"From our point of view, above all saving lives is what leads us, and so we
decided to come. Our motivation is very high, and we're happy to give help and
human assistance."
Suhail Abed, a firefighter from Qalqilya, Palestine, who helped
Israeli firefighters put out flames in Haifa and outside Jerusalem. (Photo from
Yoav Zitun of IDF officer and Palestinian firefighter working together)
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.
November 28, 2016 - Forest fires raise strategic issues; so does Golan
clash with ISIS
Q. Israel has just emerged from a traumatic week of battling massive forest
fires. What have we learned?
A. The fires...posed strategic dilemmas in no fewer than five
issue areas...
Q. Let’s take the first three together. Climate change, population growth
and forestation are obviously related. Certainly climate change as a national
security issue is hardly unique to Israel.
A. ...The past week witnessed days and nights of exceptionally dry
winds coming from the deserts to Israel’s east...
Q. Pyro-terrorism?
A. Out of 110 separate fires reported, 17 were deemed to have been
the result of deliberate arson...
Q. That brings us to the state of Israel’s emergency services.
A. This wave of fires provided an excellent test of emergency
services readiness. Uniquely in Israel, the issue is important not only in view of
the danger of forest fires, tsunamis and earthquakes...
Q. What is the strategic significance of all this regional and
international aid?
A. All in all, it is positive. That the PA, Jordan, Egypt and
Turkey came to Israel’s aid reflects a genuine concern on their part that should be
reciprocated by the Netanyahu government...
Q. On Sunday an IDF force clashed with an ISIS force on the Golan. How
significant is this?
A. ...The days ahead will tell us whether we just witnessed a
dramatic new development...
 
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Peace Now
exposes "The Grand Land Robbery" of The Regulation
Bill
Map shows Settlements and Illegal Outposts with structures on private Palestinian
land in the northern West Bank: Red = Settlements; Yellow = Outposts; Blue =
Settlements that have Seizure Orders
If passed, the "Regulation Bill" will retroactively legalize scores of illegal
outposts and thousands of settlement structures in the West Bank.
Go HERE to see the key findings, and a
link to the full Peace Now report.
 APN's Lara Friedman in The Times
of Israel: "Illiberal Support for Israel: Antithetical to Jewish Values and
Israel's Interests"
We must fight for our Jewish and American values and apply them consistently,
both with the respect to what is happening in the United States and what is
happening in Israel.
APN's Debra DeLee:
"Fight the Darkness"
APN President and CEO Debra DeLee reflected on her exciting week on APN’s annual
Israel study tour. While including some commiseration about leaders with little
respect for democracy and the media, who prefer demagoguery and spin over the
truth, it also included meeting with an Israeli peace activist living by the Gaza
border, Peace Now's inspiring cadre of young leaders, a visit to a bilingual
Hebrew-Arab School, and other hopeful experiences.
 Peace Now's Anat Ben Nun in
Newsweek: "With the Election of Donald Trump, the Two-State Solution Is at
Stake"
When it comes to Trump’s settlement policy, I argue that instinctual
assumptions of reckless Israeli settlement construction in the West Bank during his
presidency may be misleading. Unfortunately, the likely alternative also contains
substantial risks for the two-state solution.
New APN Israel
Security Validator Ad
Yuval Diskin's military and intelligence career culminated with his being director
of Israel's Shin Bet security service. "The Palestinians will never accept the
status quo of the Israeli occupation...real security can only be achieved through
peace."
See the Full Ad APN is placing in the
Washington Jewish Week and Baltimore Jewish Times.
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