In the October 14, 2016 briefing call with APN's Lara Friedman and Israeli Legal Expert Michael
Sfard on the UNSC Session on Israeli Settlements, they discussed the threat to Israel's security and the
two-state solution posed by settlements, the dangers of unilateral withdrawal, and the possibility of further
action at the UN.
Times of Israel: October 14
“B’Tselem
under fire for planned UN presentation on settlements,” discusses the criticism that the testifying
organizations and their representatives, such as APN’s Lara Friedman, are receiving.
Israel National News: October 14
“MK Kish: Time to Disconnect from B’Tselem and
Peace Now,” Knesset Member Yoav Kisch (Likud) spoke out against B’Tselem and Peace Now for being invited to the
UN Security Council Session, “Israeli settlements as an obstacle to peace and the two-state solution.”
San Francisco Chronicle: October 14
“Palestinians
push for UN membership and against settlements,” discusses Palestinian initiatives at the UN in the context of
the UN Security Council session on Israeli settlements, which APN will participate in.
Haaretz: October 13
“Israeli NGOs to Address Special UN Security Council
Session on Settlements,” APN will address the UN Security Council on West Bank settlements after Peace Now
decided not to.”
Jerusalem Post: October 13
“B’Tselem,
Peace Now to speak to UNSC against settlements,” APN’s Lara Friedman to address the UN Security Council
regarding settlements.
The Jewish Week: October 13
“’Here To Stay’ in Shilo,” quotes Hagit
Ofran, director of Peace Now’s Settlement Watch program, saying the new housing proposed for land near Shilo,
including 41 apartments earmarked for residents of Amona, an unauthorized outpost slated for destruction by Dec.
31, would be the start of a new settlement, not an expansion of an existing settlement.
Daily News (AFP story): October 9
“Netanyahu
speaks to Kerry to calm US over settler plan,” Peace Now says new construction in the West Bank amounts to the
establishment of a new settlement.
By APN Intern Naomi Tamura
Every Shabbat, Jews around the world ask God to “spread over us a sukkat shalom – a
sukkah of Your peace.” We express our hope for the protection of our dignity and our rights, and to live in a
just and peaceful world with our neighbors. As the Jewish festival of Sukkot begins just days after Yom Kippur,
Jewish communities come together to celebrate, among other things, the freedom of the people of Israel – and to
build their individual and communal sukkahs as physical representations of this peace and protection that we
seek. Unfortunately, there are other homes being built that only serve to prevent both peace and freedom.
Three years ago, I lived on Kibbutz Ein-Dor in the north of Israel as part of my gap year
program. There, I and 37 others helped build a sukkah (pictured). Although it was little more than a
simple, open-roofed structure with only one permanent wall, we rejoiced in our sukkah’s vulnerability. Our
collective efforts to hang pictures of our families, lace colorful streamers around the few tree branches that
served as our roof, and stake PVC piping into the ground as the sukkah’s base all brought us closer together
as a community. Yet, it was the way that we ate, sang, joked, and dreamed together that allowed us to
understand the true meaning of community filled with members who are at peace with one another.
This Sunday evening, as we prepare to celebrate Sukkot in a new year, we should be reminded of the connections between the sukkah and peace. The openness of the sukkah not only reminds us to share our homes with others, but asks us to open our hearts and minds towards building inclusivity and tolerance. In doing so, the sukkah becomes a communal structure sustained only by the shared commitment and vigilance of all its guests.
APN hosted a briefing call
on Friday, October 14th, at 3:00 pm Eastern Time with Lara Friedman, APN director of
policy and government relations, and Israeli legal expert Michael Sfard. The call was moderated by APN's
Aaron Mann.
Friedman and Sfard discussed the content of a UN Security Council special session, entitled “Illegal Israeli Settlements: An Obstacle to Peace and a Threat to the Two-State Solution,” at which Friedman spoke.
Listen to the briefing call here.
Americans for Peace Now (APN) today announced that its director of policy and government relations, Lara Friedman, will be speaking October 14, 2016 before the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) at a special session organized to examine the issue of “Illegal Israeli Settlements: An Obstacle to Peace and a Threat to the Two-State Solution.”
APN President and CEO Debra DeLee commented:
“We are extremely proud that Americans for Peace Now has been invited to address the Security Council on the issue of Israeli settlement policies. This is an issue on which APN and our Israeli sister organization, Shalom Achshav, are justifiably recognized as the leading experts, both in terms of knowing and in terms of explaining the facts about settlements and their implications for peace and the two-state solution. And the facts point to a clear conclusion: the Israeli government’s policy of prioritizing settlements threatens the vital interests of Israel – its people and its national future. This Security Council meeting is a welcome opportunity to highlight the damage settlements are doing to Israel and the quest for peace.”
The full statement can be viewed as a pdf here
Watch the full testimony
here
View the post-meeting press conference here.
Distinguished members of the Security Council,
As a representative of Americans for Peace Now – an organization that is committed to Israel’s existence and its future – it is not easy for me to speak before this body today.
It is not easy because while this forum will focus in large part on human rights violations by Israel, there are states represented here whose own human rights records are abysmal. There are even states in this forum that still do not recognize the existence of Israel, 70 years after that nation’s birth and despite its membership in the UN’s General Assembly.
It is also not easy for me to speak here today because of the deteriorating political climate in Israel as far as democracy is concerned. For some time now we have been witnessing an ugly campaign against courageous Israeli human rights and civil society NGOs – carried out by reactionary groups in Israel and by the Israeli government itself. Campaigns that target the legitimacy of NGOs like our Israeli sister organization, Shalom Achshav – Peace Now.
These groups are being targeted because their work reveals facts that some prefer to hide – facts that challenge the official Israeli government narrative.
On the Eve of Elections: The U.S. and the Elusive Quest for Middle East Peace
A discussion with a leading authority from Washington, DC
Lara Friedman
Director of Policy and Government Relations
Americans for Peace Now
Thursday, October 20, 7:30 p.m.
Westside Jewish Community Center
5870 W. Olympic Blvd., LA (parking structure in back, or park on the street)
RSVP to apnwest@peacenow.org or 323-934-3480
Friedman, whom the Jewish Daily Forward Newspaper listed as a "must-read pundit on the Middle East," is a go-to expert for those working inside government, those looking to influence U.S. policy, and for journalists. Her opeds and analyses are frequently published in the US and Israeli press, and she is a highly requested and respected speaker in forums throughout the U.S. and internationally.
We recognize that the final US Presidential Debate is the evening of October 19th, so we have changed the start time to 8:00 pm. You will thus have the opportunity to watch the debate in its entirety, and then have a discussion with a leading expert on the issues that are relevant to Israel, and to US Foreign Policy towards Israel and the Middle East.
On the Eve of Elections: The U.S. and the Elusive Quest for Middle East Peace
A discussion with a leading authority from Washington, DC
Lara Friedman
Director of Policy and Government Relations
Americans for Peace Now
Wednesday, October 19, 8:00 p.m.
(changed from 7:30 to accommodate watching the final US Presidential Debate)
Private Home in Sunnyvale, CA
Receive location and directions upon RSVP
RSVP to apnwest@peacenow.org or 323-934-3480
Friedman, whom the Jewish Daily Forward Newspaper listed as a "must-read pundit on the Middle East," is a go-to expert for those working inside government, those looking to influence U.S. policy, and for journalists. Her opeds and analyses are frequently published in the US and Israeli press, and she is a highly requested and respected speaker in forums throughout the U.S. and internationally.
