This week, Alpher discusses the pros and cons of Israel taking in refugees from Syria; if there is a Palestinian angle to the Syrian refugee crisis; and what are the potential consequences for Israel of the arrival of Russian military forces in Syria.

 1. Bills & Resolutions

APN President and CEO Debra DeLee commented on today's vote in the Senate on the Iran nuclear deal (the JCPOA):

"This afternoon, the Senate voted with the American people and the world to give the JCPOA a chance. It did so after weeks of careful deliberation, far-reaching consultations with experts, and deep soul-searching. Senators conducted all of this to the backdrop of a campaign of extraordinary pressure from various quarters, including some American Jewish groups and the Israeli government, urging them to ignore the facts, reject experts' analyses, and oppose the agreement. 

APN president and CEO Debra DeLee commented today on the state of play of the Iran nuclear deal – the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) in Congress:

"It is time for opponents of the deal – in the U.S. Congress, among some U.S. advocacy groups, and in Israel – to recognize that their dream of using a legislative vote of disapproval to block the Iran deal has come to naught, and to cease efforts to further drag out the battle over the deal with petty game-playing that serves only the purposes of political point scoring, at the expense of the vital national security interests of both the U.S. and Israel."