Americans for Peace Now is appalled and alarmed by President Trump’s shocking statements yesterday, equating neo-Nazis and white supremacists to progressive demonstrators and equating Robert E. Lee to George Washington. He is completely blurring the lines between right and wrong as he dabbles in the politics of moral equivalence and coddles his racist supporters whose cause is anathema to American values and civil rights.

APN’s mission is to educate and persuade the American public and its leadership to support and adopt policies that will lead to comprehensive, durable, Israeli-Palestinian and Israeli-Arab peace, based on a two-state solution, guaranteeing both peoples’ security, and consistent with U.S. national interests. 

Our mission is focused on the Jewish homeland and its future as a secure, democratic state, a proud member of the family of nations. But as a Jewish American organization, our mission is anchored in Jewish and American core values.

Today, we see these values being threatened not only by white supremacist and neo-Nazis but, alarmingly, by the President of the United States.

As President, Donald Trump should reflect and underscore all that is good about this country and its ethos. We expect him to leverage America’s moral spirit to assert our country’s leadership around the world, including in the Middle East.

President Trump’s comments ꟷ which fly in the face of America’s moral heritage and authority globally, and which embolden fascist, anti-Semitic militants and extremists worldwide ꟷ are an affront to the values that we hold dear. They also discredit the office of the President and damage America’s credibility abroad. As such, they harm APN’s core mission. 

We urge President Trump to provide the leadership and moral compass that our country and the world need and deserve.