This week, Alpher discusses -in advance of the meeting- Netanyahu’s mood as he approached the meeting between him and President Obama, against a backdrop of an Arab Middle East in turmoil and personal relations that have soured over Iran and the Palestinian issue; Dr. Ran Baratz's appointment by Netanyahu as his new spokesman as head of the National Public Diplomacy Directorate; assuming the Russian passenger jet that crashed in Egyptian Sinai was brought down by an act of terrorism, how serious an event was this; and how strong an effect might the European Union's labeling of commercial goods made in West Bank and Golan settlements have on Israeli policy toward the Palestinians.

APN's Rabbi Alana Suskin and her co-panelist Dov Waxman speak at Open Hillel's teach-in about the Jewish tradition of dissent and the changing views of Israel as regards the occupation among American Jews

"You don't support countries by enabling behavior that will harm them." -@RabbiSuskin #OpenFederations #JFNAGA

— Open Hillel (@OpenHillelNow) November 8, 2015

1. Bills & Resolutions
2. Settlements= Israel, Round 3
3. Hearings
4. On the Record

Shameless plug:

Lara Friedman in HuffPo 11/4: Bibi's 'Anti-Solutionism' as Cover for 'Anti-Solution' (response to Natan Sachs in Foreign Affairs)
Lara Friedman & Hagit Ofran in Haaretz 11/2: Don't Be Fooled by Netanyahu's Sleight of Hand on Settlements

A recent article in Foreign Affairs by Brookings fellow Natan Sachs is getting a lot of attention: Why Israel waits: Anti-Solutionism as a strategy. (Full disclosure: Sachs is a friend and someone for whom I have great professional respect.)

The piece offers some valuable insights into how Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and those around him justify their approach on national security issues. However, the analysis suffers from an important omission with respect to the Israeli government's approach to the Palestinians, and offers a policy recommendation that, if adopted, would be disastrous.