August 14, 2024- Americans for Peace Now strongly condemns the Israeli government’s announcement of approval for a new settlement, Nahal Heletz, between Jerusalem and Bethlehem. The settlement is deliberately designed to disrupt the contiguity of an eventual Palestinian state, as acknowledged by Finance Minister and settler leader Bezalel Smotrich.

In formally approving the first new settlement to be announced since 2017, the Israeli government is defying the Biden Administration and the international community, who rightfully insist that new settlements are an obstacle to a resolution of the conflict. The location of this settlement also encroaches on the Palestinian village of Battir, home to ancient hillside agricultural terraces that have been designated a world heritage site by UNESCO.

It is clear that people around the world– and the mediators sent to the table in Doha– want an agreement to stop the violence in Gaza and to bring the Israeli hostages home. But the general understanding of how to get from point A (calling for a deal) to point B (getting the Israeli government and Hamas to agree to a deal) remains murky. To shed some light on the circumstances surrounding this round of negotiations, we sat down with Dr. Gershon Baskin, a veteran peace activist and longtime researcher of the Israel/Palestine conflict and peace process.

Maxxe Albert-Deitch is Americans for Peace Now's Strategic Communications Coordinator. Prior to joining APN, she worked as a historian, focusing on research and projects engaging in ethnohistory, archaeology, and conflict transformation in Israel and Palestine. She earned a Master’s degree in History from the College of William and Mary.

Stop for a moment.

Take a deep breath.

Exit out of your social media apps. Yes, even Instagram– the cute dogs and the memes about Mr. Pommel Horse Guy and the endless barrage of photos of hostages who are still missing and Palestinian kids who are starving will still be there when you log back in.

Count to ten, or thirty, or sixty. However long it takes to slow your thoughts.

Tomorrow will be, according to many, the saddest day in the Jewish calendar– it’s Tisha B’Av, when we remember the destruction of both Solomon's Temple by the Neo-Babylonian Empire and the Second Temple by the Roman Empire. It’s a fast day– we’re meant to reflect on the hardships that the Jewish people have endured. Some communities focus on just the destruction of the Temples. Others expand the meaning of the day and talk about the Holocaust, the expulsions from England and Spain, the deaths of martyrs and prophets throughout Jewish history and mythology alike.

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.

Our Director of Government Relations, Madeleine Cereghino, sat down with Lior Amihai, the executive director of our sister organization, Shalom Achshav. Our colleagues there recently released a report detailing what they call the Israeli government’s “Annexation Revolution.”

Produced by the Foundation for Middle East Peace. Views and positions expressed here are those of the writer, and do not necessarily represent APN's views and policy positions.

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.

By Madeleine Cereghino (Director of Government Relations)

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s address to Congress yesterday was marked by significant political tension and notable absences from key figures. Traditionally, the Vice President presides over joint sessions of Congress, but Vice President Harris did not attend the speech (though she will be meeting with Netanyahu privately today). In the absence of the Vice President, the role typically falls to the president pro tempore, Senator Patty Murray (D-WA). But she too declined to attend. Ultimately, Sen. Ben Cardin (D-Md.), chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, agreed to preside.

Larry Gellman currently serves on the national boards of Americans for Peace Now, J Street, and CLAL. Over the last 40 years he served as a founding member of the AIPAC board in Tucson and was a national leader and honoree of Israel Bonds, a founder of the Milwaukee Jewish Day School, and named Jewish Man of the Year in both Milwaukee and Tucson after chairing Federation annual campaigns in both cities. He spent his career as a widely recognized financial advisor and won awards as a television news reporter in Ohio and Wisconsin.