Americans for Peace Now: American foreign policy Archives

Why We Have Taken a Stand with the Supreme Court

By Ori Nir on November 9, 2011 11:34 AM | No Comments

On November 7, Israel's Haaretz newspaper published an article in Hebrew by APN's President and CEO Debra DeLee explaining why we chose to submit an amicus brief to the Supreme Court regarding the authority of the Executive Branch to determine policy on sensitive foreign policy issues such as the status of Jerusalem.

Following is an English translation of the article:

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Why We Have Taken a Stand with the US Supreme Court

By Debra Delee on November 7, 2011 2:33 PM | No Comments

By Debra DeLee

Originally published in Haaretz

An important case, Zivotofsky v. Clinton, is about to come before the U.S. Supreme Court. It relates to U.S. policy on Jerusalem, but isn't really about Jerusalem. Rather, it is about longstanding efforts by the U.S. Congress to wrest foreign policy-making authority away from the executive branch. How this case is decided will have far-reaching ramifications for America's policy, far beyond Jerusalem.

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Tell Congress to act rationally on UN and the Palestinians

November 3, 2011 10:47 AM | No Comments

Earlier this week, members of UNESCO (the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization), voted to admit the PLO as "the state of Palestine," with full member-state status in that organization.

This action triggers an existing U.S. law, first passed in 1991 and then strengthened in 1994, that compels the U.S. to cut off all funding to UNESCO. With the Palestinians reportedly poised to seek membership in as many as 16 other UN member organizations, this law could mean the U.S. effective withdrawal from a wide range of international bodies.

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APN's Lara Friedman in the Jerusalem Report: Call for a New Paradigm

By Lara Friedman on October 11, 2011 11:40 AM | No Comments

The October 24th issue of the Jerusalem Report (print only) includes this op-ed by APN Director of Policy and Government Relations Lara Friedman, written shortly after President Obama's speech at the United Nations. A pdf of the original article can be viewed/downloaded here.
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Call for a New Paradigm
by Lara Friedman

In his speech before the United Nations General Assembly in late September, US President Barack Obama, referring to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, stated: "The question isn't the goal we seek - the question is how to reach it. And I am convinced that there is no shortcut to the end of a conflict that has endured for decades."

Continue reading APN's Lara Friedman in the Jerusalem Report: Call for a New Paradigm.

Congress Blocking Aid to the Palestinians: the Facts & What They Mean

By Lara Friedman on October 3, 2011 11:39 AM | No Comments

This past weekend there were press reports (original story in the Independent, with further reporting in the Israeli press) that Congress was blocking $200 million in aid to the Palestinian Authority (PA). As is often the case when it comes to the rather arcane world of Congress and appropriations, the press reports were partly correct and partly incorrect, and also missed some rather important points.

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Jonathan Tobin Gets the Facts Wrong on Pre-Obama U.S. policy on J'lem Settlements

By Lara Friedman on August 16, 2011 1:58 PM | 1 Comment

In a piece published last week in Commentary, Jonathan Tobin confidently asserts that:

"While no American government has ever recognized Israeli sovereignty over any part of the ancient capital, it is equally true never before had an American president made an issue of the building of homes in the existing Jewish neighborhoods begun in the immediate aftermath of the reunification of the city in 1967. Though settlement building in the West Bank has been a constant source of tension, and projects such as the one at Har Homa outside these Jewish sections of the city (although it was on vacant, Jewish-owned land) were disputed by Washington, housing in places like Ramat Sharon had never been a bone of contention."(emphasis added)

You'd think before anyone would make such a categorical assertion in print (or even online), he'd first bother to check the facts. Because the facts are easy to check.

Continue reading Jonathan Tobin Gets the Facts Wrong on Pre-Obama U.S. policy on J'lem Settlements.

U.S. (non)-Recognition of Sovereignty in Jerusalem: A Consistent Policy, pre-1948 - Present

By Lara Friedman on August 12, 2011 12:49 PM | 1 Comment

The United States does not recognize the sovereignty of any party in any part of Jerusalem (East or West). This is not a new policy imposed by the Obama Administration, as some seem to believe or want others to believe. It is a policy that dates back to pre-1948, and has been followed by every U.S. Administration since, regardless of the President or party in the White House. Across this entire period, the policy has applied equally to Israeli, Jordanian, and Palestinian claims in the city. What follows are representative examples across this entire period illustrating the consistency of this policy.

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APN Principles on the Palestinians, International Recognition & the UN

By Lara Friedman on July 28, 2011 12:21 PM | 7 Comments

Earlier this month, APN's Board of Directors adopted principles to guide our approach on the issue of the Palestinians and efforts for international and UN recognition. These principles underlie my recent op-ed on the topic published on ForeignPolicy.com, and will be the basis of forthcoming APN statements and commentary on the topic.

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Indefensible

July 6, 2011 11:46 AM | 3 Comments

APN has unveiled a new booklet that provides a desperately-needed, honest assessment of the "defensibility" of borders based on the 1967 lines with mutually agreed upon land swaps.

View it below.

Indefensible

Download the booklet for printing here.

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Presidential leadership needed

By Noam Shelef on May 13, 2011 4:00 PM | No Comments

The White House just announced that George Mitchell is stepping down from his role as President Barack Obama's special Mideast peace envoy.

The news follows reports of a dispute within the administration over how aggressively President Obama should push for Israeli-Palestinian peace. Mitchell was said to be pressing for a more hands-on approach. No doubt, some will say that Mitchell's departure means that the administration is backing off the issue. But this doesn't have to be true. A shake up in the president's Mideast team could open the door for the direct personal engagement of the president himself.

Today, we need your help to show the president that Americans want him to reassert U.S. leadership.

Continue reading Presidential leadership needed.