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.
Americans for Peace Now (APN) is horrified and outraged by the series of terrorist attacks in Israel during the past few weeks, including the shooting attack in Tel Aviv today which left two people dead, and at least eight others injured.
Following are reflections by APN's former President and CEO Debra DeLee, on her close friend, APN Board Member Sidney (Sid) Topol, who passed away last week:
"I just want to live long enough to stand on the White House lawn as the peace agreement is being signed."
For days now I've been hearing Sid Topol’s voice in my ear, repeating his oft'- stated desire to have a front seat as the Israeli/Palestinian conflict and the occupation are officially ended.
It's always hard to lose a friend, but Sid was so much more. I loved Sid, and I admired him. I learned much from him, and begrudgingly, he learned some things from me as well. He could make me laugh, and he could get me more frustrated and angrier than almost anyone I've known, and vice versa. A true Jewish friendship!
Being asked to write some personal thoughts about Sid gave me a way to structure the plethora of memories that have been swirling through my mind these past few days.
Much has been written over the past week about Sid's many accomplishments. They are significant and enduring. I'd like to share instead some of those things that I found to be so special, endearing and unique about Sid beyond those achievements.
Many of you have read about the victory last week in the Israeli Supreme Court regarding al-Walaja – the East Jerusalem village in which the homes of 38 Palestinian families have been under demolition orders.
The State of Israel deems the houses to have been built illegally because the owners had not received construction permits. But the residents of al-Walaja cannot apply for permits because there is no zoning plan for the village. And Israeli authorities have refused to create a plan. What’s more, when the residents of al-Walaja submitted their own plan, the Jerusalem Local Planning and Building Committee rejected it.
It was clear to us that American diplomatic pressure was needed to help the residents of al-Walaja preserve their homes. APN worked with our closest allies on Capitol Hill and asked them to sign and send a letter to Secretary of State Antony Blinken, urging the Biden administration to call on Israel to immediately freeze all demolition orders in al-Walaja.
This is APN at its best – identifying an opportunity to open a path to a peaceful resolution in the conflict and working with colleagues and community to use the right channels to get the results we want and need.
On March 30, the Israeli Supreme Court ruling halted the demolition plans – giving the residents of al-Walaja six more months to come up with an agreed-upon zoning plan.
The powerful voices of our closely allied Congressional leaders – Rep. Jan Schakowsky, Rep. Jamie Raskin, Rep. Mark Pocan, Rep. David Price and Rep. John Yarmouth – along with 45 additional Members, were instrumental in stopping the demolitions and ensuring that over 300 Palestinian residents in the village get to stay in their homes.
When you support APN, you make efforts like this possible. We are grateful to all the Members of Congress who signed the letter to Secretary Blinken and helped stop the al-Walaja demolitions. And we are grateful to you for your partnership and support in helping us do our important work.
Please make a gift to APN today to help us continue to help the residents of al-Walaja – and all who live in Israel-Palestine – find a peaceful resolution to the conflict.
Produced by the Foundation for Middle East Peace in cooperation with Americans for Peace Now, where the Legislative Round-Up was conceived.
1. Bills,
Resolutions, Letters
2. Hearings
3. On the Record
New from FMEP:
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.
As a more nuanced, pro-diplomacy stance toward the Israeli-Palestinian conflict has become the center of the Democratic Party, we have seen a counter-reaction amongst Republicans as the right-wing of the pro-Israel community embrace elected officials who support the type of nationalist rhetoric that has historically been an early indicator of danger for the Jewish community. For what was once an issue of near consensus, the fissures between the parties are now more clear than ever, with increasing numbers of Republicans openly opposing a Two-State Solution and a polarizing debate over what it means to support the American Jewish Community and even on what it looks like to combat antisemitism.
Washington, DC -- Americans for Peace Now mourns the death of Sidney (Sid) Topol, our beloved longtime Board member, an avid advocate for peace, an inspiring leader of the pro-Israel pro-peace movement in the United States, a progressive philanthropist whose sharp mind and kind heart helped energize our movement for more than four decades.
APN's Chair of the Board James Klutznick said: "Whether at the gala honoring him, breakfasts at the Ritz-Carlton, or in his kitchen in the Back Bay, where Debra DeLee and I joined him for an APN Board meeting call, Sid was both a hawk for peace and conflict resolution, and a down to earth good guy with a generous heart, a grin on his face, and a twinkle in his eye. He will be missed, but not missing from our hearts and minds."
The anti-boycott laws pushed by right wing Jewish and evangelical organizations have resulted in a multi-state patchwork of anti-free speech laws that intentionally erase the (green) line between Israel and the occupied territories. While we continue to fight back in the states against these laws, it is vital that we work to prevent similar laws from being enacted at a federal level.
Washington, DC -- Americans for Peace Now welcomes the Senate Foreign Relations Committee's approval of Deborah E. Lipstadt's nomination to be the State Department's Special Envoy to Combat and Monitor Antisemitism.