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Americans for Peace Now: September 25, 2019
QUOTE
"Every time I take my youngest daughter, Sham, to her school, I see a passage written on the wall from the Book of Psalms: 'The stone that the builders rejected became a cornerstone.'"
Ayman Odeh, head of the Israeli Joint List Party, in the historic announcement in his NY Times opinion piece We Are Ending Netanyahu's Grip on Israel [ [link removed] ] in which he recommends that Benny Gantz of the Blue and White party be the next prime minister.
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Issue Briefs
Hard Questions, Tough Answers with Yossi Alpher [ [link removed] ]
September 23, 2019 - The Elections and the Gulf: Ramifications [ [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. Do you see a link between the current tensions in the Persian Gulf region and the aftermath of Israel's elections?
A. The attack on Saudi Arabia's oil infrastructure and the Trump administration's ongoing refusal to get dragged into a new Persian Gulf-centered conflict have potentially heavy ramifications for Israel...
Q. Let's start with the election aftermath. Where do we stand?
A. Benny Gantz and Blue-White are ostensibly the winners... But Blue-White's situation is not so clear-cut...
Q. Is it possible for Likud to depose Netanyahu as leader to enable a unity government with Gantz as prime minister, perhaps rotating with some other Likudnik?
A. Of course it's possible. But for the moment it looks doubtful...
Q. So has anything momentous happened here, less than a week after elections, to offer hope for the near future of Israeli politics?
A. Three positive developments...
Q. Back to the Persian Gulf tensions and particularly the spectacular attack last week on Saudi Arabia's energy installations. What are the strategic factors there that could affect Israel during the weeks of uncertainty ahead?
A. Whether by proxy or directly through impressive subterfuge, Iran has just demonstrated a capacity to disable major components of the world's energy infrastructure...
Q. And Trump and Israel? Is there a direct Saudi-Iranian connection?
A. Note Trump's refusal to contact Netanyahu after Israel's elections...
Read More [ [link removed] ]
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Government Relations [ [link removed] ]
APN Legislative Round-Up: September 20, 2019 [ [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
* FY20 SFOPS - Senate
* Hearings
* On the Record
Read More [ [link removed] ]
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Rosh Hashanah
"Appearances can be deceiving" - A letter for Rosh Hashana from Jim Klutznick, APN Chair
...The cafes of Tel Aviv bustle and are full. Families gather in the gardens of Haifa and float on the Dead Sea. Even in Jerusalem all appears calm, and the slight whiff of imminent apprehension is barely detectable. The conflict does not impinge upon the good life. And yet, tensions simmer...
Read More [ [link removed]
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A Holiday of Hope
Barbara Green, long-time APN supporter and volunteer, reflected upon Rosh Hashana as the critical election was looming in Israel and an American president had called Jewish Democrats disloyal.
Read More [ [link removed] ]
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Please note that due to the Rosh Hashana holiday, the APN offices will be closed on Monday, September 30, and Tuesday, October 1.
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APN Audio
PeaceCast Episode #92: From Zero-Sum to Peace - Dual Narratives
APN's podcast features a presentation that Nizar Farsakh from the Museum of the Palestinian People and Ori Nir of APN gave at Ithaca College on September 17th. The talk made the Israeli-Palestinian conflict more accessible to young people by weaving personal narratives of an Israeli-American and a Palestinian-American into the collective national narratives of Israelis and Palestinians.
LISTEN > [ [link removed] ]
Subscribe to APN's PeaceCast at iTunes [ [link removed] ] or Google Play [ [link removed] ]
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APN on Campus
Dual Narratives presented at Ithaca College and Cornell University
Ori Nir of APN participated in Hillel sponsored events at Cornell University and Ithaca College together with Nizar Farsakh, the chair of the Board of the Museum of the Palestinian People in Washington DC. The talks demonstrated that even though the conflict is of a zero-sum nature, its resolution can and should be a win-win, providing each people - Israelis and the Palestinians - with independence, sovereignty, security, dignity and prosperity.
Go HERE [ [link removed] ] for a report in the Ithaca College newspaper
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APN Concerned Regarding Department of Education's Intervention in Middle East Studies Curricula
APN opposed Kenneth Marcus' appointment as Assistant Secretary of Civil Rights in the Department of Education over concerns that he would use his position to suppress free speech and intervene in curricula on college campuses... Marcus has done exactly that. In the latest instance, the Department of Education ordered Duke University and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill to develop a plan for remaking their joint Middle East studies program in order to continue receiving federal funding.
Read More [ [link removed] ]
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APN Events
APN Award Luncheon in Los Angeles Exceeds Expectations
Both in providing the appropriate honoring of Lois and Richard Gunther, and in garnering support for Americans for Peace Now, the Award Luncheon held in Los Angeles on September 8 was an overwhelming success. A hearty thank you to all who helped with and supported the event, especially co-chairs Rabbi Laura Geller, Luis Lainer, Mel Levine, and Sandy Weiner.
Go HERE [ [link removed] ] to watch a short highlight video of this special event.
Go HERE [ [link removed] ] to read a write-up of the event in the Los Angeles Jewish Journal.
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News Nosh
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Today's edition provides the breaking news that the final Israel election results have raised Likud to 32 seats (one less than Blue-White), and dropped the ultra-Orthodox party down to 7. Follow coverage of the jockeying to form the next Israeli government with APN's unique (and free) daily news summary compiled by Israeli journalist Orly Halpern.
Go HERE [ [link removed] ] for today's edition and to subscribe and receive the daily News Nosh email.
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