News from Peace Now's (Israel) Settlement Watch:

Thousands of Israelis marched in Tel Aviv on Saturday night to protest the appointment of Yisrael Beytenu head Avigdor Liberman as Israel’s new defense minister. Protesters carried banners denouncing extremism, racism, and violence in Israel, as well as signs proclaiming “Jews and Arabs refuse to be enemies” and “Israel, Palestine, two states for two peoples.” Marchers were joined by Knesset members, including Meretz leader Zehava Galon and Joint List chairman Ayman Odeh. Peace Now organized the rally together with Meretz and the Joint Arab List.

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.

This week, Alpher discusses the fallout now that Lieberman is defense minister and Netanyahu’s government is solidly right wing; what the right-wing domestic agenda is and what are its prospects; what are the amendments Israel requires in the Arab Peace Initiative as a condition for an "Arab solution;" whether the efforts of Kerry, Blair and Sisi to facilitate the formation of a broad, centrist Israeli coalition that includes the Labor party were an exercise in futility; and the near-term conflict alerts and ongoing Israeli plans regarding the Palestinian issue.

On May 25, APN hosted a briefing call on the political development in Israel, following Prime Minister Netanyahu’s signing a new coalition agreement with right-wing firebrand Avigdor Lieberman, appointing Lieberman to the position of Minister of Defense. Eldar, a senior columnist with al-Monitor, spoke about the implications for Israel, its security, and its relations with the Palestinians and the world.

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.

This week, Alpher discusses what happened last week, with Israel beginning last week with a Likud-Labor unity government, blessed by the president of Egypt, and ended with an even more right-wing government and the departure of a defense minister who stood up for IDF commanders with liberal values; the fallout; and where this leaves civil-military relations in Israel.

This Sunday, thirty days after Passover begins, there is another holiday – one almost no one has heard of. This holiday is called “Pesach Sheni” – second Passover- and has no celebrations, no special services, no seder.  Yet, perhaps we should consider reviving it.

Originally, it appears in the Bible because there were a number of people who were, for reasons out of  their control, unable to celebrate the Passover a year after leaving Egypt. Upset that they would be unable to celebrate, they complained to Moses, and were instructed to observe it a month later, just for one day.

Second Passover is the holiday of second chances.

APN hosted a briefing call on Wednesday, May 25th, at 2:00 pm Eastern Time with Akiva Eldar, senior political columnist with Al-Monitor’s Israel Pulse and formerly with Haaretz.

Akiva discussed the recent developments in the Israeli political arena: Binyamin Netanyahu’s coalition negotiations with Avigdor Lieberman and before that with Labor’s Yitzhak Herzog; Moshe Yaalon’s resignation from the government and the Knesset, and the increasing tension in Israel between the government and the security establishment.

Americans for Peace Now (APN) today sounded the alarm over the imminent appointment of Israeli serial provocateur and extremist firebrand Avigdor Lieberman as Israel’s new Minister of Defense. APN's President and CEO Debra DeLee commented: 

“Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu is today once again showing the world that he puts politics and personal political survival above the national security of Israel and its people.

“Avigdor Lieberman has a long and ugly track record of irresponsible, reckless, and deliberately inflammatory rhetoric and actions. As foreign minister in Netanyahu’s previous government, he caused severe damage to Israel’s foreign interests, creating crises in Israel’s relations with regional and global allies.

Recently, APN Director of Policy and Government Relations Lara Friedman was invited to speak at two events for the American University in Cairo (AUC), organized under the auspices of AUC’s Prince Alwaleed Center for American Studies and Research, part of the School of Global Affairs and Public Policy. The first lecture, entitled “The Middle East and the 2016 U.S. Elections,” took place on March 13, 2016 at AUC's historic Oriental Hall on the Tahrir Square campus. The second lecture, titled “A Conversation with A Washington Insider: Americans for Peace Now's Lara Friedman,” took place March 14, 2016 at AUC's campus in New Cairo.

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