Americans for Peace Now (APN) joins its sister organization, Peace Now (Shalom Achshav) in urging Israeli politicians to reject West Bank annexation as a policy principle of the incoming government.
Reports in the Israeli media today indicate that Prime Minister Netanyahu is demanding that any party joining his coalition government endorse Annexing parts of the West Bank as a policy principle.
Washington, DC – As we follow with trepidation the spread of Coronavirus in our own country and the sub-par response of our federal government to this global epidemic, our hearts and minds are also with our sisters and brothers in Israel. We stand with them at this somber time. We wish health to the people of Israel. We also wish health to Israel's democracy and public sphere.
We also extend our wishes for health and resilience to Israel's Palestinian neighbors, who too are facing a monumental public health challenge as they confront COVID-19.
Americans for Peace Now (APN) is alarmed at the Israeli
government's advancement of three new settlement initiatives around East Jerusalem, which would deny contiguity
to a future Palestinian state.
These are plans that in the past were blocked by US administrations, both Republican and Democratic. Now -- less than a week before Israel's general elections, and as a joint Israeli-American committee starts discussing the status of West Bank settlements – Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is going ahead with the most consequential settlement plan in years.
Washington, DC – The vision submitted today by Donald Trump's
White House for an alleged final settlement of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict deals a severe blow to efforts
to achieve real peace between Israel and the Palestinians.
This vision is not a "peace plan" but rather a scheme, co-authored by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Donald Trump, to allow for an immediate annexation of all Israeli settlements in the West Bank and the entire Jordan Valley. Hours ago, shortly after the Trump "vision" was unveiled, Benjamin Netanyahu's government announced that it will submit to the Knesset an annexation bill this coming Sunday.
This plan is a recipe for disaster, for annexation, for the perpetuation of Israel's occupation of the West Bank, for the perpetuation of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, for misery and bloodshed.
Americans for Peace Now (APN) is alarmed at reports regarding the plan that the Trump administration is reportedly planning to unveil next week for peace between Israelis and Palestinians. APN joins its Israeli sister organization Shalom Achshav (Peace Now) in stating that a so-called peace plan that does not adopt the principle of two states for two peoples – two sovereign, contiguous states living side by side in peace and security within defined, recognized borders – belongs in the trashcan of history.
Since the Trump administration announced its intention to submit a "peace plan" for Israeli-Palestinian peace almost three years ago, APN suggested the following guidelines for assessing the viability of such a plan. Following are our guidelines:
Statement from the Progressive Israel Network:
As leading progressive pro-Israel organizations in the American Jewish community, we commend the House of Representatives for passing House Resolution 326. This landmark resolution, which reaffirms support for a two-state solution, marks the first time the House has formally opposed unilateral Israeli annexation of the West Bank and asserted longstanding US opposition to settlements.
The passage of this legislation comes at a critical moment. The resolution sends an urgent message to the region just days after President Trump reportedly spoke with Prime Minister Netanyahu about the latter’s plan to annex the Jordan Valley. It is a repudiation of the Trump administration’s attempts last month to legitimize Israeli settlements on occupied territory by declaring that the US no longer views them as a violation of international law, a reversal of decades of bipartisan foreign policy.
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo today announced the Trump administration’s latest assault on prospects for Israeli-Palestinian peace. In renouncing a 1978 letter by the State Department’s legal advisor and stating that “settlements are not per se illegal under international law,” the Trump administration is giving a green light to further settlement expansion and even to formal Israeli annexation of the West Bank.
Already, the effective endorsement of settlements by Trump’s “peace” team (including by former Middle East envoy Jason Greenblatt who has referred to settlements as “neighborhoods and cities”) has led to a surge in settlement activity, as documented by APN’s Israeli sister-organization Peace Now.
Progressive Israel Network Opposes Netanyahu’s Annexation Pledge
Responding to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s announcement of his intent to extend Israeli sovereignty over large parts of the West Bank, the Progressive Israel Network released the following statement:
Americans for Peace Now calls on the Trump administration, Congress, and fellow American Jewish organizations to act to prevent Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu from carrying out his declared intention to annex wide swaths of the occupied West Bank immediately after next week’s Israeli elections.
Such a step would be an existential threat to Israel’s security and wellbeing. Particularly if endorsed by the United States, it would likely destroy future efforts for a negotiated Israeli-Palestinian peace, upon which Israel’s future as a democracy and a Jewish national home relies.
Americans for Peace Now is outraged by President Trump's statement suggesting that the vast majority of American Jews are disloyal, and strongly condemns it. This outrageous, anti-Jewish slur fans the flames of Jew hatred in the US and puts American Jews in danger.
Trump's comment also poisons US-Israel relations, attempting to shatter bipartisan US support for Israel's security and wellbeing, for Trump's own political gain.
