Americans for Peace Now

Americans for Peace Now
Founded 1981
Founder Mark Rosenblum
Type 501(c)(3)[1]
Focus Arab–Israeli conflict
Israeli–Palestinian conflict
Israeli settlement
Peace process in the Israeli–Palestinian conflict
Location
  • United States 2100 M Street NW, Washington, D.C., 20037
Key people
 Debra DeLee (President & CEO)
Mark Bilsky (Assistant Executive Director for Planning & Development)
Lara Friedman (Director of Policy and Government Relations)
Ori Nir (Spokesman)
David Pine (West Coast Regional Director)
Rabbi Alana Suskin (Director of Strategic Communications)
Website www.peacenow.org

Americans for Peace Now (APN) is a nonprofit organization based in the United States whose stated aim is to help achieve a comprehensive political settlement to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Founded in 1981 as the sister organization to Israel’s Shalom Achshav (Peace Now), APN describes itself as an independent, non-partisan, non-profit, pro-Israel, pro-peace, American Jewish organization.[2] The current President and CEO of APN is Debra DeLee.

According to Americans for Peace Now, APN defines itself as “the leading voice of American Jews who support Israel and know that only peace will ensure Israel’s security, prosperity and continued viability as a Jewish, democratic state.” APN asserts that the “positions advocated for more than two decades by APN and Shalom Achshav – like calling for the evacuation of settlements and the creation of a viable Palestinian state – are now recognized by most American Jews and Israelis as basic requirements both for peace and for a secure future for Israel.”[3]

APN’s website describes the organization as “a non-partisan organization with a non-partisan mission.” According to APN, it supplies timely information and education, providing a pro-Israel, pro-peace, American Jewish perspective on issues and legislation. APN also engages in grassroots political activism and outreach to the American Jewish and Arab American communities, opinion leaders, university students and the public at large. We further promote our agenda through press releases, editorials and personal contacts with journalists, serving as a respected source of balanced information, analysis, and commentary.”[3]

History

In 1978, 348 senior Israeli army officers wrote a letter to Prime Minister Menachem Begin 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.”[4] 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

According to Americans for Peace Now, they are “the leading voice of American Jews who support Israel and know that only peace will ensure Israel’s security, prosperity and continued viability as a Jewish, democratic state.”[3] APN asserts that the “positions advocated for more than two decades by APN and Shalom Achshav – like calling for the evacuation of settlements and the creation of a viable Palestinian state – are now recognized by most American Jews and Israelis as basic requirements both for peace and for a secure future for Israel.”[3]

APN’s website describes them as “a non-partisan organization with a non-partisan mission.” According to APN, they supply timely information and education, providing a pro-Israel, pro-peace, American Jewish perspective on issues and legislation. APN also engages in grassroots political activism and outreach to the American Jewish and Arab American communities, opinion leaders, university students and the public at large. We further promote our agenda through press releases, editorials and personal contacts with journalists, serving as a respected source of balanced information, analysis, and commentary.”[3]

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 Call newspaper quoted a congressional staffer saying that APN's government relations program is "second to none." The organization also publishes a Congressional Briefing Book.

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

The organization maintains an active website with information, commentary, and advocacy regarding current events in Israel, it sponsors and participates in public events, and it sends speakers to communities around the country to promote the cause of peace. APN publishes the APN Weekly Update, a weekly email newsletter on events in Israel and the Middle East which includes their "Hard Questions, Tough Answers" and "Legislative Round-Up" segments. APN also publishes News Nosh, a daily news round-up. In 2011, APN released Indefensible: Misrepresenting the Borders Issue to Undermine Israeli-Palestinian Peace. In 2012, APN released They Say, We Say in print and online. According to APN, They Say, We Say provides comprehensive responses to right-wing arguments concerning Israel and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. APN's other frequently updated segments include Settlements in Focus and Peace Parsha.

Goals

  1. An American Jewish community and general American public educated about the strategic and economic benefits of security through peace in the Middle East.
  2. 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 and its neighbours.
  3. Congressional support for the peace process through continued aid to Israel, Egypt, Jordan, and the Palestinians.
  4. Broad awareness in the United States of the benefits of Shalom Achshav programs in Israel.
  5. A firm financial base for Shalom Achshav and APN activities.[5][6]

Successes

In the wake of the Hamas 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.

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.

Organization timeline

See also

Arab-Israeli peace diplomacy and treaties

References

  1. ↑ "Americans for Peace Now". Charity Navigator. Retrieved 23 October 2013.
  2. ↑ http://www.peacenow.org
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 http://peacenow.org/pages/history.html
  4. ↑ full text of the letter
  5. ↑ "Mission Statement – Americans For Peace Now". Retrieved 23 October 2013.
  6. ↑ "They Say, We Say – Americans For Peace Now". Retrieved 23 October 2013.

External links