Oppose Moving the Embassy to Jerusalem

US_embassy_Tel_Aviv_320x265In 1995 Congress passed the Jerusalem Embassy Act, directing the president to move the U.S. embassy in Israel to Jerusalem. That legislation gave the president the authority to waive the requirement to move the embassy if he judged it to be necessary for U.S. national security.

Every successive U.S. president -- Republican and Democrat -- has used this waiver, recognizing that moving the embassy outside the context of a peace agreement would be provocative and would undermine U.S. credibility, threaten U.S. peace efforts, and harm U.S. interests.

Efforts to force the president to move the embassy, despite all of this, are misguided and counterproductive.

-- from APN's They Say, We Say
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More Resources:

Lara Friedman in the Huffington Post on the far-reaching consequences for all Americans of rash actions by the Trump Administration 1/6/17: Think Trump’s Policies On Israel-Palestine Have Nothing To Do With You? Think Again

APN on Jerusalem, the embassy, and more: They Say, We Say 

Danny Seidemann 1/6/17: Moving the U.S. Embassy in Israel to Jerusalem: A Hard Look at the Arguments & Implications

Khaled Elgindy, Brookings 1/30/17: Why moving the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem would be dangerous and unwise

Steven Cook, CFR, in Salon.com 1/29/17: Moving the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem is a bad idea for everyone — except Israeli hard-liners and their American friends

Dalia Dassa Kaye, Rand Corporation, 12/28/16: Hidden Dangers of Moving the U.S. Embassy to Jerusalem

Times of Israel Jordan 1/6/17: Moving US Embassy to Jerusalem is a ‘red line’

Gershom Gorenberg in the American Prospect, 1/11/17: Capital Offense

Haaretz 1/9/17: Why the Latest Palestinian Attacker in Jerusalem Was Not Deterred

Hussein Ibish in Foreign Policy 12/22/16: Want a Third Intifada? Go Ahead and Move the U.S. Embassy to Jerusalem

Latest podcast: #3 The 50-Year Tipping Point: Interview with Oded Haklai

A large majority of Israelis were born into a situation in which their country is occupying the West Bank, Gaza Strip and East Jerusalem. A new poll shows that many Israelis don’t know the basics of that situation – for example, that Israel has never annexed the West Bank, or that settlements like Ariel and Maale Adomim are not under Israeli sovereignty. Oded Haklai, a Canadian-Israeli scholar who conducted the poll demonstrates how the occupation-ignorance tipping point among Israelis is the age of 50, and explains why.

 

Listen to the podcast here.

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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 four new or renewed treatments of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and ways to deal with it; the Bret Stephens’ January 9 Wall Street Journal argument against a Palestinian state solution; Dennis Ross' and Stuart Eizenstat's “Plan B”; the Paris Peace Conference; and the “Commanders'” provocative ad in the Israeli press and on billboards stating, in Arabic, “We’ll soon be the majority”; and the current corruption investigation against Netanyahu and what it could mean for the Palestinian issue; how you address the current corruption investigation against him and what could this mean for the Palestinian issue.

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News Nosh 01.17.17

APN's daily news review from Israel
Tuesday January 17, 2017  
 
You Must Be Kidding: 
The number of children living below the poverty line in Israel has quadrupled over the past three decades, reaching 30.3 percent in 2015 – the highest rate among developed countries.**
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Shalom Achshav Executive Director visits Washington

Avi_Buskila_Middle_East_Institute320x265Shalom Achshav’s executive director, Avi Buskila, spent last week in Washington. He met with administration officials, policy experts, APN supporters and activists, representatives of fellow pro-peace organizations, journalists, as well as a group of Israelis living in the Washington area.

Feedback was excellent. After every meeting, Avi’s interlocutors told him that their conversation with him left them more encouraged and hopeful about Israel than they have been in a very long time.

Avi spoke mainly about his achievements in the nine months since he became Peace Now’s director, and about the organization’s plans going forward.

In addition to recruiting some 5,000 new activists in the past months, Shalom Achshav has activated branches in every important university campus across Israel. Crisscrossing Israel, Avi has had dozens of meetings with groups in community centers, campuses, and living rooms, with an emphasis on the periphery.

Avi reported that Peace Now is currently working on three major projects. One is a series of four courses for young opinion leaders, including Knesset staff, who during three and a half months will study the ins and outs of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. They will learn how to talk about the conflict, and how to effectively advocate for Israeli-Palestinian peace. Another project is the development of tools to use Facebook’s “live” function as an accessible, affordable platform for the pro-peace community to communicate inside Israel and beyond.

The third project that Avi mentioned was his plans for a series of public events across Israel around the June 50-year “anniversary” of the occupation, which will culminate in a mass demonstration in Tel Aviv on Saturday night, June 3rd

News Nosh 01.16.17

APN's daily news review from Israel
Monday January 16, 2017  
 
Quote of the day:
"Our elected officials do nothing to stop the reality of a Palestinian prime minister. Israel has no plan today. We blame the political and government leadership that is busy with itself."
--Former Mossad director Shabtai Shavit said at a press conference at the start of a new campaign to convince Israelis to support a two-state solution.** 
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News Nosh 01.15.17

APN's daily news review from Israel
Sunday January 15, 2017  
 
Quote of the day:
“Israel Hayom helps him brainwash millions of Israelis, who are convinced they have to support him and his settlements-and-apartheid policy in order to protect themselves. They learn daily from Israel Hayom that if Netanyahu falls and a Palestinian state is established, missiles will rain down and kill them. Israel Hayom teaches them to be Jewish-nationalist extremists and racist toward Arabs.”
--Haaretz columnist Rogel Alpher writes that Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu needs the Sheldon Adelson-funded 'Israel Hayom' newspaper to defend his government “and protect the apartheid state he has established.”*

You Must Be Kidding: 
"The two wanted men were aged 11 and 13. Tariq’s voice hasn’t broken yet, and Maliq has a bashful smile. Since that night, they will sleep only in their parents’ bed." 
--Haaretz journalist Gideon Levy reported on a IDF operation this month, in which soldiers broke into a home in the Palestinian village of Kfar Qaddum during the dead of night to get to two children, whose arms they grabbed before locking them into two separate rooms for 40 minutes and warning them not to participate in the demonstrations to reopen the village's access road, and threatening Maliq that he will be either shot or arrested if he does.**
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APN/ Peace Now in the News: January 1-13, 2017

APN's Lara Friedman in the Huffington Post: January 6, 2017
"Think Trump's Policies On Israel-Palestine Have Nothing To Do With You?"

Back in 2012, I warned a friend who was working on international trade issues: pay attention to what’s happening with the Palestinians at the UN, because it could cause problems for the U.S. on a wide range of issues, including the ones you deal with. I recall clearly his response, mainly because it was so patronizing. In essence, he told me: “don’t kid yourself – nobody is going to let a boutique issue like Israel-Palestine harm truly important U.S. interests (like trade).” Continue Reading...

Jewish Exponent: January 12, 2017
"Jewish Groups Tussle over Friedman Pick," APN among Jewish groups opposing David Friedman as US Ambassador to Israel.

Globes: January 10, 2017
"How much do the settlements really cost?" Peace Now's research is featured in this story about the real cost of Israeli settlements.

The Arab Daily News: January 5, 2017
"A tribute to my friend Daniel J. Steiner," Arab American journalist and comedian, Ray Hanania writes a heartfelt and inspiring tribute to David, talking about their shared vision of peace and David's work with APN and his local community in Chicago.

News Nosh 01.13.17

APN's daily news review from Israel
Friday January 13, 2017  

You Must Be Kidding: 
"The capital of Israel that I go to, sir, is Tel Aviv because that's where all their government people are, but.."
--US President-elect Donald Trump's nominee for defense secretary, James Mattis, answering the question, 'What is the capital of Israel.'**
 
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APN Update: Alpher on Azaria case, listen and subscribe to "Peacecast", Huffington Post op-ed, Bubis lecture video and more

Americans for Peace Now
Americans for Peace Now: January 11, 2017


If you and I agree on the bill, I’ll do everything I can so that you’ll be here as long as you like. I’m looking you in the eye and saying this in the clearest way possible."

Arnon Mozes, publisher of the Yedioth Achronoth newspaper, in a private conversation with Prime Minister Netanyahu as reported by Israel Channel Two News. Mozes was referring to the bill that would curb his rival Israel Hayom's share of the market.


Hard Questions, Tough Answers with Yossi Alpher

 

Yossi Alpher is an independent security analyst. Views and positions expressed here are those of the writer, and do not necessarily represent APN's views and policy positions.

January 9, 2017 - The Elor Azaria case

Q. Last week a military court convicted a soldier of manslaughter in the killing of a wounded and neutralized terrorist in Hebron. Why did this trial cause such a commotion in Israel? Why isn’t the Elor Azaria case just another “casualty” of the occupation?

A....Israelis’ attitudes toward the army and its values are changing...

Q. But aren’t cases like this usually handled by the army, within the ranks, without so much publicity?

A. ...The difference in the Azaria case is embodied in a combination of...

Q. So how does this affect Israeli society? Aren’t the extremists a relatively small minority?

A. They are. But they are operating in a highly permissive public atmosphere that embraces Azaria...

Q. Still, Minister of Defense Lieberman has moved from sympathy for Azaria to a position of resolute support for Eizenkot and the IDF justice system. All the relevant figures have now line up behind the next steps: sentencing and either reduction of sentence or a pardon. Isn’t this becoming “old news”?

A. True, the pace of events in Israel has as usual guaranteed that the public is now preoccupied with something else...

Q. Okay, so this is standard procedure for armies. But are there broader ramifications to the Azaria case?

A. ...the IDF and especially Chief of Staff Eizenkot emerge from this affair as pillars of decency...

Q. Was Azaria mistaken in assuming that all terrorists should die? Doesn’t the "coup de grace" ("confirming killing" in IDF parlance) happen at other times when there are no cameras around? Doesn't Israel maintain an entirely separate--and far more severe--penal system for terrorists as opposed to common criminals?

A. Whether left or right, the issue is first, the occupation, and second, the nature of the military’s behavior in enforcing the occupation after 50 years...

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Government Relations

APN Legislative Round-Up: January 6, 2017

  1. Bills and Resolutions Related to the Recent UNSC settlements Resolution/Obama Abstention
  2. Bills and Resolutions Related to Moving the U.S. Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem
  3. Bills and Resolutions Related to Cutting Off UN Funding
  4. Bills and Resolutions Related Iran – AUMF and Sanctions
  5. Congress Panders to AIPAC et al on Settlements UNSCR
  6. Congress on David Friedman Nomination
  7. On the Record on Other Things

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APN Audio

APN releases Episode #2 of PeaceCast

PeaceCast, a podcast produced by APN in Washington, explores issues and trends relating to peace and security for Israel, focusing on its conflict with the Palestinians and efforts to resolve it.

Episode #2 features an interview with Lieutenant Colonel (Res.) Amos Guiora, the former commander of the IDF's School of Law, about the Azaria Trial, the IDF, and Israeli Society.

LISTEN > Share

 

Go HERE for the PeaceCast home page that has links to all available episodes, and subscribe to PeaceCast through the podcast app on your smartphone/device.


Recommended Reading

Huffington Post: "Think Trump’s Policies on Israel-Palestine Have Nothing to Do with You? Think Again"

By Lara Friedman

Many Americans doubtless believe that the policies of the next president regarding the Israeli-Palestinian conflict have nothing to do with them. They’re mistaken.

Read More Share


Washington Post: "What do Israelis think about settlements? Turns out age matters"

...the issue of Israeli settlements is not just an issue of demographic change...settlements’ contribution to the erosion of the pre-1967 Green Line in the mind-set of the younger generation of Israeli Jews may prove to be the more formidable challenge.

Read More


Video of 6th Annual Professor Gerald B. Bubis Lecture featuring Lara Friedman

Rabbi Ed Feinstein of event host and co-sponsor Valley Beth Shalom and APN's Lara Friedman.

The Professor Gerald B. Bubis Lecture, established by the APN board of directors upon his retirement from it, featured APN Director of Policy and Government Relations Lara Friedman. The event was held shortly after she provided testimony at the United Nations Security Council special session on Israeli Settlements.

WATCH >


In The News

APN's News Nosh brings the Israeli headlines to you

As with all editions of APN's daily News Nosh, headlines like the ongoing investigation into Prime Minister Netanyahu are listed along with a brief summary of news and analysis in an an easy-to-read format.

Go HERE for the daily News Nosh feed, and to subcribe to receive it as an email.


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