Natasha Mozgovaya
Haaretz
August 2, 2010 - 12:00am
http://www.haaretz.com/misc/article-print-page/u-s-group-launches-campaign-again...


Americans for Peace Now, a sister group to the dovish Israeli group Peace Now, has announced the launching a unique campaign on Monday, meant to sway public opinion against containing settlement construction.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared the construction freeze West Bank settlements, due to expire on September 26, in last November, after months of pressure from the Obama administration, and following a Palestinian refusal to begin talks without one.

The PA however described the freeze as insufficient, since it was partial, limited to 10 months, and did not include East Jerusalem, which Palestinians want as the capital of their future state.

In a statement released Monday the APN said they were "urging Americans who support peace for Israel to record short videos in which they would explain how Israeli settlement expansion in the West Bank would negatively impact Israel's standing in the United States."

"Our call on Americans to record and upload short videos that express their perspective on this issue is an unusual, and -- to the best of my recollection -- an unprecedented step in the dialogue between Americans and Israelis," the statement added.

The American group said that Israel's Peace Now movement will eventually "use some of the video testimonials by American supporters as a component of its campaign."

"Our campaign is intended to support our Israeli sister organization, Peace Now, Israel's largest peace movement, in its effort to convince the government of Israel not to continue building in the settlements," the statement said.




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