The Jewish National Fund has in the past been caught lying about its role in East Jerusalem evictions of Palestinians. Now its role in Israeli land policy in the Negev is revealed to be much larger than it admits. A former JNF board member demands the organization take responsibility for its actions.

For many years the Jewish National Fund (KKL/JNF), the group known largely for planting trees in Israel, has denied any involvement in taking Bedouin land as part of its efforts to Judaize the Negev. Its website says, "KKL-JNF develops land only in areas designated in the master plans as instructed by, and as requested by the ILA (Israel Land Authority), which are state lands or KKL-JNF lands."

Putting it simply, they were just taking orders.

Click here for more.

APN's daily news review from Israel

Friday October 25, 2013

Quote of the day:

"They reached out and I responded."
--IDF spokesman Peter Lerner on his Twitter exchange with Hamas's military wing.**

APN is the sister organization of Shalom Achshav, Israel's preeminent peace movement. APN's mission is to educate and persuade the American public and its leadership to support and adopt policies that will lead to comprehensive, durable, Israeli-Palestinian and Israeli-Arab peace, based on a two-state solution, guaranteeing both peoples' security, and consistent with U.S. national interests. We also work to ensure Israel's future and the viability of Israel's democracy and Jewish character through education, activism and advocacy in the United States, and by mobilizing American support for Shalom Achshav.

For more about where APN stands click here.

APN's daily news review from Israel

Thursday October 24, 2013

Number of the day:

1 million.
--The amount of dollars billionaire Power Rangers creator Haim Saban said he would donate to Israeli soldiers if Simon Cowell would sing 'Go Go Power Rangers.'**

APN's daily news review from Israel

Wednesday October 23, 2013

Quote of the day:

"...history's judgment will doubtless be damning. And it will cite, inter alia, his obsessive demand for Palestinian recognition as proof that he always intended to avoid a pragmatic, two-state solution, despite his Bar-Ilan declarations."

--Journalist and commentator David Landau explains in Haaretz why Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu's demand that the Palestinians recognize Israel "as the Jewish state" is proof of his disingenuousness regarding peace between Israelis and Palestinians.**

APN's daily news review from Israel

Tuesday October 22, 2013

Quote of the day:

"It looks like a terrorist act."
--Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu's reaction upon seeing his creamy calorie-laden surprise birthday cake at the Likud-Beiteinu meeting yesterday.**

Last week, my colleagues in the Israeli Peace Now movement issued two blockbuster reports. These weren't the regular "more construction was announced" fare. These reports have huge implications, both negative and positive, for peace and the two-state solution.

Last week, my colleagues in the Israeli Peace Now movement issued two blockbuster reports. These weren't the regular "more construction was announced" fare. These reports have huge implications, both negative and positive, for peace and the two-state solution.

The Bad News: Settlement Construction Surges, Even Without Tenders

Peace Now documented a 70 percent increase in new construction starts in settlements during the first six months of 2013, as compared to the same period in 2012. That's in addition to a huge number of units completed or on which work was ongoing during this period--altogether translating to 3,070 units which are or will soon be available to house new settlers. Assuming a family of five, this translates to around 15,000 new settlers.

This week, Alpher discusses the renewed mystery regarding the cause of Yasser Arafat's death in 2004, what does Saudi Arabia's election to the UN Security Council followed by its prompt resignation tell us about Saudi-American relations and the Saudi role in the Iran and Syria issues, and why did it take so long for PM Netanyahu and Finance Minister Lapid to appoint Karnit Flug (pictured) as new governor of the Bank of Israel?

APN's daily news review from Israel

Monday October 21, 2013

Quote of the day:

"The Likud's hilltop youth, headed by (MK) Yariv Levin, are leading Israel into the murky waters of a totalitarian state."
--MK Isaac Herzog (Labor) reacts like others from the right and the left to the attempt to
limit Israel's High Court's authority.**