Americans for Peace Now

Americans for Peace Now
Name	Americans for Peace Now
Abbreviation	APN
Formation	1981
Type	Nonprofit organization
Headquarters	Washington, D.C.
Location	United States
Area served	United States, Israel, Palestine
Focus	Israeli–Palestinian peace process, Two-state solution, Israeli security, human rights
Methods	Advocacy, public education, grassroots organizing, research

Americans for Peace Now is an American Jewish advocacy organization that supports a negotiated Israeli–Palestinian settlement and promotes the Israeli peace movement. It is affiliated with the Israeli organization Shalom Achshav and operates in the context of debates over the Oslo Accords, Camp David Accords, Two-state solution, Jewish Agency for Israel politics, and U.S. foreign policy toward Israel and the Palestinian territories. The group engages with institutions such as the United Nations, U.S. Congress, State of Israel institutions, and civil society actors including Peace Now (Israel), American Israel Public Affairs Committee, J Street, Anti-Defamation League, and American Jewish Committee.

History

Americans for Peace Now emerged in 1981 amid the fallout from the 1978 Camp David Accords, the 1982 Lebanon War, and debates within the American Jewish Committee and Labor Zionism circles about Israeli security and territorial compromise. Its early activists included veterans of the New Israel Fund constituency and alumni of Habonim Dror, who sought to translate the work of Peace Now (Israel)—itself founded in response to the 1973 Yom Kippur War and the 1977 Likud victory—into American advocacy. Throughout the First Intifada, the Oslo Accords era, the Camp David Summit (2000), the Second Intifada, and the Israeli disengagement from Gaza, the organization adapted its strategy to shifting Israeli electoral outcomes involving parties such as Mapai, Likud, Labor Party (Israel), Kadima, and coalitions led by figures like Yitzhak Rabin, Benjamin Netanyahu, Ehud Barak, and Ariel Sharon.

Organization and Leadership

The organization is governed by a board and staffed by professionals who engage with lawmakers on Capitol Hill, diplomats at the United States Department of State, and activists in American Jewish institutions like the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations. Leadership has included executive directors and policy directors who previously worked in think tanks such as the Brookings Institution, Council on Foreign Relations, and Washington Institute for Near East Policy. APN has coordinated with Israeli counterparts including Peace Now (Israel) and consults experts from universities like Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Tel Aviv University, Columbia University, and Georgetown University.

Mission and Activities

APN's stated mission focuses on advancing a negotiated peace culminating in a Two-state solution that ensures Israeli security and Palestinian self-determination. Its activities span public education in communities tied to Hadassah, Rabbinical Assembly, and campus groups like the Hillel International network, as well as advocacy toward officials who serve under administrations such as Reagan, Clinton, Bush (George W. Bush), Obama, Trump, and Biden. The organization publishes analyses that reference accords and frameworks including the Oslo Accords, the Roadmap for Peace, and proposals debated at summits like Annapolis Conference (2007).

Advocacy and Policy Positions

APN advocates positions emphasizing withdrawal from territories captured in the 1967 Six-Day War where necessary for peace, demilitarization or security arrangements similar to those discussed in negotiations involving Camp David (2000), and opposition to settlement expansion in the West Bank and East Jerusalem. It opposes unilateral annexation proposals debated in the Knesset and raised by politicians such as Naftali Bennett and supports international mechanisms including discussions at the United Nations Security Council and engagement with mediators like the Quartet on the Middle East and envoys from the European Union and United States.

Programs and Campaigns

Programs include grassroots organizing, educational briefings for members of Congress, and public campaigns such as lobbying during key votes on foreign assistance and resolutions related to the Israeli–Palestinian conflict. Campaigns have targeted policies linked to settlement construction by municipal authorities in places like Ma'ale Adumim and legislative measures debated in bodies such as the Knesset and U.S. Senate. APN has run media initiatives, coalitions with groups like J Street and New Israel Fund, and voter-engagement efforts in states including New York (state), California, and Florida (state).

Funding and Partnerships

Funding sources have included individual donors, philanthropic foundations active in Jewish and Middle East policy such as foundations aligned with donors to American Jewish World Service and the Open Society Foundations model, and partnerships with advocacy organizations including Peace Now (Israel), J Street, and liberal Jewish federations. APN has also collaborated with academic centers and civil society entities like B'Tselem, Doctors Without Borders, and research departments at universities for reports and briefings.

Reception and Criticism

APN has been praised by proponents of the Two-state solution and criticized by supporters of Greater Israel and right-wing policymakers aligned with Likud and settler movements. Critics include organizations such as American Israel Public Affairs Committee and figures who argue for different security paradigms advanced by scholars at institutions like the Washington Institute for Near East Policy and commentators across outlets linked to The Jerusalem Post, Haaretz, and The New York Times. Supporters cite endorsements from progressive Jewish leaders and peace activists connected to movements including Peace Now (Israel) and the global Israeli peace movement.

Category:United States–Israel relations Category:Jewish organizations based in the United States