This week, Americans for Peace Now's 2015 Israel Study Tour is exploring Israel and the West Bank, focusing on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and efforts to resolve it.

See below for pictures, video, and highlights from our Twitter feed.

Watch the video below.

The Middle East Institute (MEI) and the Conflict Management Program at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) are pleased to host Lara Friedman (Americans for Peace Now), Ghaith Al-Omari (WINEP), Ilan Peleg (MEI) and Shibley Telhami (Univ. of Maryland) for a discussion about the policy options confronting key players in the peace process following the re-election of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.  

Is the peace process over, as critics of PM Netanyahu allege? Depending on what kind of a government Netanyahu forms, what are Israel's options for dealing with the Palestinian issue? How might Israel's settlement policies be affected by the formation of a "right-wing" government versus a "national unity" government?  Will the Palestinian Authority accelerate its campaign for state recognition in global organizations? And finally, what influence can the Obama Administration exert on the two sides?   

Dr. Baskin, renowned Israeli peace activist and political commentator, award-winning journalist and author, and negotiator of Gilad Shalit's release, visited Los Angeles for this special post Israeli election event.

On April 1, 2015, Lara Friedman (Director of Policy and Government Relations) participated at the "Israel-Palestine Peace Month" event at Roanoke College. After speaking to a class about the lessons of Passover apply to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Friedman addressed a gathering of over fifty students, faculty, and community members about settlements, the occupation, and the potential for a new U.S. approach to achieving a two-state solution.

Pray for the Peace of Jerusalem

Sunday, March 29 at 2:00 PM

Rabbi Alana Suskin spoke about the prospects for peace following Israel's elections, the work of Peace Now in Israel and what the challenges are at this time, and what, as American Jews, our role can be in helping Israel achieve peace and security with her neighbors

APN's Ori Nir will be speaking on a panel discussion with Gabriel Scheinmann at Goucher Hillel, 7pm on March 25th

There were only a handful of Israeli settlers beyond the Green Line in 1968, when Lyndon Johnson became the first American president to express opposition to settlements in the West Bank. Now, despite protest from every subsequent administration, there are more than 350,000 Israelis living in the West Bank and 200,000 in East Jerusalem. President Johnson’s prediction that settlements would “prejudice a peace settlement” has come true, as the dramatic rise of the settler movement—in both numbers and political power—has complicated repeated efforts to achieve a two-state solution.

In this panel at J Street's 2015 conference, APN's Lara Friedman, together with other experts on American and European policy explored what steps can be taken to halt further settlement growth and entrenchment, and discuss the political and policy implications of American and European initiatives—from discouragement of Israeli settlement subsidies to the labeling or boycott of settlement goods.

Watch to see  Lara Friedman, together with Michael Cohen of the Boston Globe and Alon Sachar of the US State Department, with Steve Krubiner, J Street's Chief of staff,  moderating.  Aviva Meyer, Deputy Chair of APN, introduces the participants. Session begins at 10:35.

Israeli Elections: Initial Analysis
Briefing call Wednesday, March 18th, 12 noon, Eastern Time
With Israeli Security Expert Yossi Alpher

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.

Listen to the analysis HERE.

Sunday, March 15th, 11:30am at Westmoreland Congregational UCC

APN's Rabbi Alana Suskin spoke with Ambassador Warren Clark,  Commissioner Mai Abdulrahman, with the panel moderated by  Alton Frye.

Friday, February 27th, at 4:00 PM Eastern Time.
To join the call dial 951-797-1058 and enter passcode 147414.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will come to Congress next Tuesday to try to mobilize it against the Obama administration’s efforts to reach a deal with Iran. This week, he described Congress as the “last stop” before a deal that he deems catastrophic for Israel. But will Congress come to Netanyahu’s help? Can Congress thwart such a deal? And what kind of a deal are President Obama and Secretary Kerry trying to secure? In what way does its chief characteristics differ from Netanyahu’s approach?