WASHINGTON (JTA) — I’ve been asked why a pro-Israel Jewish peace organization like mine is not enthusiastically celebrating the signing of a peace deal between Israel and two important Arab states. 

We do welcome the agreement that Israel will sign here Tuesday with the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain. In and of itself, the trend of Israel’s normalizing relations with Arab states is a positive development. 

But this is not happening in a vacuum. It’s happening at a time that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is under multiple indictments for corruption and bribery, at a time when tens of thousands are gathering in protest around the nation and calling for his removal. And most important, it’s happening at a time when his government continues to entrench the occupation and undermine even the hope of a two-state solution. 

Normalization with the UAE and Bahrain is great for the venture capitalists who will benefit from it, but does nothing to remedy Israel’s existential problem: its conflict with the Palestinians and the occupation that does so much damage.

I’m sure that Tuesday’s White House ceremony will provide a beautiful photo op, but I’m not eager to take part in festivities that are intended to paper over the real threat to Israel’s national security by celebrating a “peace deal” with countries that Israel was not at war with, as Israel fails to contain even the immediate threat of the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Today's announcement of Bahrain's decision to formalize its relations with Israel, while welcome in and of itself, is used by Benjamin Netanyahu's government to distract from the very real challenges that Israel is facing.

September 2020

Dear Friend,

Twenty-five years ago this November 4th, thousands of Israelis gathered at a Peace Now rally in what was then known as Kings of Israel Square. Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, who had the courage to shake his enemy’s hand on the White House lawn just two months earlier, stood in front of the audience of hopeful faces and announced “the path of peace is preferable to the path of war.” Sadly, we all know what happened next. Minutes later, he was gunned down by a radical national-religious Israeli, assassinated for his willingness to embrace change, to grow beyond a military commander and become a champion for peace and a better future for Israel and its Palestinian neighbors.

Perhaps you were there, holding a candle and singing with thousands of Israelis and Aviv Geffen as he almost predicted the outcome of the evening with his somber lyrics, “to cry for you.” Yitzhak Rabin risked and lost his life for a chance to make peace. He did not succeed. But we shall continue until his dream is realized. Yitzhak Rabin is my hero. And I hope you will join me this fall as we commemorate his life and his legacy.

There will be more information coming soon regarding APN’s October 20th celebration of Yitzhak Rabin, which will be hosted by actor, social activist, and APN board member Mandy Patinkin. But in the meantime, I hope you will consider making a gift to APN as we gather for the High Holidays and continue to work towards the peace that Rabin championed—and all of us—believe in so passionately.

Shortly after the El Al jet arrived back from Abu Dhabi at Ben Gurion Airport last Tuesday, bringing the dignitaries and a large chunk of Israel’s press corps home, an Israeli radio channel broadcast a scoop: Israel and the United Arab Emirates will negotiate jointly sending astronauts to outer space. There was great excitement in the studio. “UAE and Israeli astronauts, together, in the same rocket ship,” crowed one anchor, while the other quipped that “They’ll pay for the fuel.”

Funny.

Well, not really.

That same night, three Gazan siblings, a five-year-old and two toddlers, were burned to death at the Nussirat refugee camp in the Gaza Strip. Most Gazans still get only four hours of electricity per day, so they are forced to light candles after nightfall. It was by these candles that the fire in the al-Hazeen home started, and because of the water shortage in Gaza, relatives and neighbors could not find a water source to douse the flames.

Americans for Peace Now's objective, and indeed our dream, is to see Israel living in peace with all its Middle East neighbors, far and near. If Israel's normalizing its relations with the UAE were a step towards ending the occupation of the West Bank, then we would be all for it.

Sadly however, Prime Minister Netanyahu and his allies in the White House will pocket the Israel-UAE normalization agreement to further normalize, entrench and perpetuate the occupation. We are therefore reluctant to celebrate today.

APN strongly condemns the murder today of Rabbi Shai Ohayon, an Israeli citizen in Petah Tikvah, near Tel Aviv.

Do you know the Chassidic story about the rabbi and the goat?

A congregant comes to the rabbi for advice, complaining about the unbearable conditions at his tiny, cramped home. The rambunctious children are fighting. His wife is a hoarder. Everything is stuffy and grim. The Rabbi tells the man to buy a goat and keep it in the house. A week later the poor man comes back incensed. The goat is unbearable. It’s noisy and smelly. It eats everything. Rabbi, help! The rabbi cups his chin and says: well, go ahead and sell the goat. A week later, the man returns happy. Thank you, rabbi, he says, I got rid of the goat and life is wonderful! The house is spacious, the children are quiet, and it even smells good.

I don’t know if Benjamin Netanyahu and Donald Trump intended to use the idea of West Bank de-jure annexation to distract from the ongoing de-facto annexation through settlement construction. What I know is that many were distracted by the annexation goat, both in Israel and in the United States.

Not us. Not Shalom Achshav.

While we are obviously concerned about the possibility of formal annexation, our mission for the past four decades has been to fight the informal, creeping, de-facto annexation of the West Bank. Day in and day out, we witness what it does to the Palestinians, to our democracy, and to the prospects of us reaching a peace agreement with our neighbors. We know how badly it stinks.

Update: this action, now closed, ran from August 24-August 28, 2020. 

Prime Minister Netanyahu's plans for annexing the West Bank have been put on hold. Maybe. But his efforts to undermine a two-state solution continue unabated. His government is currently advancing plans for a new settlement project in the territory known as E-1.

E-1 is a narrow piece of land between East Jerusalem and the West Bank settlement of Ma’ale Adumim. The international community has long viewed settlement construction in E-1 as a redline, as it would undercut the viability of a Palestinian capital in East Jerusalem and prevent the creation of a contiguous Palestinian state.

This Friday, August 28 is the deadline for submitting objections to the construction plan. Right now, thousands of Israelis, led by our partners at Peace Now - together with Ir Amim, and the Association of Environmental Justice in Israel (AEJI) - are mounting a major opposition campaign.

Stand in solidarity with our brothers and sisters in Israel by adding your name to block this plan and preserve prospects for a just and viable solution to this conflict. Together with our colleagues from the Progressive Israel Network, we will be submitting this petition to Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz, who has the authority to block this plan from moving forward.