Produced by the Foundation for Middle East Peace in cooperation with Americans for Peace Now, where the Legislative Round-Up was conceived.
1.Bills,
Resolutions & Letters
2. Hearings
3. Media & Reports
4. Members on the Record
(Palestine/Palestinians)
5. Members on the Record
(Israel)
6.
Members on the Record (Iran)
7. Members on the Record (other
Mideast countries)
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.
In the past week, over 2300 Americans signed Americans for Peace Now’s petition to President Biden urging him
to deny entrance to Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich. Despite vocal opposition, it appears that Smotrich
will be allowed to proceed with his upcoming travel plans. It is disappointing that Minister Smotrich’s remarks
calling for the Israeli government to “wipe out” the West Bank village of Huwara in the wake of the settler-led
pogrom on the village on February 26th have not precluded him from entrance into the United States.
In the aftermath of violence like this, it is incumbent on political leaders to call for calm and to do everything in their power to ease the tensions. Instead, Minister Bezalel Smotrich, the civilian governor of the West Bank whose openly pro-annexation agenda has emboldened the most extreme sectors of the Israeli settler movement, called for the Israeli government to commit a war crime. This type of rhetoric doesn’t exist in a vacuum. Tragically, we have seen far too many times where incitement like this leads to violence. Just days ago, a group of young settlers raided Huwara again, attacking Palestinians and their property.
Dear President Biden,
We write to you as American Jews who are horrified by the violence and escalation of tensions in Israel and Palestine and the tragic deaths on both sides. We condemn in the strongest of terms the pogrom perpetrated by Israeli settlers on Sunday against the people of Huwara. The disturbing images of the Huwara pogrom are reminiscent of some of the darkest moments of Jewish history.
Now is the time for Israel’s leaders to call for calm and to do everything in their power to ease the tensions. Instead, Minister Bezalel Smotrich, the civilian governor of the West Bank whose openly pro-annexation agenda has emboldened the most extreme sectors of the Israeli settler movement, has called for further violence. He said, “I think the village of Huwara should be wiped out. I think that the State of Israel should do that.”
This is calling for a war crime.
Produced by the Foundation for Middle East Peace in cooperation with Americans for Peace Now, where the Legislative Round-Up was conceived.
1.Bills, Resolutions
& Letters
2.
Hearings
3. Media
& Reports
4.
Members on the Record (Palestine/Palestinians)
5. Members on the Record
(Israel)
6. Members
on the Record (Iran)
7. Members on the Record (other
Mideast countries)
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.
Like you, we watched the footage of Huwara burning in complete horror. The disturbing images of this pogrom are reminiscent of some of the darkest moments of Jewish history. In the ashes of what remains of Huwara, no decent human being would look at the carnage and think: “let’s finish the job.”
Produced by the Foundation for Middle East Peace in cooperation with Americans for Peace Now, where the Legislative Round-Up was conceived.
1.Bills,
Resolutions & Letters
2. Hearings
3. Media &
Reports
4.
Members on the Record (Palestine/Palestinians)
5. Members on the Record
(Israel)
6.
Members on the Record (Iran)
7. Members on the Record
(other Mideast countries)
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.
Americans for Peace Now (APN) condemns the pogrom which took place yesterday in and around Hawara and calls on the Biden administration to move past its statements of concern and to respond with action rather than words.
We hold the Israeli government responsible for its failure to prevent the settlers’ large-scale attack on Palestinians on Sunday, for its dismissive reaction to the pogrom, and for its ongoing settlement activity.