Sandy Tolan is the author of The Lemon Tree, which is a widely known microhistory of the Israel-Palestine conflict, and Children of the Stone, which focuses on one Palestinian’s dream to build a music school in the midst of the Occupation. He’s also a journalism professor and an award-winning radio and print journalist. We spoke with Sandy about his books, the protests currently springing up at college campuses across the country, and generally, what it's like to be a journalist with a strong background on Israel/Palestine issues in the current climate.
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Recording of an APN webinar, April 17th 2024.
Over the last few weeks, the subject of humanitarian aid has dominated conversations about the Gaza War. Headlines depict aid trucks being stopped or blocked altogether from entering Gaza and global experts warning that Gaza is on the verge of famine with Northern Gaza likely already experiencing famine. Some individuals and organizations are still managing to offer food and support, providing some measure of relief. To discuss the situation on the ground and the logistics of providing aid, we spoke with Shachar Zahavi, the founder of SmartAid: an international aid agency that leverages technologies to enhance humanitarian efforts worldwide.
In addition to his role at SmartAid, Shachar Zahavi was the founder and Chairperson at IsraAID, where he served as Executive Director for 16 years. There, he spearheaded the organization's global strategy, overseeing its expansion and operations in over 50 countries for both disaster relief and long-term sustainable programs. Shachar is also credited with co-authoring in-depth research on Israel's foreign aid and its impact in the context of foreign government relationships.
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After 18 years at APN, our VP for Public Affairs Ori Nir has retired. He is widely known as a go-to expert on issues of Middle East peace and conflict, as well as for his voice and empathetic perspective. In this episode, hosted by Maxxe Albert-Deitch, Ori looks back on his career and the general state and trajectory of the peace movement.
We’re sending Ori off b'hatzlacha, bil tawfiq, and good luck for the next stage of his journey.
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Recording of a February 22nd APN webinar.
Recently, Shalom Achshav released their 2023 settlement report. Their findings were disturbing even by the standards of the actions of Netanyahu’s far-right extremist government. Under the cover of the Gaza war, conditions in the West Bank have quietly but dramatically shifted for the worse. We have seen a record number of plans for new construction, minimal law enforcement against illegal settler activity, substantial budgets for expanding settlements and outposts, and, most significantly, almost unconditional political support from the government for settlers, even in cases involving violence against Palestinians.
To discuss these alarming updates, we spoke with someone on the front lines of observing and analyzing settlement activity. Hagit Ofran is the co-director of Shalom Achshav’s Settlement Watch program, and is widely recognized as Israel’s foremost expert on Israeli settlements.
On February 26th, we met with Dr. Khalil Shikaki to discuss current events in Israel and Palestine.
Recording of a February 22nd APN webinar
John Lyndon is the Executive Director of ALLMEP the Alliance for Middle East Peace, the largest network of Israeli and Palestinian peace-building organizations. ALLMEP brings together 170 organizations, both groups that advance a shared society inside Israel and cross-border Israeli and Palestinian groups that work to resolve the conflict between the two peoples.
Recording of a January 23rd 2024 APN webinar.
Recording of a January 18th 2024 APN webinar.
A recording of a January 4th 2024 APN webinar.
Yonatan Zeigen is the son of Vivian Silver, the iconic Isreali peace activist, who was murdered on October 7th in her kibbutz, Be'eri. After his mother's death, Yonatan quit his job to (again) become a peace activist. His headshot was taken by Sandra Mehl.