Americans for Peace Now
| Founded | 1981 |
|---|---|
| Founder | Mark Rosenblum |
| Type | 501(c)(3) |
| Focus |
Arab–Israeli conflict Israeli–Palestinian conflict Israeli settlement Israeli–Palestinian peace process |
| Location |
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|
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 a non-partisan, non-profit, pro-Israel, pro-peace, American Jewish organization. The current President and CEO of APN is Debra DeLee.
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."
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."
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." 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; originally known as American Friends of Peace Now, it changed its name to the present form in 1989. The organization played only a marginal role in American Jewish life in the 1980s, but grew in significance in the 1990s; around 1992 it reported a membership of 10,000 members, in 21 chapters throughout the United States, and was accepted for membership in the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations.
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