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It is no secret that nowadays many Israelis have lost hope in the possibility of ever reaching a resolution to the conflict with their Palestinian neighbors and have adopted a fatalistic attitude. Many in Israel do not understand why the EU, among others, keeps pushing for something that appears to them to be unattainable.
We in the EU have no illusions that attaining peace between Israel and the Palestinians is an easy task. But we certainly do not think that it is an impossible task either. Indeed, compared to other conflicts in the region—from Syria to Libya—we believe that it is actually among the more resolvable conflicts. Moreover, there are very good reasons to encourage both Israel and the Palestinians to take confidence building steps, even small ones, that would gradually pave the way back to a credible peace process.
--Haaretz US bureau chief, Chemi Shalev, explains why US President Obama's speech was perceived by some Israelis as 'anti-Israeli.'**
--In a damning report, B’tselem accused the Military Advocate General (MAG) of whitewash in its probe into IDF killings of innocent Palestinian civilians during Operation Protective Edge (Gaza War 2014), noting that there is an inherent conflict of interests when asking the MAG to investigate the accusations.**
Jewish Journal: September 12
“Governor Brown
should veto flawed BDS law”
By Steve Kaplan and Sandy Weiner, APN Board of Directors
J Weekly: September 15
“American
Jewish progressives must act to defend their values in Israel”
By Ori Nir, APN’s Director of Communications and Public Engagement
Times of Israel: September 12
“Bibi, Settlements, and the
‘Ethnic Cleansing’ Canard”
By Lara Friedman, APN’s Director of Policy and Government Relations
United Press International (UPI): September 16
“Israeli
settlements in West Bank up 41 percent,” Peace Now criticizes increased construction in West Bank settlements.
Newsweek: September 15
“Israel
increases settlement starts by 40% in first half of 2016,” Peace Now cites official figures that show the
largest increase in settlement construction since January 2014.
Jerusalem Post: September 15
“West
Bank settler housing starts up 17% in 2016,” Peace Now says Netanyahu’s government’s investment in settlements
is leading Israel toward a one-state reality.
Middle East Monitor: September 14
“Peace Now:
Israeli settlement construction up 40%,” highlights Peace Now’s statements regarding the recent data released
by the Israeli Central Bureau of Statistics (ICBS).
--Likud MK Benny Begin was one of the few Likud MKs who opposed the bill meant to legalize settlement outposts, some of which were built on privately-owned Palestinian land.*
Breaking News:
Two Israel Police Officers Wounded, One Seriously, in Jerusalem Stabbing Attack
In sixth attack in four days, the alleged assailant, Ayman al-Kurd, 20, from the Ras al-Amoud neighborhood of East Jerusalem was shot and critically wounded only after stabbing two police officers multiple times at Old City's Herod's Gate. (Haaretz, Ynet and Maan)
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 books! The best book on the Arab revolutionary wave, books on additional causes for the current chaos in the Arab world, books on the Arab revolutions that add a more human dimension, on the US role in the Middle East before the Arab revolutions, and on Israel and the Palestinians.
Rabbi Susan P. Fendrick is an editor, writer, teacher, and spiritual director. A graduate of
Brown University, she received rabbinic ordination in 1995 from the Jewish Theological Seminary of America and
is an alumna of the Wexner Graduate Fellowship program. Her writing appears in numerous books and
publications.
There is very little language of personal prayer recorded in the Torah, and even less prescribed liturgy for future Jews to recite. But one rare example of a liturgical text appears in this week’s Torah reading—a prayer that supports the pursuit of conflict resolution and peace-seeking.
The entire book of Deuteronomy is Moses’ swan song, his last chance to convey everything he must to the Israelite nation before they enter the land of Israel without him. In Parshat Ki Tavo, he offers a formula that each Israelite should recite when bringing the “first fruits” offering on the holiday of Shavuot. That recitation was discussed in the APN Peace Parsha last June, and I want to offer a further reading of its opening words, which speaks to all that we have to bear in mind as we work for a peaceful and secure future for the state of Israel.
--Rogel Alpher writes in Haaretz+ about the possibility that FIFA suspends Israel from international soccer due to its settlement soccer clubs.*