Moment of Clarity

By: Ori Nir

Every now and then, in the ugly routine of Israel’s 54-year occupation of the West Bank, comes a moment of clarity, an incident that underscores the perverse dynamic in Israeli-Palestinian relations which this prolonged travesty has spawned. Such was the event that started when the first of six Palestinian prisoners emerged from a narrow hole in the ground outside Israel’s top security prison.

So much of what happened during the week that followed can serve as a teachable moment regarding the state of affairs between two communities locked in a mutual chokehold.

Today, Americans for Peace Now sent letters to the Arizona State Treasurer, Kimberly Yee, and to Shoaib Khan, the Acting Director of the New Jersey Department of the Treasury Investment Division objecting to their decisions to divest their states’ funds from Ben & Jerry’s parent company Unilever.

Americans for Peace Now (APN) opposes today’s decision by the Jewish National Fund (Keren Kayemeth Le-Israel) to register properties in the West Bank and the city of Jerusalem, a process that is likely to lead to the eviction of thousands of Palestinians from their homes. APN calls on fellow American Jewish organizations, particularly those who serve on the board of the JNF-KKL, to exercise their influence to ensure that this procedural endeavor does not lead to the eviction of Palestinian families, a process that is certain to have dire humanitarian, political and security repercussions. 

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.

Press reports are touting the success of today’s meeting between Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett and President Joe Biden. President Biden has demonstrated his “pro-Israel bona fides”. Bennett has shown that he can sit at the grownups table. That’s all well and good, but did they address the one issue that will determine Israel’s future? 

While a good meeting between the leaders of Israel and the United States is welcome and constructive, if the two leaders did not seriously address the issue of the occupation and Israel’s relations with the Palestinians, then they are not living up to their leadership responsibilities.

Israel-Palestine and US Public Opinion

SPEAKER:

Americans for Peace Now (APN) welcomes Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett’s upcoming visit to the White House – his first since taking office – and urges President Biden to use this visit to bolster the administration’s role in advancing Israeli-Palestinian peace.

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.