The 'Basic Law: Israel as the Nation-State of the Jewish People,' passed by 62-55, with two abstentions

Land Allocation in the West Bank – For Israelis Only

A New Settlement Watch Report

Following a request under the Freedom of Information Act submitted by Peace Now and the Movement for Freedom of Information (and after refusing to give the information and a two-and-a-half year delay), the Civil Administration's response was received:

Professor Shibley Telhami Briefing Call, Thursday, July 19, 2 pm (Eastern)

Professor Shibley Telhami, one of America's leading experts on the Middle East, will comment on the current state of American-Palestinian relations, on Donald Trump's Israeli-Palestinian policy, on Trump's prospective "peace plan," and on the role of Arab governments in the current dynamics between the US, Israel and the Palestinians.

Listen here

The New York Times today published an article based on data collected by Israel's Peace Now movement, quoting Hagit Ofran of Peace Now's Settlement Watch project. Following is the article:

In West Bank, 99.7% of Public Land Grants by Israel Go to Settlers In West Bank, 99.7% of Public Land Grants by Israel Go to Settlers

By Isabel Kershner
July 17, 2018

JERUSALEM — Over five decades in control of the West Bank, Israel has marked out hundreds of thousands of acres as public land, and it has allocated almost half of them for use.

But only 400 of those acres — 0.24 percent of the total allocated so far — have been earmarked for the use of Palestinians, according to official data obtained recently by an anti-settlement group after a freedom of information request. Palestinians make up about 88 percent of the West Bank’s population.

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.

Week 2 Book Recommendations - Exploring love, empathy, and cooperation in spite of the conflict

Today, 13 leading American Jewish organizations submitted a letter to Knesset opposition leader Isaac Herzog expressing opposition to the discriminatory “Nation-State Bill,” which is currently advancing in the Knesset. The bill would alter Israel’s constitution-level Basic Law in ways that pose severe risks to minority rights and Israel’s democratic foundation. The letter is signed by the New Israel Fund, J Street, T’ruah, Americans for Peace Now, Ameiny, Avtzim’s Green Zionist Alliance, Habonim Dror North America, Hashomer Hatzair North America, Keshet, Reconstructing Judaism, Reconstructionist Rabbinical Association, Right Now: Advocates for Asylum Seekers in Israel, and Tivnu: Building Justice.

Professor Shibley Telhami, an expert on Palestinian politics and on U.S. Middle East policy joined us on a briefing call on Thursday July 19th, 2018.

One of America’s leading experts on the Middle East, Professor Telhami will comment on the current state of American-Palestinian relations, on Donald Trump’s Israeli-Palestinian policy, on Trump’s prospective “peace plan,” and on the role of Arab governments in the current dynamics between the US, Israel and the Palestinians.  

Listen here.

Shibley Telhami is the Anwar Sadat Professor for Peace and Development at the University of Maryland, College Park, and non-resident senior fellow at the Saban Center at the Brookings Institution in Washington, DC. He is the co-editor of The Peace Puzzle: America’s Quest for Arab-Israeli Peace, 1989-2011, and the author of The World through Arab Eyes: Arab Public Opinion and the Reshaping of the Middle East.

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.