Americans for Peace Now (APN) welcomes tonight’s scheduled vote on Senator Bernie Sanders’ resolution under section 502B of the Foreign Assistance Act requesting information on Israel’s human rights practices, and urges the Senate to adopt it.
The Hamas attacks on October 7th cost the lives of some 1,200 Israelis, saw over 240 men, women and children taken hostage, and left the nation in shock and mourning. Israel’s initial decision to retaliate militarily was justified and internationally endorsed, but we are now over three months removed from that horrible day.
At this point, the continuation of the war endangers Israel’s national security interests, threatens to lead to a wider regional war, and has made Gaza utterly uninhabitable, plagued by death, hunger, and disease. The scope and duration of Israel’s response, and its lack of a “day after” strategy that would harness its military response to a clear political objective, has cost Israel dearly and caused shocking carnage and immeasurable suffering for Gazan civilians, most of whom have been displaced from communities now reduced to rubble. The United Nations has said that hunger is widespread and the threat of starvation is imminent in Gaza. The healthcare system has collapsed, and disease is spreading.
Americans for Peace Now (APN) commends Israel’s Supreme Court for striking down the so-called “reasonableness law” which bars the Court from challenging unreasonable government decisions. The law, passed by the Knesset last July, is a key component of the judicial reform advanced by Benjamin Netanyahu’s government.
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.
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.
Americans for Peace Now (APN) welcomes the news of a deal to release some fifty hostages held by Hamas and other militants in the Gaza Strip, and the agreement to a four day long ceasefire. The taking of hostages is a war crime, and we reiterate our call for the immediate release of all of the hostages, and for Red Cross access to those not being immediately released.
The mutually agreed upon ceasefire is a welcome development. The ceasefire will allow for both the release of hostages and the provision of essential humanitarian aid to Gazan civilians, including food, water, medicine and fuel. In addition, we welcome the reported agreement to release all Palestinian minors held in Israeli prisons.
APN’s President and CEO Hadar Susskind said: “Releasing some hostages is a positive first step. The rest of the hostages should also be released immediately. In addition, I am pleased to see a mutually agreed upon ceasefire that, hopefully, will begin to shape a post-war reality on both sides of the Israel-Gaza border. Such a reality would end the hostilities, provide security and stability for Israel, address the humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip and kick off the challenging task of rebuilding Gaza. As President Biden thankfully asserts, this road must lead to a new era in Israeli-Palestinian relations, one that is governed by pursuit of an agreement that would result in two sovereign states for the benefit of both peoples.”
In a letter to Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Americans for Peace Now’s President and CEO Hadar Susskind urges the administration to push for a humanitarian pause in the Israel-Hamas war and to intensify its diplomatic efforts to protect the lives of civilians impacted by the current crisis.
In addition, the letter calls for fuel to relief agencies in the Gaza Strip to be included in any humanitarian aid. “Without an adequate supply of fuel to UNRWA, the humanitarian assistance permitted to enter Gaza essentially becomes worthless, exacerbating the suffering of the already vulnerable population,” the letter says, explaining that fuel is vital for distributing the humanitarian supplies provided for Gazan civilians.
APN calls for the immediate release of all hostages and urges the administration to expedite the delivery of additional assistance, pushing for a humanitarian pause pending measures to spare civilians, establishing a humanitarian corridor to enable safe passage of civilians away from northern Gaza, and other measures to prevent further civilian deaths.
Americans for Peace Now (APN) welcomes the US Senate’s confirmation of Jacob (Jack) Lew to serve as the United States Ambassador to Israel. Lew’s appointment comes at a crucial time, when the United States needs to be represented at the highest levels. We wish him success.
We thank President Biden for nominating Jack Lew to serve as his ambassador to Israel and urge him to send Lew to Israel expeditiously. The United States urgently needs a high-profile envoy in Israel at this time of unprecedented crisis.
Americans for Peace Now welcomes the Senate Foreign Relations Committee’s approval of Jacob (Jack) Lew to serve as the United States Ambassador to Israel. We call on the US Senate to expeditiously hold a vote to ratify Lew’s appointment.
President Biden nominated Lew to serve as his ambassador to Israel a month ago. The Senate Foreign Relations Committee held the nomination and today approved it.
We urge the Senate to expeditiously approve Jack Lew’s appointment. The President urgently needs a high-profile envoy in Israel at this time of unprecedented crisis.
The war between Israel and Gaza’s militants took another disastrous turn today, when a hospital in Gaza City was hit. Hundreds were killed and many others were injured.
We are horrified by the carnage. We send our condolences to the families of Palestinian civilians who were killed at Al-Ahli hospital and at other sites in the Gaza Strip. While there are conflicting reports as to the party responsible for this explosion, one thing is abundantly clear: the longer this war continues, the more civilian lives will be lost.