LA Jewish Journal - March 25, 2015
APN Board Member Dick Gunther: Why I continue to support peace
http://www.jewishjournal.com/opinion/article/why_i_continue_to_support_peace

Los Angeles Times - March 22, 2015
Peace Now's Hagit Ofran: Pressure will be imperative to curtail next government's settlement construction intentions
http://www.latimes.com/world/middleeast/la-fg-israeli-settlements-election-20150322-story.html#page=1

This week, Alpher discusses the positive aspects of the agreement announced in Lausanne last week from Israel’s standpoint; Netanyahu's response; what the agreement’s drawbacks are where Israel can make a case for a tougher approach; if the Iran agreement could affect Netanyahu’s coalition calculations; and is Netanyahu more likely now to be pressured by Obama and Kerry on the Palestinian issue.

In ongoing conflict zones, art has been used as a mechanism to bridge societal gaps and facilitate communication between separated communities and amongst a broken society. This collection of writings and art intends to show the reader that there are innocent civilians on both sides of the conflict, experiencing similar war traumas and desires for peace. It is easy to take one side and hold steady and unwavering, while it is much harder to put yourselves in the shoes of the “other”. This publication intends to put the reader in the shoes of every writer; of Palestinians, of Israelis, of all those who have experienced trauma as a result of this ongoing and long-standing conflict. How have you been affected by the conflict in Israel & the Palestinian territories? Would you like your voice to be heard? You are invited to submit your entry of a poem, short story, and/or visual art  (150 -500 words) to be considered for publication in Art for Peace in the Middle East, a collection of short stories, poems, and visual art that side by side will show the human side of the conflict.

This is the first edition of Art for Peace and is being organized by Taylor Rockoff, a graduate student of International Development at American University in Washington DC. Her concentration is education and conflict resolution. As an American Jew, her studies of the Israeli/Palestinian conflict has motivated her to create this project, which she hopes will allow the voices of Palestinians and Israelis to be heard and understood as neighbors rather than enemies. This will be published online and subsequently published in print, used in events focusing on the Israeli/Palestinian conflict and peace-building in DC and abroad. It will be used as an educational mechanism for those involved and vested in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict from abroad, whether by religious affiliation or political motivation, to understand the conflict from a human rather than political perspective.

Traditionally, during the Seder, Jews spill some of the wine from our cups while reading the ten plagues, symbolizing reduced joy at the suffering of others. This week, in honor of the upcoming holiday, APN is offering suggestions of modern plagues to add to the traditional list: plagues that affect Israel today.

From the very first plague posted Monday, regarding the expansion of settlements, there has been an outcry from extremists who claim that APN is comparing other Jews or settlers to a plague. It is not surprising that these extremists would want to misdirect attention from the very real obstacle that settlement expansion poses to establishing peace for Israel, and to the very real suffering that settlement growth will cause to both Israelis and Palestinians who long for a peaceful future and an end to occupation. However, contrary to the right's assertions, APN does not refer to settlers as a "plague" and has never done so. Our problem is not with the settlers as a collective but with the Israeli government's policy of expanding settlements. We believe that it is severely threatening Israel's future as a democracy and a Jewish state.

As we all know, a picture is worth a thousand words. This is our aim: to make people think and to act for peace.

This week, we bring you a new cartoon, regarding the formation of Israel's government: “A Bird-in-Hand”