The Israeli government’s decision to annex large parts of the West Bank is now on the forefront of the political agenda in the public and in the Israeli Knesset. 

Listen to Knesset Member Merav Michaeli of Israel’s Labor Party, who is currently a member of the opposition, discuss annexation on this APN briefing call from Thursday, June 11. 

In her eight years in Israeli politics, following a successful career in television and print journalism, MK Michaeli has established herself as a clear, courageous progressive voice, focusing on peace, social justice, and women’s rights. One of Israel’s leading feminists, Michaeli has been socially active since the late 1990s, when she established a lobbying organization to assist and promote sexual violence victim centers across Israel. As a Knesset member, she has consistently speaks out against the occupation and against the Israeli government’s inaction in pursuit of an end to the occupation.

Dr. Dahlia Scheindlin is a public opinion expert, international political and strategic consultant, scholar and writer. In this episode, she talks about Israeli public opinion regarding West Bank annexation and about a new study she authored which offers a set of recommendations for a practical solution to the Palestinian refugee problem, known as the Palestinian right of return.

LISTEN

Hear the recording of APN's May 22nd briefing call with Dr. Saeb Erekat:

West Bank Annexation: The Palestinian Leadership’s Perspective

Dr. Erekat is Secretary General of the PLO’s Executive Committee and served for many years as the Palestinian chief negotiator with Israel.

Hear him address the future of Israeli-Palestinian relations as a result of the Israeli government decision to annex large parts of the West Bank. Included was discussion on Tuesday's declaration by the Palestinian Authority that agreements with Israel and the US, including those that are security-related, would cease.

The recent slate of PeaceCast podcasts include recordings of APN's webinar series on the Trump to Biden transition from Israeli, Palestinian, American, and European perspectives. 

BROWSE and LISTEN

LISTEN:

The European Union and its members have been following with great trepidation the Israeli government’s statements and plans to annex parts of the West Bank. The EU is strongly committed to the two-state solution, and n the past has warned that it will not recognize Israeli sovereignty in the West Bank and will “act accordingly” if Israel extends its sovereignty to the West Bank.

John Lyndon, the Executive Director of the Alliance for Middle East Peace (ALLMEP), who is headquartered in Paris, provides excellent information and insight to better understand Europe’s concerns and possible actions about the prospects of West Bank annexation

John Lyndon is the executive director of ALLMEP, an organization that secures and scales up funding to expand trust-building interactions between Palestinians and Israelis.

Based in Paris, France, John was ALLMEP’s first European Director, founding its new office in Paris in 2018. He closely monitors the policy of the European Union and its member states – as well as the policy of other European countries – on Israeli-Palestinian affairs.

A regular contributor and commentator on events in the Middle East, his writing has featured in numerous international publications, and he is a frequent analyst on television and radio shows on this topic. 

Arkady Mazin is an expert on the Russian-speaking public in Israel. He is currently working on a book that among other topics examines attitudes among Israeli Russian speaking Jews toward the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

In this episode, Mazin talks about what he depicts as an anomaly or a paradox. The two predictors for holding dovish views on this issue in Israeli society are secularism and high level of education. Israeli Jews from the former Soviet Union are much more secular than the overall population, and, on the average much better educated. Yet their views on Israel’s conflict with the Palestinians are more hawkish than those of the average Israeli.

LISTEN

On Thursday, May 7, Dr. Marwan Muasher, former Jordanian foreign minister and ambassador to Israel and the United States, discussed the impact Israeli unilateral annexation in the West Bank will have, including on the close relations between Israel and Jordan.

LISTEN:

Dr. Marwan Muasher is currently the vice president for studies at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. He served as foreign minister (2002–2004) and deputy prime minister (2004–2005) of Jordan, as well as the Kingdom’s ambassador to Washington (1997 to 2002) and its first ambassador to Israel (1995-1996). Muasher played a central role in developing the 2002 Arab Peace Initiative and the 2003 Middle East Roadmap.

Muasher is the author of The Arab Center: The Promise of Moderation (2008) and The Second Arab Awakening and the Battle for Pluralism (2014).

This is the second part of our first “Virtual Dove” episode, featuring stories by former ambassadors to Israel. Our first part featured stories by former US Jerusalem consul generals Jake Walles and Ed Abington.

This part features stories by former Canadian ambassador to Israel Jon Allen and former US ambassador to Israel Dan Kurtzer.

Listen to the full episode

This special episode of PeaceCast is our first “Virtual Dove” episode, featuring personal, human stories, vignettes, anecdotes, and experiences that underscore positivity in and around the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Maybe even hope.  

The first show of Virtual Dove features stories by former ambassadors to Israel and former US Jerusalem consul generals.

The show is split into two parts. The fist part, this episode, features two former US Consul Generals to Jerusalem, Jacob (Jake) Walles and Edward (Ed) Abington. Their stories shed light on two of the most promising chapters in Israeli-Palestinian relations. Part II features former US Ambassador to Israel Dan Kurtzer and Canadian Ambassador to Israel Jon Allen.

Listen to the full episode

APN Briefing Call: "From Settlements to Annexation" Featuring Shaqued Morag, Executive Director, and Brian Reeves, Director of External Relations of Israel’s Peace Now (Shalom Achshav)

LISTEN:

Morag and Reeves discussed the situation (as of April 13) regarding the "unity Government" deal being negotiated between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his opponent-turned-potential-coalition-partner Benny Gantz. What might this do related to recent annexation initiatives, and what would that mean for Israel? How will Israel's peace movement respond?