Following the decision by the Presbyterian Church (USA) to divest from three U.S. companies whose products, they argue, are used to support Israeli occupation, Americans for Peace Now today issued the following statement:

“Last Friday’s decision of the Presbyterian Church of the United States to divest from three major U.S. companies should serve as a resounding warning for the Israeli government. Increasingly large segments of American society - including ones that care deeply about Israel’s future and invest in it – are losing patience with the nearly five decades-long occupation and with the Israeli government’s refusal to act seriously to bring it to an end. Pressure for decisions like the one taken by PC (USA) is growing, supported by Americans who are neither anti-Israel nor anti-Semitic. It is gaining traction as a direct consequence of Israeli policies that are deepening the occupation to the point of potential irreversibility in the near term, in tandem with the apparent inability or unwillingness of governments around the world to in any meaningful way challenge these policies.

This week, Alpher discusses the West Bank hostage drama, the Israeli response, and how it's affecting Netanyahu, Abbas, and other key figures.  Also discussed is the recent flare up in the Golan and how the Sunni-Shiite conflict in Iraq impacts Israel's immediate interests.

The Jerusalem Post - June 15, 2014
Stephen Donshik comments on Ori Nir's op-ed re the discomfort of progressive US Jews with Israeli government policies
http://www.jpost.com/Opinion/Op-Ed-Contributors/The-strange-reality-of-Israel-Diaspora-relations-359424

San Diego Jewish News - June 16, 2014
APN reacts to Israeli teens' kidnapping
http://www.sdjewishworld.com/2014/06/16/u-s-jewish-groups-react-teens-kidnapping/

The Forward - June 19, 2014
APN among Jewish groups calling and praying for the relaease of kidnapped Israelli teens
http://forward.com/articles/200364/kidnapping-unites-jewish-community-as-israel-split/

Haaretz - June 19, 2014
Peace Now's Yariv Oppenheimer's op-ed: Don't silence Arab MK's dissenting voice
http://www.haaretz.com/opinion/.premium-1.599653

Global Post (AFP Story) - June 19, 2014
Story on the kidnapping and settlers quotes article by Peace Now's Yariv Oppenheimer
http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/afp/140619/kidnapping-shatters-jewish-settlers-illusion-peace

1.  Bills, Resolutions & Letters
2.  House FY 15 ForOps – Mideast Elements
3. Senate FY15 ForOps – Mideast Elements
4.  Hearings
5. Members on the Record  
6. From the Press/Blogs

Of Special Note:

Lara Friedman op-ed 6/20: Facts on the Ground: Elliot Abrams’ Flawed Defense of Bibi’s Settlement Push

APN launches 6-week campaign: Reclaiming Israel’s future.  This week the issue was settlements.  Next week is Jerusalem.

Peace Now's Lior Amihai discusses recent trends in Israeli West Bank construction and comments on the kidnapping of  the three Israeli teens and its repercussions. 

Go to the "Reclaiming Israel's Future" Campaign Homepage

• Briefing call with Danny Seidemann and Lara Friedman regarding the tension in Jerusalem, October 31, 2014. Listen here.
• Briefing call with Jerusalem expert Danny Seidemann, June 26, 2014. Listen here.
• Download and use Facts on the Ground: APN’s Map App. Use this map to explore the data we have collected about settlement activity in the West Bank and check it regularly to see updates on settlement activity.
• Read and share the Jerusalem chapter from APN’s landmark publication, “They Say, We Say”.
• Watch APN’s "Danny Seidemann: Why E-1 matters" video filmed last winter during APN's Israel Study Tour (below).
• Read and share APN's Top 10 Myths about Jerusalem from 2010 (sadly, little has changed).
• Read and Share Articles from APN:
  • Settlements in Focus: "Abusing Jerusalem to Assail Peace: the Case of the Shepherd's Hotel" (July 22, 2009)
  • Settlements in Focus: Jerusalem Settlements take Center Stage" (Feb. 18, 2008)
  • Settlements in Focus: "The Battle for Jerusalem's Old City and Holy Basin" (May 19, 2006)
  • Settlements in Focus: "Greater Jerusalem at the Crossroads: Sharon's Impact, Olmert's Vision" (May 5, 2006)
  • Settlements in Focus: Settlers vs. Palestinians: Double Standards and Illegal Construction (March 3, 2006)
  • Settlements in Focus: Targeting the Old City's Muslim Quarter (Aug. 19, 2005)
  • Settlements in Focus: "East Jerusalem Land Grab?" (June 24, 2005)
  • Settlements in Focus: "E-1 & Ma'ale Adumim" (May 19, 2005)
  • Jerusalem in the US Passport – Compilation of APN publications

  [For the most recent news/analysis, see Latest Developments, co-authored by Lara Friedman & Danny Seidemann, March 2011-present]
  

  • Lara Friedman & Danny Seidemann in Open Zion/the Daily Beast: Netanyahu Must Rein in Extremists in Coalition, or Risk Derailing Peace Talks (Aug. 28, 2013)
  • Lara Friedman & Danny Seidemann in ForeignPolicy.com: Status Quo on the Temple Mount? (Oct. 17, 2012)
  • APN Statement: APN Condemns Attack on DNC over Jerusalem (Sept. 5, 2012)
  • Lara Friedman for APN: Another (Predictable) Jerusalem Settlement Announcement (Sept. 28, 2011)
  • Lara Friedman & Danny Seidemann for APN: Throwing another East Jerusalem Wrench into the Works: Final Approval of Plan for Mughrabi Gate Ramp (Nov. 10, 2010)
  • Lara Friedman & Danny Seidemann for APN:Netanyahu pushes East Jerusalem settlements (Nov. 8, 2010)
  • Lara Friedman & Danny Seidemann for APN: Spotlight on the ongoing battle for East Jerusalem (Nov. 3, 2010)
  • Lara Friedman for APN:  A dangerous sea-change in Israeli policy toward Jerusalem (Aug. 16, 2010)
  • Lara Friedman for APN:  Ending the "business-as-usual" settlements era in East Jerusalem? (March 17, 2010)
  • Lara Friedman & Danny Seidemann in ForeignPolicy.com: Jerusalem, Settlements, and the “Everybody Knows” Fallacy (Mar. 19, 2010)
  • APN Statement: APN Responds to Wiesel Ad on Jerusalem (April 16, 2010)
  • Lara Friedman & Danny Seidemann for APN: 50,000 new units for East Jerusalem - Behind the Headlines (March 11, 2010)
  • APN Board member Jo-Ann Mort in “Dissent”: "Jerusalem: Going for the Gold" (Jan. 8, 2010)
  • Lara Friedman for APN: A Chance to do the right thing on the Museum of Tolerance in Jerusalem  (Jan. 15, 2010)
  • Lara Friedman & Danny Seidemann for APN: Jerusalem Blitz (latest news and analysis) (Jan. 7, 2010)
  • Lara Friedman for APN:  Jerusalem settlement déjà vu (this time it's the Mt. of Olives) (Jan. 5, 2010)
  • Lara Friedman & Danny Seidemann for APN:  With New Tenders, Bibi Goes Nuclear on Jerusalem (Again) (Dec. 29, 2009)
  • Lara Friedman & Danny Seidemann for APN: Bibi Goes Nuclear on Jerusalem Settlements (Nov. 17, 2009)
  • Lara Friedman & Danny Seidemann in Haaretz: Flirting with the apocalypse (Oct. 9, 2009)
  • Lara Friedman & Danny Seidemann for APN: Clear and Present Danger in Jerusalem (Oct. 5, 2009)
  • Daniel Seidemann Special for APN: On Huckabee, the Settlers, and Jerusalem (August 17, 2009)
  • Lara Friedman for APN:  Mike Huckabee *hearts* East Jerusalem Settlers (Aug. 13, 2009)
  • Lara Friedman for APN: Setting the Record Straight: Palestinians Can't Really Live in West Jerusalem (July 20, 2009)
  • Danny Seidemann in the Forward: Loving Jerusalem, With Maturity (May 13, 2009)
  • APN Letter to Simon Wiesenthal Center: Jerusalem Museum to be built on Muslim cemetery (Dec. 23, 2008)
  • Daniel Seidemann in Newsweek/Washington Post: "Enough of the Jerusalem Mantra" (Sept. 10, 2008)
  • Leibel Fein for APN: "Clear Ambiguity" - Olmert, Settlements, & East Jerusalem (Feb. 6, 2008)
  • APN Statement: APN Applauds White House for Taking Up East Jerusalem Land Confiscation Issue  (Feb. 1, 2005)

Return to the Main "Jerusalem" Page

by APN's Summer Intern, Hannah Ehlers

This week’s Torah portion (Korach, Numbers 16:1-18:32) concerns the dangers of complacency and the unfairness of acting at the expense of others, matters relevant to events in Israel today. Korach leads a rebellion against Moses and Aaron. 250 followers join Korach to challenge the leadership of Moses and Aaron, demanding priesthood in addition to the “service of the tabernacle of God” (Numbers 16:9) to which they, as Levites, are already assigned. These actions by Korach and his cohorts, and the lack of opposition by the greater community, ultimately result in immense suffering—the earth swallows Korach and his men and a deadly plague spreads through the Israelite community.

God initially sought to destroy the entire community as punishment for Korach and his followers’ sins. But Moses and Aaron pleaded for fairness: “O God, Source of the spirit of all flesh! When one man sins, will You be wrathful with the whole community?” (Numbers 16:22). God relented and instructed the prophets to tell the Israelites to “depart… from the tents of these wicked men, and touch nothing of theirs, lest you be swept away in all their sins” (Numbers 16:26). Besides the 250 men with Korach, the rest of the community is largely uninvolved in the conflict between the rebels and the prophets. God views the community’s indifference as betrayal and demands that they act.