September 23, 2024- Americans for Peace Now is extremely concerned by the escalation of military hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah. For almost a full year Hezbollah has been firing rockets into the north of Israel, leaving tens of thousands displaced from their homes. Last week’s massive pager attack and the subsequent bombings deep into Lebanon have killed hundreds and wounded thousands. And today, Hezbollah is firing rockets deep into Israel while Israel has now again bombed Beirut. Millions of people, men, women and children, on both sides of the border, are looking for shelter and living in fear.

The failures in Gaza, the failure to bring the hostages home, the failure to defeat Hamas, and the failure to fight this war without killing tens of thousands and creating a humanitarian disaster have led Netanyahu to escalate on Israel’s northern front in order to distract from the failures in the south.

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.

Gaza and the Occupied Territories in general are at the forefront of conversations around the world– horrific medical scenarios, inhumane treatment of Palestinian civilians, and utterly abhorrent forms of abuse taking place in Israeli prisons and on the ground in Occupied land. B’Tselem is among the leading organizations serving as a resource for facts, figures, and personal stories and putting together the picture of just how dire the circumstances have become. To discuss the “humanitarian disaster zone” of the current Israel-Gaza war, we spoke with Sarit Michaeli, the International advocacy lead for B'Tselem. 

Sarit has been at B’Tselem since 2004 and coordinates the organization’s work with international policymakers, diplomats, and civil society. Prior to her current role, Sarit was B’Tselem’s media spokesperson and director of public outreach. Sarit documents demonstrations in the West Bank, with a focus on Israeli security forces and misuse of crowd control weapons, and is active in Israel’s anti-Occupation movement. Sarit has an MA (Distinction) in Gender Studies from Birkbeck College, University of London, and a BA in graphic design from Camberwell College of Art, the London Institute. Prior to joining B’Tselem, Sarit worked as a journalist, graphic designer, and translator in Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, London, and New York.

Listen to the audio on PeaceCast HERE.

Watch the video recording on YouTube HERE.

Read the transcript HERE.

APN Guest Commentary

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.

September 6, 2024- Americans for Peace Now is outraged by the death of American citizen Aysenur Eygi at the hands of the IDF in the occupied West Bank and urges a swift and independent investigation of the circumstances that caused her death. APN conveys its deepest condolences to Eygi’s family.

This heartbreaking event underscores the urgent need for a thorough, independent, and transparent US-led investigation to determine the facts surrounding her death, including whether US-supplied weapons or materiel were involved –in violation of the Leahy Law. Eygi’s family deserves justice and the American people deserve accountability.