APN on Campus (APN-OC) is a go-to resource on Israel and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. APN-OC features the APN Research Center, which gives college students- and anyone else seeking reliable information- the facts from a balanced, credible, and comprehensive source. The APN-OC Student Advocacy section features advice, information, guidance, and a wide variety of resources that bolster student groups and help create more space at universities for moderate voices on Israel.
We know that pro-Israel does not mean blindly
supporting policies that are irrational, reckless, and counter-productive. Pro-Israel means supporting policies
that are consistent with Israel's interests and promote its survival as a Jewish, democratic state.
You've heard the arguments of the religious and political right-wing, and so have we. They've had their say. Now, we'll have ours.
Go HERE for all installments of APN's "They Say, We Say"
It's impossible to make peace with Arabs or Muslims, because ultimately they just want to destroy Israel and drive the Jews into the sea.
In Israel's short history, it has seen more than its share of hatred and violence. It has seen wars and terrorism, and faced people insisting that Israel has no right to exist or should be destroyed. Understandably, this experience has led many who care about Israel to believe that peace with the Arab and Muslim worlds is simply not possible.
However, this belief has been powerfully challenged by other experiences that, for Israel's sake, must not be forgotten or dismissed.
First, it must be made crystal clear: modern Israel is not in danger of being pushed into the sea or destroyed by any Arab or Muslim state, or any combination thereof. This is true even with respect to Iran, as attested to by many top Israeli intelligence and security experts. Israel today has one of the strongest militaries in the world. It has nuclear weapons (although it prefers to maintain ambiguity about this). It has powerful intelligence services that operate far beyond its borders. And it has an unshakeable military alliance with the United States, which is committed, among other things, to preserving Israel's qualitative military edge in the region.
Second, experience shows that peace is possible. Israel has concluded successful peace treaties with Egypt and Jordan, demonstrating such agreements are possible and durable when they reflect the interests of both sides. During periods when Israeli-Palestinian peace efforts were bearing fruit, Israel's relations with a number of Arab and Muslim states have improved to the point where trade and military cooperation developed. And perhaps the clearest evidence of the region's readiness to accept Israel is the Arab Peace Initiative (API) - an initiative first presented in 2002 and subsequently adopted by the Arab League. The API offers peace and normalization between Israel and the Arab world--with no requirement that Israel give up its qualitative military edge or otherwise open the door for allowing itself to be wiped off the map. Regrettably, Israel largely ignored and even scorned the API when it was launched, and has done so ever since.
Peace with the Palestinians and the Arab world is an Israeli vital interest, and Israel cannot afford to wait for the day when its enemies first love it to seek peace. Peace is something you make with your enemies, not your friends. Such peace can and must be achieved as soon as possible. Only then can Israel hope to begin to build normalized relations with Arabs and Muslims in the region and around the world. Once there is peace, friendship and mutual respect can and hopefully will develop; where hatred continues or even leads to hostilities, Israel will remain strong and stand ready to defend itself against any aggression.
Yes, there are many in the Arab and Muslim worlds who hate Israel, hate Jews, and want to see the Jewish state disappear. And yes, there are some who remain determined, it seems, to act on that hatred. There is also every indication, however, that most people in the Arab and Muslim worlds are pragmatic, and are therefore ready to live in peace with Israel and normalize relations with it, if Israel will first embrace a realistic two-state solution to its conflict with the Palestinians.
This, perhaps, is the crux of the issue. Many who argue that peace is impossible due to implacable Arab hatred also reject Israel taking the steps necessary to achieve a two-state solution, namely, ceding most of the West Bank and East Jerusalem so that it, along with Gaza, can become a Palestinian state.
We've all heard the arguments of the religious and political right-wing on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Filled with finalities and absolutes, they categorically rule out options, deny possibilities, and imply that believing otherwise is naive, foolish, and irresponsible. They argue that pro-Israel can mean only one thing: endorsing their hard-line views.
Americans for Peace Now rejects this approach. We know that pro-Israel does not mean blindly supporting policies that are irrational, reckless, and counter-productive. Pro-Israel means supporting policies that are consistent with Israel's interests and promote its survival as a Jewish, democratic state - policies such as making peace with Egypt and Jordan, and pursuing peace with Syria and the Palestinians. And we know that ill-conceived extremist schemes - like filling the West Bank and Gaza with settlements - have cost (and continue to cost) Israel dearly.
You've heard the arguments of the religious and political right-wing, and so have we. They've had their say. Now, we'll have ours.
"It is impossible to make peace with Arabs or Muslims."
"Israel's security is more important than any peace agreement."
"The Arabs' conflict with Israel has nothing to do with territory."
"Let the Arabs accept Israel first. Only then should anyone ask Israel to make peace."
"Arabs don't "deserve" peace because of their negative attitudes toward Israel."
"Political agreements with Arab leaders are worthless."
"Israel was right to reject the Arab Peace Initiative (API)."
"Israel should stop worrying about the Palestinians and focus on the Arab world."
"Israel can't trust any Muslim country to act as an ally. Look at what has happened with Turkey."
"Why is the demand that Israel be recognized “as a Jewish state” a problem for the Palestinians?"
"Is there any way to reconcile the Israeli and Palestinian positions on the recognition issue?"
"Why is the Left obsessed with the two-state solution?"
"Why can't Israel keep all the land?"
"The U.S. can't want peace more than the parties themselves."
"There is no linkage between Israeli-Palestinian peace and U.S. national security."
"U.S. taxpayers shouldn't be asked to send money to the Palestinians."
"Israel’s 2016 “NGO transparency” law is no different than FARA."
"All democracies have problems. Israeli democracy isn't in crisis."
"There are two sets of laws in the West Bank – one for settlers and one for Palestinians"
"The West Bank, Gaza, and the Golan Heights are 'disputed', not 'occupied.'"
"The Gaza experience proves that land for peace doesn't work."
"Jerusalem is the eternal undivided capital of Israel. It cannot ever again be divided."
"The U.S. Embassy in Israel should be moved immediately to Jerusalem."
"Why does the Left protest when Israelis buy property in East Jerusalem?"
"It is religious discrimination to say that Jews can’t pray on the Temple Mount, but Muslims can."
"Arab claims to Jerusalem are flimsy."
"The Jewish return to Hebron after 1967 is nothing more than justice."
"Why does the Left oppose construction in settlement blocs?"
"The term 'settlement bloc' merely describes an objective reality on the ground."
"Keeping settlement blocs is necessary for Israel’s security."
"Even the Palestinians know that settlement blocs are going to become part of Israel."
"American Jews have no business telling Israel not to build in the settlement blocs."
"The Left is obsessed with settlements. Clearly this is just an excuse to bash Israel."
"Construction inside settlements is not expansion."
"Making a big deal about settlements unnecessarily foments discord between America and Israel."
"Removing settlements and outposts in the West Bank won't satisfy the Arabs and bring peace."
"Asking Israel to give up land is asking Israel to sacrifice its security."
"Israeli national security needs dictate that Israel retains all or most of the West Bank."
"Criticizing Israel over its blockade of Gaza is wrong."
"Palestinian 'reconciliation' is just code for letting terrorists into the government."
"Why does the Left criticize Israel for its policies and actions on Gaza?"
"Eventually, Israel can and will defeat Hamas and force them out of Gaza."
"There’s nothing unconstitutional about banning BDS."
"APN claims to be pro-Israel but all it seems to do is criticize the Israeli government."
"Why doesn't APN support boycotts and divestment efforts targeting Israel?"
"Jews shouldn't boycott other Jews."
"A boycott of settlements is not only politically misguided but also pointless."
"What is the Left's obsession with bashing Israel?"
"Why doesn’t APN support calls to cut aid to Israel?"
"Palestinian nationalism was never the real issue."
"There is no Palestinian refugee problem - the problem is the UN."
"The torah explicitly says that God gave Israel to the Jewish people."
We know that pro-Israel does not mean blindly
supporting policies that are irrational, reckless, and counter-productive. Pro-Israel means supporting policies
that are consistent with Israel's interests and promote its survival as a Jewish, democratic state.
You've heard the arguments of the religious and political right-wing, and so have we. They've had their say. Now, we'll have ours.
Go HERE for all installments of APN's "They Say, We Say"
Maybe a solution is possible, but it is clearly not going to happen anytime soon, because the Palestinians and Arabs don't want it. It's time to stop pushing Israel to make concessions and to stop pressing Israel to engage in peace efforts that are clearly pointless.
A two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is not only possible, its pursuit and achievement are national security obligations and a moral imperatives for both U.S. and Israel.
This is an existential issue for Israel: continued Israeli control over the lives of millions of Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza threatens Israel's identity as a Jewish state and a democracy. The occupation is eroding Israel's democracy and its values, transforming Israel into an increasingly violent and intolerant society. Israeli efforts to address the very real security challenges stemming from the absence of a peace agreement - challenges that have no ready answers - are resulting in Israel's increased isolation and growing pariah status in the international arena.
Moreover, the active pursuit of peace and the two-state solution is a vital national security interest for the United States. It significantly enhances U.S. leadership and credibility and strengthens U.S. regional security and stability efforts. It also provides a platform for more effectively addressing other threats.
Because things generally seem to get worse in the Middle East, we often forget that they can also change for the better. More than three decades after Egyptian President Anwar Sadat's 1978 visit to Jerusalem, which heralded the beginning of the land-for-peace era, and two decades after the Oslo Accords, which signaled the birth of the two-state paradigm, there are those who argue that the land-for-peace and two-state paradigms are as fantastical as the others. They are wrong.
The two-state solution is still possible, even if it becomes harder to imagine - and to implement - with each passing day. And it is the only option that holds the promise of anything other than a permanent state of conflict between Israel and the Palestinians, and between Israel and the Arab world. Israelis and Palestinians recognize this. Polls have found that majorities of both populations still support the two-state solution, even as each doubts the seriousness of the other side's commitment to achieving it. Polling has found similar views in the Arab world, alongside a recognition that if the two-state solution disappears, the likely result will be intense conflict.
APN on Campus outlines the three main arenas in which student advocacy takes place, and tells how progressive student leaders and their organizations can be effective advocates for a pro-Israel, pro-peace agenda on campus.
Like much of the world, all of us at APN are watching the situation in Egypt with shock, horror, sadness - as well as with serious concern for what the future holds, both for that country and its people, and for the broader region, including Egypt's neighbor, Israel.
The Conflict
