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.
(English translation of the Hebrew article in Ynet)
“Young Settlement” is a cover name used to obscure the settler
movement’s construction of ten illegal outposts a year. These masters of the land understand, without a doubt,
that there is no problem in breaking the law, and the results of this understanding are evident in their
demonstrations.
For about two weeks now, the Hilltop Youth have been raging without restraint and the government remains silent. Why? Because above every rolled-over police car, bleeding policeman and shattered glass shines the headline “Young Settlement.”
Americans for Peace Now joins its Israeli sister organization Shalom Achshav (Peace Now) in strongly condemning the Israeli government's decision to advance plans for more settlement construction in the West Bank.
APN believes that any settlement construction in the occupied territories is unacceptable. Today's announcement by Prime Minister Netanyahu is particularly offensive and deserves strong condemnation by anyone who cares about a future negotiated peace agreement between Israel and the Palestinians.
What to Expect from the New Round of Israeli Elections, with Tal
Schneider
LISTEN
Schneider is one of Israel’s leading political correspondents and analysts. Currently with The Times of Israel and
formerly with Israel’s economic daily Globes, Schneider was the Washington bureau chief of Maariv.
In 2011, she established an independent political blog. Her “Plog” quickly became a leading source for news and
analysis and a standard-setter for ethical, balanced political coverage, and catapulted her to the front line of
Israeli TV and radio pundits. Schneider’s Plog won the 2012 Excellence in Digital Journalism Award by Google Inc.
and by Tel-Aviv’s Journalists Association.
What we saw on Capitol Hill yesterday was horrific: both the violent actions of the hooligan mob, and Donald Trump’s incitement to take such actions.
As an organization that advocates Israeli-Palestinian peace, the US sister-organization of Israel’s peace movement, we at Americans for Peace Now are well acquainted with political violence and with the incitement that irresponsible politicians use to fuel it.
Veteran Israeli journalist and social activist Eliezer (Gezer) Yaari
talks about his efforts to Make East Jerusalem's Palestinian population accessible to Israeli Jews, and
speculates that Israeli-Palestinian peacemakers may want to leverage Jerusalem's coexistence mechanisms as a
launching point for future peace.
LISTEN
This past week saw the shortest and darkest day of the year. But now, going into the
new year, we see the light beginning to return to us. A new administration offers a brighter future for
the United States and for its global allies. A vaccine has begun paving the way for an end to the pandemic
that has robbed us of over 300,000 American lives, and nearly 2 million globally. And as we live through the
havoc climate change is wreaking on our world, the U.S. is about to reenter the Paris Agreement. And of
course we are on the verge of new elections in Israel, where the possibility of change seems stronger every
day.
There is no question that it has been a year of darkness and despair. But there are bright
spots to note, even in the most bitter of times.
Seven months ago when I became CEO of Americans for Peace Now, I knew a fair amount about Israel and working for peace. But I didn’t know a lot about APN. I didn’t know about all of you – the peacebuilders – who have been here, with us, marching this work forward for nearly 40 years.
I didn’t know about our extraordinary staff who, from its founding days to today, have worked tirelessly for peace, relentless in their job to educate, inform and advocate. I didn’t know about our Board of Directors, many of whom have been with us on this journey for nearly all of the 40 years of our existence, inspiring and guiding us. And I didn’t know about you, our supporters, who have been the backbone of APN.
But over these seven months I have had the honor to meet many of you – virtually, of course – and learn from you about your passion for peace and your deep connection to our movement. It is your commitment to the mission that keeps us vital and moving forward every day. It’s your energy that sustains our movement when things seem most difficult. You are the lights in the darkness.
We have begun to carve out a new space for ourselves, bringing APN’s scholarship, knowledge and experience to the next generation of peace activists.
And in doing so, we have shown ourselves not afraid to take a stand for peace:
» In my first days at APN, we were confronted with the prospect of de-jure West Bank
annexation. We immediately called it out as anti-democratic and a threat to peace. We joined with
like-minded partners, Israeli and American, to send thousands of emails to the White House and to Prime
Minister Netanyahu denouncing the move, and supported our partner in peace, Shalom Achshav, as they
organized protests in the streets of Tel Aviv.
We also publicly called for then-nominee Joe Biden to speak out clearly in opposition to
annexation. And of course we helped get 191 Members of Congress to raise their voices in opposition to
annexation.» We hosted the first webinar with journalist Peter Beinart where he laid out his bold and controversial theories on the prospect of one-state. Over 900 donors and supporters joined in to learn about and wrestle with his ideas.
Our goal is clear. We’re not here to argue among ourselves. We’re here to build the movement for
peace and justice» We became the first member organization of the Conference of Presidents to publicly call out Mort Klein, head of the Zionist Organization of America, for his racist tweets regarding the horrific killings of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery and the Black Lives Matters protests of the spring and summer. Klein is a right wing, racist Islamophobe and I’m not afraid to say it.
» When the Conference of Presidents called on its members to endorse the IHRA definition of
anti-Semitism, we were the only ones to stand up and say no. We won’t stick our heads in sand and
pretend that all is well while this definition is used across the globe to squash legitimate criticism of
Israeli policy and to attack those who speak out.» APN had the great honor to host a commemoration of the 25th anniversary of the assassination of Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, MC-ed by our Board member, Mandy Patinkin, who was joined by a panoply of activists, educators, singers and storytellers coming together to mark the moment and offer hope for the future.
Finally, as we move towards the final days of the year, I am pleased to tell you that we have been working closely with the incoming Biden administration and its transition team to ensure that peace remains a priority on their agenda. They are smart, qualified, and good people. But they are going to need to be pushed. And together, we will do just that.
Change is coming. But we cannot take advantage of this moment without you by our side.
As you consider your final year-end donations, please include APN in your plans. If you have already made a
gift, consider making another. And if you haven’t yet given to APN this year, there is still time.
Our work is more critical than ever before; our voice never more needed. You are an essential part of our future – together we are the peacebuilders, a movement forged in a desire to make the change we want to see.
Thank you for your generosity and your commitment. All of us at APN send you and your family warmest wishes for a healthy, safe and peaceful new year.
Sincerely,
Hadar Susskind
President and CEO
Americans for Peace Now
How many times in the past few days have you wished someone a happy new year and were told
“well, it can’t get worse than 2020”?
While it’s hard to argue with this truism, my take on our transition from 2020 to 2021 is less about just putting 2020 behind us and more about what we can do together in 2021.
I am looking forward to the new year on the merits of its own promise, regardless of the scorched earth that 2020 is leaving behind.
I’ll tell you what I mean by that.
First, in less than three weeks, we will have in the White House a President who is committed to a
responsible, level-headed foreign policy, who will not deposit the Israel-Palestine file into the hands of
his ignorant, smug son-in-law and his former bankruptcy lawyer, a messianic zealot, who thinks progressive Jews
like you and me are “worse than kapos.” Yes, Trump’s ambassador to Israel David Friedman actually said that –
among the other vile, incendiary things he said and did.
In a recent letter they sent on behalf of Americans for Peace Now, Mandy Patinkin and Kathryn Grody
included the story about Mandy’s experience following a concert he gave to benefit APN. The above video was of
Mandy telling it, with his recognizable flair, at a 2012 Peace Now conference in Israel.
Join Mandy and Kathryn in supporting Americans for Peace Now with a tax-deductible donation.
Go HERE to read their letter. You will find reflections about past visits to Israel and the West Bank, and a compelling account of why they are so committed and passionate about supporting Americans for Peace Now.