The government of Israel seems to be on the verge of legalizing scores of illegal settlement-outposts in the West Bank and making it dramatically easier for Israeli settlers to construct more such outposts on privately-owned Palestinian land.

APN is alarmed by these dangerous developments. We call on the Trump administration, as well as friends of Israel in the United States and worldwide, to tell Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that more West Bank settlements are not the answer to terrorism and that they further jeopardize Israeli-Palestinian peace.

Update: this action, now closed, ran in December 2018. 

Two pieces of controversial legislation may be inserted into a must-pass omnibus spending bill, virtually guaranteeing that they would become law without debate. Please contact your members of Congress to let them know that you oppose the Israel Anti-Boycott Act and the Anti-Semitism Awareness Act.

The Israel Anti-Boycott Act (S.720 and H.R.1697), under the guise of preventing companies from joining boycotts of Israel promoted by international non-governmental organizations, intentionally blurs the distinction between Israel and the occupation. Under this bill, measures targeting West Bank settlements and the occupation would be regarded as targeting Israel. APN opposes the occupation and supports boycotting West Bank settlements. While opposing boycotts, divestment, and sanctions against Israel (BDS), APN believes that boycotts are a legitimate nonviolent expression of protest, which should not be criminalized.

The Anti-Semitism Awareness Act (S.2940 and H.R.5924) would require the Department of Education to utilize a definition of anti-Semitism employed by the Department of State in assessing whether a school has violated Title VI of the Civil Rights Act by tolerating anti-Semitic harassment. That definition labels as anti-Semitism certain types of criticism of Israel and the occupation. The definition’s author opposes the ASAA, arguing that his definition was never intended for use on campuses as a means of censoring constitutionally protected free speech. Should it pass, the ASAA likely will have a chilling effect on speech related to Israel on college campuses.

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.

Known by many as Mr. Jerusalem, one of the world’s leading experts on Jewish-Arab relations in Jerusalem, Danny Seidemann is the founder and director of Terrestrial Jerusalem, an Israeli non-governmental organization that works to identify and track the full spectrum of developments in Jerusalem that could impact either the political process or permanent status options, destabilize the city or spark violence, or create humanitarian crises.

We spoke about the recent elections for Jerusalem’s municipal council and what should be expected of the new mayor, Moshe Lion. We spoke about the settlement in the East Jerusalem neighborhoods of Silwan and Sheikh Jarrah. We spoke about the leaping West Bank annexation policies of the Israeli government and the role that Jerusalem plays in these policies. We spoke about the Trump administration’s policy on Jerusalem. The conversation with Danny was fun. He was as witty, smart and analytical as always. 

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. Middle East Elements in the Omnibus?
3. Hearings
4. On the Record

Americans for Peace Now (APN) joins its Israeli sister-organization Shalom Achshav (Peace Now) in condemning this week's Palestinian terrorist attacks in the West Bank and East Jerusalem and in urging both Israeli and Palestinian leaders to prevent further escalation.

APN sends its condolences to the families of the victims of this week's attacks and wishes a full recovery to those injured.

We at APN are sad to inform you that long-time board member Elaine Attias has passed away. Elaine, who lived in the Los Angeles area, possessed a great intellect and spirit, and was a fighter for social justice and a champion of progressive causes. Elaine made a significant imprint on this world and will be missed and remembered. (LA Times Obituary)

The Times of Israel: AG green-lights legalization of 2,000 settler homes built on Palestinian land (12/13/18) Peace Now settlement watchdog blasted the prime minister in a fiery statement."After a painful day that consisted of a number of attacks, instead of showing responsibility and trying to calm the situation, the prime minister, as usual, is working to fan the flames. The series of steps he has proposed are dangerous. Not only will they not prevent the next murder, but they will only distance us from the solution that could one day stop the cycle of bloodshed...". Read >

Ha'aretz: "One-state Solution Gains Ground in America - and pro-Israel Groups Are Worried" by Amir Tibon (12/13/18) Dr. Debra Shushan, director of policy and government relations at Americans for Peace Now, tells Haaretz that what is driving up support for a one-state solution among left-wingers in America is the aggressive, annexationist policies of the current Israeli government and its failure to pursue a two-state solution. Read >

Times of Israel: "Jewish Home calls for legalizing Ofra settlement homes after terror attack" (12/10/18) In 2007, the Peace Now settlement watchdog published official state documents proving that the government had allowed for the construction of hundreds of homes on land expropriated from Palestinians from the nearby village of Ein Yabroud. Read >

Philadelphia Inquirer: "What Marc Lamont Hill and the Israeli government have in common" by Trudy Rubin (12/5/18) ...The Israeli government is pursuing "leaping not creeping annexation" of the West Bank, in the words of the Americans for Peace Now organization. That refers to Israeli settlement expansion that has virtually ruled out any contiguous Palestinian entity on the West Bank. Read >

The Jewish Chronicle: "American Jewish progressives defend Airbnb's decision to remove Israeli West Bank properties" (12/7/18) A group of American progressive Jewish groups has written an open letter in support of Airbnb's decision to remove Israeli listings in the West Bank, describing illegal settlements as "illegitimate, and immoral". Read >

Recommended

Foreign Policy: "Americans Are Increasingly Critical of Israel by Shibley Telhami (12/11/18) New polling shows that the U.S. public's views on Israel's policies are shifting. Read »

A poll just released by the University of Maryland under the direction of Professor Shibley Telhami should capture the attention of the government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the Israeli public. The following is a summary of the key findings of the poll:

• IF A TWO-STATE SOLUTION TO THE ISRAELI-PALESTINIAN CONFLICT IS NOT AN OPTION: A large majority of Americans favors a democratic Israel with citizenship and full rights for all (64%) over a Jewish Israel in which Palestinians are disenfranchised (26%). This preference was particularly strong among Democrats (78% to 12%). Even a plurality of Republicans (48% to 42%) shares this view.