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53-654: The report detailed how officials in the Ministry of Defense and Ministry of Housing and Construction and the settlement division of the World Zionist Organization spent millions of shekels from state budgets to support the unauthorized outposts. The Sasson report called it a "blatant violation of the law" and said "drastic steps" were needed to rectify the situation. It describes secret cooperation between various ministries and official institutions to consolidate "wildcat" outposts, which settlers began erecting more than

106-734: A ILS 20,000 (approx $ 5000) limit on what NGOs could receive from foreign governments, government-supported foundations and/or groups of governments (e.g. the European Union and the United Nations ). Another bill, advanced by Avigdor Lieberman 's Yisrael Beiteinu party, proposed a 45% tax on foreign government donations to organizations that do not receive Israeli state funding. Individuals such as Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu , Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman and MKs Tzipi Hotovely , Ofir Akunis and Fania Kirshenbaum have supported

159-462: A 21-year-old male resident of a settlement near Jerusalem who was suspected of vandalizing Peace Now offices in Jerusalem. Police also tried to ascertain whether the suspect was involved in the 'price-tag' attacks on Hagit Ofran's residence. A gag order was initially placed on the publication of his name and picture due to the "ongoing investigation" into the attacks. Once the investigation was complete,

212-592: A Palestinian state, saying: "Let everyone get a move on and take some hilltops! Whatever we take, will be ours, and whatever we don't take, will not be ours!" The report did not mention Sharon, however. Nevertheless, the report prompted calls that Sharon and other former and current government officials face legal repercussions for their alleged official involvement in the funding of illegal settlements. Settler leaders have rejected criticism of illegality and wrongdoing, protesting that they were participating in officially sanctioned community planning initiatives. According to

265-695: A court for access to a government database operated by the Israeli Civil Administration , Peace Now reduced its overall estimate to 32.4 percent and the estimate for Ma'ale Adumim to 0.5 percent. A spokesman for the Civil Administration replied that the new report was still "inaccurate in many places". Peace Now seeks to educate the Israeli youth on the nature of, and solution to, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. In order to achieve this,

318-512: A decade ago. Sasson added that the problem was ongoing, saying "the process of outpost expansion is profoundly under way." The report states: The report mentioned 150 communities in the West Bank with incomplete or nonexistent permits, but Sasson cautions that this list was not exhaustive, due to the lack of cooperation of some ministries and government offices which, according to her, failed to hand over some important documents. She recommended that

371-452: A demonstration of between 60,000 to 100,000 in May 2002, after Israeli military forces began on 29 March a large-scale military Operation Defensive Shield in the West Bank and as Prime Minister Ariel Sharon was mobilizing reserve forces for a possible military invasion of Gaza. The demonstration was held under the banner "Get Out of The Territories". According to "Peace Now" itself, shortly after

424-647: A demonstration of more than 100,000 people, calling for immediate Israeli-Palestinian negotiations for the purposes of attaining peace between the two parties. Following this, Peace Now led the Hands Around Jerusalem event, in which 25,000 Israelis and Palestinians linked hands to encircle the walls of the Old City of Jerusalem in a chain of peace. In part due to the Israeli-Palestinian discourse engendered by Peace Now and its activists, Israeli Prime Minister Yitzchak Rabin and Yasser Arafat succeeded in signing

477-455: A negotiated agreement. Subsequently, tens of thousands of Israelis petitioned the Israeli government in support of the letter, and as a result the movement known as Peace Now was born. Peace Now again came to prominence following Israel's 1982 Invasion of Lebanon , and in particular the massacre of Palestinian refugees by Christian Lebanese Phalangists at the Israeli controlled Sabra and

530-649: A visit to Israel in 2012. Peace Now's logo was designed by Israeli graphic designer David Tartakover in 1978. The logo emerged from a poster created by Tartakover for a mass rally, held in what is now Rabin Square in Tel Aviv on 1 April 1978, titled "Peace Now." It became the name of the organization, and was used on the first political bumper sticker in Israel. It is still one of Israel's most popular stickers. Tartakover, commenting in 2006, said: "The movement activists liked

583-547: Is a non-governmental organization , liberal advocacy and activist group in Israel with the aim of promoting a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Peace Now was formed during the 1978 Israeli-Egyptian peace talks between Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin and Egyptian President Anwar Sadat at a time when the talks looked close to collapse. Three hundred forty-eight reserve officers and soldiers from Israeli army combat units published an open letter to

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636-540: Is commendable and greatly contributes to the IDF's fortitude and the State of Israel's security." Notable individuals such as American actor Leonard Nimoy , American authors Michael Chabon and Ayelet Waldman , and Israeli authors David Grossman and Amos Oz support Peace Now's objectives. Author Mordechai Bar-On described Peace Now as a key instrument for peace. Actor Mandy Patinkin expressed his support for Peace Now during

689-527: Is trying to co-opt the settlers by retroactively approving some outposts and giving them a freer hand in building in the West Bank." In a report issued in November 2006, Peace Now wrote that 38.8 percent of the land set aside for Israeli settlements, outposts and industrial land in the West Bank was privately owned by Palestinians. This included 86.4 percent of the land set aside for Ma'ale Adumim and 35.1 percent of Ariel 's land. After successfully appealing to

742-633: The Declaration of Principles / Oslo Accords on the lawn of the White House on 13 September 1993. Peace Now was the first Israeli organisation to meet with the PLO , at a time when such an undertaking was deemed illegal by the Israeli government. The signing of the Oslo accords marked a milestone in Israeli-Palestinian relations, as for the first time both peoples recognised their counterpart's right to exist. Furthermore,

795-669: The IDF , Israeli settlers within the West Bank and the Gaza Strip , and Israeli civilians. According to the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs , 132 Israeli individuals were killed by Palestinian militant bomb/suicide attacks within Israel proper between 2000 and 2004. Despite the arguable decline in the Israeli public's support for the Oslo Peace Process , Peace Now succeeded in leading

848-505: The Israeli government established the Kahan Commission on 28 September 1982. Four months later the commission found Israel to be indirectly responsible for the massacres, and recommended Ariel Sharon 's resignation. Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin at first refused to adopt the Kahan Commission 's recommendations. Consequently, Peace Now decided to hold a demonstration on 10 February 1983 that marched from Zion Square towards

901-588: The Oslo Peace Process was initiated; this process was a framework for future negotiations which aimed to resolve the Israel-Palestine conflict within a five-year period according to the logic of the ' two state solution ', as set out in UN General Assembly Resolution 181 . Peace Now supported the Oslo Accords , and since then it has called upon all Israeli administrations to date to adhere to

954-624: The United Kingdom and ILS 555,000 from the Belgian government. The Knesset passed a law in 2008 requiring Israeli organizations to publicize any foreign funding they receive. The law was aimed specifically at Peace Now. In 2011, the Knesset passed a law which required organizations to report each quarter on any foreign funding they receive. In November 2011, Benyamin Netanyahu 's government began proceedings to introduce legislation which would place

1007-582: The 'Mate ha-Rov' ("majority camp") demonstration on 14 May 2004 in Tel Aviv, in order to pressure the Israeli government to adopt the Disengagement Plan. However, support for the Disengagement Plan faced contention within the Peace Now camp over its unilateral nature. Peace Now decided it was most important for Israel to withdraw from the Gaza Strip, regardless of how this withdrawal was to take place. One of

1060-465: The Defence Ministry used Peace Now's services to monitor West Bank settlement construction. In 2006, Peace Now director Yariv Oppenheimer reportedly urged the U.S. to pressure Israel into evacuating West Bank outposts, according to a leaked U.S. diplomatic cable. Oppenheimer was quoted as saying that Israel might "evacuate a few outposts to show the U.S. that it is doing something, but in exchange it

1113-653: The Defense Minister had the authority to authorize new outpost communities. According to the Land of Israel Legal Forum, nearly all of the Jewish neighborhoods deemed "unauthorized" by Talia Sasson were established before Mazuz’s 2004 stipulation and are therefore, in fact, legally authorized. Such an argument has yet to be legally established. Sasson recommended that Sharon consider criminal investigations against those suspected of involvement. Palestinian officials reacted angrily to

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1166-522: The Housing Ministry be stripped of authority over construction of settlements in the West Bank, and that this power be transferred to the cabinet. The Housing Minister at the time of the tabling the report, Isaac Herzog ( Labour ), said following the release of the report that every expense earmarked for the settlements would subsequently need the approval of the Ministry's director-general. Up until then,

1219-522: The Israel Defense Forces. Amongst the duties of the post, defense ministers can request administrative detention . Because of the intensive work and the tension between the political echelon to the military echelon, frequently disagreements and difference of opinion are created between the defense minister and the chief of staff. Peace Now Peace Now ( Hebrew : שלום עכשיו Shalom Achshav , IPA: [ʃaˈlom (ʔ)aχˈʃav] )

1272-461: The Prime Minister of Israel. They called for the Israeli government not to squander the historic opportunity for peace between the two nations. The officers realized that Israel could not retain its Jewish-democratic nature while perpetuating its rule over one million Arabs. They concluded that Israel's security needs could only be met by the attainment of peace between Israel and its neighbours via

1325-523: The Prime Minister's residence in Jerusalem in order to pressure the government to do so. In the wake of the Sabra and Shatila massacre , Peace Now led a march from Zion Square and moved towards the Prime Ministers' Office in Jerusalem on 10 February 1983. During the march Peace Now demonstrators encountered a group of right-wing activists. In the ensuing confrontation, Yona Avrushmi tossed a hand-grenade into

1378-549: The Sasson Report, the establishment of an outpost requires government approval. However, such a regulation was not put in place until 6 December 2004, when Attorney General Menachem Mazuz issued the directive. Until then, according to the Legal Forum for the Land of Israel , a group of pro-settlement attorneys, the status of an outpost was regulated in accordance with Government Resolution 150 from 2 August 1996, which stipulated that

1431-464: The Shatila refugee camp . On 25 September 1982 Peace Now held a mass protest in Tel Aviv in order to pressure the government to establish a national inquiry commission to investigate the massacres, as well as calling for the resignation of the defence minister Ariel Sharon . Peace Now's 1982 demonstration was attended by 400,000 people, approximately 10% of Israel's population at the time. Subsequently,

1484-517: The West Bank. In response to the demolition of three homes in the Migron settlement (as a result of a petition submitted to the Israeli Supreme Court by Peace Now in 2006), right-wing demonstrators spray-painted 'Price Tag Migron', 'Revenge' and 'Death to Traitors' on the entrance to the residence of Hagit Ofran, the head of Peace Now's 'Settlement Watch' project, in early October 2011. Following

1537-596: The West as a democratic country. Peace Now received a certificate of merit from the Israeli government and IDF for support given to IDF reserve soldiers. The certificate was issued as part of a competition which honours organizations, businesses and companies whose workers serve as reservists and are supported by their workplace. The certificate was personally signed by Ehud Barak and Chief Reserve Officer Brigadier General Shuki Ben-Anat . It read: 'For your activity and care for employees serving in reserve duty. Your activity

1590-496: The crowd, killing Emil Grunzweig , a prominent Peace Now activist, and injuring several others. Yona Avrushmi was duly arrested, convicted of murder and given a mandatory life sentence, which was commuted to 27 years by President Ezer Weizman in 1995. Avrushmi was released on 26 January 2011. As a result of mounting public pressure on Menachem Begin to adopt the Kahan Commission 's recommendations Ariel Sharon agreed to step down as Defence Minister. However, he remained in

1643-542: The development and construction of Jewish settlements in the West Bank / East Jerusalem , the organisation and several of its leading activists have been subject to 'price-tag' attacks and death-threats. A 'price-tag' attack is defined as a violent act committed against Palestinians, Israeli security forces and/or anti-settlement organizations by pro-settlement advocates in retaliation for terrorist attacks on Israeli targets, government demolition of structures in West Bank settlements or curbs on Israeli settlement construction in

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1696-611: The expansion of Israeli settlements in the West Bank . In 2008 Peace Now received ILS 935,622 from the Norwegian embassy, ILS 547,751 from the British Foreign Office , ILS 285,857 from Germany 's Institut für Auslandsbeziehungen , and ILS 76,267 from the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs . According to Im Tirtzu , Peace Now received ILS 844,000 from the embassy of Norway in 2009, as well as ILS 731,000 from

1749-531: The following developments:- Similarly, the movement continues activity on the ground in support of evacuation through demonstrations, vigils and other campaign activity. Activities include: According to diplomatic cables leaked in April 2011, Peace Now has regularly updated both the U.S. government and the Israeli Ministry of Defense on ongoing settlement construction in the West Bank. The documents indicate that

1802-469: The gag order remained in effect, despite the suspect not being a minor. The order also applied to details about the suspect's parents, due to the politically sensitive nature of their occupation. Although the suspect had been arrested two months previously for issuing death threats against Peace Now's Director General Yariv Oppenhimer and a bomb hoax at the organisation's Jerusalem office, he was released shortly afterwards. Following court proceedings against

1855-611: The government as a minister without portfolio. In 1988 Yasser Arafat (Chairman of the PLO ) publicly accepted United Nations Security Council Resolution 242 at the PNC in Algiers. For the first time, Yasser Arafat accepted Israel's existence according to its borders set out in United Nations General Assembly Resolution 181 , and rejected and condemned the use of terrorism in all its forms. In reaction Peace Now led

1908-581: The government of Israel , is the governmental department responsible for defending the State of Israel from internal and external military threats. Its political head is the defense minister of Israel, and its offices are located in HaKirya , Tel Aviv . The Ministry of Defense oversees most of the Israeli security forces , including the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), Israel Military Industries (IMI), and Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI). The ministry

1961-417: The heads of each department at the Ministry had been able to sign off on expenses for various construction and infrastructure matters at the settlements. The settlement expansion initiative was backed by Sharon when he was Foreign Minister under Binyamin Netanyahu . In 1998 Sharon publicly urged settlers to seize hilltops in order to break up the contiguity of Palestinian areas and prevent the establishment of

2014-461: The illegal outposts, as well as the establishment of a joint Defense Ministry and Prime Minister's Office team to coordinate the budgets for the settlements. Eitam replied in reaction to the report and the associated comments, saying that all illegal outposts he had approved during his time in office were approved in coordination with Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, had his full backing and were sometimes initiated by him. [2] Eitam claimed that Talia Sasson

2067-407: The incident, a police investigation was opened. Approximately two months later, another 'price tag' attack was carried out, again at Hagit Ofran's residence. At the 2011 Rabin commemoration rally in Tel Aviv, Hagit Ofran stated in reference to the recent 'price tag attacks': "The graffiti was sprayed in my home, but the taunts are in all of our stairwells. The tag may have marked me, but we all pay

2120-413: The land "held" for the West Bank settlements is privately owned by Palestinians. According to Peace Now, 24% of the land on which the settlements are actually built is Palestinian property. Ministry of Defense (Israel) The Ministry of Defense ( Hebrew : משרד הביטחון , romanized :  Misrad HaBitahon , lit.   'Ministry of Security', acronym: Hebrew : משהב"ט ) of

2173-417: The most important activities of Peace Now is its ongoing Settlement Watch project which monitors and protests against the building of Jewish settlements in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem. Dror Aktes headed this committee until 2007 when he was replaced by Hagit Ofran . The project focuses on the following issues with regards to the settlements:- Peace Now's Settlement Watch project has resulted in

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2226-518: The one who sent us in order to protect the roads and land is the prime minister so he should look in the mirror. Mr Sharon has to be questioned - not us." According to the Haaretz newspaper, Herzog claimed that "the main responsibility for the building of illegal outposts in recent years falls with my predecessor, Effi Eitam and his director general." He also added that when he took up the position earlier this year, he ordered that no funds be transferred to

2279-549: The organisation Peace Now seeks to promote its various causes via an active presence on such social networking sites as Facebook . Against the background of the 'Boycott Laws' which were being passed through the Knesset in July 2011, the popular Israeli internet site 'Horim B’reshet' made a survey of the most popular Israeli protest Facebook pages, of which Peace Now's page ranked 5th. Peace Now aims to educate leading decision makers on

2332-609: The outbreak of the Second Intifada, it was instrumental in creating the Israeli Peace Coalition, which later evolved into the Israeli-Palestine Peace Coalition. Its main objective is to end the Israeli occupation of Palestinian lands, and to achieve a just, lasting and comprehensive peace based on a two-state solution. Peace Now was a key advocate of Israel's 2004 Disengagement Plan . Peace Now led

2385-479: The perceived counterproductive effects the settlements have on the attainment of the two-state solution. One such tour was conducted by Peace Now in August 2009 and attended by such figures as MKs Ophir Pines-Paz ( Labor ), Daniel Ben-Simon (Labor) and Chaim Oron ( Meretz Chairman). Peace Now organises demonstrations and rallies in support of peace and human rights:- Due to Peace Now's continued opposition to

2438-462: The price. We must not fear. We are here, and we are many. We have a voice and we must raise it. And today we say to Benjamin Netanyahu: We are not afraid." On 6 November 2011, Peace Now's Jerusalem office received a bomb threat. Police were called to the scene and the building was evacuated. The threat was later found to be a hoax. Following a brief investigation, Jerusalem District Police arrested

2491-458: The proposed legislation. They argue that the legislation prevents foreign governments and organizations from unduly influencing Israel's domestic affairs. The legislation has encountered notable resistance from within Israel itself and abroad. The governments of the United Kingdom and the United States warned Benyamin Netanyahu that the adoption of such measures would harm Israel's standing in

2544-442: The report. "It is time for the international community to say 'enough' to Israel and work with the same determination as on other matters," said Palestinian Prime Minister Ahmed Qurei . A US embassy spokesman in Tel Aviv also repeated Washington's longstanding call for Israel to remove the outposts. Settler leader Shaul Goldstein said Mr Sharon should be the one to face questioning over the report's findings, adding "It's obvious that

2597-605: The second most important position in the Israeli cabinet , and usually has a deputy minister. The defense minister is also a permanent member of the Security Cabinet . Due to the great importance of the defense portfolio, prime ministers have often held the position in addition to their prime ministerial duties; eight of the twenty defense ministers to date were also serving prime ministers. Six of them ( Moshe Dayan , Yitzhak Rabin , Ehud Barak , Shaul Mofaz , Moshe Ya'alon and Benny Gantz ) are also former Chiefs of Staff of

2650-441: The suspect, he was released to house arrest and forced to wear an electronic bracelet, yet his 'price-tag' activities continued. On 27 November 2011, it was reported that the unnamed individual issued death-threats (via email) against all of Peace Now's core team from his Jerusalem house. The gag order remained. Peace Now has received funding from foreign states and international organizations for such projects as those which measure

2703-599: The terms of interim agreements which were agreed upon as part of the Oslo Peace Process . Since the outbreak of the violent Second Intifada in December 2000, Peace Now has arguably lost a certain degree of the Israeli public's support. While the First Intifada was largely a popular movement on the part of the Palestinian public, the Second Intifada consisted of far more violent confrontations between Palestinian militants and

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2756-520: Was established when the British Mandate of Palestine ended, and the British Army departed Palestine and the State of Israel was formed. This ended the rag-tag militia units during British rule and gave way to the formal defense of the Jewish state. The defense minister of Israel ( Hebrew : שר הביטחון , Sar HaBitahon , lit. Minister of Security) heads the ministry. The post is considered to be

2809-488: Was not an objective surveyor and that the report was politically motivated. In November 2006, the Israeli NGO Peace Now published a report which they claimed to be mostly based on the same government data as used by Sasson. According to the report, almost 40% of the land area of West Bank settlements is privately owned by Palestinians. However, in 2007 Peace Now released partially reduced figures estimating 32.4% of

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