Americans for Peace Now
Encyclopedia
Americans for Peace Now (APN), the United States
partner of Israel’s
Shalom Achshav (Peace Now) organization, is an American coalition working to help Israel achieve a secure peace with the Arab states and the Palestinian people
. APN believes that Israel’s security and democratic character cannot be maintained if it continues to remain in a state of conflict with its Arab neighbors, including the Palestinian people.
APN has a wide array of educational programs that reach out to the American public and Jewish American communities around the country, and works to mobilize grassroots support among U.S. citizens. By working directly with policy makers in the White House
, State Department
, and Congress
, APN promotes US policies that further the peace process.
calling for peace between Israel and Egypt
. The letter stated, “the government policy, perpetuating its rule over a million Arabs, could harm the Jewish-democratic character of the state, and makes it difficult for us to identify with the task. Mindful of Israel’s security needs and the difficulties on the path to peace, we nevertheless consider that real security can be achieved only when we achieve peace.” . This petition led to the creation of Shalom Achshav (Peace Now in Hebrew), a grassroots movement dedicated to raising public support for the peace process.
APN was founded in 1981 to support the activities of Shalom Achshav. APN’s activities have grown to include: media outreach and monitoring, government relations, and public outreach.
newspaper quoted a congressional staffer saying that APN's government relations program is "second to none."
electoral victory in January 2006, H.R. 4681, The Palestinian Anti-Terrorism Act of 2006, was introduced to the United States House of Representatives
. After analyzing the legislation, APN found that the bill would censure and punish all Palestinians, and close the door on any future negotiations to achieve peace with Palestinians.
APN worked with Members of Congress and legislative staff in the U.S. House of Representatives to improve and strengthen the bill. APN pushed for a US policy that pressures Hamas, seeks to avert a humanitarian disaster, and facilitates the eventual return to peace negotiations. These efforts ensured that the bill went through mark-ups in two House Committees, including the House International Relations Committee, where the bill was improved to deal with some of the specific concerns raised by APN – albeit not improved enough for APN to endorse the result.
The Senate version of the bill, S. 2370 – introduced significantly later than the House version, after APN’s advocacy and educational efforts were underway – was significantly better than H.R. 4681. Like H.R. 4681, the Senate legislation sends a sharp message of rejecting terrorism, while giving the President more flexibility to conduct foreign policy and preserves the possibility of producing US and moderate Palestinian relations. In December 2006, the House passed the Senate version of the bill.
APN asserts that the economic and security challenges facing Israel are exacerbated by continued investment in settlements and refusal to rein in renegade settlers who persist in establishing new settlement outposts. Polls show wide support among Israelis for a settlement freeze, dismantling of outposts, and settlement evacuations, and also have shown that most settlers would accept withdrawal from settlements in the context of a peace agreement and a compensation program. APN believes that by making it impossible for Israel to disengage from the West Bank, settlements ensure that the government of Israel will eventually govern an area in which non-Jews outnumber Jews. Israel would thus be forced to choose between remaining a democracy and losing its character as a Jewish state, or retaining its character as Jewish state at the expense of democracy.
’s. Overall, the report claims, “Palestinians privately own nearly 40% of the land on which settlements have been built." At the time, the Israeli government did not admit that land for settlements were built on any private Palestine land. CAMERA
rebutted the Peace Now allegations. In a subsequent update based on more recent Israeli Civil Administration records officially released to the public, the percentage of the land of West Bank settlements privately owned by Palestinians was nearer to 30%. This included a vast reduction for the Ma’ale Adumim settlement to no more than 0.54%.
The report based on the first records stated that 71.15% of the land in Revava was built on private Palestinian land. After disclosure of more current Israeli government records, the figure was reduced to 22%. Sued for libel in Jerusalem Magistrates Court by The Fund for Redeeming the Land, who formally owns Revava’s land, Peace Now was convicted of libel and ordered to pay the Fund 20,000 NIS and to make a public apology which they must publish in the newspapers Haaretz and Maariv.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
partner of Israel’s
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
Shalom Achshav (Peace Now) organization, is an American coalition working to help Israel achieve a secure peace with the Arab states and the Palestinian people
Palestinian people
The Palestinian people, also referred to as Palestinians or Palestinian Arabs , are an Arabic-speaking people with origins in Palestine. Despite various wars and exoduses, roughly one third of the world's Palestinian population continues to reside in the area encompassing the West Bank, the Gaza...
. APN believes that Israel’s security and democratic character cannot be maintained if it continues to remain in a state of conflict with its Arab neighbors, including the Palestinian people.
APN has a wide array of educational programs that reach out to the American public and Jewish American communities around the country, and works to mobilize grassroots support among U.S. citizens. By working directly with policy makers in the White House
White House
The White House is the official residence and principal workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., the house was designed by Irish-born James Hoban, and built between 1792 and 1800 of white-painted Aquia sandstone in the Neoclassical...
, State Department
United States Department of State
The United States Department of State , is the United States federal executive department responsible for international relations of the United States, equivalent to the foreign ministries of other countries...
, and Congress
United States Congress
The United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Congress meets in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C....
, APN promotes US policies that further the peace process.
History
In 1978, 348 senior Israeli army officers wrote a letter to Prime Minister Menachem BeginMenachem Begin
' was a politician, founder of Likud and the sixth Prime Minister of the State of Israel. Before independence, he was the leader of the Zionist militant group Irgun, the Revisionist breakaway from the larger Jewish paramilitary organization Haganah. He proclaimed a revolt, on 1 February 1944,...
calling for peace between Israel and Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
. The letter stated, “the government policy, perpetuating its rule over a million Arabs, could harm the Jewish-democratic character of the state, and makes it difficult for us to identify with the task. Mindful of Israel’s security needs and the difficulties on the path to peace, we nevertheless consider that real security can be achieved only when we achieve peace.” . This petition led to the creation of Shalom Achshav (Peace Now in Hebrew), a grassroots movement dedicated to raising public support for the peace process.
APN was founded in 1981 to support the activities of Shalom Achshav. APN’s activities have grown to include: media outreach and monitoring, government relations, and public outreach.
Activities and stated goals
APN is the voice of people who support Israel and believe that only peace will ensure Israel’s security, prosperity, and continued viability as a Jewish, democratic state. APN’s activities include:Action network
APNs Action Network generates immediate and forceful grassroots responses to political developments though its national membership base.Government relations
APN builds relationships with Members of Congress, Congressional staff, and Executive Branch officials in order to educate them about important developments in the Middle East and the implications of policy choices presented to decision makers. In 2005, Roll CallRoll Call
Roll Call is a newspaper published in Washington, D.C., United States, from Monday to Thursday when the United States Congress is in session and on Mondays only during recess. Roll Call reports news of legislative and political maneuverings on Capitol Hill, as well as political coverage of...
newspaper quoted a congressional staffer saying that APN's government relations program is "second to none."
American Jewish community outreach
Through its membership in the Conference of Presidents of major American Jewish organizations, APN works with other mainstream American Jewish groups to support peace for the Palestine and Israel.Media outreach and monitoring
APN promotes its goals through press releases, editorials, and personal contacts with reporters. It is a respected source of balanced information on the Middle East, providing insightful commentary and analysis to interested journalists. APN monitors over 400 media outlets and generates responses on an as-needed basis.Public outreach
APN publishes a weekly email/fax newsletter on Middle East events, along with a quarterly newsletter and other information sheets. In addition, it maintains an active web site with the latest information from the organization, and it sends speakers to communities around the country to promote the cause of peace. Some of the publications that APN promote their issues through are Peace Now News, Middle East Peace Report, Jerusalem Watch, Settlement Watch and APN Facts/FaxGoals Stated at PeaceNow.Org
- An American Jewish community and general American public educated about the strategic and economic benefits of security through peace in the Middle East.
- Active White House and State Department engagement in the peace process, especially Administration efforts to broker a new interim understanding between Israelis and Palestinians, facilitate final status arrangements that reconcile Israeli security with Palestinian statehood, and encourage negotiations between Israel, Syria, and Lebanon.
- Congressional support for the peace process through continued aid to Israel, Egypt, Jordan, and the Palestinians.
- Broad awareness in the United States of the benefits of Shalom Achshav programs in Israel.
- A firm financial base for Shalom Achshav and APN activities.
Successes
In the wake of the HamasHamas
Hamas is the Palestinian Sunni Islamic or Islamist political party that governs the Gaza Strip. Hamas also has a military wing, the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades...
electoral victory in January 2006, H.R. 4681, The Palestinian Anti-Terrorism Act of 2006, was introduced to the United States House of Representatives
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
. After analyzing the legislation, APN found that the bill would censure and punish all Palestinians, and close the door on any future negotiations to achieve peace with Palestinians.
APN worked with Members of Congress and legislative staff in the U.S. House of Representatives to improve and strengthen the bill. APN pushed for a US policy that pressures Hamas, seeks to avert a humanitarian disaster, and facilitates the eventual return to peace negotiations. These efforts ensured that the bill went through mark-ups in two House Committees, including the House International Relations Committee, where the bill was improved to deal with some of the specific concerns raised by APN – albeit not improved enough for APN to endorse the result.
The Senate version of the bill, S. 2370 – introduced significantly later than the House version, after APN’s advocacy and educational efforts were underway – was significantly better than H.R. 4681. Like H.R. 4681, the Senate legislation sends a sharp message of rejecting terrorism, while giving the President more flexibility to conduct foreign policy and preserves the possibility of producing US and moderate Palestinian relations. In December 2006, the House passed the Senate version of the bill.
Position on settlements
APN believes that settlements in the West Bank represent a security liability for Israel and an obstacle to future peace efforts, and has advocated that the Bush Administration go on record in opposing the expansion of settlements and in favor of Israel's removing illegal settlement outposts. According to APN, President Bush's oft-repeated vision of a future Palestinian state, living alongside Israel, each country secure in its own borders, can never be realized if Israel continues to expand settlements and further consolidate its hold over land in the West Bank.APN asserts that the economic and security challenges facing Israel are exacerbated by continued investment in settlements and refusal to rein in renegade settlers who persist in establishing new settlement outposts. Polls show wide support among Israelis for a settlement freeze, dismantling of outposts, and settlement evacuations, and also have shown that most settlers would accept withdrawal from settlements in the context of a peace agreement and a compensation program. APN believes that by making it impossible for Israel to disengage from the West Bank, settlements ensure that the government of Israel will eventually govern an area in which non-Jews outnumber Jews. Israel would thus be forced to choose between remaining a democracy and losing its character as a Jewish state, or retaining its character as Jewish state at the expense of democracy.
Controversial claims
In an October 2006 report based on Israeli Civil Administration records, Peace Now claimed that “a large proportion of the settlements built on the West Bank are built on privately owned Palestinian land,” including 86.4% of Ma'ale Adumim's land and 35.1% of ArielAriel (city)
Ariel is an Israeli settlement and a city in the West Bank. Ariel was established in 1978. Its population at the end of 2009 was 17,600, including 7,000 immigrants who came to Israel after 1990. It is the fourth largest Jewish settlement city in the West Bank., after Modi'in Illit, Beitar Illit,...
’s. Overall, the report claims, “Palestinians privately own nearly 40% of the land on which settlements have been built." At the time, the Israeli government did not admit that land for settlements were built on any private Palestine land. CAMERA
Committee for Accuracy in Middle East Reporting in America
The Committee for Accuracy in Middle East Reporting in America is an American non-profit pro-Israel media watchdog group. The group says it was founded in 1982 "to respond to the Washington Post's coverage of Israel's Lebanon incursion", and to respond to what it considers the media's "general...
rebutted the Peace Now allegations. In a subsequent update based on more recent Israeli Civil Administration records officially released to the public, the percentage of the land of West Bank settlements privately owned by Palestinians was nearer to 30%. This included a vast reduction for the Ma’ale Adumim settlement to no more than 0.54%.
The report based on the first records stated that 71.15% of the land in Revava was built on private Palestinian land. After disclosure of more current Israeli government records, the figure was reduced to 22%. Sued for libel in Jerusalem Magistrates Court by The Fund for Redeeming the Land, who formally owns Revava’s land, Peace Now was convicted of libel and ordered to pay the Fund 20,000 NIS and to make a public apology which they must publish in the newspapers Haaretz and Maariv.
Organization timeline
- 1978 - Founding of Shalom Achshav (Peace Now) The largest grassroots movement in Israel's history is founded in 1978 by 348 reserve army officers and combat soldiers of the Israel Defense Forces.
- 1979 - Forging the First Peace On the eve of Prime Minister Begin's historic trip to negotiate peace with Egypt, Shalom Achshav mobilizes hundreds of thousands of Israelis in a massive demonstration of public willingness to trade land for a secure peace with an Arab neighbor. Begin would later write that this demonstration was on his mind as he negotiated at Camp David.
- 1981 - Establishment of Americans for Peace Now Networks of support for Shalom Achshav emerge around the United States and a national movement begins to form.
- 1982 - Ending the war in Lebanon Following the massacres of Palestinians in the Sabra and Shatilla refugee camps by the Phalangist militia, Shalom Achshav helps to rally 400,000 people - 10% of Israel's population - in a successful effort to demand a government commission of inquiry and an end to the war in Lebanon.
- 1985 - Building Bridges to the Other Side Shalom Achshav initiates dialogue and reconciliation projects with Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza.
- 1988 - Speak Peace with the PLOPalestine Liberation OrganizationThe Palestine Liberation Organization is a political and paramilitary organization which was created in 1964. It is recognized as the "sole legitimate representative of the Palestinian people" by the United Nations and over 100 states with which it holds diplomatic relations, and has enjoyed...
Shalom Achshav launches its campaign "Speak Peace with the PLO" helping to legitimize dialogue and pave the way for the Oslo negotiationsOslo AccordsThe Oslo Accords, officially called the Declaration of Principles on Interim Self-Government Arrangements or Declaration of Principles , was an attempt to resolve the ongoing Palestinian-Israeli conflict...
.
- 1989 - Promoting Peace in Times of Crisis As the Intifada and violent retaliation escalates, Shalom Achshav organizes "Hands around Jerusalem," a landmark partnership as 25,000 Israelis and Palestinians linked hands to encircle the walls of the Old City in a chain of peace.
- 1990 - Launching of Settlement Watch project This project has become one of the most reliable and respected sources of information on settlement activity.
- 1993 - Creating a Shalom Achshav youth movement Thousands of Israeli youth have been mobilized throughout Israel and have helped facilitate a parallel development among Palestinian youth in the West Bank and Gaza.
- 1994 - Establishing Ir Shalem project This project opposes housing eviction and land confiscation of Palestinians in Jerusalem and promotes policies that seek equity and unity among all of Jerusalem's residents, Israeli and Palestinian.
- 1996 - Groundbreaking tour by Israeli and Palestinian youth From the White House to inner-city high schools, they traveled the United States sharing their ideas about reconciliation, offering hope even in the face of a new wave of suicide terrorism.
- 1997 - Expanding Washington advocacy APN launches its Action Alert Network program in support of American mediation efforts in the Arab-Israeli conflict.
- 1998 - APN presents Creative Policy Options Presenting ideas to breaking the protracted negotiating deadlock and challenging both Prime Minister Netanyahu and President Arafat to live up to their Oslo obligations.
- 1998 - APN hosts Yitzhak RabinYitzhak Rabin' was an Israeli politician, statesman and general. He was the fifth Prime Minister of Israel, serving two terms in office, 1974–77 and 1992 until his assassination in 1995....
peace award APN Begins an annual award ceremony honoring individuals that further the United States commitment to the Israel and Palestinian Peace process.
- 2002 - Over 100,000 Israelis rally for peace Peace Now and the Israeli Peace Coalition launched a major new campaign to end the occupation of the West Bank and Gaza. Under the banner, “Get Out of the Territories, for Israel’s Sake,” over 100,000 Israelis responded to this call and rallied for peace in Rabin Square in Tel Aviv on May 11th.
- 2003 - APN Hosts Geneva initiators Americans for Peace Now (APN) played a major role in hosting several Israelis and Palestinians who worked on the Geneva AccordGeneva AccordThe Geneva Initiative, also known as the Geneva Accord, is a model permanent status agreement to end the Israeli-Palestinian conflict based on previous official negotiations, international resolutions, the Quartet Roadmap, the Clinton Parameters, and the Arab Peace Initiative...
when they were in Washington. With the assistance of APN, the Geneva team had a tremendous impact on government officials and the media.
- 2005 - Israel unilaterally withdraws from the Gaza Strip Israel unilaterally withdraws from all permanent Israeli presence in the Gaza Strip and from four settlements in the northern West Bank. Peace Now supported the withdrawal, although it repeatedly called for the withdrawal to be negotiated with Palestinian Authority President Abbas.
- 2006 - Settlement report Peace Now published a report stating that 40% of Israel settlement land is owned by Palestinians. Israeli settlements in the West Bank are built on land which the Israeli government recognizes as privately-owned by Palestinians, as opposed to "state land" whose ownership is unclear, or land owned by Jews. (The report may be seen at November. An update of the report can be found at March.)
See also
- Peace Now
- Israeli peace camp
- Israeli-Palestinian conflictIsraeli-Palestinian conflictThe Israeli–Palestinian conflict is the ongoing conflict between Israelis and Palestinians. The conflict is wide-ranging, and the term is also used in reference to the earlier phases of the same conflict, between Jewish and Zionist yishuv and the Arab population living in Palestine under Ottoman or...
- al-Aqsa IntifadaAl-Aqsa IntifadaThe Second Intifada, also known as the Al-Aqsa Intifada and the Oslo War, was the second Palestinian uprising, a period of intensified Palestinian-Israeli violence, which began in late September 2000...
- Projects working for peace among Israelis and ArabsProjects working for peace among Israelis and ArabsProjects working for peace among Arabs and Israelis have been operating for years in different fields.- Policy groups:Organizations or institutions which address and analyze policy issues in a wide range of areas...
- Peace treatyPeace treatyA peace treaty is an agreement between two or more hostile parties, usually countries or governments, that formally ends a state of war between the parties...
- Peace process in the Israeli-Palestinian conflictPeace process in the Israeli-Palestinian conflictThe peace process in the Israeli–Palestinian conflict has taken shape over the years, despite the ongoing violence in the Middle East and an "all or nothing" attitude about a lasting peace, "which prevailed for most of the twentieth century"...
- Peaceworkers UKPeaceworkers UKPeaceworkers UK is part of the Peacebuilding Issues Programme of International Alert. Previously an independent non-governmental organisation, PWUK became part of International Alert in 2006. PWUK focuses on raising standards in the field of conflict prevention, crisis management and peacebuilding...
: British NGO providing training for potential peaceworkers in nonviolent, civilian techniques of conflict transformation - J StreetJ StreetJ Street is a nonprofit liberal advocacy group based in the United States whose stated aim is to promote American leadership to end the Arab-Israeli and Israel-Palestinian conflicts peacefully and diplomatically. It was founded in April 2008....
- Brit Tzedek v'ShalomBrit Tzedek v'ShalomBrit Tzedek v'Shalom, also known as Jewish Alliance for Justice and Peace, is an organization of United States Jews and describes its members as "deeply committed to Israel's well-being through the achievement of a negotiated settlement to the long-standing Israeli-Palestinian conflict"...
Arab-Israeli peace diplomacy and treaties
- Paris Peace Conference, 1919Paris Peace Conference, 1919The Paris Peace Conference was the meeting of the Allied victors following the end of World War I to set the peace terms for the defeated Central Powers following the armistices of 1918. It took place in Paris in 1919 and involved diplomats from more than 32 countries and nationalities...
- Faisal-Weizmann Agreement (1919)Faisal-Weizmann AgreementThe Faisal–Weizmann Agreement was signed on January 3, 1919, by Emir Feisal , who was for a short time King of the Arab Kingdom of Syria or Greater Syria in 1920, and was King of the Kingdom of Iraq from August 1921 to 1933, and Chaim Weizmann as part of the Paris Peace Conference, 1919 settling...
- 1949 Armistice Agreements1949 Armistice AgreementsThe 1949 Armistice Agreements are a set of agreements signed during 1949 between Israel and neighboring Egypt, Lebanon, Jordan, and Syria. The agreements ended the official hostilities of the 1948 Arab-Israeli War, and established armistice lines between Israeli forces and the forces in...
- Camp David Accords (1978)
- Israel-Egypt Peace Treaty (1979)Israel-Egypt Peace TreatyThe 1979 Egypt–Israel Peace Treaty was signed in Washington, D.C. on the 26th of March 1979, following the 1978 Camp David Accords, which were signed by Egyptian President Anwar El Sadat and Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin, and were witnessed by United States President Jimmy Carter.The peace...
- Madrid Conference of 1991Madrid Conference of 1991The Madrid Conference was hosted by the government of Spain and co-sponsored by the USA and the USSR. It convened on October 30, 1991 and lasted for three days. It was an early attempt by the international community to start a peace process through negotiations involving Israel and the Palestinians...
- Oslo Accords (1993)Oslo AccordsThe Oslo Accords, officially called the Declaration of Principles on Interim Self-Government Arrangements or Declaration of Principles , was an attempt to resolve the ongoing Palestinian-Israeli conflict...
- Israel-Jordan Treaty of Peace (1994)Israel-Jordan Treaty of PeaceThe Israel–Jordan Treaty of Peace was signed in 1994. The treaty normalized relations between the two countries and resolved territorial disputes. The conflict had cost roughly US$18.3 billion...
- Camp David 2000 SummitCamp David 2000 SummitThe Middle East Peace Summit at Camp David of July 2000 took place between United States President Bill Clinton, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak, and Palestinian Authority Chairman Yasser Arafat...
- Peace process in the Israeli-Palestinian conflictPeace process in the Israeli-Palestinian conflictThe peace process in the Israeli–Palestinian conflict has taken shape over the years, despite the ongoing violence in the Middle East and an "all or nothing" attitude about a lasting peace, "which prevailed for most of the twentieth century"...
- Projects working for peace among Israelis and ArabsProjects working for peace among Israelis and ArabsProjects working for peace among Arabs and Israelis have been operating for years in different fields.- Policy groups:Organizations or institutions which address and analyze policy issues in a wide range of areas...
- List of Middle East peace proposals
- International law and the Arab-Israeli conflictInternational law and the Arab-Israeli conflictThere is a broad international consensus that the actions of the nations involved in the Arab-Israeli conflict violate prohibitions contained in international law. However, this legality is disputed by some of the nations involved...