Americans for Peace Now supports Israel’s Peace Now in condemning Netanyahu government’s expansion of settlements, issues statement
Washington, DC – Americans for Peace Now (APN) joins its Israeli sister organization, Israel’s Peace Now movement, in strongly condemning the Israeli authorities’ decision to proceed with an East Jerusalem construction project that has triggered deep disapproval among the international community, including in Washington.
A spokesperson for the Department of State in Washington said today, “it is unfortunate that after the unequivocal and unanimous position last week of the international community opposing construction in Jerusalem at this sensitive time, authorities chose to move forward.”
The spokesperson correctly depicted the move as an example of “unilateral steps that prejudge the future of Jerusalem.”
The plan, which was approved today by the Jerusalem Municipality’s Planning and Construction Committee to build 500 new housing units in Ramat Shlomo, a wedge settlement in the northern part of East Jerusalem, which hinders future Palestinian contiguity between East Jerusalem and Ramallah.
APN has repeatedly urged the Obama administration to apply pressure on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his cabinet members to block settlement plans in East Jerusalem and the West Bank.
We call on President Obama to go beyond condemnations and make clear to Netanyahu that halting settlement activity – particularly at this sensitive time – is necessary for de-escalating tensions in Jerusalem.
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Ray Hanania is an award winning political and humor columnist who analyzes American and Middle East politics, and life in general. He is an author of several books.
Hanania covered Chicago Politics and Chicago City Hall from 1976 through 1992 at the Daily Southtown and the Chicago Sun-Times. He began writing in 1975 publishing The Middle Eastern Voice newspaper in Chicago (1975-1977). He later published “The National Arab American Times” newspaper (2004-2007).
Hanania writes weekly columns on Middle East and American Arab issues as Special US Correspondent for the Arab News ArabNews.com, at TheArabDailyNews.com, and at SuburbanChicagoland.com. He has published weekly columns in the Jerusalem Post newspaper, YNetNews.com, Newsday, the Orlando Sentinel, Houston Chronical, and Arlington Heights Daily Herald.
Hanania is the recipient of four (4) Chicago Headline Club “Peter Lisagor Awards” for Column writing. In November 2006, he was named “Best Ethnic American Columnist” by the New American Media. In 2009, Hanania received the prestigious Sigma Delta Chi Award for Writing from the Society of Professional Journalists. He is the recipient of the MT Mehdi Courage in Journalism Award. He was honored for his writing skills with two (2) Chicago Stick-o-Type awards from the Chicago Newspaper Guild. In 1990, Hanania was nominated by the Chicago Sun-Times editors for a Pulitzer Prize for his four-part series on the Palestinian Intifada.
His writings have also been honored by two national Awards from ADC for his writing, and from the National Arab American Journalists Association.
Hanania is the US Special Correspondent for the Arab News Newspaper, covering Middle East and Arab American issues. He writes for the Southwest News newspaper group writing on mainstream American issues.
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