President Trump today fired Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and nominated CIA Director Mike Pompeo to succeed him in heading the State Department.
What do you need to know? Here are key takeaways from the shakeup at State, including links to recommended readings.
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 Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's upcoming, unprecedented three-week visit to the US; whether there is an Israel angle to MbS's visions; Jason Greenblatt's opinion piece last week in the Washington Post which seemingly envisioned a future Hamas role in a US-led peace process; and Hamas's upcoming mass march toward Israel’s border fence planned for May 15, the seventieth anniversary of Israeli independence and of the Palestinian “nakba”.
PeaceCast is back after a long hiatus. Ori Nir is back from
Israel and the West Bank. Debra Shushan is back from AIPAC's policy conference in DC.
In this episode, Ori and Debra talk about AIPAC, about APN's Israel Study Tour, and about the Encounter program that Ori attended in February in Israel.
The featured segment of the episode is an edited version of a conversation that APN's Board of Directors had at Haaretz's office in Tel Aviv with Editor in Chief Aluf Benn.
Produced by the Foundation for Middle East Peace in cooperation with Americans for Peace Now, where the Legislative Round-Up was conceived
[Note: Stay tuned next week for a full Round-Up; this week there is only time to cover the
bills/resolutions/letters]
On March 5th, 2018, Senator Schumer stood before 18,000 AIPAC activists and told them what they wanted to hear: Israeli settlements in the West Bank are not an obstacle to peace. This ridiculous statement brought the AIPAC crowd to its feet, but it further damaged the cause of Israeli-Palestinian peace.
As a seasoned politician, Senator Schumer knows that settlements are a chief obstacle to peace. Settlements are not only an obstacle to a two-state peace solution for the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, they are a tool that extremists use to torpedo two-states. Yet he chose to misrepresent the facts and pander to AIPAC.
Go HERE - or see below - for an invitation to the event with a link to make your reservation to join us in New York.
Note from Jo-Ann Mort, an event co-chair and APN board memeber:
I was delighted when Americans for Peace Now asked me to serve as a Co-Chair for our upcoming "Vision of Peace Celebration" on May 3. I have served on the board of directors of this important organization for many years, alongside my good friend Michael Walzer. I can't think of anyone more deserving than Michael to be recognized by APN. His writings have provided the road map to lead us to a just solution for Israelis and Palestinians, one that is humane, moral and secure for all.
And what a wonderful choice in selecting Lara Friedman to be honored alongside Michael. Lara is one of the most indefatigable, smart, and accomplished people with whom I have worked. While serving as APN's Director of Policy and Government Relations, her research, reports and policy work were critical to APN's visibility and success on Capitol Hill and informing and influencing foreign policy.
It will be a fantastic opportunity to share a memorable evening with friends, recognizing the important work and accomplishments of two uniquely thoughtful and dedicated people - Michael Walzer and Lara Friedman.
I hope I'll see you there!!
If you aren't able to attend, you can still join the celebration and congratulate the honorees, recognize the work of APN, or send a message of peace that will be shared that night in our tribute presentation. Just return the response card with your contribution and your message.
