Israel Matzav

Association of American Jewish Lawyers and Jurists hoodwinked into promoting anti-Israel positions?

For a group of lawyers, they certainly did not do their due diligence. Last week, Red Tulips sent me an invitation to an event being sponsored on Thursday by the Association of American Jewish Lawyers and Jurists.

The American Association of Jewish Lawyers and Jurists (AAJLJ) Presents

Ensuring Israel's Security Through a Two-State Solution

A Conversation with
Ambassador Alon Pinkas

With a UN action on Palestinian statehood looming, Israel’s isolation in the international arena growing, and increased tensions in a region undergoing rapid transformation, Ambassador Pinkas, will speak about the urgency of a two-state solution to secure Israel's future as a Jewish, democratic homeland.

Ambassador Pinkas will address:

What should leaders do in advance of a likely September vote at the UN on Palestinian statehood?
How do the dynamics of the Arab Spring affect Israel's prospects for peace and security?
Does the planned reconciliation agreement between Fatah and Hamas make a peace deal with Israel more or less feasible?

Please join us on Thursday July 28th at 12:30 PM at Phillips Nizer LLP(666 Fifth Avenue, 28th Floor, NY)
Kosher Lunch will be served
Click here to RSVP

Ambassador Alon Pinkas:

From 2000 to 2004, Ambassador Alon Pinkas was Consul General of Israel supplying services to New York, New Jersey and Connecticut. In addition, he served as Chief of Staff to both Foreign Minister Shlomo Ben-Ami in 2000 and Foreign Minister David Levy from 1999 to 2000. Ambassador Pinkas was also the Foreign Policy Advisor to Ehud Barak in 1996 to 1999, when Barak was Chairman of the Labor party and the Opposition, and in 1995 to 1996 when Barak was a member of the delegation to the Middle East Economic Conference in Paris, France. He was Foreign Policy Advisor to then Labor Party Chairman Shimon Peres from 1991 to 1992.

In addition to his government service, Mr. Pinkas is an experienced journalist. He was the Chief Military and Defense correspondent for the Jerusalem Post and Chief Diplomatic Correspondent for Ma’ariv, a Hebrew language daily newspaper. He is a frequent commentator on US affairs in Israeli media and is a FOX News contributor on the Middle East and International Affairs.

I forwarded the invitation on to a couple of lawyers I know who are active in the pro-Israel community in the New York area - one of them is Lori Lowenthal Marcus, who is the founder of Z Street.

A subsequent version of the invitation that I saw included this line:

This event was made possible by J Street

Lori has now posted about it, and since I didn't have the time to do a full post myself....

But here's where J Street gets really crafty: one of the theaters in which this gig is going to be played is a summer event held by the Association of American Jewish Lawyers and Jurists. That event is an exclusive invitation-only talk being given on July 28th by former Israeli Consul General of New York Alon Pinkas to the membership of the AAJLJ. But guess what? No one told the AAJLJ organizers that Pinkas is not only part of the J Street Theater Group, but that he will be proselytizing for the positions that the democratically-elected government of Israel has vehemently rejected. So without realizing it, the AAJLJ has been hoodwinked into providing to J Street a podium and a captive audience of trained talkers who are expecting to hear a pro-Israel Israeli former diplomat at a pro-Israel event. But what they'll be hearing is that Israel must - MUST - throw Jews off their land, forfeit defensible borders to a people who won't even recognize Israel as the Jewish homeland, let alone renounce terrorism, and that it must happen before early September or else they really don't support a Jewish and Democratic state.

If you think J Street needs to apologize to the AAJLJ and to actual pro-Israel Jewish lawyers, let us know and we'll add your name to a letter calling for that.

Yes, of course, sign me up. You should all sign onto Lori's letter by going here.

But come on, AAJLJ put a line on the bottom saying that the event was made possible by J Street and they didn't know what that meant? The rumor I have heard from other people who contacted AAJLJ is that AAJLJ was asked to put on this event by someone at Israel's New York consulate who was doing a favor for Pinkas. Isn't that great? Israel's representatives in New York are acting against government policy! Where have we seen that before?

AAJLJ is apparently not very comfortable with whole situation. Apparently they are now trying to convince people that there's a difference between the event being 'made possible by J Street' and its being 'sponsored by J Street.' How lawyerly.

If you're a lawyer in the New York area and you are able to do so, please show up there tomorrow and rip Mr. Pinkas' arguments apart.

Labels: Alon Pinkas, Association of American Jewish Lawyers and Jurists, J Street

posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 8:49 PM