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The Middle East Institute (MEI) and the Conflict Management Program at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) are pleased to host Lara Friedman (Americans for Peace Now), Ghaith Al-Omari (WINEP), Ilan Peleg (MEI) and Shibley Telhami (Univ. of Maryland) for a discussion about the policy options confronting key players in the peace process following the re-election of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.  

Is the peace process over, as critics of PM Netanyahu allege? Depending on what kind of a government Netanyahu forms, what are Israel's options for dealing with the Palestinian issue? How might Israel's settlement policies be affected by the formation of a "right-wing" government versus a "national unity" government?  Will the Palestinian Authority accelerate its campaign for state recognition in global organizations? And finally, what influence can the Obama Administration exert on the two sides?   

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APN to Congress: Reject Pro-Settlement Legislation

Washington, DC – APN Today released the following statement regarding pro-settlements legislation in the House and Senate:

“As a pro-Israel, pro-peace organization and the sister organization to Shalom Achshav (Peace Now), Israel’s veteran grassroots, Zionist peace movement, Americans for Peace Now (APN) rejects and condemns efforts in Congress, backed by AIPAC, to legislate U.S. support for Israeli settlements. We urge Congress to recognize the danger and folly of this approach and to hold firm in its well-established support for Israel and its equally well-established refusal to endorse Israeli settlements – and to reject HR 825 and efforts to pass similar language in the Senate.

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"8 million prime ministers, 8 million prophets, 8 million messiahs..."

Yom Haatzmaut

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Israeli author Amos Oz likes to say that he loves Israel even when he can’t stand it.

Israel’s public sphere has in recent months given Israelis such as Oz, and their friends overseas, many reasons for frustration. The growing gap between rich and poor (the widest in the world), overt expressions of racism, intolerance and xenophobia, anti-democratic ultra-nationalist legislation, government policies that pull the rug from under the pro-peace rhetoric of its leaders. And rhetoric that doesn’t even presume to be pro-peace.

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'Israel's Direction Post-Election' with Dr. Gershon Baskin, April 20, 2015.

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Dr. Baskin, renowned Israeli peace activist and political commentator, award-winning journalist and author, and negotiator of Gilad Shalit's release, visited Los Angeles for this special post Israeli election event.

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APN's Lara Friedman in Haaretz: A defeat for Israel, a victory for settlers and BDS

BDS-Haaretz-Lara320x265By effectively equating Israel proper with the occupied territories, Israel's High Court has made life harder for pro-Israel, pro-peace activists.

The High Court's decision to uphold the so-called Anti-Boycott Law will, regrettably, be a boon to Israeli settlers and their supporters, whilst giving a gift to activists worldwide who support the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement against Israel.

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This week, Alpher discusses when Israel will have a new government and what will it look like; how bad the regional situation could get given the increased chaos in the Middle East, with Russian missile supply to Iran and territorial gains by al-Qaeda in Yemen; where do the external powers fit in: the US, Russia, the EU and China; and why Israel is so concerned about the Russian sale of S-300 surface-to-air missiles to Iran.

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Lara Friedman at Roanoke College - Israel-Palestine Peace Month

On April 1, 2015, Lara Friedman (Director of Policy and Government Relations) participated at the "Israel-Palestine Peace Month" event at Roanoke College. After speaking to a class about the lessons of Passover apply to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Friedman addressed a gathering of over fifty students, faculty, and community members about settlements, the occupation, and the potential for a new U.S. approach to achieving a two-state solution.

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PAST ACTION: Tell your Representative to sign letter supporting Iran diplomacy

Update: this action, now closed, ran in April 2015. 

This week, a key Senate committee passed S. 615 – with bipartisan support and the approval of the White House – giving Congress enhanced oversight over any nuclear deal with Iran. That bill is expected to pass quickly into law.

It is urgent that you act TODAY.

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Ernest Moniz in The Washington Post: A nuclear deal that offers a safer world

Ernest Moniz is U.S. energy secretary.

The recent announcement of the Lausanne framework concerning Iran’s nuclear program has stimulated a lively public and political debate. This is an important discussion that the nation deserves to have, and it must be informed by clarity on the specifics of the negotiated technical parameters for a final Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).

I joined Secretary of State John F. Kerry’s negotiating team in late February, but throughout the negotiations, leading nuclear experts at the Energy Department and its national labs have been involved in the careful development and thorough evaluation of the technical proposals to help define U.S. positions.

As a result, the key parameters for the agreement that was announced April 2 in Switzerland provide a technically sound path for certifying Iran’s nuclear program as peaceful, quickly determining if it is not and providing the breathing room needed to respond appropriately.

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APN today issued the following statement regarding the Senate Foreign Relations Committee’s passage of S. 615, amended:

APN has long opposed and continues to oppose any initiative in Congress that could undermine ongoing Iran negotiations or threaten the achievement and implementation of an agreement that could prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons. We have also long pointed out that even without a single new piece of legislation, the kind of substantial, long-term sanctions relief that will be central to the success of any Iran nuclear deal cannot be achieved without the active support and cooperation of Congress – giving Congress an automatic and critical role in overseeing and implementing any Iran deal.

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