I have many issues with J Street (see here), but good on its head Jeremy Ben-Ami challenging the Israeli government over its increasingly erratic public statements:
Being an Israeli ambassador these days can’t be easy. On the one hand, you’re working for a prime minister whose strong suit is public relations, who at least talks of peace with the Palestinians and who has consistently judged that engaging in the diplomatic process rather than refusing to talk plays better with domestic and international audiences.
On the other hand, you’re working for a foreign minister who seems to have missed Diplomacy 101 during his orientation. This boss dismisses traditional diplomacy as “groveling” and prefers that Israel lecture the world rather than engage it.
Talk about a rock and a hard place. As one of your bosses talks up the Israeli interest in negotiation and compromise, the other pulls the country unflinchingly toward a racist, undemocratic future.
Along comes a pro-Israel lobby anxious to support the government if it moves beyond speeches about peace to serious action to end the occupation and save the country’s Jewish and democratic character – and what should you do?
ONE NATURAL diplomatic instinct might be to build the biggest possible tent for pro-Israel advocacy, including those who disagree at times with government policies.
If you happened to be a student of history and a more-than-casual observer of the American Jewish community, you would undoubtedly note that Israeli ambassadors have long dealt with pro-Israel groups who disagree publicly (and at times vehemently) with the government – whether over Oslo or the Gaza withdrawal or, going back 30 years, over withdrawal from the Sinai.
However, returning home to Jerusalem this past week, you would have gotten little clear guidance from your bosses. You would have heard the prime minister say that the conditions are ripe for a peace agreement with the Palestinians and the foreign minister calling those same Palestinians a “bunch of terrorists” with whom there is no chance of achieving peace for a generation.
“If you happened to be a student of history and a more-than-casual observer of the American Jewish community, you would undoubtedly note that Israeli ambassadors have long dealt with pro-Israel groups who disagree publicly (and at times vehemently) with the government”
And there’s the problem. Most Jewish and Israeli leaders have reached the conclusion that J-Street is not a “Pro-Israel” group. With funding from all the usual Israel-hating suspects and a policy platform that is rejected by overwhelming majorities of both American and Israeli Jews, J-Street simply doesn’t offer anything that isn’t already available from any one of the dozens of groups that don’t hide their hostility to Israel. J-Street Board member Hanna Rosenthal was recently appointed as Obama’s Office for combatting anti-Semitism and the first person she criticises from that bully pulpit is Israel’s ambassador to the USA. Not Hamas, not Hezbollah, not the resurgence of neo-Nazism in Eastern Europe and former Soviet States. Not even a mention of the murder at the Washington Holocaust museum. Nope, her first target for criticism was an Israeli Jew. Sorry but their claim of being “pro-Israel, Pro-Peace” just isn’t taken seriously anymore.
Cant be taken seriously any more so says Shaun the Irish Israeli,member of the propaganda Dept,and all round BS and liar,a man paid to cover up and abuse anyone who disagrees with the official Govt line,which you toe very well Shaun. When is a wall not a wall when Shaun says so,when is a settler not a murderer and a land thief when Shaun says so,what happens when you wage total war against women and children,why there all terrorists,says Shaun from the Propaganda Dept ,keep trying Shaun because you like your masters are running out of friends, and the old BS don’t go over as well as it used to
Nice way to crap all over Antony and his latest post asking for us to “Debate freely, disagree and argue, but don’t resort to abuse.”
John, you don’t know me or my family history any more than I know yours. Although it doesn’t have any bearing on the validity of my comments, I can asure you that I have never set foot in Ireland but I have lived in Israel. If you have nothing to bring to this forum other than dreary personal attacks, please save Antony the effort of deleting your comments and just don’t bother.
Now we’ll wait to see if Antony is a man of his word or if he can only delete comments from people who disagree with him.
John Ryan,
Hard to see any persoanl abuse in your comments. Some seem to be getting a bit sensitive.
“Ireland’!!!???
Nah, theres nothing personal about calling someone full of BS and a liar, accusing them as being a member of some ‘propoganda department” , slave to some “masters” or making stupid assumptions about a person on the simple basis of their name
“persoanl”!!!???
Squeek squeek, Shaun…when are you going to realise that you’re fighting a lost cause?…keep up the good work on behalf of HAMAS.
J Street is just another front organization for a substantial minority of the Jewish community to feign that they care and are forthrightly embarrassed that Israel is an ethnic-cleansing, illegally-armed, nuclear rogue state.
You just have to look at how overjoyed the lunatic-fringe Jews (i.e. the remaining majority of Jews) are that they now have a new front organisation to feign outrage over, due to J Street’s “reckless pandering to the terrorists.”
The charade isn’t going to last for much longer. I give it a decade. Then it’ll either be a Palestine for one and all, or a nuclear wasteland. Depending on what the lunatics decide.