This was a winning week for Israel's true patriots, Peace Now's dedicated staff and activists.
Earlier this week, Hagit Ofran, the director of Peace Now's Settlement Watch project, won an esteemed prize, named after her grandfather, iconic philosopher and anti-occupation activist Professor Yeshayahu Leibowitz.
A new presentation by Jerusalem expert Daniel Seidemann demonstrates how planned Israeli settlement construction in East Jerusalem could make the two-state solution impossible by 2013
This week's Torah portion offers us a message about the need for us to act with courage and act decisively to prevent disaster
In this portion, we have many great inspiring moments: crossing the sea to escape Pharaoh, the song of the sea afterwards, the fight against the nation of Amalek. In fact, in this week's Torah portion, the Israelites see literally dozens of miracles - miracles come fast and furious, one after another.
Alpher discusses the Israeli-Palestinian pre-negotiation talks in Amman, interim conclusions from the "Arab spring" one year after the outbreak of the revolution in Egypt and the meaning of the 2009 survey just published on Israeli attitudes towards religiosity.
Peace Now today released the 'Migron File' - a comprehensive dossier containing all the facts and figures, aerial photos and copies of legal documents related to the illegal outpost of Migron (which the Netanyahu government is working frantically to find a way to legalize).
The "Migron File" can be viewed online or downloaded here.
Rabbi Amy Eilberg is the first woman ordained as a Conservative rabbi by the Jewish Theological Seminary of America. Rabbi Eilberg directs interfaith dialog programs in Minneapolis/St. Paul, and is deeply engaged in peace and reconciliation efforts in connection with the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, as well as with issues of conflict within the Jewish community. She is at work on a book on Judaism and peacemaking.
Q. General Martin Dempsey (pictured), chief of the US Armed Forces General Staff, visited Israel last Thursday. The escalating atmosphere with Iran was obviously high on his agenda. How do you view US-Israel strategic coordination regarding Iran?
Q. As election fever appears to heat up in Israel, what are the political balance-of-forces indicators we should be watching and the questions we should be asking?
They Say:
Settlements are not an obstacle to peace. They take up only a tiny fraction, around 1 percent, of the entire West Bank.
We Say:
The "one percent argument" is a classic example of how supporters of the status-quo use a fraction of the truth to misrepresent the truth on the ground in the West Bank.
Washington, DC - Americans for Peace Now (APN) strongly condemns the belligerent anti-Jewish comments made by the Palestinian Authority's Mufti of Jerusalem at a public event in the West Bank earlier this month.
Washington, DC -- In the context of recent attacks in the media accusing the Center for American Progress and its staff of anti-Semitism, APN's President and CEO Debra DeLee today issued the following statement:
Americans for Peace Now is excited to welcome a new member into the worldwide Peace Now family. Brits for Peace now. The new organization, a reincarnation of Peace Now UK, is the initiative of several young Brits who have interned with Peace Now in Israel.
One of them, Daniel Arenson, a 25-year-old parliamentary aide and the former Chair of Oxford University Jewish Society, spoke with APN about the new initiative.
Barry Leff is a rabbi and business executive living in Jerusalem. He is the chairman of Rabbis for Human Rights and serves on the board of the Schechter Rabbinical Seminary. He blogs at www.neshamah.net
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On January 4th the national headquarters of Chabad Lubovitch issued a statement condemning the widely publicized attack by ultra-Orthodox Jews on an 8-year-old girl in the Israeli town of Beit Shemesh last month. That attack triggered outrage in Israel, among friends of Israel in the United States and beyond. Chabad's statement said: "Violent behaviors of individuals or groups who abuse, intimidate and insult others are a flagrant offense to Torah and tzniut (modesty), in both letter and spirit, and deserve to be unequivocally condemned."
Alpher discusses human rights and racism in the wake of martin Luther King's birthday, and the Israeli government's role and reports on the meetings in Amman and their potential political repercussions in the US, Israel and Jordan.
Today, Peace Now released a new report entitled "Torpedoing the Two State Solution -- The Strategy of the Netanyahu Government," detailing a number of trends in settlement expansion that directly, and it seems, deliberately, undermine the viability of the two-state solution.
A new report by Peace Now's Settlement Watch project shows that 2011 was a record year in West Bank settlement construction. Worse, the past years highlighted dangerous trends on the ground in the West Bank, which may end up torpedoing a two-state solution: an Israeli government intention to legalize illegal outposts and thus transform them into full-fledged settlements, and building in sensitive locations such as E-1, Efrat, and Givat Hamatos, which would deny contiguity for a future Palestinian state.
Shaul Magid is the Jay and Jeannie Schottenstein Professor of Modern Judaism at Indiana University/Bloomington. He is also the rabbi of the Fire Island Synagogues in Sea View, NY. His new book American Post-Judaism: Identity and Renewal in a Postethnic Society will be published next year with Indiana University Press.
Alpher discusses the significance of a settler among the new justices for the Israeli Supreme Court, the prospects for fruitful negotiations in the aftermath of last week's meeting in Amman, Fateh preventing Israeli-Palestinian track II meetings in Jerusalem, and the political potential of journalist Yair Lapid.
A Beginning of Year Letter from Debra DeLee
I write to you this first week of 2012 with a challenge: I challenge you to re-commit yourself to Israeli-Palestinian peace and to resolve not to give in to frustration, pessimism, skepticism, or cynicism. Popular wisdom holds that during an election year, no progress is possible toward peace. I challenge you to stand with Americans for Peace Now, and our colleagues and friends at Peace Now in Israel, and refuse to give in to this logic.
The past year saw many painful developments. But 2011 also gave us a welcome gift: clarity.
Rabbi Dr. Aryeh Cohen is Associate Professor of Rabbinic Literature at the Zeigler School of Rabbinic Studies in Los Angeles. He is a founding member of the Shtibl minyan and the Interfaith Sanctuary at Occupy LA.
Alpher offers a limited year-in-review for 2011, and discusses the recent developments on the Palestinian scene and whether Arab League observers in Syria will make any difference there.
"Now, do not be grieved or angry..." With these words, Joseph forgives his brothers. In this week's portion, we learn a powerful lesson about the power we have to forgive and move forward- seeking peace and mutual survival over seeking revenge and becoming mired in past wrongs.
Inspired by Gershom Gorenberg's "contest" between candidates for worst political PR, we have for you a round-up of our top ten PR failures!
Top 10 PR flubs (in addition to Gershom's)
Anyone who reads the Round-Up knows that Congress gets up to a lot of wacky stuff when it comes to the Middle East. Below is a subjective list of the top ten outstanding examples of this. Enjoy!
Today's top ten!
Have you ever wondered what Americans for Peace Now does? Today's top ten list explains what you support when you donate to APN. Every dollar you donate sustains essential work building peace for Israel and its neighbors.
Alpher discusses whether there is a connection between the the hill youth/price-tag attacks and those of the ultra-orthodox against women, the strategic ramifications for Israel of the US military withdrawal from Iraq, and the strategic consequences for Israel of the leadership transition in North Korea.
The miracle of Chanukah is that we can achieve the seemingly impossible - if we take the first steps.
This week as we celebrate Chanukah, we celebrate a miracle. The miracle we celebrate is not simply the miracle of the oil, but the celebration of achieving the seemingly impossible. We celebrate the ability of humans, doing the right thing, with conviction, to upend the status quo and to serve the interest of their people and the will of God.
There's a reason I have been a devoted supporter of Americans for Peace Now since its inception 30 years ago - and, indeed, of Shalom Achshav, Israel's Peace Now movement, since 1978. In the course of those years, other organizations that care about Israel's peace and safety have come and have gone, some much glitzier than APN, some stodgier. None, in my view, has been clearer in its positions, nor bolder, nor more innovative, nor more sophisticated, nor more productive.
Alpher discusses the new levels of settler youth extremism, confusion surrounding the closing and reopening of the access ramp to the Temple Mount, and the significance of the upcoming Likud leadership primaries.
Is it possible to hear those we hate?
The issue of Israel has a legitimate place in the debate and discourse of a US election. As part of a serious discussion, we expect to see how each candidate would advance Israel-Palestinian peace. In order to promote such a debate, APN has launched its "Elections 2012: Responsibility over Rhetoric" campaign.
Recent attacks on the IDF have led to an abrupt awakening in Israel and abroad. Suddenly people are realizing the danger posed to Israel by a generation of settlers who respect neither Israeli law, nor Israel's army, nor the Israeli state, and who are prepared to use violence against not only Palestinians (which has long been the case) but also against fellow Jews.
Sarit Michaeli of B'Tselem, the Israeli information center on human rights in the Occupied Territories, explains why the death of a Palestinian demonstrator in the West Bank, who was shot by an Israeli soldier at close range with a tear gas canister, is both unusual and alarmingly routine. (photo: Haim Scwarczenberg)
GOP presidential contender Newt Gingrich said in an interview with the Jewish Channel last week that the Palestinians were an "invented" people. Later, at a GOP presidential debate, he refused to retract, and said, "It's fundamentally-- time for somebody to have the guts to stand up and say: Enough lying about the Middle East."
They say:The Palestinians are not a real people. They are just Arabs from other places who settled in the Land of Israel over the years, without any cohesive national identity. There never was a Palestinian state and efforts to create one now are unjustified.
The noted Israeli authors and peace activists have penned a letter about key issues facing Israel, the Israeli Peace Now Movement, and encouraging your support of Americans for Peace Now.
Peace Parsha is a new feature of the Americans for Peace Now website. Every week, we will explore the Torah reading and learn how it is relevant to the ongoing effort to find peace in Israel.
In this week's Torah portion, Vayishlach, the Torah sets up a dramatic moment: Jacob is about to meet with his brother Esau after many years. Fearing that his brother is still angry about his stolen birthright, Jacob sends a lavish gift, consisting of hundreds of heads of cattle and sheep.
Israeli author Amos Oz talks about how American Jews who support the peace movement are loyal and devoted to Israel - "no less, and perhaps more than their militant bretheren." He says "there is more than one way to be pro-israel, there is more than one way to support Israel, there is more than one way to love Israel." 
In light of recent developments in Egypt, Alpher assesses the wisdom of the Netanyahu government's decision to instruct Israeli diplomats to lobby for maintaining the status of Egypt's military rulers. 
The Washington Post's Sunday edition featured Hagit Ofran, the director of Peace Now's Settlements Watch project, in a story about the attacks on Israel's democracy and civil society. 
In recent days, Peace Now has been facing attacks from many corners. Peace Now's Settlement Watch director received death threats, and a bomb threat was called in at their Jerusalem office. They have also been targeted by an onslaught of anti-democratic bills in the Knesset. But Peace Now refuses to be silenced.
In the face of death threats, Hagit Ofran says "she who believes does not fear."
By Amichai Atali
JERUSALEM (AP) -- Israel has ordered the shutdown of a dovish Israeli-Palestinian radio station, officials and the station's operators said on Sunday.
(NOTE: The station's director Mossi Raz is a former director of Peace Now in Israel)
"...it is shocking to see Israel's democratic government propose measures that could silence its own critics."
Alpher gives an update on the status of anti-democratic Knesset efforts to stifle civil society in Israel, and expounds on the rising influence of the Orthodox and ultra-Orthodox communities in the IDF.(Yedioth Ahronoth, 11/18/11, by Uri Misgav, p. B18 - Translation by Israel News)
Last Tuesday, Hagit Ofran, director of Peace Now's Settlement Watch project, received a surprising visit. Six settlers, members of the small "Eretz Shalom" [Land of Peace] movement, wished to express regret for the events of the day. They were headed by Rabbi Menahem Froman, who despite his severe illness, insisted on holding the visit.
Recently targeted by right-wing Israeli extremists because of her work as the director of Peace Now's Settlements Watch project, Ofran was the keynote speaker at the annual Tel Aviv rally commemorating the late Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin.
Yesterday an Israeli Ministerial committee voted to support two new bills that directly target Israeli democracy. See relates articles from the Washington & Jerusalem Posts.
The purpose of these bills is to quash Israeli civil society groups, including those fighting for peace, human rights and civil rights, by fatally curtailing their ability to raise funds.
Ha'aretz: "Peace Now activist Ofran: 'We must not fear. We are here, and we are many'"
Jerusalem Post: "16 years on: Annual Tel Aviv rally remembers Rabin"
Prominent speakers included Hagit Ofran, director of Peace Now's Settlement Watch project: "The graffiti was sprayed in my home, but the taunts are in all of our stairwells. The tag may have marked me, but we all pay the price. We must not fear. We are here, and we are many.
Alpher tackles many regional developments, including new Knesset legislation that targets human rights and peace groups, the departure of Dennis Ross, and Syria's ouster from the Arab League.
by Trudy Rubin, Inquirer Opinion Columnist
JERUSALEM - When Hagit Ofran woke up Tuesday - within days of the 16th anniversary of the murder of Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin - she found death threats spray-painted on her door.
(Ofran is pictured on her stairwell amidst the graffiti-ed death threats)
Take action now. This is not about right or left; it is about right or wrong.
Ido (Sany) Arazi is a Tel Aviv graphic artist who designs posters for Israeli Peace organizations. Last week he was working on a poster for Yitzhak Rabin's Memorial Day, which will be marked tomorrow in Israel. Sany prepared a sketch saying "Israel Awaits Murder - 16 years after Rabin's murder and a little before the next murder." He put it aside because he thought it may be too alarmist. 
"Hagit Ofran, Rabin is waiting for you" was one of the spray-painted slogans, the second time in months that Ofran has been targeted, allegedly by right-wing extremists angry over dismantling of illegal West Bank settlements.
By Debra DeLee
Last night, someone pushed the intercom button at the Jerusalem building that houses Peace Now's office. A neighbor was told: "This building will explode in five minutes." The frightened residents and a Peace Now staff member immediately evacuated the building. Outside they found "Price Tag" graffiti. "Price Tag" is what the extreme settlers call their campaign to intimidate and silence Israelis and Palestinians who support a two-state solution to the conflict. 
Vol. 7, Issue 1
Washington, DC - Today members of UNESCO voted to grant the PLO full status in that organization, with 107 nations voting in favor, only 14 nations voting "no," and another 52 abstaining. APN President and CEO Debra DeLee issued the following statement about the vote:
"The decision by UNESCO members to vote overwhelmingly to admit the Palestinians - despite the strong opposition of both the U.S. and Israel and the threat of U.S. sanctions against UNESCO - sends a clear message: the international community is no longer willing to sit on its hands and do the bidding of the United States so long as the "peace process" drags on, bereft of substance and with continued Israeli settlement policies altering the situation on the ground in ways that will soon make this two-state solution impossible.
Q. The Quartet met with Israeli and Palestinian leaders last week and announced that within three months the two sides would submit their views on final status issues involving territory and security. Does this represent any sort of real progress?
Seidemann explores the threat that planned new settlements in East Jerusalem pose for the two-state solution. He is an Israeli attorney and the founder and director of the NGO 'Terrestrial Jerusalem', known as the preeminent expert on geopolitical Jerusalem,
Ynet reports that Netanyahu's government expects to push forward plans to build 1,400 housing units in the area of Givat Hamatos in southern Jerusalem. Peace Now said this will expand the borders of Jerusalem towards Bethlehem. Read more here.
Q. Israel and Hamas have agreed to exchange more than 1,000 Palestinian prisoners for IDF soldier Gilad Shalit? Why now, after more than five years of negotiating?
A. The primary reasons for the timing appear to have less to do with negotiating concessions--though both Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and Hamas appear to have made last-minute concessions--and more to do with the regional strategic issues that set the scene for the deal-clinching concessions. Both Netanyahu and Hamas are interested in lowering the prestige of Fateh and its leader, Mahmoud Abbas, following the seeming success of Abbas' recent initiative at the United Nations, which both oppose. The prisoner exchange does precisely that, particularly in light of the Israel-Hamas agreement not to release Fateh leader Marwan Barghouti.
Washington, DC - Americans for Peace Now (APN) welcomes the news of a deal for the release of Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit, who has been held captive in the Gaza Strip for more than 1,900 days. 
The Peace Now movement has recently received a certificate of merit from Defense Minister Ehud Barak for its support of reserve soldiers.
The extremist settlers call it "Price Tag." We have always called it by
its proper name: Terrorism.There is an old saying that goes "if you want to know how someone really feels, listen to what they say but more important, watch what they do." In recent days the world has heard the Israeli government insist that it is serious about peace and about returning to negotiations without preconditions, but the Israeli government's actions have belied its words, as has so often been the case in the past.The High Holidays are here. It is a season in which many turn toward the hope that God will bless us with health, prosperity and peace. Peace, however, is not simply a gift; we are instructed to do our part and proactively pursue it.
"Now the Torah did not insist that we actually go in pursuit of [most other] commandments, but said: if a bird's nest happens to be before you...when you gather the grapes of your vineyard....In all these cases, if they come your way you are commanded to perform the duties connected with them, but you need not go in pursuit of them. In the case of peace, however, seek peace wherever you happen to be, and pursue it if it is elsewhere." Bamidbar Rabbah 19-27 (emphasis added).
As the entire world now knows, yesterday an Israeli planning committee approved Plan 13261, Mordot Gilo - South (aka "Gilo Slopes") - a plan for large-scale settlement construction in East Jerusalem, adjacent to the settlement of Gilo (map, courtesy of Daniel Seidemann). 
Watch highlights of speakers from the Thursday, September 22 rally expressing support of Israeli and international recognition of the Palestinian state, held opposite the building where the independence of Israel was proclaimed in 1948.
Among participants and speakers at the events were Yael Dayan (pictured), Alon Li'el, Amos Oz, Yoran Kanyuk, David Tartakover, Yehuda Bauer, Galia Golan and others.
Go HERE to watch the Israel Social TV video.
Are you discouraged about how far away Mideast peace seems to be?
Washington, DC - Americans for Peace Now (APN) reacted with disappointment to President Obama's speech today at the United Nations General Assembly. APN President and CEO Debra DeLee commented:
Read a story of reconciliation from David Harris Gershon, a writer whose recent work has appeared in The Jerusalem Post, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, Colorado Review and elsewhere. His memoir, Shrapnel, is currently making the rounds. He received his MFA from the University of North Carolina, Wilmington.
Americans for Peace Now is proud that Mr. Gershon is an APN "Person for Peace", where you can follow his tweets and blog posts.
What kind of UN recognition are the Palestinians seeking? What are they expecting to achieve? Are they aware of the possible repercussion? To answer these questions, APN hosted a briefing call with Ambassador Riyad Mansour, the Permanent Observer of Palestine to the United Nations. Ambassador Mansour took questions from APN Board members and major supporters. To listen to a recording of the call, click here. 
APN provides links to items related to the Palestinians' statehood efforts at the United Nations.
Israel's Peace Now movement today again became the target of the Israel's extreme right intimidation campaign.
Early this morning, the director of Peace Now's Settlements Watch project was awakened by neighbors who told her that the door to her apartment, as well as the apartment building's walkway, have been vandalized. Black graffiti sprayed on the door and the walkway read: "Revenge," "Death," "Peace Now - the End is Near," and "Price Tag."
Washington, D.C. - Americans for Peace Now (APN) today announced a new round of updates for its groundbreaking Facts on the Ground map app.
JURIST Guest Columnist Shlomy Zachary of the Michael Sfard Law Offices in Israel says that the recent Israeli Supreme Court ruling ordering the demolition of the Migron outpost in the West Bank was an obvious one under Israeli and international law and was necessary to uphold the rule of law...
By Tovah Lazaroff Alpher answers questions about US efforts to renew Israeli-Palestinian negotiations and the impact of Turkey's downgrade of relations with Israel.
APN is excited to introduce its new service, News Nosh, a daily news summary brought to you directly from Israel. Produced by Jerusalem-based journalist Orly Halpern, News Nosh will be emailed to you every morning, so you can enjoy your a.m. coffee while perusing the major headlines and a summary of Israel's daily news. 
"This is a person who seems to support Israel, but he is a fanatic..." Etai Mizrav of Peace Now said.
Yariv Oppenheimer, Peace Now Secretary General: "We came to protest against this show of Glenn Beck, I think he tried to use the tension in this city for his career...We need friends who come from abroad to support the idea of two states, of sharing Jerusalem a capital for two states, for the Palestinians and the Israelis, and not people who come here just to provoke."
When Glenn Beck and his followers come to Jerusalem's Old City on Wednesday for their provocative "Restore Courage" rally they will get an earful from Peace Now activists. They will demand that Beck and his supporters stay away from the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and from one of the most sensitive sites on earth. Peace Now supporters will meet on Wednesday at the Dung Gate in the Old City to tell him that he is no friend of Israel and is doing it a disservice by fanning the religious flames of Israel's conflict with the Palestinians.
Barbara Green is an activist and volunteer with Americans for Peace Now out of the national office in Washington, D.C. Earlier in 2011, she coordinated APN's Study Tour to Israel.
Washington, DC - Americans for Peace Now today joined Peace Now in criticizing the Netanyahu government for its cynical effort to use the ongoing protests in Israel as cover for expanding settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem. APN called on the Obama administration to strongly challenge this effort, recognizing it for what it is: further evidence that while Netanyahu talks about wanting peace and avoiding a confrontation at the UN next month, the actions of his government demonstrate the opposite.
"This is a protest against what Israel has become, in the name of what it once was. It is an effort by the youngest Israelis to recapture an older, more egalitarian, more idealistic, country that their parents lost."
Michael Walzer is a contributing editor for The New Republic, professor emeritus of social science at the Institute for Advanced Study, and a board member of Americans for Peace Now.
"...supporters of Peace Now understand all too well that resources have been invested in the settlement enterprise at the expense of providing housing in Israel proper. We understand that maintaining the settlement enterprise costs Israel civilians an estimated NIS 8 billion annually."
With all the protests about housing and other social justice issues, Prime Minister Netanyahu is drawn suffering from a Migraine, which in Hebrew sounds very much like the name of the illegal Israeli West Bank outpost that the court has ordered to be removed!
In response to a petition filed by the Peace Now movement, Israel's Supreme Court issued an unprecedented ruling ordering the state to dismantle the largest illegal settlement outpost in the West Bank by April 2012.
See links to articles in the Israeli, U.S., and International press.
Thousands of Israelis are in the streets protesting high housing costs. It is an amazing, indeed, stunning development. Israelis from all walks of life are fed up with Israel's wealth gap as it continues to widen.
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.
Washington, DC - Today the Board of Directors of Americans for Peace Now met in a special session to discuss Israel's new anti-boycott law. In the session the board unanimously adopted the following position: APN's Board wholeheartedly endorses Peace Now's campaign to challenge the new law and joins in their call for a boycott of products made in settlements.
APN is deeply concerned by the escalation in attacks on Israel's democracy coming from the Israeli Knesset (the parliament). 
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.
On May 31, 2010, Israel confronted an international flotilla seeking to challenge its blockade of Gaza, with tragic results. At that time American for Peace Now (APN) called on Israel to investigate the operation that led to these results and to reassess its Gaza policy. APN noted that the difficult situation presented to Israel by the flotilla underscored the extent to which the continued policy of blockading Gaza was untenable and increasingly indefensible.
Now Israel is facing another flotilla, and it appears that another potential debacle is in the making.
(My new piece posted on the Huffington Post)
Shock jock Glenn Beck is planning to hold a rally in Jerusalem in August. 
The Israeli settlements in East Jerusalem are getting out of control and endanger the two state solution.
See Peace Now's simplified primer on the status of Jerusalem.
Actor and activist Leonard Nimoy's letter in support of a two-state solution and Americans for Peace Now has made news around the globe (and probably inter-galactically given the postings on "trekmovie.com" and "TrekToday").
See headlines and links to all the articles.
I reach out to you as someone who is troubled to see the conflict between Israelis and Palestinians continue apparently without an end in sight.
In fact, there is an end in sight. It's known as the two-state solution... The problem is how to reach that end point. It's something we should be concerned about--not only as world citizens, but as Americans.
Around 5,000 people participated in a march that was organized under the title 'Netanyahu said no - We say yes to a Palestinian state'.
APN yesterday hosted award winning novelist James Carroll for a conversation about Jerusalem on the occasion of "Jerusalem Day," a national Israeli holiday marking the so-called "reunification of Jerusalem."
Today, the Israeli Peace Now movement organized a tour of Jerusalem for Israeli and Palestinian leaders, including members of parliament.
Alpher answers questions about the defensibility of Israel's borders, and the security necessity of a long-term Israeli military presence along the Jordan River. 
Washington, DC - Americans for Peace Now (APN) today expressed deep disappointment with Prime Minister Netanyahu's speech to Congress. APN's President and CEO Debra DeLee said:"Prime Minister Netanyahu was today granted a podium that few world leaders receive. He had the chance to demonstrate to the world that, contrary to many people's expectations, he grasps the urgency of the moment. Unfortunately for Israel, he did not rise to the occasion.
June 1st is celebrated in Israel as Jerusalem Day. This is a good opportunity for reflection on what this city means to Israelis and to Palestinians, about the role that it plays in the conflict between the two peoples, and about the relationship between the celestial and the terrestrial Jerusalem.
Today, Tuesday, May 24, AIPAC supporters will be on the Hill lobbying Congress to support resolutions - H. Res. 268 and S. Res. 185 - taking the Palestinians to task for seeking UN recognition and for trying to put together a new government that can govern both Gaza and the West Bank. 
Americans for Peace Now applauds President Obama's courageous speech at AIPAC's policy conference in Washington today.
Responding to President Obama's Middle East speech, APN President and CEO Debra DeLee said:
"Today, President Obama signaled to the world that he is still serious about Israeli-Palestinian peace and that he is a true friend of Israel. We welcome his clear statement that the U.S. position is that a permanent status peace agreement will be based on the 1967 lines with mutually agreed on land swaps, and that the outcome must be secure and recognized borders, with a sovereign, contiguous Palestinian state and robust security arrangements for Israel. We also welcome his statement that such an agreement must find a way to resolve the issues of Jerusalem and refugees that is just and fair and that respects the rights and aspirations of both Israelis and Palestinians.
Responding to news that an Israeli Ministry of Interior committee - acting with the authorization of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu - will today consider approving the construction of more than 1500 new settlement units in East Jerusalem, APN President and CEO Debra DeLee issued the following statement:
"By proceeding with settlement approvals in East Jerusalem today - precisely when Prime Minister Netanyahu is headed to Washington to meet with President Obama and address Congress, and when President Obama is about to make a major Middle East speech - Netanyahu is sending an unmistakable message: he values settlements more than peace.
This week President Obama will talk a lot about the Middle East. Not only will he deliver a major foreign policy address aimed at the Arab and Muslim worlds, but he will also offer remarks after meetings with King Abdullah of Jordan and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and make a speech at AIPAC.
The events that took place in connection with yesterday's "Nakba Day" demonstrations - in Gaza, the West Bank and East Jerusalem, and on Israel's borders with Syria and Lebanon - should be a wake-up call to all those who foolishly believe that Israel can indefinitely continue the occupation. They should be a wake-up call to those who believe that Israel can continue to live as a "villa in the jungle" - an expression first coined by Defense Minister Ehud Barak - immune to the regional forces that sparked and are fueling the Arab Spring.
Washington, DC - Reacting to the news of Senator George Mitchell's resignation from his position as President Obama's special Middle East Envoy, Americans for Peace Now's President and CEO, Debra DeLee, today issued the following statement:
Amidst reports that President Obama will in the coming days deliver a major Middle East foreign policy speech, APN President Debra DeLee today issued the following statement:
On Israel's Independence Day, APN's Ori Nir looks ahead to real independence for Israel, noting that "Israel is not truly independent as long as it denies the Palestinians their independence."
Israel's Independence Day, May 10th, is a good time to revel in what such a small country has achieved in such a short time and under such trying circumstances. It's also a time to resolve to do more.
On the eve of Israeli's 63rd Independence Day, Alpher commented on Israel's greatest strategic security concern and the challenges posed to neighboring Jordan by the "Arab Spring."
A Palestinian reconciliation agreement was signed by Fatah and Hamas in Cairo.Alpher answers questions about the Fatah-Hamas unity agreement announced last week and its potential impact on the peace process.
Washington, DC -- APN today welcomed news of a Fatah-Hamas deal. To the degree that the agreement provides for elections and a joint government, this is an opportunity that the Obama administration should not squander. Commenting on today's development, APN President and CEO Debra DeLee stated:"Today's announcement of a Fatah-Hamas deal to jointly form a government and to hold new elections is good news, and we hope that the agreement is implemented. While we still don't know all the details of the agreement, we know that a Palestinian government representing all Palestinians, with security and governance capacity in both the West Bank and Gaza, is vital to the achievement of a peace agreement.
By Sid Topol
Today, a group of leading Israel cultural figures, among them winners of the prestigious Israel Prize, gathered in Tel Aviv to announce their welcome of an independent Palestinian state next to Israel, with its borders based on the 1967 borders.
The urgency of the Israeli-Palestinian situation today cannot be
overstated. Current peace efforts have lost all credibility.
Settlement construction in the West Bank and East Jerusalem continues,
undermining the viability of the two-state solution. Moderate
Palestinian leaders, unable to deliver progress to their people through
negotiations, are under increasing pressure to pursue alternative
strategies. Violence and tensions on the ground are rising. 
And you thought babies could only talk about financial investments? 
Americans for Peace Now strongly condemns the attack by terrorists on a school bus in southern Israel today.
"the IPI serves as a timely reminder to the Obama administration (which has welcomed the initiative) that there is in Israel an influential and credible peace lobby..."
Read all of Alpher's comments on the newly released Israeli Peace Initiatiative (IPI) endorsed by an impressive group of Israeli security experts (not officially connected to the current Israeli government).
Washington, D.C. -- APN today welcomed news of the imminent release of the Israeli Peace Initiative (IPI), reportedly endorsed by a number of leading Israeli political, intelligence, and security figures. 
Peace Now lays out the basics in this short animated video with English subtitles.
WATCH...
APN offers the song "Make Those Waters Part" by Doug Mishkin for you to add to your Passover Seder. The song appears on his album Woody's Children, as well as on Celebrate Passover and on Sing Out For Justice (produced by the Union for Reform Judaism). Mishkin is a lawyer, singer-songwriter, and member of Temple Micah in Washington, D.C.
The Netanyahu government has marked the occasion of President Shimon Peres's visit to Washington with some very unwelcome "gifts" to the Obama Administration: on Sunday, the government of Israel let the Jerusalem Municipal Planning Committee approve a plan for massive settlement expansion in the southern part of East Jerusalem 
Over 700 people attended a first-of-its-kind peace camp conference last Friday, which Israel's Peace Now movement hosted and organized.Is the growing unrest in Syria more significant for Israel than similar developments elsewhere in the Arab world?
Why is the September 2011 deadline for declaring a Palestinian state seemingly so "sacred" to the Palestinian leadership in the West Bank?
Arab League Secretary General Amr Moussa is generally understood to be the leading candidate to be elected the next president of Egypt. How significant is this for Israel?
...there is nothing common-sense about Palin's comments during her recent visit to Israel, where she reportedly
criticized President Obama for objecting to Israeli settlement expansion, suggesting that settlement construction is simply a local Israeli "zoning issue."
Americans for Peace Now strongly condemns the bombing in Jerusalem today. APN extends its condolences to the family of the woman killed in the horrendous attack and wishes fast recovery to those injured. What are the ramifications...of the past week's turn of events in the Arab revolutionary wave, with Saudi troops entering Bahrain and the western powers attacking Libya on the basis of a UN mandate for international intervention? The "solution" for Libya seems radically different. Why?
Connection between new wave of Palestinian unity efforts and escalated mortar attacks from Gaza?
"when it comes to Israel, there are those in our US Jewish community who not only choose to live in a delusional virtual reality, but insist on dragging others into their la-la land. It is bad for Israel and bad for America."
Read the entire opinion piece by Ori Nir, APN Spokesman:
Yossi Alpher writes about the effect the murders at the Itamar settlement will have on the peace process, and on the new peace initiative Prime Minister Netanyahu claimed to be preparing prior to the attack. 
Washington, D.C -- Americans for Peace Now today strongly denounces the murder of an Israeli couple and their three children at the settlement of Itamar in the West Bank on Saturday. APN extends its condolences to the families of those murdered in the attack. 
Today the Israeli press was full of headlines reporting that the government of Israel has declared that it will remove all West Bank outposts on private Palestinian land by the end of the year. This sounds like great news, until you read a bit further, and notice that the second part of this new policy is that the government plans to legalize ALL other outposts in the West Bank. Peace Now's Hagit Ofran and I prepared the following analysis of the new policy:
Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu is reportedly
seeking an invitation to speak to both houses of Congress in the coming
weeks to unveil a new political plan. Netanyahu was initially planning
to present the plan at AIPAC's annual conference on May 22, but he is
now reportedly planning to come to Washington earlier.
Alpher discusses the reported new Israeli peace initiative from Netanyahu, and what is behind it. Also, what explains the small amount of 'revolutionary actions' on the Palestinian and Syrian street.
Netanyahu's government responds to petition submitted by Peace Now regarding six contentious outposts; homes built on non-private still subject to debate.
Roger COHEN: "No occupation in the West Bank, did I hear you right?"
By Hagit Ofran and Lara Friedman 
Will UN sanctions bring down the Gaddafi regime in Libya?
A. While the sanctions approved last week by the Security Council are unprecedented in scope and real-time urgency, they are unlikely to have any short-term effect on the Libyan leader, his family and supporters.
APN delivered this briefing book to every Congressional office during the week of February 25th.
Court ruled in the past that the wishes of the owners should be taken into account in deciding the use of the properties, but rejected compensating owners of property from before establishment of Israel.
By Chaim Levinson
Egypt: the aftermath
Alpher discusses the possibilities, role of intelligence, declaration of new elections in the West Bank, and whether there is a broader, "civilizational" meaning to what has happened in Tunisia and Egypt.
APN's Israel study tour group concluded its week-long visit to Israel Friday after an exciting meeting with Peace Now's young activists. The activists, ranging in age between 16 and 36, shared with us their experiences as patriotic Israeli Zionists who fight for peace as the only way to secure Israel's Jewish and democratic future.
On our first two days in Israel and West Bank, APN's study tour group saw East Jerusalem and Hebron, the two holiest towns to Judaism and, not coincidentally, the two predominantly Palestinian urban areas in which Israelis choose to settle.
APN's Ori Nir writes from Jerusalem as he prepares for APN's Israel Study Tour:
WASHINGTON (JTA) -- There is the old joke that "denial is not just a river in Egypt." And indeed it is true.
"These documents -- if authentic -- highlight a reality that peace process cynics have long sought to deny: Israel has a far more real "partner" than it has ever been willing to admit."
A key resolution on Israel and the peace process is now before the UN Security Council. The resolution embraces negotiations, endorses the two-state solution, and condemns Israeli settlement activity.
On behalf of Americans for Peace Now, President & CEO Debra DeLee sent a letter of condolences to Israel's President Shimon Peres, who lost his wife of 65 years, Sonia.
Washington, DC -- Americans for Peace Now (APN) today issued the following statement regarding the pending resolution in the United Nations Security Council supporting the peace process and the two-state solution, and condemning Israeli settlement activity in the West Bank and East Jerusalem: 
Alpher responds to questions about today's news that Defense Minister Ehud Barak and four Labor colleagues are leaving the Labor party, while the remaining eight Labor MKs are apparently leaving Netanyahu's coalition.He also reflects upon last week's 'people's revolution' in Tunisia and issues in the region.
Responding to recent developments in Israel, including
comments by Knesset Member Michael Ben-Ari, who was caught on tape
inciting against Peace Now and other progressive Israeli organizations;
responding to news that the Israel Airports Authority was blocking Peace
Now's website at Ben Gurion Airport; and responding to the decision of
the Knesset to launch an investigation into funding of "left-wing"
groups in Israel, APN President and CEO Debra DeLee released the
following statement: 
The quote of the day goes to Israel's Knesset Member Benny Begin, a
Likud hawk but a liberal democrat, who is a minister without portfolio
in Binyamin Netanyahu's cabinet. In an interview with Israel Radio, Begin said:
"It is dark here." He was referring to yesterday's Knesset vote (not a
final vote, thankfully) to investigate the funding sources of human
rights organizations. The Knesset bill, by the way, for the first time
explicitly singles out "left wing" organizations.
Yariv Oppenheimer -- Peace Now's director -- today published the following op-ed in the popular Israeli daily newspaper Ma'ariv.
Our movement scored a victory today. The front page of today's New York Times features an article which draws strongly on Peace Now's work and research. The headline says it all: "West Bank Settlement Boom Sows New Obstacles to Peace."
Israel's Peace Now movement is putting the squeeze on the Labor Party over its continued support for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. By being part of a government that only pretends to pursue peace with the Palestinians, the Labor Party legitimizes Netanyahu's intransigent policies.
APN welcomed the Obama administration's commitment - as expressed December 10th by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton - to intensify its efforts to achieve Israeli-Palestinian peace. APN warned, however, that Secretary Clinton's words will be meaningless if not backed up by resolute actions that achieve results.The news of the failure of the Obama administration's latest peace effort raises serious concerns about the future of President Obama's Israeli-Palestinian peace policy. As the Obama Administration readies to announce what will come next, it must recognize that after two years in office, good intentions are not enough: it will be judged now on actions and results, not on words.
Israel was struck by disaster last week: A forest fire blazed out of control outside of Haifa. More than 40 were killed. Israel's firefighters didn't have the manpower or the equipment to put out the blaze.
When Hamas terrorists killed four Israelis in the West Bank in August, the condemnations came from across the Israeli political spectrum. That the dead--one of whom was pregnant--lived in a settlement made the act no less reprehensible, even to those of us who oppose the settlements.
By Lara Friedman 
A new report by the Israeli Peace Now movement discloses that enough new housing starts have taken place in settlements over the last six months to make up for the ten months of the moratorium on new settlements construction.
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu last week seems to have ended with an offer: A package of US rewards in exchange for a 90-day settlement construction freeze. The proposal, reportedly, also addresses the contours of direct Israeli-Palestinian negotiations over the next three months, and beyond.President Barack Obama's resolve to renew Israeli-Palestinian peace talks is being tested. I need your help to show the president that Americans want him to act to put the peace process back on track.
APN's innovative efforts to reach new audiences through high-tech tools and through social media just got the attention of the New York Jewish Week. Here's what James Besser wrote:Social media is the new currency of political activism. And which Jewish group has the most in the bank?
The crisis in the media industry has been most acutely felt in the
decline of international coverage. Major newspapers and TV networks have
closed foreign bureaus, major news media are relying solely on wire
reports for international coverage, and airtime devoted to global
affairs has declined significantly. Nine years after the 9/11 attacks,
with two wars that the US is fighting overseas, America's news
organizations have diminished rather than enhanced their international
reporting infrastructure. 
The Jerusalem Settlement Pisgat Zeev (in blue) already walls in Palestinian Beit Hanina and Shuafat Refugee Camp (in gold).
Masses gather in Tel Aviv to demonstrate against amendment to Citizenship Act.Peace Now Secretary General Yariv Oppenheimer was among those leading the procession, and he told YNET: "We are here to protest with the entire street against the dangerous policy of the government, which Labor ministers also support."
Go HERE for the entire article
High Court of Justice judges including Supreme Court President Dorit Beinish, Justice Uzi Fogelman and Justice Neal Hendel leveled criticism at government policy ignoring illegal construction in outposts which have been served with warrants.
--------------
Also included are excerpts from and links to the Ha'aretz articles:
"Netanyahu still wary of razing six West Bank outposts slated for demolition in 2004" & "Border Control / Minister of contempt" by Akiva Eldar
release. Media coverage included major news outlets like CNN, U.S. and international newspapers/blogs, technology, business, and activism magazines/blogs/websites, Jewish community newspapers and national blogs, and on Israel Radio and NPR.
Last night the Israeli government failed to extend its ban on new settlement construction in the West Bank. 
(Special to APN from Daniel Seidemann in Jerusalem and Lara Friedman)
Washington, DC - Americans for Peace Now (APN) is today proud to release a revolutionary interactive mapping tool, which will for the first time give anyone, anywhere, a comprehensive real-time view of what is happening on the ground in the West Bank.
APN is pleased to be holding a brunch in honor of Martin Bresler on Sunday, October 3, 2010 at 11:00 am at the Egremont Country Club in Great Barrington, MA.
View APN's New Year's card to see what it offers with its tea...
"The unfortunate decision of the theater managers to export the finest plays being staged in Tel Aviv, Haifa and Beer Sheva to none other than the largest settlement built by Israel--caused a courageous group of artists and actors to stand up for their principles and refuse to perform in the territories."Following the op ed is:
Ha'aretz: "Netanyahu: State should not fund any theater that boycotts Ariel"
Ma'ariv: "The Lecturers' Boycott"
Walla: "Oz, Yehoshua and Grossman Support Theater Workers' Protest"
By BEN HARTMAN
Protesters argue renewed building would ruin talks.
Dozens of activists attended a rally organized by Peace Now near the Talmon settlement, between Modi'in Illit and Ramallah, on Thursday, to demonstrate their support for an extension of the settlement freeze that is set to expire on September 26.
Following the JPost article is: Ynet News: "Leftists protest against resumption of West Bank building"
While most experts and pundits advise an incremental approach to an separate Israeli-Palestinian peace, Marwan Muasher, Jordan's former foreign minister and ambassador to Washington and Israel supports a much more ambitious regional approach, which harnesses the Arab League's Peace Initiative to the Israeli-Palestinian peace efforts. 
Press Release
For Immediate Release
August 20 , 2010
Washington, DC - While welcoming the announcement of direct peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians, Americans for Peace Now calls on the parties to negotiate in earnest. APN also urges President Obama to be prepared to press both parties to engage in the talks to see them succeed.
APN President and CEO Debra DeLee commented:
(Pictured: Peace Now activist placing an announcement during the current campaign)
Israeli soldiers last week again had to chase lawless settlers on the hills of the West Bank.This time, it was settlers from Yitzhar and Bracha, near Nablus, who vandalized Palestinian property, blocked roads, torched fields, sabotaged Israel Defense Forces vehicles, punched, kicked Israeli police officers, cursed and harassed them and resisted arrest...
Peace Now claims settlers violated freeze in West Bank. 
APN's Video Campaign received top billing on Ha'aretz online:
Washington, DC - Americans for Peace Now (APN) today called on the Obama Administration to act quickly and resolutely to prevent an escalation of tensions and military action on the Israel-Lebanon border and between Israel and Gaza.
By Lara Friedman 
See more pictures from the Americans for Peace Now - American Task Force on Palestine event at APN's Facebook Photo Album.
to follow us.
Lyndsi Sherman, a junior at San Diego State University, participated in APN's joint internship program with the American Task Force on Palestine this summer. She prepared this reflection on what she learned through her experience here.
"The Elkin Bills" by Yariv Oppenheimer
I just came back from an inspiring event on Capitol Hill, in which young
Israeli and Palestinian peace activists told their stories and urged
Americans to get involved to make Middle East peace a reality. 
The Israeli government opened a criminal investigation
against a group of settlers who expanded their settlement in violation
of Israeli law. 
For years settlers have openly fund-raised in the United States - including in synagogues, on booze cruises, in churches and at gala dinners.
Over time, millions of dollars have flowed, tax-exempt, to settlers and
settlement-related causes, including to support settler extremists in Hebron and East Jerusalem, (cont.)
Washington, DC -- Americans for Peace Now today delivered a petition signed by 15,962 people to President Barack Obama, urging him to press for an extension of the moratorium on construction in West Bank settlements.
SIGN APN's PETITION
On June 30, 2010, APN's board adopted the following policy language regarding Turkey:
Today APN sent the following letter to President Obama, urging him to engage, urgently, on Jerusalem.
Americans for Peace Now welcomes the Israeli Cabinet's
decision to ease the siege on the Gaza Strip as a positive step. What
is now needed is devising a comprehensive regime that would provide
security and international support for Israel, while allowing Gaza's
civilian population greater normalcy. 
The LA Jewish Federation invited APN's David Pine to speak as part of a pro-Israel rally on Sunday, June 6th.
They did so because there are so many of us who know that Israel needs peace to survive.
See videos and the transcript of the speech.
More than 10,000 Israelis turned out on Saturday night at a rally in Tel Aviv to call upon the Israeli government to change direction.
APN provides you with links to news and information about this tragic episode and its aftermath. Recent Items:APN welcomes reports that Netanyahu is reconsidering Gaza siege
Washington, DC; Americans for Peace Now (APN) is deeply dismayed at the tragic results of Israel's interception of the international Gaza aid flotilla today and calls on Israel to thoroughly investigate the operation and to reassess its policy toward the Gaza Strip.
Arye ("Lova") Eliav, an icon of the Israeli peace movement, died
yesterday in Tel Aviv at 88. He was one of Israel's most admired leaders, a
visionary, a man of principles, who combined his passion for peace with
a passion for volunteerism and education.
An agreement on Jerusalem that safeguards Jewish concerns is feasible and necessary.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu complained Monday that a Palestinian boycott of goods produced in West Bank settlements shows a lack of interest in peace.
Click here to ask your senators to stand for peace and join this initiative.
"Please stand for Israel. Stand for American interests. End your involvement with this event."
This was the core message of the May 17th letter APN sent to Michael Steele, Chairman of the Republican National Committee, upon announcement of his speaking at the pro-settlement "Israel Day" Concert sponsored by Ateret Cohenim and the Hebron Fund, among others.
Thousands of activists came out Saturday night to a Peace Now demonstration in Jerusalem. Jerusalem Post: "Thousands join left-wing J'lem rally"
A prominent group of American Jewish leaders, encouraged by a European Jewish effort, have produced a statement and you are invited and encouraged to sign on.
Once a week, Hagit Ofran − granddaughter of the late Prof. Yeshayahu Leibowitz − tours the West Bank as head of Peace Now's Settlement Watch project. Israel's policy in the territories, she says, is putting us all at risk.Jerusalem expert Danny Seidemann, on a visit to Washington, says it is not difficult to take measures to minimize eruptions of violence in East Jerusalem, which might jeopardize the newly resumed Israeli-Palestinian peace talks.
Listen here
Americans for Peace Now placed a large ad in a special supplement that the Israeli daily Haaretz published this week to mark the 150th birthday of Theodore Herzl, the visionary Zionist who kicked off the process that lead to the birth of the state of Israel.
Washington, DC -- APN welcomes the resumption of Israeli-Palestinian peace talks, and the involvement of Arab governments in the process that led to it.
Reports from Israel, the Arab media and from Washington suggest that Israeli-Palestinian negotiations may in fact soon resume.
Sure, these will not be direct negotiations - not yet - but after more than a year of a diplomatic standstill, indirect talks are better than no talks.
An effort is underway by some in the American Jewish community to pressure President Barack Obama to be less forceful in his efforts to promote peace for Israel.
Elie Wiesel published a full page ad in the Washington Post.
World Jewish Congress President Ron Lauder published an open letter to Obama.
Israel's Remembrance Day started yesterday night. It is a national holiday in which Israelis remember their fallen soldiers and those killed by terrorists. Tonight, Israelis will switch gears to celebrate their Independence Day.
Our colleagues in the Israeli Peace Now movement produced Israeli flags with the word "peace" written on them and offered them to the Israeli public in advance of Israel's Independence Day. 
The Newsletter includes a photo gallery of APN and Peace Now activities, events and guest speakers, "News Shorts" and a special interview.
Letters to the editor spurred on by the APN Action Alert "AIPAC doesn't speak for me: Obama's leadership on Israel deserves support" have appeared in newspapers from coast to coast! Thanks to all of you who sent in letters and for making a difference.
Today's Middle East story comes by way of Bialystock. That's Max Bialystock, the failed theater impresario of Mel Brooks' comic masterpiece The Producers.
Passover is a holiday commemorating freedom and renewal. This year APN is proud to offer to resources for you. 
For months APN has been working to get President Barack Obama to step up his efforts in support of peace for Israel. We've called on him to be prepared to confront Israel, the Palestinians, or the Arab states when they fail to play ball.
Last week the Obama administration did just that.
A leadership delegation of Americans for Peace Now, on a fact-finding trip to Israel and the West Bank, met today in Ramallah with Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad, and in Jerusalem with Israel's Opposition
Chair MK Tzipi Livni.
On Monday -- during the vice president's visit to Israel -- American peace envoy George Mitchell announced that Israelis and Palestinians will soon resume peace talks.Washington, DC -- APN welcomes today's announcement that Special Envoy George Mitchell will be brokering indirect talks between Israel and the Palestinian Authority. APN welcomes the involvement of Arab governments in the process that lead to today's announcement. 
I'm proud to be one of the thousands of Israelis and Palestinians who joined the demonstration on Saturday night in the East Jerusalem neighborhood of Sheikh Jarrah. The crowd, mobilized by a broad range of groups (including the Israeli Peace Now movement), is united in our opposition to settler groups who are evicting Palestinian families and moving into their homes there.
Residents of east Jerusalem neighborhood celebrate holiday with songs of praise for Cave of Patriarchs massacre. Left-wing activists plan protest
Alpher answers questions about Palestinian rioting in Hebron and the Syrian "resistance" summit. 
Israel is going through a dark time, marked by increased settler violence, intensified incitement against pro-peace leaders and causes in Israel, and vicious demonization of pro-peace, pro-democracy forces. Enough is enough. Stand for peace. Condemn the use of violence by settlers.
Over a thousand Peace Now activists and supporters gathered in Tel Aviv Saturday for a satirical demonstration to assert the notion that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his Defense Minister Ehud Barak's peace rhetoric is not backed up by actions.
In the masquerade tradition of the Jewish holiday of Purim, which is celebrated this week, demonstrators were handed masks of Netanyahu and Barak, and placards referring to the Netanyahu government's make-believe peace overtures.
Alpher answers questions about the assassination of Hamas militant Mahmoud al-Mabhouh.
On Saturday night hundreds of Peace Now activists will converge in Tel Aviv to make an important statement: Benjamin Netanyahu and Ehud Barak may talk a lot about peace, but -- when it comes to actions -- they are implementing an anti-peace agenda.CONTACT: Ori Nir - (202) 408-9898; onir@peacenow.org
Washington, DC -Americans for Peace Now today welcomed President Obama's appointment of Robert Stephen Ford as ambassador to Syria and urged the Senate to promptly approve the appointment.
Acting on a Peace Now petition, Israel's Supreme Court demanded
yesterday that the Israeli government submit a detailed timetable for
razing 16 structures in two West Bank settlement outposts.Violations of the West Bank settlement construction freeze have occurred in at least 34 settlements, a quarter of the total. Below, see footage captured by Peace Now of stealth construction of foundations during the night in the settlement of Talmon.
Washington, DC - Israel's Peace Now movement and Americans for Peace Now strongly condemn the vicious attacks on the New Israel Fund, on its Chair, Naomi Chazan, and on the NIF's grantee organizations who are quoted in the United Nations' fact-finding mission's report on last year's Gaza war. 
Berman to APN: Israel in Danger of Ceasing to be a Jewish Democracy; Praises APN's Commitment to Peace
Los Angeles, CA - House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman, Rep. Howard Berman today told a group of Americans for Peace Now activists and supporters in Los Angeles that if Israel maintains its rule over the West Bank and Gaza, it will either cease to be a democracy, or will cease to be Jewish.
In advance of the State of the Union address, APN asked President Barack Obama to recommit to pushing peace for Israel.
This followed blessings of hope prepared by Rabbi Neil Comess-Daniels on the anniversary of Obama's inauguration.
APN also recently called on President Obama to be prepared to play hardball with Israel, the Palestinians, and the Arab world.
A year after the end of the Gaza War, Americans for Peace Now is reflecting on what Operation Cast Lead left behind.
We, Americans who believe that only through peace could Israel achieve true security, are grieving the victims of this war and of the hostilities that preceded it, on both sides of the Israel-Gaza border.
Yesterday, Israel's High Court of Justice held a hearing on a Peace Now
petition calling for the removal of settlers who live in a military
base in Hebron.
Alpher answers questions on Egypt's decision to build an underground wall at the Rafah border, Israel's next steps in the Gilad Shalit negotiations, and Labor MK Ophir Pines-Paz's resignation from politics.
Israeli extremists opposed to the settlement freeze have made threats deemed credible by the authorities on the life of Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak. Also, the arrested Jewish terrorist Yaacov Teitel reportedly told Israeli investigators that he wanted to kill Peace Now Director General Yariv Oppenheimer.
Special analysis from Lara Friedman (Americans for Peace Now) and Danny Seidemann (Ir Amim).
Washington, DC -- Americans for Peace Now (APN) today welcomed the
Israeli government's announcement of a moratorium on most settlement
construction and joined the Obama Administration in hoping that this
Israeli decision, backed by good faith, will be sufficient to catalyze
new Israeli-Palestinian peace negotiations. Such negotiations are the
only real path for resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
The renowned Israeli author and a founder of Peace Now is one of the most moral voices in Israeli society.
"Israel is capable of doing miraculous things, heroic things. I've seen them happen throughout my life. Surely a country that can do countless heroic things can find a way to peace."
Ehud Barak on November 10, 2009: "We will not leave a single stone unturned in the effort to return to negotiations"
Special analysis from Lara Friedman (Americans for Peace Now) and Danny Seidemann (Ir Amim).
Yesterday Special Envoy Mitchell met with Israeli chief negotiator Yitzhak Molcho in London.
Yaakov (Jack) Teitel (pictured in Israeli custody) is not the first and probably not the last
Israeli terrorist to target Palestinians or Israeli supporters of
peace. 
The settler take-over of a home in the midst of a Palestinian
neighborhood of East Jerusalem on Tuesday did not go unanswered. Last
night the Israeli Peace Now movement mobilized over a hundred
demonstrators to protest at the site.
Peace Now is generating pressure on Israel's government to make real
progress towards peace. That pressure is clearly being felt by Labor
leader Ehud Barak, who is slowly losing control of his party. 
American baby-boomers will always remember where they were when President Kennedy was assassinated.
APN congratulated J Street this week for its successful First National Conference.
Washington D.C. - APN's Board of Directors met here today and unanimously agreed to urge Israel's government to launch its own independent investigation of alleged violations of human rights and international law that may have taken place in the context of the Gaza war, including those documented in the United Nations Human Rights Council report on last winter's Gaza conflict,known as the "Goldstone Report."
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas set January 24, 2010 as the date for new elections for both the presidency and the legislature of the Palestinian Authority. 
Go HERE
to see the APN-produced flyer with a map of the
West Bank detailing: 
Upcoming APN events in New York, Washington, D.C., Los Angeles, and the S.F. Bay Area will feature:Alpher responds to questions on the ramifications of a continuing US military presence in Afghanistan, the recent unrest in Jerusalem, and Abbas' decision not to demand UN action on the Goldstone report.
Washington, D.C - Americans for Peace Now (APN) today congratulated President Barack Obama for winning the Nobel Peace Prize and urged him to keep pushing for Middle East peace, viewing the prize as an international expression of confidence in his policy of engagement, negotiations and multilateralism, particularly in the Middle East.by Tovah Lazaroff , THE JERUSALEM POST
Peace Now charged Monday that settlers had accelerated the pace of construction and started work on more than 800 new homes in the last three months to thwart US demands that they stop building.
CONTACT: Ori Nir (202) 408-9898
Washington, D.C - Americans for Peace Now (APN) today expressed alarm at the spiraling violence in Jerusalem and urged the Obama administration to take immediate action to help stop the deterioration.
"Recent history teaches us that clashes in Jerusalem have a tendency to ripple throughout the region..."
Born and raised in Jerusalem, Ori Nir is the spokesman for Americans for Peace Now. Previously, Ori worked for Haaretz Daily, Israel's leading newspaper, where he covered Palestinian affairs and Israel's Arab minority. He also served as Washington bureau chief for Ha'aretz and the Forward, America's largest and most influential independent national Jewish weekly newspaper.
A video from September 14th of the captured Israeli St.-Srg. Gilad Shalit, held in Hamas captivity for more than 3 years, was released to the public following a deal which included Israel's release of 20 Palestinian female prisoners. WATCH THE VIDEO that has raised hopes he can and will be freed from captivity.
Volume 11, Issue 3
Washington, D.C - Americans for Peace Now (APN) praised President
Obama's comments regarding Iran's construction of a covert uranium
enrichment facility near the city of Qum.
"Peace Now claims that the entire outpost is built on private Palestinian land"
JPost.com Staff , THE JERUSALEM POST
Touring the Netiv Ha'avot outpost in Gush Etzion along with other members of the Knesset's Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee on Wednesday, MK Yuli Tamir (Labor) confronted the settlers and reprimanded them for what she said was their illegal presence at the site.
A
Three-Way Summit; Call My Bluff; Hoping
for a Diplomatic Solution; Peres
and the Russian Deal; Checkpoint
Removal; Unfriendly
Fire
Key lawyer working on behalf of Peace Now named one of the "Israelis of the year"
by Dan Izenberg , THE JERUSALEM POST
On a recent roots trip to Poland, from where his parents immigrated in 1968, Michael Sfard found a lithograph which summed up in one picture what his professional life as a human rights lawyer is all about.
Volume 11, Issue 1
When Will Israeli-Palestinian Talks Renew?; The Fierce Urgency of Peace; Settler Campaign Falls Flat; Who is a Sucker?; What to Make of the Iranian Proposal?; Did Netanyahu Agree to Withdraw from the Golan Heights?
Alpher responds to question on where the broader Obama plan for the Middle East stands, and the level of unrest anticipated if West Bank Settlers are evacuated.
For those who believe in Mideast peace, Iran remains an issue of central importance, and our policy on Iran represents the only effective approach for dealing with Iran - one that looks soberly at the current situation and offers the most pragmatic, constructive, and effective way forward.
JERUSALEM (JTA) -- Hundreds of activists attended a symbolic groundbreaking ceremony for a new neighborhood connecting the West Bank city of Maaleh Adumim with Jerusalem.
A government minister from each of the Likud, Yisrael Beiteinu and Habayit Hayehudi parties attended Monday's ceremony in the controversial E-1 area, the Jerusalem Post reported.
Aides to Binyamin Netanyahu told the media on September 3rd that the Israeli prime minister will approve building hundreds of new homes in West Bank settlements before he considers a settlement freeze. Early the next day, the White House issued a stern message telling Bibi that he cannot have the cake and eat it too.
The founder of APN, professor of history at Queens College and its Director of the Jewish Studies Program, penned a letter for the upcoming Jewish New Year about redicating ourselves to the cause of APN, which begins:
All of us who believe in Israel and in peace wonder sometimes if enough progress is being made toward our goals. There has been progress, and friends of Americans for Peace Now can take a lot of the credit.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/hagit-ofran/mitchell-netanyahu-meet-o_b_269743.html
by Hagit Ofran, Peace Now Settlement Watch Director
Posted: August 26, 2009 04:00 PM
Following the meeting between US Senator Mitchell and Israeli PM Netanyahu, it seems that Israel and the US are getting close to some kind of agreement or understanding about a settlement freeze.
A settlement freeze is one of the key factors in order to enable a resumption of peace talks.
Unfortunately, I doubt I have to begin to look for another job. Settlement activity will always be one of the most important issues on the political agenda of our region.
Americans for Peace Now today mourns the passing of a Senator Edward Kennedy, a long-time advocate of peace for Israel.ARTICLES from Ha'aretz, Jerusalem Post, AP, and Ynet appear below viedoes
VIDEOS
Two videos embedded from Israel News (in English) about settlement construction, featuring Peace Now's Yariv Oppenheimer (pictured left), and Idan Goldberger.
Is something new happening in the East Jerusalem settlement of Pisgat Ze'ev?
Last month, members of the largest pro-Israel lobbying organization in the country gathered in Washington, DC. And no, I'm not talking about AIPAC. 4,000 evangelical Christians participated in Christians United for Israel's (CUFI) 4th annual Washington Summit on July 20-22, hearing from speakers such as Sen. Joseph Lieberman (I-CT) and Congressman Eric Cantor (R-VA), and spending a day lobbying on Capitol Hill.
News and analysis from the Israeli and Arab press that goes beyond the American headlines:
THE FIRST IN MANY YEARS: Palestinian delegates traveled to Bethlehem from around the Arab world last week to participate in Fatah's 6th conference, the first held in 20 years, and the first ever held on Palestinian soil.
The leaked cable that Israel's Consul General in Boston, Nadav Tamir, sent to his superiors in Jerusalem last week is still reverberating in Israel and the U.S.In the confidential cable, which was leaked to the Israeli media, Tamir harshly criticized the Israeli government for escalating its disagreements with Washington's regional peace initiative.
Israel's Peace Now movement and Americans for Peace Now express solidarity with the gay and lesbian community in Israel, following the attack on the gay youth center in Tel Aviv, and strongly reject the intensifying violence and intolerance within Israeli society.
Jordan's Foreign Minister Nasser Judeh tells APN that he supports "sequential, reciprocal, concurent" measures to be taken by Israel and the Arab world in support of credible negotiations of a regional peace deal, but comments that no "unilateral action" should be taken, which might undermine peace efforts.
On August 4, the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) published a full page ad in the New York Times challenging President Barack Obama's approach to bringing peace to Israel.
The ad urged the Obama administration to stop pressuring Israel over settlements. "The settlements are not the impediment," it claimed.
Peace Now activists in Israel have gone to the street to remind Israelis that settlements are a burden to Israelis. They have been handing out yellow Post-It notes that say "Not just Obama's problem. Not just the world's problem. The settlements are our problem."
APN President and CEO Debra DeLee met this afternoon with President Barack Obama. She was part of a small group of Jewish leaders who were invited to the White House.
Immediately following the meeting, DeLee said "President Obama and his team are doing all the right things to generate progress towards peace for Israel. We will continue to support these efforts."
If you haven't already, you must see this video of our very own Yossi Alpher (APN's guest author of Hard Questions/Tough Answers) and Ghassan Khatib sitting down for an interview with international superstar Sacha Baron Cohen, whose new movie "Bruno" debuts today in theaters worldwide... 
When even Jimmy Carter says Gush Etzion should remain in Israeli hands, there's no need anymore to discuss whether we're going to hold onto the large settlement blocs, including the "new" neighborhoods of Jerusalem, in any final peace agreement.
This is territory we've insisted on in the "land swaps" we've been negotiating with the Palestinians since Camp David. They accept the principle of land swaps across the Green Line, the Israeli peace camp insists on it, the Clinton and Bush
Some stunning footage just became available of a settler attacking a team of Peace Now activists who were surveying West Bank settlement construction.
The assault took place at the settlement of Dolev. The incident was captured on video and reported by Israel's Channel 2 Television, whose news team was documenting Peace Now's work, and was also assaulted.
The new resolution that the Union of Reform Judaism that was just adopted by the URJ's Board of Trustees meeting in New Orleans shows just how supportive most American Jews are of President Obama's push for Mideast peace.
It is significant that the organization representing the largest Jewish denomination in the U.S. comes out with such language on Obama's regional policy, on his Cairo speech, on settlements and on settler violence.
(This blog was authored by APN Intern Elizabeth Goldstein)
The Jerusalem Media & Communications Centre conducted http://www.jmcc.org/publicpoll/results/2009/index.htm (link has expired) two polls this year of Palestinians: one in late January, one in late June. The surveys indicate that in general Palestinians seem to feel better about their leaders and the U.S. role now than earlier in the year. At the same time, indifference and distrust for all politicians is prominent when it comes to local politics, U.S. relations, and relations with Israel.
Earlier today we published our latest edition of Settlements in Focus, "Top 5 Bogus Excuses for Opposing a Settlement Freeze." The response has been tremendous -- clearly, many many people are sick of spin and want real facts.
This response is very encouraging. Also encouraging is the experience of the past two weeks, during which I brought Hagit Ofran - the head of Peace Now's Settlement Watch and the foremost expert on West Bank settlements - and Danny Seidemann of Ir Amim - the foremost expert on everything related to Jerusalem land and settlement issues - to meeting on Capitol Hill and in the Obama Administration. From these meetings - more than 30 on the Hill and with Administration officials - it was clear: this Administration is absolutely serious about Israeli-Palestinian peace. And this Administration is resolute in its demand for a total settlement freeze. And Democrats in Congress are firmly behind President Obama.
So that's another very encouraging sign.
And here's one more: today's op-ed in the Wall Street Journal by Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak. It's a powerful statement, expressing hope for and commitment to Israeli-Arab peace, and making clear that if Israel takes serious steps toward peace (perhaps a settlement freeze?) the Arab world stands ready to reciprocate. It is just one more encouraging sign of the times.
APN's direct connection to Israel
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