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On Purim, we play dress up, we wear masks, we pretend to be people we are not. Leaders of nations that need peace like we need oxygen for breathing don’t have the privilege to play with masks. But here we are, at the end of the nine-month period allotted for the peace process to bear fruit, and politicians are still playing games of chance with their peoples’ future.
J Street U will host Ori Nir (Americans for Peace Now) and Ghaith al-Omari (The American
Task Force on Palestine) at Clark University for a talk on the current status of Israeli-Palestinian
negotiations.
4:30 PM
March 13, 2014
Clark University (Worcester, MA)
This month, APN's Lara Friedman (Director of Policy and Government Relations) was hosted by J Street U chapters at the University of Michigan, Oberlin College, and Kenyon College. Ms. Friedman's discussions with students centered on the current status of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Israeli settlements in the West Bank, and the issue of Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions against 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"
BDS & Criticism of Israel
They Say:
Why doesn’t APN support calls to cut aid to Israel? Years of experience show that unconditional aid only encourages Israeli governments to ignore and defy the U.S. on settlements and other policies. Making clear that U.S. aid is on the line is the only real leverage the U.S. has to convince an Israeli government to behave differently. [An argument coming from the Left, as opposed to the Right]
We Say:
We categorically oppose calls for the U.S. to cut, or threaten to cut, military aid to Israel. We have long argued for the U.S. government to “play hardball” in its Middle East peace efforts. However, we believe that playing hardball does not and must not mean taking steps that threaten Israel's security. To the contrary: it is vital that the U.S. continues to assure Israel – its officials and its population – that America is unequivocally committed to maintaining Israel's security, including through military aid. Israel lives in a tough neighborhood, and unwavering U.S. military aid to Israel is a critical component in maintaining its security. Another critical component, of course, is the achievement of durable peace agreements with the Palestinians and, ultimately, with the region as a whole. U.S. support for efforts to reach such agreements, and, indeed, leadership of such efforts, is vital. But make no mistake: Israelis’ trust in U.S. support for their security is essential to giving them the confidence necessary to take the risks inherent in any future peace agreement. Cutting, or threatening to cut, U.S. military aid would threaten their trust in the U.S. and undermine their confidence that their security can and will not be compromised by future peace agreements.
The claim that the U.S. has no leverage with Israel, other than threatening or cutting military aid, is inaccurate. The U.S. has other forms of leverage which it can and should bring to bear in its Middle East peace efforts, and, specifically, to press Israel on issues like settlement construction in the West Bank and East Jerusalem. These include employing with much greater force U.S. diplomatic leverage, both in the bilateral relationship or in multilateral forums. They include leveraging the many special programs and benefits that the U.S. provides to Israel, be they linked to loan guarantees or other forms of non-military aid (as the U.S. government has done in the past), or cooperation agreements. They include looking for ways to focus pressure even more squarely on settlement construction, along the lines of what some European countries are already doing – like pursuing special labeling requirements for products produced in settlements, or by launching a review of the activities of U.S. groups that support settlements. They could even include changing the U.S. approach at the UN to make clear that the U.S. will no longer veto resolutions on Israel, whether in the U.N. Security Council or the General Assembly, that are consistent with U.S. policy.
".... The question of boycotting settlements has sparked a spectacular public display of Jewish angst. Apparently, many who view themselves as the judges and juries of what is 'kosher' progressive Jewish activism have ruled that such a boycott is simply unacceptable. This, despite the fact that most American Jews recognize that settlements are a problem in terms of Israeli security, Israel's ability to have peace, and in terms of Israel's reputation. Wringing one's hands about settlements and the fate of the two-state solution does not substitute for actually doing something to try to stop Israel careening down this self-destructive path. Continued settlement expansion represents a clear existential threat to Israel as a democracy and as a Jewish state. Supporting Israel means taking concrete action to prevent Israel from continuing down a path that leads either to a bi-national state, which, by definition, will no longer have a Jewish character, or to an apartheid-like reality, in which Israeli democracy will be lost and Israel will become an international pariah..."
They Say, We Say: BDS & Criticism of Israel
APN Policy
7/7/16: APN’s Proud Record on BDS
5/19/16: APN policy on BDS-Related Legislation (Federal &
State)
2/8/16: APN Action Alert: Tell Congress: Pro-Settlements is NOT
Pro-Israel
1/19/16: Press Release: APN Welcomes EU Statement Differentiating
between Israel and West Bank Settlements
11/11/15: Press Release: APN Welcomes EU Guidelines for Labeling
Settlement Products
2/12/14: APN: on efforts to combat BDS by undermining academic freedoms
and free speech
March 2013: APN Weighs in on BDS, Criticism of Israel
(expanding position to explicitly support boycott/activism targeting settlements & occupation)
7/19/11: APN Joins Peace Now's Call for Boycotting Settlements (press release)
4/23/10: APN on Criticism of Israel and BDS - New Policy
Language
Boycotting Occupation vs. Boycotting Israel
2/20/17: APN's Lara Friedman at Huffington Post: Israeli Occupation Is Poisoning America’s Democracy
2/8/17: Abusing "Anti-Semitism" to Quash Criticism of Israel - the Campaign in Congress & U.S. States (including table tracking all legislation) [LATEST VERSION IS HERE]
12/16/16: APN's Lara Friedman: The Stealth Campaign to Use
U.S. Law to Support Settlements: Taking the Battle to the States - Updated/Expanded Table (Go directly to table
- state
legislation, passed & pending, plus blacklists) [LATEST VERSION IS
HERE]
10/5/16: APN's Lara Friedman: The Campaign to Legislate Support for Settlements: The Battle in Congress - ** including regularly updated table of legislation, passed & pending** [LATEST VERSION IS HERE]
9/12/16: APN Board members Steven Kaplan & Sanford Weiner: Governor Brown should veto flawed BDS law
7/5/16: Resources on the Question of Constitutionality & anti-BDS/pro-settlements laws
6/7/16: APN's Lara Friedman: APN Explainer: The Pitfalls of the New York Executive Order on BDS
2/16/16: APN's Lara Friedman: Setting the Record Straight (again) on U.S. Labeling Policy [UPDATED*]
2/4/16: APN's Lara Friedman on The Hill - Cotton's "Made in Israel" bill: latest salvo in campaign to change US settlements policy
2/1/16: APN's Lara Friedman in LobeLog: Obama Admin Is Right to
Reject “Settlements=Israel” Conflation
1/28/15: APN's Lara Friedman: The Campaign to Legislate Support for Settlements: Taking the Battle to the States - **including regularly updated table of legislation, passed & pending**
1/27/15: APN's Lara Friedman: Settlement Product Labeling Policies, U.S. vs. EU
12/1/15: APN's Lara Friedman in LobeLog: The Stealth Campaign in Congress to Support Israeli Settlements
11/5/15: APN's Lara Friedman in Heinrich Boll Foundation (Blog): Changing the Conversation on Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions
4/27/15: APN's Lara Friedman in The Hill: Dear Congress: ‘Pro-Israel’ is not ‘pro-settlements’
4/20/15: APN's Lara Friedman in Haaretz: A defeat for Israel, a victory for settlers and BDS
3/2/14 Lara Friedman debate with Daniel Gordis in the New York Times: Is a Settlement Boycott Best for Israel?
2/4/14: Lara Friedman op-ed - Sodastream, ScarJo, and the Myth of Benevolent Occupation
1/28/14: Debra DeLee op-ed - Love Israel. Oppose BDS. Reject SodaStream.
2/12/14: Lara Friedman on Al Jazeera America's "The Stream" - episode on BDS (clips available here)
7/11/12: Debra DeLee blogpost: Upon Reflection (on APN's 7/4 statement - covered in Haaretz, here)
7/4/12: Press Release: APN to Presbyterian Church (USA): Don't support Israel-related divestment
3/29/12: Lara Friedman blogpost - Call to boycott settlements picks up steam!
3/25/12: Lara Friedman op-ed - Stop the excuses, boycott the settlements
3/1/12: Jo-Ann Mort op-ed - The Dishonesty of Park Slope Coop's BDS Debate
Israel and the Israel’s "Anti-Boycott Law"
7/28/11: Peace Now - Peace Now’s FB Page “So Sue Me – I Boycott Products of the Settlements” Ranked 5th most
important Israeli Protest Page 7/20/11: Articles on APN's position boycotting settlements (JTA, Forward, JPost)
7/19/11: Hagit Ofran oped - The Forgotten Incentive of Settlement Businesses
7/14/11: Lara Friedman op-ed - Israel's New Boycott Law and U.S. Law: Like Apples and Orangutans
7/13/11: Lara Friedman blogpost - Boycotting Settlements ("Monday will go down in history as the day that the Israeli
Knesset voted to suspend democracy in Israel."
1. Bills, Resolutions & Letters
2. Pro-Diplomacy Forces Gain Ground in Iran Hill Battle
3. The New Strategy: Fighting BDS with Legislation Attacking Free
Speech?
4. Hearings
5. Members on the Record
Note: Apologies for the irregular schedule of Round-Ups in recent weeks (due to winter colds,
international visitors, and now an impending snow storm). The Round-Up should return to its regular Friday
schedule starting next week.
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"
Is Peace Possible?
They Say:
The Left always wants to criticize Israel - over settlements, over statements, over everything. Why is there this obsession with bashing Israel?
We Say:
Americans for Peace Now is an American organization that has a clearly defined mission: working to advance American and Israeli policies that will lead to comprehensive, durable peace and security for Israel, consistent with U.S. national security interests. APN is also the sister organization of Shalom Achshav, Israel's peace movement. APN and Peace Now share the overarching objective of ensuring Israel's future, including its security and its viability as a tolerant, egalitarian democracy and as a Jewish state. When the Israeli government undertakes actions or policies that run counter to this goal, we and our colleagues in Israel say so. We strongly feel that it is imperative to do so publicly. Public discourse provides transparency and accountability.
We don't "bash" Israel. Our love for Israel is why we care so much about it and why we exist as an organization. What we do criticize - and we do it carefully and responsibly - are Israeli government policies that we know are destructive to Israel's own interests. We criticize violent and illegal conduct of Israeli settlers and their sympathizers, which we recognize as harmful to Israel. And we reject efforts to quash free speech and the right to protest, and to undermine the rule of law or the integrity and independence of Israel's courts, and all other efforts to threaten Israel's character as a democracy.