APN's daily news review from Israel - Sunday June 7, 2020

Quotes of the day:

“We are at a crossroads. One path leads to a joint society with a real democracy, civil and national equality for Arab citizens…The second path leads to hatred, violence, annexation and apartheid. We’re here in Rabin Square to pick the first path.”
—Joint List Chairman, Ayman Odeh, said in a speech to joint Jewish-Arab rally in Tel Aviv against Israeli plans to annex West Bank settlements.*

“There is no such thing as democracy for Jews alone. Just like Martin Luther King and his supporters in the United States, we must realize that without justice there can be no peace. And there will be no social justice if we do not end the occupation."
—Joint List Chairman, Ayman Odeh, said in a speech to demonstrators at a joint Jewish-Arab rally in Tel Aviv against Israeli plans to annex West Bank settlements.*

"In the words of my friend Ayman Odeh: The only future is a shared future.”
—US politician Bernie Sanders tells a joint Jewish-Arab rally in Tel Aviv against Israeli plans to annex West Bank settlements.*

1. Bills, Resolutions, & Letters
2. Hearings
3. On the Record

Produced by the Foundation for Middle East Peace in cooperation with Americans for Peace Now, where the Legislative Round-Up was conceived. Views and positions expressed here are those of the writer, and do not necessarily represent APN's views and policy positions.

June 4, 2020

Dear Vice President Biden,

As a nonpartisan 501(c)(3) organization, we do not engage in electoral work and we do not support or oppose candidates. What we do is work for a peaceful two-state solution in which Israelis and Palestinians can live in peace and security.

Unfortunately, that vision of two sovereign states living side by side is under threat. Prime Minister Netanyahu and his government are finalizing their plans for unilateral annexation of West Bank territory. They have recently indicated that they are rushing toward annexation to take advantage of the Trump administration’s support for such a move. They refer to the next six months as a “historic opportunity” to establish facts on the ground. They hope that Trump’s view, an aberration inconsistent with decades of bipartisan US policy, would not be revoked by future US administrations.

That is why we are writing to urge you to declare now that if you are elected as the next president of the United States, you will not recognize any unilateral Israeli annexation of parts of the West Bank. Such a statement, now, could convince Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government to cancel its annexation plan. At the very least, if Netanyahu does annex before you take office, it would make it easier for you to confront Netanyahu over this unhelpful policy in the future.

This photo of me at age seven was taken in June of 1967, just outside my home in Jerusalem, a couple of days after the Six Day War ended. I am sitting here on a Jeep that Israeli soldiers seized during the war in the West Bank, and somehow ended up in our neighborhood.

I remember how euphoric everyone was. Even the kids. During the weeks and months that followed, my family, like many Israelis, rushed to explore the liberated land of the Bible.

APN's daily news review from Israel  - Wednesday June 3, 2020
 

You Must Be Kidding: 

“I felt that I had to let them vent.
The reason why officer 1st Lt. Guy Eliahu allowed his soldiers vandalize Palestinian cars at a Nablus refugee camp. (See Features below.)

Yossi Alpher is an independent security analyst. He is the former director of the Jaffee Center for Strategic Studies at Tel Aviv University, a former senior official with the Mossad, and a former IDF intelligence officer. Views and positions expressed here are those of the writer, and do not necessarily represent APN's views and policy positions.

Dr. Dahlia Scheindlin is a public opinion expert, international political and strategic consultant, scholar and writer. In this episode, she talks about Israeli public opinion regarding West Bank annexation and about a new study she authored which offers a set of recommendations for a practical solution to the Palestinian refugee problem, known as the Palestinian right of return.

LISTEN

Ha'aretz Link

Israel's leaders are sacrificing democracy and human rights on the altar of ethno-nationalism. And all those U.S. Jewish groups claiming to back a two state solution have suddenly lost their voice?

by Hadar Susskind, APN President and CEO

There was a time in our history when standing up in support of a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict was a bold stance for a Jewish community leader or organization to take. Those who did so were often criticized and even ostracized.

Following that there was a period of time in which our community’s center and center/right organizations came around, and they too declared their support for two states as the only effective way to end the conflict. Today "mainstream" Jewish organizations all tout their support of a two-state solution.

But whether or not you support two-states is the 1990’s question. Today it comes down to this: what are you going to do about it? When actions are taken that threaten the viability of two states living side by side in peace and security, what do you say? What do you do?