Israel Matzav

J Street's swan song?

Another MK who is attending, Nachman Shai, defended his participation, but took offense at Ben-Ami’s claim that J Street was the equivalent of Kadima in Israel. “He can say that J Street is Kadima,” Shai put it, “but Kadima is not J Street. I am not a supporter of J Street, but I support Jews helping Israel, each in its own way.” He said he is participating because he wants to answer the questions of American young people who are critical of Israel, or else “we may lose them.” As a result, he now plans to change his prepared remarks at the J Street event by focusing on the issue of Israel’s legitimacy, would defend building in Jewish neighborhoods in Jerusalem and the building of settlements outside of the capital.

Another MK who is attending, Yoel Hasson, said he would criticize J Street for opposing the U.S. veto at the Security Council.

So J Street, it turns out, will not be getting what it sought by inviting Kadima to their conference. Instead of support and affirmation, they will not receive bold criticism.

For those of Kadima who still believe that J Street is not left-wing and is a “legitimate organization that wants to help Israel,” as Hasson does, he will be in for a surprise. He will find that playing a big role in the conference are major opponents of both Israel policy and Israel itself, including Peter Beinart—who is actually being honored as a “hero;” Roger Cohen of The New York Times, New Israel Fund president Naomi Chazan, Benard Avishai, whose recent cover in The New York Times Magazine story was taken apart by Sol Stern, Robert Malley who was so controversial that the Obama administration did not let him advise on the Middle East during the 2008 campaign, Dr. Mustafa Barghouti of the Palestinian National Initiative, Ambassador Maen Areikat of the PLO Delegation to the UN, the contentious critic of Israel from The Nation magazine, Eric Alterman, and the far left editor and founder of the virulent anti-Israel publication Tikkun, Michael Lerner.

As a shrewd observer of the foibles of J Street e-mailed me, it has become political poison not only for pro-Israel Democrats in Congress to align with J Street, but now it is becoming the same for pro-Israel Israeli politicians.

J Street may be getting 2000 attendees this year, and moved its conference from a hotel to the large Convention Center in DC, but judging from the flack it is getting even before the conference starts, this could well be its swan song.

Labels: J Street, Obama's blocking back, pro-Israel pro-peace

posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 9:19 AM