While the world’s attention is focused on Israel’s dual-front war, in Gaza and on its northern border, tensions in the West Bank are surging. Violent settlers are taking advantage of the crisis to attack West Bank Palestinians, Israeli government ministers are advancing additional budgets to the settlements and advancing settlement planning. West Bank Palestinian violence is on the rise and so is IDF tough action against Palestinian militants and demonstrators.

In a letter to Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Americans for Peace Now’s President and CEO Hadar Susskind urges the administration to push for a humanitarian pause in the Israel-Hamas war and to intensify its diplomatic efforts to protect the lives of civilians impacted by the current crisis.

In addition, the letter calls for fuel to relief agencies in the Gaza Strip to be included in any humanitarian aid. “Without an adequate supply of fuel to UNRWA, the humanitarian assistance permitted to enter Gaza essentially becomes worthless, exacerbating the suffering of the already vulnerable population,” the letter says, explaining that fuel is vital for distributing the humanitarian supplies provided for Gazan civilians. 

APN calls for the immediate release of all hostages and urges the administration to expedite the delivery of additional assistance, pushing for a humanitarian pause pending measures to spare civilians, establishing a humanitarian corridor to enable safe passage of civilians away from northern Gaza, and other measures to prevent further civilian deaths.

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As the Israel-Hamas war continues, the associated humanitarian crisis is deepening in Israel and in Gaza.

In response, President Biden made a much needed supplemental funding request that includes $14.3 billion in security assistance to Israel as well as $9.15 billion for humanitarian needs across Gaza, Israel, and Ukraine. If passed, this humanitarian assistance would be a lifeline to millions of people.

Unfortunately, instead of supporting this proposal, House Republicans are playing politics by proposing a bill that cynically offers military assistance to Israel but excludes the desperately needed global humanitarian aid, while also requiring the assistance to be offset by hyper-partisan cuts to IRS funding.

Americans for Peace Now (APN) welcomes the US Senate’s confirmation of Jacob (Jack) Lew to serve as the United States Ambassador to Israel. Lew’s appointment comes at a crucial time, when the United States needs to be represented at the highest levels. We wish him success.

We thank President Biden for nominating Jack Lew to serve as his ambassador to Israel and urge him to send Lew to Israel expeditiously. The United States urgently needs a high-profile envoy in Israel at this time of unprecedented crisis.

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 mourns the passing of Marilyn Katz, a member of our Board of Directors and an important leader of our movement.

Marilyn was a political strategist, essayist, filmmaker and activist. She was the president of MK Communications, a 35 year old public policy strategy and communications firm. She co-authored three books, published numerous articles and essays, and produced and directed numerous educational and entertainment films and videos.