Dear Friend,

Israel is a flower -- perhaps the greatest -- of the Jewish imagination. Over the course of two millennia of exile, a vision of Israel endured. It has taken on forms that were fantastic and humble, dreamlike as prophecy and prosaic as a hammer and nails. The capacity for bringing forth a world from the imagination -- a better world, a land of peace and plenty and freedom from the terrors and indignities of exile -- is part of our heritage as Jewish writers, and in our work we draw strength from that heritage every time we sit down at the computer to write. But as anyone might attest whose Bubbe ever warned him or her, as ours did us, to avoid walking over manhole covers, playing with sticks, or swimming after eating, the Jewish imagination is also a powerful tool for the envisioning of future disaster. In this darker guise, the Jewish imagination has fueled the vivid nightmares of our people from the ghettoes of Europe to the far-fetched claims of today's email fear-mongerers; and of course many of those dark imaginings of the Jewish future have also, tragically, been realized over the years.

Settlements in Focus

Behind the Barrier: A Profile of Elon Moreh (Vol.1, Issue 10)
A publication of Americans for Peace Now

Where exactly is Elon Moreh?

Elon Moreh is an isolated settlement located on the northeastern outskirts of the Palestinian city of Nablus ("Shechem" in Hebrew). It is located 18 miles east of the Green Line and 13.5 miles west of the Jordan River (i.e., closer to Jordan than the Green Line). It is 32 miles from the center of Jerusalem.

Providing detailed background and comparison to the various types of illegal construction.

Acting Prime Minister Olmert is being accused by some of his opponents of using a double standard - demolishing illegal settler construction but ignoring illegal "Arab" construction. Is this accurate?

Opponents of the settlers both inside and outside the government - including Peace Now - have long been accused, usually by settlers and their supporters, of caring only about illegal construction being carried out in the settlements, and ignoring illegal construction by "Arabs." This accusation generally reflects efforts to divert the public's focus from the manifest illegality of settlers' actions.

Update on the first illegal outpost with permanent housing to be demolished as a result of Peace Now's petition to the Israeli court.

What is the timeline of legal decisions that led up to the recent demolitions at the illegal outpost of Amona?

The illegal outpost of Amona was first constructed in late 1995. Demolition orders for nine structures at Amona - all built illegally on land that is privately owned by (and appropriately registered to) Palestinians - were issued in October 2004 by the Civil Administration.

To review, what exactly is an "outpost"?

An outpost is a new Jewish settlement - or a proto-settlement - built in the occupied territories without prior legal approval from the Israeli government. For years settlers have used the establishment of outposts as a mechanism to stake out new territory, expand settlement boundaries, create contiguity between veteran settlements, and establish facts on the ground that will make it more difficult to reach a peace agreement between Israel and the Palestinians.

It recently came to light that one of the West Bank's largest ongoing construction projects - indeed, one of the largest construction projects in Israel - is illegal.

There have been recent press reports about a large illegal construction project in a West Bank settlement. What is the story?

It recently came to light that one of the West Bank's largest ongoing construction projects - indeed, one of the largest construction projects in Israel - is illegal.

Settlements in Focus

Current Trends in Settlement Construction & Growth (Vol.1, Issue 15) - posted on 12/9/05
A publication of Americans for Peace Now

Is construction in settlements on the rise?

Yes. The most recent data published by the Israeli Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS) indicate that settlement construction during the first half of 2005 was greater than during the same period in 2004.