News Nosh 4.4.17

APN's daily news review from Israel
Tuesday, April 4, 2017
 
Quote of the day:
“The key danger in this documentary series isn’t a political or “anti-Zionist” message. It is the troublesome realization that even the most despicable murderers are human beings. Versus the “animals” that we read about in the papers, in Megiddo Prison we see rational people with families, ideas, ideology. These are people who would murder innocents for their faith. They are detestable, violent, sly, frustrated, angry and yes, they suffer, too.”
--Yonatan Englender writes what scares right-wing Culture Minister Miri Regev about the new TV program, ‘Megiddo,’ which portrays the lives of Palestinian security prisoners and Israeli prison wardens inside an Israeli prison.*

You Must Be Kidding: 
22.5% of the Jews think left-wing Israelis are dangerous.**
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There is a long way which is short and a short way which is long.

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Why did the Jews wander in the desert for 40 years before reaching their homeland? The Talmud teaches, “There is a long way which is short and a short way which is long.” What does that mean? Sometimes one sees what seems to be a better way — “the short way” — but it turns out to that, in reality, the way which seems easier is wrong. The shortcut taken ends up forcing one to go back and do what seemed at the outset to be harder, but was, in truth, the only legitimate way. It was from that seemingly tortuous, lengthy, journey that the Israelites learned to leave behind their slave mentality and do what was right, rather than what was easy or tempting. The Israelites’ journey turned out to be one in which there were important lessons to be learned.A Long Road

If 40 years in the desert was to teach us a lesson, what are the lessons we’re to learn from 50 years of occupation (10 years longer than the Jews wandered in the desert!)?

The lesson certainly can’t be that occupation brings security for Israel. Israel’s security establishment overwhelmingly believes that without bold political leadership, the occupation will lead to Israel’s destruction. Those tasked with Israel’s security — Mossad, Shin Bet, and officers in the IDF — overwhelmingly believe that occupation does not bring security, but does just the opposite.

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News Nosh 4.3.17

APN's daily news review from Israel
Monday, April 3, 2017
 
You Must Be Kidding: 
"In his campaign, President Trump didn't support a Palestinian state, he didn't support this entire outdated line [of policy] that for so many years has brought us only misery.... We're heading down the same old path of arguing about how much to build, what to build, where to build, when the issue now should be applying Israeli sovereignty and security [to Judea and Samaria]."
- Naftali Bennet, Education Minister and head of Habayit Hayehudi
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Haggadah Insert: The Four Children

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Each year at the Seder, Jews read this line in the Passover Haggadah, "In every generation, a person is obligated to see themselves as if they had left Egypt." This concept reminds us that each year we must approach the haggada with a fresh eye. It demands that we not merely read the words, but understand them afresh. We must both have empathy for what our forefathers and mothers have suffered, and – more importantly – be aware that change is possible, that we are masters of our fate, and that with determination and courage we can accomplish liberation. In our generation, liberating Israelis and Palestinians from the yoke of the occupation, which is subjugating both societies, is imperative. And it is within our reach.

This year, you can add flavor to your seder by sharing this thoughtful reflection by Rabbi Marisa Elana James. Rabbi James has graciously contributed our 17th haggadah insert. In it, she asks us to reflect upon what questions we want to ask this year, and how we want to make sure that we're not just getting stuck in what we think we already know.

Since 2001, Americans for Peace Now has asked rabbis from the extended APN family to contribute reflections on the haggada: that story which has for centuries been understood as the archetype of liberation. Many of us have made these reflections a permanent part of our seder - we hope you will, too.You can find them here.

May we all enjoy a sweet and liberating Passover,

Debra DeLee
President and CEO,
Americans for Peace Now

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Submitted by Rabbi Marisa Elana James (2017)
To be read after the four children.

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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 settlement construction restrictions that Netanyahu just imposed upon his government in deference to the Trump peace effort; the lack of substance in the self-imposed restrictions; whether Netanyahu is pulling the wool over Trump’s and Greenblatt’s eyes; the likelihood that Trump and Greenblatt will soon put a peace proposal on the table; and changing US military and diplomatic behavior in the Arab world.

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There will be no "restraint"

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It's been a good couple weeks for supporters of West Bank settlements. On March 22, it was reported that new construction in settlements had risen by 40% in 2016. The next day, the U.S. Senate confirmed David Friedman – a staunch supporter of settlements – as U.S. ambassador to Israel.

It didn't end there.

On Thursday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced that a new settlement would be established – in the heart of the West Bank – for evacuees from the illegal settlement outpost of Amona. In effect, Netanyahu rewarded them for breaking Israeli law, which outlaws these outposts, by breaking international law under which all settlements are illegal.

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News Nosh 4.2.17

APN's daily news review from Israel
Sunday April 2, 2017
 
Quote of the day:
"His opposition to any criticism of the occupation is so fierce that he’d rather go bankrupt (not a trivial matter, considering that his is a family business that’s been around since 1955) than donate to an organization that works to end the occupation."
--Haaretz+ commentator Rogel Alpher calls on Israelis to boycott the popular chocolate spread owned by Moshe Weidberg, because he "espouses an ideology that makes him an enemy of democracy and a supporter of a benighted ultra-nationalistic regime that squelches any criticism."**
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No Entry - Resources on the "Entry Law"

Entry_Law_Locked_Gate400The “Entry Law,” adopted by the Israeli Knesset on March 6, 2017, bans entry to Israel of foreign national who support or publicly engage in boycotts of either Israel or West Bank settlements, whether they do it individually or are affiliated with organizations that endorse such practices. This law uniquely affects APN, a Zionist, pro-Israel organization that advocates for boycotts of the settlements and the occupation while strongly rejecting boycotts, divestment and sanctions (BDS) targeting Israel.

APN's President and CEO Debra DeLee said: “This new draconian law is a severe blow to Israeli democracy. It is aimed at a basic civil liberty, the freedom of expression, and will severely harm Israel by keeping out some of its greatest supporters, including Americans for Peace Now…We are a Zionist, pro-Israel organization, which cares about Israel's future as a democracy and a Jewish state. As such, we oppose the occupation and the settlements and call on our supporters to express this view by boycotting settlements. It would be absurd for the government of Israel to block us from visiting the country we love and care so much about because we chose to express a legitimate view in a legitimate way.”

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APN/ Peace Now in the News: March 27-31, 2017

BBC: March 31, 2017
Israel Approves First New West Bank Settlement in 20 years,” Peace Now reports that in addition to the plans to build a new settlement outside Shilo, Israel approved tenders to build 1,992 new homes in at least four other existing settlements.

Times of Israel: March 31, 2017
Palestinians, UN Chief Rap New Settlement for Amona Evacuees,” Peace Now warns that the announcement of an entirely new settlement fragments the West Bank and the possibility of a future Palestinian state.

WBT: March 31, 2017
Israeli PM Limits Settlements While Announcing New One,” Peace Now’s Lior Amihai writes that in building a new settlement, the Israeli government is only trying to appease its right-wing settler minority.

Washington Post: March 29, 2017
"Is Israel losing it's soul?," Richard Cohen's op-ed quotes APN Board member, Letty Cottin Pogrebin's piece in Haaretz about the entry ban.

Peace Now Settlement Watch: The New Declared Settlement Policy - Not a Restraint at All

News from Peace Now:

Israeli media reports that yesterday’s government decision included not only operative steps to expand the settlements (i.e, establish a new settlement, publish tenders for 1,992 housing units, and declare 977 dunams as state land for the retroactive legalisation of 3 illegal outposts) but rather also a new government policy towards the building of settlement units. The new policy would enable continuous expansion of all settlements, without any limitations, contrary to how the government is trying to frame this.
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