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Americans for Peace Now: July 2, 2020

QUOTE

"I profoundly hope that annexation does not go ahead. If it does, the UK will not recognize any changes to the 1967 lines, except those agreed between both parties."


Boris Johnson, UK Prime Minister, in his opinion piece for Israel's Ynet News: As Israel's friend, I urge you not to annex [ [link removed] ].

NOTE::A story in the Israel Hayom newspaper about Boris Johnson's anti-annexation position was entitled "Boris Johnson dragged by Peace Now."

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Issue Briefs

Hard Questions, Tough Answers with Yossi Alpher [ [link removed] ]

July 2, 2020 - The July 1 annexation non-event [ [link removed] ]

Yossi Alpher is an independent security analyst. Views and positions expressed here are those of the writer, and do not necessarily represent APN's views and policy positions.

Q. The Israeli governing coalition's July 1 deadline to launch annexation proceedings for West Bank territory came and went. Nothing happened. Was this a bluff? What prevented annexation from happening?

A. It was not a bluff. Annexation did not (yet?) happen due to complex interacting reasons...

Q. What's the problem with the US position? After all, this was Trump and Kushner's idea to begin with.

A. ...Netanyahu publicly conditioned annexation on an overt blessing from President Trump. No such blessing has been forthcoming...

Q. The corona crisis is also holding up annexation?

A. ...covid-19 came roaring back, the European Union put Israel on the no-tourist list, and opinion polls registered heavy criticism of the government...

Q. Did Gantz's admonitions about postponing annexation in favor of corona have an effect on Netanyahu?

A. Netanyahu responded by arguing that he did not need Gantz's support to start annexing...

Q. The Palestinians have refused to engage. Are they indeed in "deep shit" over annexation?

A. The overall impression gained from Palestinian polling and statements is that the Palestinian Authority leadership is the least effective actor on the anti-annexation playing field...

Q. You mentioned Netanyahu's concern over his corruption trial as a factor. How does this figure into the annexation picture?

A. The conventional wisdom holds that Netanyahu needs annexation to galvanize his electoral base...

Q. Your bottom line on annexation?

A. ...50 percent probability that sometime in the summer months ahead, if the stars line up in the White House, a symbolic minor annexation or step in that direction will take place...

Read More [ [link removed] ]

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Government Relations [ [link removed] ]


APN Legislative Round-Up: June 26, 2020 [ [link removed] ]

Produced by the Foundation for Middle East Peace [ [link removed] ] in cooperation with Americans for Peace Now, where the Legislative Round-Up was conceived

* Bills, Resolutions, and Letters
* Hearings
* On the Record

Read More [ [link removed] ]

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APN Thanks House Members for Anti-Annexation Letter

APN extends its gratitude and appreciation to 191 members of the House of Representatives for the letter they sent to Israel's government, sharply criticizing its intention to annex parts of the West Bank and urging it to reconsider its unilateral annexation plan.

APN's president and CEO Hadar Susskind: "...it is vital that everyone who cares about Israel's future as a democracy and a Jewish state raise their voice in opposition to this disastrous plan."

Read More [ [link removed] ]

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APN Events

TODAY (Thursday), 12 noon Eastern

"West Bank Annexation: Opposition in Israel and the U.S." – Briefing with Lara Friedman and Danny Seidemann

Still time to register and join us for this Zoom webinar on Netanyahu's annexation initiative and the efforts to oppose it. Hear from two leading experts on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and on U.S.-Israel relations: Lara Friedman, President of the Foundation for Middle East Peace, and Danny Seidemann, Israeli attorney specializing in Israeli-Palestinian relations, with an emphasis on Jerusalem, and a founder of the NGO Terrestrial Jerusalem.

REGISTER HERE [ [link removed] ]

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"The Truth About Annexation" - Video from New Israel Fund, narrated by APN Board Member Mandy Patinkin

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The video, narrated by APN board member Mandy Patinkin, features Israeli human rights lawyers Michael Sfard and Sawasan Zaher. It's both an annexation primer and a call to action! WATCH >> [ [link removed] ]

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In The News

JTA: "Mandy Patinkin lends his voice to the growing chorus of West Bank annexation opponents"

"Israel's annexation of the West Bank is a disaster for Israelis and Palestinians," Patinkin wrote on Facebook late Monday. "It threatens Palestinian rights and formalizes an unjust and unequal system. We've got to do everything we can to stop it. That's why I've lent my voice to this video."

Read More [ [link removed] ]

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The APN-Peace Now joint anti-annextion letter has surpassed 5000 American and Israeli signatures. Keep it going by signing if you haven't yet, and/or sharing!
GO HERE [ [link removed] ]

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APN Audio

Audio Recordings of APN's Zoom Webinars on West Bank Annexation

Dr. Khalil Shikaki (pictured left): "Palestinian Public Opinion and Public Policy" (June 26, 2020) LISTEN >> [ [link removed] ]

Ambassador Daniel Shapiro (pictured right): "Annexation: The Impact on US-Israel Relations"> (June 29, 2020) LISTEN >> [ [link removed] ]

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Peace Now Anti-Annexation Activism

Peace Now undertook several public actions against annexation that received considerable coverage in the media.
* More than 1000 anti-annexation banners were put up throughout the country for people to see when they arose on July 1st
* Peace Now demonstrated outside a highly-televised gathering of the Blue and White party to encourage their leaders to take a stand against annexation.

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Recommended Reading

Washington Post: "Israel's Netanyahu still working out West Bank annexation plans"

[Peace Now Settlement Watch Co-Director] Hagit Ofran was where she has often been in her 25 years as an Israeli peace activist, protesting on a Jerusalem street. There were only hours to go before the Israeli government might - or might not - announce a plan to formally annex nearly a third of the occupied West Bank, a potentially momentous inflection point in the conflict that Ofran has devoted more than half of her life to resolving.

Read More [ [link removed] ]

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Jordan Valley Annexation - A Security Liability, Not an Asset

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The bulk of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's purported West Bank annexation is making the Jordan Valley (approximately 30% of the West Bank) an integral part of the state of Israel. APN intern Avraham Spraragen explains why annexing the Jordan Valley would hinder Israeli security rather than boost it.

Read More [ [link removed] ]

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Settlement Watch

Settlers Take Over Another Home in Silwan, East Jerusalem

Peace Now: "The settlers in Silwan are gradually taking over big parts of the area for housing, tourism and archaeology. They do it house by house, site by site in the effort to make Palestinian Jerusalem more 'Jewish' and harder for Israelis to compromise."



Read More [ [link removed] ] _________________________________________

Court Rejected the Sumarin Family Appeal and Ruled its Eviction by August 16

The district court of Jerusalem rejected the Sumarin family's appeal regarding the eviction lawsuit filed by the Himanuta company, a subsidiarity of the Jewish National Fund. Sumarins have lived in this East Jerusalem home - built by them 50 years ago - but have been targeted for eviction using an archaic and misapplied "absentee law." An appeal to the High Court is still possible.

Read More [ [link removed] ] _

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APN COVID Report #12 - "Israel's second wave: can and will it be contained?"

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Israel is now undeniably into its second wave of Covid-19 infections, with the number of daily new cases reaching over 300 for the first time since April 23rd. How will the measures Israel is or can take stand up to another increase in cases?

Read More [ [link removed] ]

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Add APN to your Twitter feed!

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Twitter will keep you connected and informed in the most timely way, and is available anytime you want it. Follow @PeaceNowUS [ [link removed] ] to see APN and Peace Now content, plus relevant articles, opinion pieces, and more from independent voices and our organizational friends.

Go HERE [ [link removed] ] to see APN's Twitter and to follow us.

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This is a tough time for all of us, and the demands placed upon you are considerable. As APN's financial obligations continue, including, among others, our support of our Peace Now colleagues in Israel, please consider making a donation [ [link removed] ] now. Thank you.

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