APN today released the following statement in connection with the appointment of Steve Bannon to the Trump White House, and in connection to the wave of anti-Semitic acts and other hateful rhetoric and aggression targeting vulnerable groups in America:

Americans for Peace Now (APN) – America’s veteran Jewish, Zionist, pro-peace organization – unequivocally condemns the appointment of Steve Bannon as senior advisor and chief strategist in the White House. Bannon is unfit to serve in the White House or in any part of the government of this great nation. This judgment is not about political or policy disagreements. It is about basic American and Jewish values. It is about the poisonous racism, anti-Semitism, Islamophobia, and other vile hate-mongering that grew alongside and in support of the campaign of President-elect Donald Trump. It is about the failure of President-elect Trump and his surrogates to meaningfully reject and condemn this trend and its adherents; indeed, it is about the President-elect appearing to actively court and encourage them. The naming of Bannon as a top advisor in the Trump White House – an act celebrated by the “alt-right” as a clear victory for their odious agenda – is the personification of this phenomenon.

APN likewise condemns, vehemently and unequivocally, the decision by some Jewish groups and prominent individuals to ignore, tolerate, whitewash, and even justify anti-Semitism and hate-mongering – both now, with the Bannon appointment, and over the course of the Trump campaign. Their decision to do so reflects a dangerous perversion of the very concept of what it means to be “pro-Israel.” Their failure to speak out today is the culmination of years of efforts to transform support for Israel into an extremist ideology of its own – an ideology that prioritizes fealty to hardline, pro-settlement, anti-peace Israeli positions over all else, including over defending core Jewish values, like tolerance and respect for human rights and human dignity, and even over standing up to the scourge of anti-Semitism that has plagued our people for generations.

Americans for Peace Now today released the following statement regarding Congressman Keith Ellison's (D-MN) record of working for Israeli-Palestinian peace:

"APN has worked closely with Congressman Ellison for nearly a decade. He is a close friend and a trusted ally in the effort to achieve security and peace for Israel and the Palestinians in the context of a two-state solution. Where other members of Congress may talk the talk about supporting Middle East peace, Congressman Ellison walks the walk. Time and again he has led constructive efforts in Congress for the benefit of both Israelis and Palestinians. In doing so, he has acted as a true friend of Israel and of American Jews who recognize that 'pro-Israel' credentials are measured not in the degree of support for hardline, pro-settlement Israeli policies, but rather in concrete efforts to achieve peace and a two-state solution."

Peace Now's Hagit Ofran gives a briefing to the group on the Mount of Olives, overlooking the Temple Mount / Noble Sancuary

Waiting to enter the US Consulate in Jerusalem for meeting with Consul General Donald Blome.

Two pictures above is the amphitheater, and directly above are the flags of Rawabi, the first Palestinian planned-city in the West Bank

LEFT: Israeli Journalist Amir Tibbon talks about living at the border with Gaza. Tibbon covered the most recent Gaza War and one month later moved from Tel Aviv to Kibbutz Nahal Oz. RIGHT: Maj. General (ret.) Noam Tibbone (yes, he is Noam's father) spoke about security needs with Gaza directly behind him. 

The only "bombproof playground" is in Sderet, Israel near Gaza. On the left is the outside of the play structure/shelter, and on the right is a view from the inside.

News from Peace Now's (Israel) Settlement Watch:

Lara Friedman's address on settlements delivered to the United Nations Security Council on October 14, 2016.  Read More >

APN hosted a briefing call on Friday, October 14th, at 3:00 pm Eastern Time with Lara Friedman, APN director of policy and government relations, and Israeli legal expert Michael Sfard. The call was moderated by APN's Aaron Mann.

Friedman and Sfard discussed the content of a UN Security Council special session, entitled “Illegal Israeli Settlements: An Obstacle to Peace and a Threat to the Two-State Solution,” at which Friedman spoke.

Listen to the briefing call here.

On the Eve of Elections: The U.S. and the Elusive Quest for Middle East Peace
A discussion with a leading authority from Washington, DC

Lara Friedman
Director of Policy and Government Relations
Americans for Peace Now

Thursday, October 20, 7:30 p.m.

Westside Jewish Community Center
5870 W. Olympic Blvd., LA (parking structure in back, or park on the street)

RSVP to apnwest@peacenow.org or 323-934-3480

Friedman, whom the Jewish Daily Forward Newspaper listed as a "must-read pundit on the Middle East," is a go-to expert for those working inside government, those looking to influence U.S. policy, and for journalists. Her opeds and analyses are frequently published in the US and Israeli press, and she is a highly requested and respected speaker in forums throughout the U.S. and internationally.

We recognize that the final US Presidential Debate is the evening of October 19th, so we have changed the start time to 8:00 pm. You will thus have the opportunity to watch the debate in its entirety, and then have a discussion with a leading expert on the issues that are relevant to Israel, and to US Foreign Policy towards Israel and the Middle East.

On the Eve of Elections: The U.S. and the Elusive Quest for Middle East Peace
A discussion with a leading authority from Washington, DC

Lara Friedman
Director of Policy and Government Relations
Americans for Peace Now

Wednesday, October 19, 8:00 p.m. 
(changed from 7:30 to accommodate watching the final US Presidential Debate)

Private Home in Sunnyvale, CA
Receive location and directions upon RSVP

RSVP to apnwest@peacenow.org or 323-934-3480

Friedman, whom the Jewish Daily Forward Newspaper listed as a "must-read pundit on the Middle East," is a go-to expert for those working inside government, those looking to influence U.S. policy, and for journalists. Her opeds and analyses are frequently published in the US and Israeli press, and she is a highly requested and respected speaker in forums throughout the U.S. and internationally.

Today Americans for Peace Now joined its Israeli sister organization, Shalom Achshav (Peace Now), in condemning the Israeli government’s announced plan to establish a new West Bank settlement in the Shiloh Valley (full details on the announcement are here).