Americans for Peace Now (APN) welcomes the Israeli government's public re-engagement with the Palestinian Authority – the first of its kind in over a decade – and strongly supports the confidence building measures that the two sides agreed upon.

APN's President and CEO Hadar Susskind said: "While today's meeting between Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas falls far short of the diplomatic negotiations that are so vitally needed between Israelis and Palestinians, it is still good news. Our goal at APN is to see the end the occupation and secure peace for both Israelis and Palestinians, but a resumption of high-level dialogue and measures that address the dwindling power of the Palestinian government and which accommodate Palestinian human rights – however slightly – should not be taken lightly. Lastly and most importantly, we urge both sides – as well as all stakeholders in resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict – to use the Israeli-Palestinian re-engagement to generate diplomatic momentum toward meaningful peace negotiations."