Americans for Peace Now strongly condemns the passage of H.R. 6090, the Antisemitism Awareness Act, and urges the Senate to decline to consider this measure. This misguided bill would codify the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) Working Definition of Antisemitism, which conflates antisemitism with legitimate criticism of the policies and actions of the Israeli government. The lead drafter of IHRA, Kenneth Stern, has warned against using it as a cudgel against the millions of Americans, including many Jewish Americans, who object to the Netanyahu government’s decisions and actions.

Dr. Dahlia Scheindlin, a scholar and writer, is an international political and strategic consultant. She has advised and conducted research on nine national campaigns in Israel over the past twenty years, and has provided research and advising for elections, referendums, and civil society campaigns in fifteen different countries. She is the author of The Crooked Timber of Democracy in Israel. 

Join us on Thursday, May 2nd, 2024 for a webinar conversation with our President and CEO Hadar Susskind and Senator Chris Van Hollen. We will discuss the role of Congress in shaping US-Middle East policy and how conversations about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict have changed on Capitol Hill. Senator Van Hollen is a Congressional champion for peace and justice. Join us to hear what he has to say!

This webinar will take place on Thursday, 5/2/24, at 3:45pm Eastern Time.

Register HERE.

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.

A proud Progressive Zionist, Nomi is the Executive Board Chair and Vice President of Ameinu. Nomi is also the current Vice President for Programming of the American Zionist Movement and is involved with Brit Eytz- the World Labour Zionist Union and the Conference of Presidents of Major Jewish Organizations. Trained as a foreign policy analyst specializing in the Arab World and the Persian Gulf, Nomi speaks frequently on the subjects of current events in the Middle East and Israel and speaks Hebrew, Arabic, and French.  

April 19, 2024- Americans for Peace Now (APN) applauds the Biden administration’s announcement of a third round of sanctions addressing extremist settler violence. This latest round of sanctions, which predominantly targets crowdfunding campaigns for violent extremist settlers, marks a significant advancement in efforts to confront and deter settler violence in the West Bank.

The decision to impose sanctions on entities facilitating fundraising campaigns for individuals like Yinon Levi and David Chai Chasdai, known for their involvement in violent acts against Palestinian civilians, sends a clear message that the United States is committed to disrupting the financial networks that sustain and enable extremist activities.

Hadar Susskind, President and CEO of Americans for Peace Now, remarked, “These sanctions demonstrate President Biden’s commitment to action against the epidemic of ongoing violence by extremist settlers. By targeting not only individual perpetrators but also those who provide financial support to fuel their violence, the United States is taking meaningful steps to undermine the systems that support settler violence.”

April 18, 2024 - Americans for Peace Now welcomes the release of the Israel-Gaza Aid Supplemental text in the House of Representatives. In the wake of Iran’s direct and unprecedented attack on Israel this week, we continue to support assistance that enables Israel to defend itself against Iran and other adversaries.

As important, this package contains vital humanitarian assistance to Gaza at a time when millions of Palestinians are facing famine and a lack of medical care and housing.

We continue to call for conditions to be placed on US military aid to Israel. Although this text does not include any new guardrails on the aid to Israel, there are existing mechanisms and laws to prevent the misuse of US military aid including section 620I of the Foreign Assistance Act and the National Security Memorandum issued in February. It is imperative that the President utilizes these existing mechanisms and laws to ensure that our assistance is used in accordance with American policy.

APN’s President and CEO Hadar Susskind said: “The Israel-Gaza aid supplemental bill should be passed by Congress and signed by President Biden. And like any and all aid to Israel, it should be used as mandated by American policy and international human rights law. The US must uphold the important principles of allyship while remaining consistent with our democratic values.”

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.

Yossi Alpher is an independent security analyst. He is the former director of the Jaffee Center for Strategic Studies at Tel Aviv University, a former senior official with the Mossad, and a former IDF intelligence officer. Views and positions expressed here are those of the writer, and do not necessarily represent APN's views and policy positions.