Americans for Peace Now (APN) welcomes a new congressional letter urging the Biden administration to use all the tools at its disposal, including the recently released Jerusalem Declaration on Antisemitism and the Nexis Document, in its efforts to combat antisemitism.

Update: this action, now closed, ran from April 22-27, 2021.

At Americans for Peace Now, we strive to be clear about what we believe. We believe that antisemitism—like racism, islamophobia and other forms of hatred—is a serious and growing problem here in the US and around the world.

We have opposed the codification of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s (IHRA) definition of antisemitism, based on the fact that it uses overly broad brush strokes, and in doing so is often used to quash legitimate criticism of unacceptable Israeli government policies. In the past few weeks, two new efforts have been put forth to address the issues of antisemitism.

We are pleased to be working with Representatives Jan Schakowsky, Mark Pocan, Pramila Jayapal, Andy Levin and Jamie Raskin to bring these to the attention of Secretary of State Blinken, and the entire Biden Administration, and to urge them to consider these definitions in their efforts to combat antisemitism. 

See the full text of the letter to Secretary Blinken here.

APN's daily news review from Israel - Thursday April 22, 2021

You Must Be Kidding: 
An Israeli settlement university in the West Bank is giving students academic credit for volunteering at illegal Israeli settlement outposts, many of which were established on privately-owned Palestinian land.**

Breaking News:
Syrian Anti-aircraft Missile Exploded in Southern Israel, IDF Struck Near Damascus
Syrian missile fired at an IAF jet, missed its target and landed near Dimona and set off air raid sirens near the country's top-secret nuclear reactor. And Israeli interceptor was not activated to shoot it down, Maariv reported. In Tehran, some claimed it was a surface-to-surface missile, not a surface-to-air missile as reported in Israel. No group has taken responsibility for the launch, which could be Iran's revenge on Israel for Natanz sabotage attack. Israel attacked near Damascus afterward. Syria reported that one officer was killed and three soldiers were injured. (Haaretz+, Maariv, Ynet and Israel Hayom)

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.

APN's daily news review from Israel - Monday April 19, 2021
 

Quote of the day:

“If I had told you five years ago that three TV stations would stop their newscast to broadcast a speech by an Arab politician saying what he thinks about the composition of the coalition in Israel, you would have said I was joking.”
—Arab-Israeli activist and lawyer Ameer Fakhoury speaks about how for the first time,large parts of the Jewish population can distinguish between the different elements of the so-called Arab parties, and are even willing to accept some of them as partners in running the state.*

The evening of Thursday, April 14th began Yom Haatzmaut, Israel’s Independence Day. Every year, for Yom Haatzmaut, our colleagues at Shalom Achshav distribute hundreds of “peace flags” to fellow Israelis who endorse the notion that their country cannot be fully free and independent as long as it has not liberated itself of the occupation and made peace with the Palestinians. 

This year, for Yom Haatzmaut, we are bringing these flags and this message to Capitol Hill, distributing them to members of Congress who support our mission – and to some who don’t.  

We started distributing the flags on Tuesday. The first member of the House to receive a flag was Maryland Rep. Jamie Raskin, a friend of APN and a staunch supporter of Israeli-Palestinian peace. In the photo below, holding the flag, is Rep. Raskin’s Chief of Staff, Julie Tagen.

We respect and cherish the blue-and-white Star of David official flag of the State of Israel. We view it as a symbol of the accomplishments that a nation-state of the Jewish people is, and of the many accomplishments of Israel. But we also want to see the “Shalom” flag by its side, as an aspirational expression of the peace that Israel has not yet accomplished. The absence of peace, while the occupation lingers, denies Palestinians the national independence that Israelis enjoy, but it also denies Israelis full liberty and democracy. Because an occupying power cannot be fully democratic, egalitarian, and free.

In the future, with the help of our supporters and activists, we would like to take the Shalom flag beyond Washington and make it a household symbol of support for peace at Jewish and non-Jewish institutions and homes throughout the United States.

B'Shalom,

Ori Nir

Vice President for Public Affairs

 Produced by the Foundation for Middle East Peace in cooperation with Americans for Peace Now, where the Legislative Round-Up was conceived.

1. Bills, Resolutions & Letters
2. The Battle Taking Shape Around Biden Decision to Resume Palestinian Aid
3. Hearings & Markups
4. On the Record

Shameless plugs:

In recent weeks FMEP, in partnership with the Middle East Institute, held an 8-part webinar series for members of Congress and their staff examining key aspects of the Israel-Palestine conflict & how they relate to U.S. policy. The series featured an amazing line-up of experts, and was co-moderated by MEI’s Khaled Elgindy and FMEP’s Lara Friedman (me!). And it turns out that the webinars were so good we decided to make them public. See: Israel, Palestine & the Role of Congress: An Accelerated Learning Series

Also, ICYMI, FMEP hosted two great webinars this week, both of which are well worth watching:

• Israeli and Palestinian Elections: Opportunities for Change or More of Same?, ft. Dr. Hanan Ashrawi, Diana Buttu (Al Shabaka & IMEU), and Orly Noy (Local Call), in conversation with Peter Beinart; and
• “Medical Apartheid”: COVID Vaccinations Under Occupation, ft. Ghada Majadli (Physicians for Human Rights – Israel) & Yara Asi (Al-Shabaka & Arab Center Washington DC), in conversation with FMEPs Kristin McCarthy (FMEP)

Produced by the Foundation for Middle East Peace in cooperation with Americans for Peace Now, where the Legislative Round-Up was conceived. Views and positions expressed here are those of the writer, and do not necessarily represent APN's views and policy positions.

Twenty seven senators signed a letter to President Biden, urging him to re-join the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), the nuclear deal that the Obama administration, together with China, France, Germany, Russia, and the United Kingdom signed with Iran in 2015. The Trump administration withdrew from the deal, and the Biden administration has signaled its intention to re-join the JCPOA.