Differing Israeli opinions on J Street (UPDATED)
J Street has a new video out, quoting former Israeli security officials and diplomats -- including former Shin Bet head Ami Ayalon, onetime New York consel general (and current J Street senior advisor) Colette Avital and Oslo Accords negotiator Uri Savir -- praising President Obama's Mideast policies and J Street. (A longer version of the video above can be seen here.)
Meanwhile, Lenny Ben David -- a former top diplomat at the Israeli Embassy in Washington and a one-time top AIPAC staffer -- rips into J Street in an opinion piece in The Jerusalem Post. He was reacting to an earlier Jerusalem Post article that t a handful of donors to J Street's political action committee also have connections to groups doing Palestinian and Iranian issues advocacy:
In the classic chicken-and-egg question: Does J Street set its policies to attract their donations, or do the contributors set J Street policies? At the same time, do the well-meaning progressive and true friends of Israel know who else is filling the coffers at J Street and its PAC?
Political action committees have to reveal their donors by law, but Ben David argues that J Street should also reveal the donors to its main non-profit organization as well -- something no non-profit organization is required to do -- because only throwing open for examination "all of its financial books will give J Street the kosher certification the progressive, pro-Israel, pro-peace community deserves."
Considering that neither AIPAC nor any other Jewish organization are planning to reveal their donors publicly, don't expect J Street to do so either.
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What’s the surprise ? There were Jews who would have been members of the Nazi-Party, if they would have been accepted. There were Jews serving in the
Ghetto-Judenrats and one Jew was just elected to the Revolutionary Council
of the Fatah-Terrorgroup. There are Chomskys and Finkelsteins not just in
America, but in Israel too. All of them are proud members or sympathizers
of J Street.
Just as non-profits don’t have to open their books to reveal their donors, once the question has been raised, eyebrows may also rise when the books stay closed. The best way to dispel the notion that there is something to hide is by not hiding anything. “Sunshine is the best disinfectant.”
J Street is a bunch of palestinian appologists. One may find plenty look likes through out the history of jews
J Street has been caught “cooking” their polls, miss representing their supporters (do they really have any, other then the radical left???) accepting donations from the enemies of Israel (and yet they believe themselves pro-zionist); and still the Radical Left all line up like sheep to kiss their feet.
Is it any wonder the Left have such a poor showing in israel???
At least KK has the stupidity to boast of his allegiance to J Street. The organization is invaluable for identifying traitors to Israel and the Jewish People!
OPEN THE BOOKS. If there is one change in law that frightens
wealthy Jews the most, guess what? We Jews may influence
the vote in New York, California, Florida but money talks in USA
and rich Jews know it. If putting your money where your mouth is
then how about transparency so all Americans can see affinity
transfers - the good, the bad, the ugly? Most Americans could
not care less because they are slaving for slave wages and not
inclined, disposed, nor endowed to understand the import of a
disclosure requirement. J Street represents too many American
Jews who like to “feel” good because the economic system in
which they compete & thrive also makes too many losers - so
dump on those aggressive Israeli’s who resist the “resistance
to the occupation.” Mercy for cruelty is no mercy at all and doing
so reinforces bad behavior. Moral hazard bought Saudi oil/dawa.
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Kevin Kamberg
08/25/09 03:48 PM
I am a proud member of J Street. That a former AIPAC official dislikes it just confirms for me why I joined in the first place. Not to mention that trying to dismiss an organization based on the *alleged* choices of a handful of it’s backers is a classic example of trying to destroy the message by shooting the messenger.