October 29- Americans for Peace Now strongly condemns the passage of two bills in the Knesset yesterday to bar the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) from operating within Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories.

In the months following the horrific attacks on October 7, troubling allegations about the involvement of a handful of United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) employees came to light. UNRWA and the UN responded swiftly to the accusations by immediately terminating the employees allegedly involved, ordering an independent outside review of the agency’s neutrality practices, and directing a review of the allegations by the UN’s highest investigative body, the Office of Internal Oversight Services (OIOS).

We remain deeply troubled by the affiliation of individual UNRWA employees with Hamas, but we cannot allow the actions of a handful of people, however heinous, to overshadow the critical role UNRWA plays in Gaza’s survival. UNRWA is the primary aid organization in Gaza, and its work there is crucial.

Produced by the Foundation for Middle East Peace. Views and positions expressed here are those of the writer, and do not necessarily represent APN's views and policy positions.

October 21, 2024- Today, Representative James P. McGovern (D-MA), Ranking Member of the House Rules Committee and Co-Chair of the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission, led 64 of his colleagues in calling on the Biden Administration to push for Israel to allow American and international journalists unimpeded access to Gaza.

Americans for Peace Now strongly supports Representative McGovern and his colleague’s push for increased press access to Gaza, which amplifies a call from over 70 media and civil society organizations from this past July.

As the Members wrote, “The absence of foreign media reporting has created significant challenges in obtaining accurate, verifiable information from Gaza, leading to increased skepticism about the limited reports that do emerge. At a time when reliable information is more critical than ever, the restrictions on independent reporting undermine the very foundation of press freedom and democratic accountability.”

Produced by the Foundation for Middle East Peace. Views and positions expressed here are those of the writer, and do not necessarily represent APN's views and policy positions.

1. Bills, Resolutions
2. Letters
3. Hearings
4. Israel/Palestine in 2024 Elex/Politics
5. Selected Media & Press releases/Statements

Produced by the Foundation for Middle East Peace. Views and positions expressed here are those of the writer, and do not necessarily represent APN's views and policy positions.

Produced by the Foundation for Middle East Peace. Views and positions expressed here are those of the writer, and do not necessarily represent APN's views and policy positions.

1. Bills, Resolutions
2. Letters
3. Hearings
4. Targeting/Slandering/Inciting Against Rep. Tlaib, Again (& twice over)
5. Israel/Palestine in 2024 Elex/Politics
6. Selected Media & Press releases/Statements

September 25, 2024- Yesterday, Representative Adam Smith (D-Wash) was joined by 102 of his colleagues in sending a letter to President Biden, Secretary Blinken and Attorney General Garland requesting a thorough, independent, and transparent US-led investigation to determine the facts surrounding the killing of American citizen Aysenur Ezgi Eygi.

Americans for Peace Now strongly supports the continued push for accountability and an investigation into her killing, which Secretary of State Antony Blinken has called “unprovoked and unjustified.” Given the evidence, and the reality of the unreliability of previous Israeli investigations, the United States must conduct its own independent inquiry. There must be clarity about what happened to Aysenur Ezgi Eygi and accountability for her death.