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.

This week, Alpher discusses the conflict arenas that have evolved seven years after the Arab Spring: Egypt, Jordan, the Iran-Hezbollah alliance, and the Red Sea/Horn of Africa.

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
2. Hearings
3. On the Record

Shameless plug: Recently there has been a lot of debate over the Pew Poll published 1/23/18 showing a decline in support for Israel among Democrats. Various insightful explanations have been given, highlighting weakness of the poll, the role of partisan sentiment related to Trump, and impact of Israeli policies. Missing from all of these analyses, however, is acknowledgement of a key trend in the U.S. that is contributing, inevitably, to this result. This is the trend where “pro-Israel” is increasingly defined to mean supporting and defending brazenely illiberal policies within the United States. When ostensibly progressive politicians and groups choose illiberalism-in-defense-of-Israel – for example, when supporting unconstitutional legislation that seeks to gag free speech of U.S. citizens in order to insulate Israel from criticism and pressure (ongoing efforts in Congress are discussed in Section 1, below) – they are contributing to the diminution of support for Israel among Americans who are repulsed by the notion that support for Israel demands the sacrifice of the values and rights that are at the core of what it means to be a progressive. I wrote about this phenomenon in an op-ed this week in the Forward.

1. To call upon the Government of Israel to immediately halt deportation plans and to implement sound asylum policies in line with international law and Jewish values.
2. To call upon our friends - the Israeli public, Jews and other allies around the world - to express our readiness to help Israel and work together with Israel in coping humanely with the challenges of the global refugee crisis.

-- The World Union of Jewish Students (WUJS) - which represents 600,000 students in 38 countries - officially adopted a resolution opposing Israel's policy to expel Sudanese and Eritrean asylum seekers
 

On September 5th, 2017, everything changed for the Shamasneh family.

Forcibly removed from their East Jerusalem home in the middle of the night by Israeli police, it was only an hour later that this Palestinian family of ten found their house was occupied by Jewish settlers, radical ideologues sent to seize the property their organization had taken over through various legal maneuvers.

Since then, the Shamasneh family has been scattered and their lives upended, all in service of an extremist right-wing agenda to gradually take over Palestinian neighborhoods of East Jerusalem.

We won't stand idly by, and you shouldn't either.

+972: February 1, 2018
"Activists barricade JNF headquarters to protest eviction of Palestinian family," In collaboration with activists from Meretz and All That's Left, Peace Now organized a protest outside the JNF headquarters in Jerusalem. Settlement Watch Director Shabtay Bendet said: “We are here to demonstrate against the activities of the JNF, an organization that’s been in the service of the right and the settlements, collaborating with the settlers to uproot Palestinians from their homes.”

Ynet News: January 30, 2018
"PM condemns Irish bill banning Israeli West Bank goods," Former Peace Now Director Tzali Reshef appeared on a list of Israelis supportive of an Irish bill that would outlaw importing goods from West Bank settlements.

Haaretz: January 25, 2018
"Was leaving Likud the mistake of Moshe Ya'alon's life? An interview with Israel's ex-defense minister," In an interview, Ya'alon denies that he called Peace Now a "virus" in 2009 (despite a recording of his comments).

Times of Israel: January 21, 2018
"Settler growth rate declines for sixth straight year," Peace Now data cited in story on decline in settler population growth rate. 

Nonprofit Quarterly: January 19, 2018
"Democracy distorted: When the government funds a nonprofit’s political advocacy," Peace Now's Hagit Ofran quoted in story about Israeli right-wing nonprofit receiving government funds.