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Yesterday, January 31, 2017 the Prime Minister and Minister of Defense issued an announcement on the promotion of 3,000 housing units in the settlements. The announcement was issued late last night, possibly under the assumption that all international attention will be directed towards the Amona evacuation.

The announcement is not an official step and is likely to be followed by concrete actions in the coming days in the shape of publications of tenders  and promotion of plans. 

Click the links below to learn more about urgent threats to Israeli democracy and to Israel's future - and learn what you can do to take action now!

Israel’s “Entry Bill” – Indefensible & Undemocratic

Israel’s “Legalization Law” – Rule Settlements over Rule of Law

Fanning the Flames of Conflict (Hebron, Sussya, Amona, E-2)

[Update Feb 6, 2017: This afternoon the Knesset passed the "Legalization Law." APN's statement condemning the law is here.]

The Israeli Knesset is poised to vote on legislation that would legalize Israeli settlement construction that is illegal under Israeli law and located on land that even the Israeli government recognizes as privately owned by Palestinians. APN’s backgrounder on the bill is here. Key points to understand:

• This legislation removes even the façade that Israel as a nation respects the “rule of law” when it comes to the activities of settlers.
• Passage of this legislation will send a message to the settlers that there are literally no limits on what they can do in terms of construction in the occupied territories.
• Passage of this legislation will send a message to the Israeli public and the world that Israel no longer respects the “rule of law” – a cornerstone of democracy, under which laws apply equally to all – but instead ascribes openly to “rule by law” – the foundation of authoritarianism, under which laws are imposed selectively and tailored to serve the interests and limit the rights of specific groups.

American Jews who support Israel – not merely its existence but its existence as a democracy that reflects the progressive Jewish values articulated by its founders in its Declaration of Independence – should be appalled at the prospect of Israel adopting this brazenly undemocratic legislation.

***UPDATE: The Knesset passed this bill into law on March 6, 2017*** APN's statement condemning passage of the law is here.

The Israeli Knesset is poised to vote on on March 6, 2017 passed legislation that would will ban entry to Israel of foreigners who support or publicly engage in boycotts of either Israel or settlements.  APN’s backgrounder on the bill is here. Key points to understand:

• This legislation is aimed at a basic civil liberty: the freedom of expression. Boycotting and calling for boycotts are legitimate forms of peaceful, political expression protected in any democracy.
• Passage of this legislation will send a message to the Israeli public that legitimate political expression is verboten, further quashing dissent.
• Passage of this legislation will send a message to the world that the Israeli government is throwing out basic democratic norms in its effort to quash peaceful opposition and criticism of its policies.
• With this legislation, the Israeli government and Knesset are making common cause with the anti-democratic policies on the rise in the United States, including Trump Administration immigration policies vehemently opposed by the bulk of the U.S. Jewish community that are antithetical to progressive Jewish values.

 APN: "We fiercely reject and condemn this outrageous bill. Should it pass into law, it will be an ugly stain on Israel. It will add Israel to the club of nations that treat non-violent protest as a crime, and that irrationally believe that closing borders can prevent the spread of ideas. If this legislation passes into law, APN will challenge it."

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Whether or not they support boycotts of Israel (APN does not), American Jews should be appalled at the prospect of Israel adopting a policy that would be more at home in the old Soviet Union or North Korea than in a progressive democracy.

Whether or not they support boycotts of settlements (APN does), American Jews should be outraged and heartbroken at the prospect of seeing Israel becoming a nation that bars entry to people – including Jews and other supporters of Israel – for the “crime” of peacefully opposing Israeli policies.

***UPDATE: The final language of the bill has been significantly broadened, and now applies to “Any person who is not a citizen of Israel or holds a certification for permanent residency in the state of Israel shall not be given a residing certification or permit of any kind, if he, or the organization or agency for the sake of which he acts (she-hu po’el avuram), has knowingly published a public call to boycott the State of Israel, as defined in the Law to Prevent Harming the State of Israel through Boycott of 2011, or if he has committed to take part in such a boycott, as stated.”*** 

***UPDATE: The Knesset passed the "Entry Bill" into law on March 6, 2017***

APN's statement condemning passage of the law is here.

What is the “Entry Law”?

The so-called “Entry Law” currently under consideration is an amendment to Israel’s 1952 “Entry Law,” which determines who is allowed to enter into Israel and under what conditions.

The amendment stipulates that any person who is not an Israeli citizen will be denied entry into Israel if:

“if the person, or the organization or agency for the sake of which he acts, has knowingly publicized a call to boycott the state of Israel, as defined in the 2011 Law to Prevent Harming the State of Israel through Boycott, or (if that person) has pledged to participate in such a boycott.”[while granting Israel’s Interior Minister the prerogative to issue exceptional entry permits to boycotters “for special reasons.”]

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.

This week, Alpher discusses issue areas where President Trump’s provocative agenda touches on Israel; the motives behind PM Netanyahu's tweet that said the wall Israel built along its border with Egypt is a good model for the wall Trump wants to build, at Mexican expense, along the US-Mexico border; Israel's decision to absorb 100 Syrian refugee children at a time when Trump’s executive order bans entry into the US of refugees and visa holders from Syria; the Iran factor; the settlements issue; and Netanyahu's chances of beating all of the accusations raised against him and remaining in power.

Americans for Peace Now (APN) is appalled at Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's expression of support for President Trump's immigration policies. APN calls on Netanyahu to stay out of America's heated debate on immigration, and to take into consideration the impact that statements on issues like this have on Israel's relations with broad, key segments of the American public and with the vast majority of American Jews.

The nomination of David Friedman to be the next ambassador of the United States to Israel has stirred a fierce debate, focused primarily on Friedman’s well-documented bombastic rhetoric and his views on settlements, the occupation, and the Palestinians — views that are at odds with decades of bipartisan U.S. policy.

As the Senate gets ready to consider Friedman’s nomination, what has been largely overlooked is the fact that, based on his own very clear and public record, Friedman is by any objective standard disqualified from serving as America’s diplomatic envoy to any country, and especially to Israel.

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