on the link below, and you can re-watch your favorite bits, or share the video with a friend. 

View the recording of the event HERE.

What the actors strike can learn from the Israeli protest movement

APN Board Member Joshua Malina

This piece was originally published in the Forward on August 28, 2023.

I have been picketing with fellow members of SAG-AFTRA labor union, and our brothers and sisters in the Writers Guild of America, as we march in protest of a system that undervalues and mistreats us.

Day in, day out, we stand together in solidarity. As we strike, my heart is also 7,500 miles away with another, larger group of protesters. For nearly eight months, hundreds of thousands of Israelis have amassed to challenge the anti-democratic assault of Benjamin Netanyahu’s government on his country’s legal institutions.

The actors and writers in the United States face issues that we deem existential to our employment; Israelis face a threat to their existence as citizens of a democracy. And we on the picket lines in America can take a few lessons from the resolve and tenacity of those protesting in the streets of Israel.

Effective protests require large numbers. They call for perseverance and single-mindedness, for creativity and vitality. Israeli pro-democracy demonstrators come from very different backgrounds, but are united in their focus: preserving their democracy.

Every week, they generate new ideas: protesting at unexpected gathering sites, refusing to appear for voluntary military service, creating clever picket signs and hyperactive social media campaigns. They find ways to create a sense of solidarity among protestors, forging commitment and dedication.

I feel this dynamic on the picket lines in Los Angeles. Walking together for hours, we trade stories about life in our industry in our different creative capacities — writers, actors, extras, stunt performers — and though our specific grievances may differ, we feel energized by the common ground we find. Together we pour our vigor into creative, dynamic ways of making our message heard.

For too long, working actors and writers have been treated as if we are lucky to be employed, as if our contributions are somehow less than creation of the very product that enriches the studios. Over time poor treatment starts to feel normal, and it takes a paradigm shift to stand up for one’s rights.

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.

Produced by the Foundation for Middle East Peace in cooperation with Americans for Peace Now, where the Legislative Round-Up was conceived.

1.Bills, Resolutions & Letters
2. House Members’ Most Excellent Recess Adventures in Israel
3. Israel & AIPAC in the 2024 Election Cycle (things are heating up)
4. Media & Reports
5. Members on the Record

Americans for Peace Now strongly condemns today’s shooting attack in the southern West Bank, the second in two days.

Produced by the Foundation for Middle East Peace in cooperation with Americans for Peace Now, where the Legislative Round-Up was conceived.

1.Bills, Resolutions & Letters
2. House Dems’ Most Excellent Recess Adventure Celebrating Israel & AIPAC – continued
3. Israel & AIPAC in the 2024 Election Cycle (things are heating up)
4. Media & Reports
5. Members on the Record

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.

Americans for Peace Now strongly condemns the murder of two Israeli citizens, father and son, at the West Bank town of Huwara near Nablus on Saturday, August 19^th. We send our condolences to the Nigerker-Nir family.