The October 7 Hamas attack and the months since have been devastating for both Israeli and Palestinian societies. After months of war in Gaza, Israel has begun to signal a shift in strategy towards a new phase of this conflict. This shift has raised questions of what comes next for Gaza. Far-right ministers in Netanyahu’s government, such as Bezalel Smotrich and Itamar Ben-Gvir, have made concerning remarks calling for the expulsion of Palestinians. Ben-Gvir even asserted that such a move would pave the way for Israel to rebuild Jewish settlements in Gaza. 

The Times of Israel reported last week that the “voluntary” resettlement of Palestinians from Gaza is slowly becoming an official policy of the government, with conversations taking place with several countries about the potential absorption of Palestinians from Gaza.

Any ideas of expelling Palestinians from Gaza or establishing Israeli settlements within the strip are unacceptable. The Biden administration has called such rhetoric “inflammatory and irresponsible,” and Vice President Harris’ has stated that “under no circumstances will the United States permit the forced relocation of Palestinians from Gaza or the West Bank, the besiegement of Gaza, or the redrawing of the borders of Gaza.” Still these comments have done little to curb the far-right. 

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.

Americans for Peace Now (APN) today sent a petition to President Biden urging his administration to consider conditioning the aid that the United States government provides to the state of Israel.

The petition is available here.

The October 7th Hamas attacks and the subsequent IDF bombing campaign in Gaza has changed the dynamics of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. While the cycle of violence that was part of the status-quo was never sustainable or acceptable, the past two months have brought the deaths and suffering to a new level. The truth is that we already know how to end this. The key is and always has been a political agreement and the cessation of this conflict. However, achieving this requires breaking away from past approaches.

President Biden has sought additional funds to provide security assistance to Israel and deliver crucial humanitarian aid to Gazan’s affected by the conflict. While aid to Israel is crucial, it should align with our values and policy priorities, as is the case with all US assistance.

Now 13 Democratic Senators led by Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Dick Durbin, (D-IL), Tim Kaine (D-VA) and Brian Schatz (D-HI) are introducing a vital amendment aimed at ensuring the responsible use of military assistance provided by the proposed national security supplemental. This amendment emphasizes adherence to U.S. law and international humanitarian law.

Americans for Peace Now (APN) welcomes the news that 13 Senate Democrats– Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Dick Durbin, (D-IL), Tim Kaine (D-VA), Brian Schatz (D-HI), as well as Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Peter Welch (D-VT), Martin Heinrich (D-NM), Tom Carper (D-DE), Ben Ray Luján (D-NM), Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Mazie Hirono (D-HI), and Ed Markey (D-MA)--  plan to introduce an amendment that would require that weapons received by any country under the proposed national security supplemental are used in accordance with US law, international humanitarian law, and the law of armed conflict.

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.

The weeks since the horrifying October 7 Hamas attack have been devastating for both Israeli and Palestinian children.

During the atrocities on October 7, Hamas terrorists murdered 1,200 people in Israel, among them at least 38 children and babies. Many children were left orphaned. The terrorists abducted more than 240 hostages, including at least 32 children, among them a 9-month-old baby, and removed them to Gaza. Another hostage was nine months pregnant at the time of her abduction and is believed to have given birth in captivity. Many adult hostages, including nursing mothers, were separated from their infants and children.