Americans for Peace Now

The Campaign to Legislate Support for Settlements: The Battle in Congress

As of April 1, 2017, the up-to-date version of this table is found

In 2015, a campaign began in Congress (as well as at the state level) to hijack concerns about BDS against Israel in order to pass legislation giving unprecedented legitimacy and recognition to Israeli settlements by, in effect, making it U.S. policy to treat them as part of Israel. These efforts continue through the present day.

This table -- which will be updated regularly -- is intended to help people understand and follow what is happening in Congress.

APN rejects this cynical effort to exploit concerns about BDS in order to erase the distinction between Israel and the occupied territories.

News Nosh 10.05.16

by APN 10/05/16

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APN's daily news review from Israel

Wednesday October 5, 2016

Quote of the day:

"There is no more father Peres, who will bear the morality of Israel on his shoulders while the children run amok. The full moral responsibility for the image of Israel has now been passed to his successors. It is sad, difficult and frightening."
--Haaretz+ commentator Caroline Landsmann writes that the death of Israel's last founding father will force Israel to grow up.**

Peace Now Settlement Watch: Plan Promoted for a New Settlement Near Shiloh

by APN 10/02/16

News from Peace Now's (Israel) Settlement Watch:

On Wednesday, September 28th, two plans were promoted by the Civil Administration's Higher Planning Committee (HPC): one plan for a new settlement east of Shilo (approved for depositing), most likely meant for the settlers of the illegal outpost o Amona, and another for a new industrial zone west of Ramallah (approved for validation). see details below.

Peace Now: "While world leaders are gathering to commemorate Shimon Peres and his path to peace, the Israeli government is creating another obstacle for the two state solution by establishing a new settlement in the heart of the West Bank. The government's decision to reward settlers who stole private Palestinian lands will make the rest of Israel's law-abiding citizens pay a heavy political price."

APN's Ori Nir in JWeekly: A shrine to tolerance shows grave insensitivity

by APN 10/02/16

The opinion piece by Rabbi Abraham Cooper (“Museum of Tolerance not being built atop Muslim cemetery,” Sept. 23) takes issue with my assertion that the Wiesenthal Center is knowingly building its Museum of Tolerance at the site of a historic Muslim cemetery and that bones of people buried there have been dug up to make room for the museum (“American Jewish progressives must act to defend their values in Israel,” Sept. 16).

My assertion is based on facts. These facts have been discussed in Israeli courts and in the Israeli public arena, and are included in Israel’s Supreme Court ruling. The heart of this ruling was not the question of whether there were skeletons buried where the museum now stands, but the manner in which the bones in the “Purple Zone” would be handled.

The Wiesenthal Center never refuted the presence of human bones in the “Purple Zone,” which it depicted in court as “the heart” of the museum’s construction site.

U.S. (non)-Recognition of Sovereignty in Jerusalem: A Consistent Policy, pre-1948 - Present

by admin_as_editor 10/01/16

[Originally published August 12, 2011, in the context of the Supreme Court's consideration of a case challenging longstanding U.S. policy in Jerusalem (the Supreme Court ultimately ruled in favor of the Obama Administration and - by extension - every U.S. administration that preceded it. -Archived version is here]

The United States does not recognize the sovereignty of any party in any part of Jerusalem (East or West). This is not a new policy imposed by the Obama Administration, as some seem to believe or want others to believe. It is a policy that dates back to pre-1948, and has been followed by every U.S. Administration since, regardless of the President or party in the White House. Across this entire period, the policy has applied equally to Israeli, Jordanian, and Palestinian claims in the city. What follows are representative examples across this entire period illustrating the consistency of this policy.

APN Legislative Round-Up: September 30, 2016

by admin_as_editor 09/30/16

1. Bills, Resolutions & Letters
2. Hearings
3. On the Record

News Nosh 09.30.16

by APN 09/30/16

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APN's daily news review from Israel

Friday September 30, 2016

NOTE: News Nosh will be off Sunday through Tuesday, October 2-4, for Rosh Hashanah. Happy Jewish New Year!

Quote of the day:

"The two men are diametric opposites. Peres advocated openness and cooperation with the international community, while Netanyahu favors hunkering down behind the barricades and believes the entire world is against us. Peres was an optimist and full of self-confidence, while Netanyahu is a pessimist who always sees himself as a victim. Peres constantly took the initiative, while Netanyahu advocates a policy of 'sit still and do nothing.'"
--Haaretz's Barak Ravid compares two Israeli leaders, Shimon Peres, who was laid to rest today, and Binyamin Netanyahu, who eulogized him.**

News Nosh 09.29.16

by APN 09/29/16

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APN's daily news review from Israel

Thursday September 29, 2016

Quote of the day:

“…until now i cant believe that i am working for you ,day and night we are together i will miss your big voice, your smile the way you said LAYLA TOV FREDDY before you sleep at night,thanks for everything thanks for making me part of your history , thanks for trusting a Filipino like me…”
--Excerpt of the Facebook eulogy to Israeli statesman, Shimon Peres, written by Ferdz Capacia, his Filipino caretaker.*

APN Weekly Update - Shimon Peres (z"l), echoing APN, our new ad, informative Alpher Q and A

by APN 09/28/16

Americans for Peace Now: September 28, 2016

"A solution of two national states -- a Jewish state -- Israel; an Arab state -- Palestine. The Palestinians are our closest neighbors. I believe they may become our closest friends."

Shimon Peres, Former Israeli Prime Minister, President, and Nobel Peace Prize recipient (pictured receiving the prize), who passed away today at the age of 93.

Yossi Alpher is an independent Israeli security analyst. Views and positions expressed here are those of the writer, and do not necessarily represent APN's views and policy positions.

September 26, 2016 - The outgoing year, 5776

Q. Where did Israel position itself in the Middle East during the outgoing year?

A. From the standpoint of its own self-interest, Israel moved in two distinct and essentially contradictory directions......

Q. The Israel-US relationship appears to have suffered.

A. Definitely. Here too, the prism of two distinct strategic directions helps us understand what has happened......

Q. How did events in the surrounding Middle East affect the mood of Israelis?

A. Overall, Israelis seemed more frightened by the very visible Islamist onslaught in Iraq, Syria, Yemen and Libya, coupled with the Assad regime's barbarism and Iran's machinations in the region, than encouraged by the behind-the-scenes Israel-Arab cooperation this has engendered......

Q. And the so-called "lone wolf intifada"? How did it affect Israelis?

A. The effect of Palestinian knifings and car-rammings of the past year appears to have meshed with the overall negative Israeli reaction to the surrounding Islamist revolutions and contributed to the country's increasingly jingoistic and at times messianic mood...

Q. What in your view are the prospects for progress between Israel and the Palestinians in the year ahead?

A. All other things being equal, both Netanyahu and Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas will remain in office and neither will evince a serious interest in the renewal of meaningful negotiations...

Q. To sum up the outgoing year?

A. On balance, and despite some bright spots of strategic achievement, 5776 was bad for Israeli interests and for US interests in the Middle East...

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APN Breaking News

APN Mourns the Death of Shimon Peres

Shimon Peres was an icon of Israel's founding generation, a visionary of peace and security for Israel, a dedicated leader who led Israel through wars and in the quest for peace. APN President and CEO Debra DeLee: "Shimon Peres' memory and legacy are a blessing to anyone who cares about Israel and its well being as a democracy that is guided by progressive values."

In The News

Prominent American Intellectuals Echo APN on Settlement Boycotts

The letter from more than 70 American intellectuals includes APN Board members Michael Walzer and Edward Witten.

APN warmly welcomes and endorses the open letter published in the New York Review of Books from more than 70 American intellectuals, whose message echoes and validates APN's position on the boycott of Israeli settlement goods.

Go HERE for more on APN's position and record on this issue.

Go HERE for some actions that can be taken today to fight settlements and the occupation.

APN Ad Series features Major General (res.) Gadi Shamni on the necessity of ending the occupation

The former military secretary to Israeli Prime Ministers Sharon and Olmert, military attache to the US, and top commander of IDF forces in the West Bank, recently said: "We have elevated the occupation to an art form...Every step we take should stem from one strategic goal - separation from the Palestinians."

Go HERE to see the entire ad.

Rosh Hashanah