Americans for Peace Now (APN) is a left-of-center advocacy group affiliated with the Israel-based advocacy group Shalom Achshav (“Peace Now”), which calls for a two-state agreement between Israel and Palestine that includes Israel returning to its pre-1967 borders.  ^{[1] [2]}

The group asserts it is nonpartisan but has staff and board members associated with left-leaning Jewish group J Street, as well as other liberal organizations such as NARAL Pro-Choice America and the American Federation of Teachers. ^{[3] [4]}

Background

Americans for Peace Now is the “sister” organization of the Israel-based advocacy group Shalom Achshav, which means “Peace Now.” ^[5] The organization describes itself as a Jewish group that is “pro-Israel, pro-peace” in its approach to the Israel-Palestinian conflict. ^[6]

The group says it wants to educate and persuade the American public and government leadership to adopt policies for comprehensive Israeli-Palestinian and Israeli-Arab peace agreements based on a two-state resolution. ^[7] The APN calls for the freezing and evacuation of all Israeli settlements, and for Jerusalem to be the capital of both Israel and the future Palestinian state. ^[8]

The APN says the borders of Israel must be based on the 1967 lines, removing Israeli settlements beyond the 1967 lines through mutually agreed-on land swaps. ^[9] It also says, “Palestinians will have to relinquish the goal of regaining control over the 78% of the land between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea that they view as ‘Historic Palestine.’” ^[10]

History

Shalom Achshav was established in Israel in 1978 when 348 Israeli senior reserve army officers and combat soldiers urged the government to sign a peace deal with Egypt. The organization has mobilized mass demonstrations and conducted monitoring of Israeli settlement activity in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, until Israel’s 2004 evacuation of Gaza settlements. ^[11]

Americans for Peace Now was established in 1981 to mobilize support for Shalom Achshav. The group calls itself the “most prominent American Jewish, Zionist organization working to achieve a comprehensive political settlement to the Arab-Israeli conflict.” ^[12]

In 1993, the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations allowed APN to join the ranks. It was a controversial move at the time, because APN disagreed with most other member organizations on the status of Jerusalem. In September 2021, APN attacked the Conference of Presidents for supporting the state of Arizona’s decision to divest pension funds from Unilever, the parent company of Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream, which had taken anti-Israel stances. APN claimed the Conference of Presidents were “hypocrites” for supporting this boycott while criticizing the movement for companies and universities boycott, divest and sanction Israel. ^[13]

Leadership

Hadar Susskind is the president and CEO of Americans for Peace Now. Susskind previously was the senior vice president of government relations for the Council on Foundations. Before that, he was the director of the left-of-center Jewish-aligned groups Bend the Arc Jewish Action and Bend the Arc Jewish Action PAC. He was also a vice president at the Tides Foundation and a vice president for J Street. Susskind was a vice president and Washington director for the Jewish Council for Public Affairs. He also previously held jobs at the Coalition on the Environment and Jewish Life, the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society, and the Israel Policy Forum. ^[14]

Ori Nir is the vice president of the public affairs of Americans for Peace Now. He joined the organization after a 24-year career in journalism, covering Palestinian affairs for Ha’aretz. ^[15]

Robert McCulloch is the chief financial officer of Americans for Peace Now. He is the former president of the Boston chapter of the Institute of Management Accountants. ^[16]

Madeleine Cereghino is the director of government relations of Americans for Peace Now. She previously worked for seven years at J Street. ^[17]

Karen Paul is the director of development of Americans for Peace Now. She worked for 15 years at the New Israel Fund as the Washington regional director. She previously worked for NARAL Pro-Choice America, Dance Theatre of Harlem, and DC Vote. She was also the executive director of the Tikkun Olam Women’s Foundation. ^[18]

The board of directors has more than two dozen members and is led by chair James Klutznick; vice chair Aviva Meyer; and secretary-treasurer Mark Silverberg. Other board members include Randi Weingarten, the president of the American Federation of Teachers; political consultant Marilyn Katz;  Peter Edelman, a Georgetown law professor who has been aligned with the Public Welfare Foundation and the Center for American Progress; and Peter Weiss, a former board chair for the Institute for Policy Studies, a former vice president for the Center for Constitutional Rights, and a former officer of the National Lawyers Guild New York Chapter. ^{[19] [20]}