Daniel Halper - The Weekly Standard, October 6th, 2010
Never mind for a moment that J Street lied about accepting George Soros's money, that the so-called pro-Israel group is accepting cash from a mysterious foreign national, and that J Street helped facilitate Richard Goldstone's visit to Capitol Hill — though all three troubling facts have rightly been in the news a lot lately.
Here's a shameful — and wrong — history lesson from one of J Street's co-founders, Daniel Levy, and it should dispel any remaining claim that J Street is in fact a pro-Israel group:
One can be a utilitarian two-stater, in other words think that the practical pragmatic way forward is two states. This is my understanding of the current Hamas position. One can be an ideological two-stater, someone who believes in exclusively the Palestinian self-determination and in Zionism; I don’t believe that it’s impossible to have a progressive Zionism. Or one can be a one-stater. But in either of those outcomes we’re going to live next door to each other or in a one state disposition. And that means wrapping one’s head around the humanity of both sides. I believe the way Jewish history was in 1948 excused – for me, it was good enough for me – an act that was wrong. I don’t expect Palestinians to think that. I have no reason – there’s no reason a Palestinian should think there was justice in the creation of Israel.
Translation for this: The founding of the Jewish state in the land of Israel was unjust. Quite plainly, there is no other way to read this bit.
According to the source for this quotation, Mere Rhetoric, Levy also went on to excuse terrorism against innocent Israelis by saying, “it's 'natural' for Gazans to want to attack Israelis.”
So, what's Levy's role in J Street? He's a co-founder, but he's also listed on a recent tax return as being a member of its board. Political groups reflect the views of the people who founded them and the folks that sit on their boards. There is absolutely no reason to believe that J Street, through its actions, does not reflect the views that Levy holds.
Anti-Israel folks and groups abound. Curiously, though, very few of these pretend to be pro-Israel.
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Don't let them silence your voice
Wednesday, October 6, 2010 1:29 PM
From:
"Isaac Luria, J Street"
When J Street held its first national conference last October, right-wing political operatives launched a coordinated campaign to scare members of Congress out of attending.
Their campaign backfired as more than 1500 people turned out at the conference, 20 organizations participated, 148 members of Congress served on our Host Committee, and over 150 media from over 19 countries covered the event. [1]
Our movement made a powerful statement that the voice of pro-Israel, pro-peace Americans would be silent no more and that neoconservative smear campaigns would not win the day.
Now, with Israeli-Palestinian talks on a knife's edge, the same cast of characters is at it again. Far-right publications, Tea Party political candidates, and even the #2 Republican in the U.S. House Eric Cantor are attacking J Street in a concerted effort to silence our voice and undermine serious efforts to end the Israeli-Palestinian conflict through a two-state solution. [2]
With your help, their campaign will backfire again - and our second conference this coming February will be an even bigger success.
We stand at a real crossroads of history in the effort to end the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Within the reach of the leaders of Israel, the Palestinians and the United States is a negotiated solution to the decades-old conflict and a real chance of achieving two states for two peoples and peace and security for the broader region.
The far-right is desperately afraid of the talks and the concessions necessary to achieve peace - and they're really worried that we're creating the political space that will make it possible.
A huge turn-out at our second national conference in February of 2011 will demonstrate the depth of support that exists across America for strong leadership to end this conflict now. With your support, we can turn back the neoconservative attacks and pave the way for real leadership to end this conflict now.
Click here to make history again in 2011 and be part of the largest-ever gathering of pro-Israel, pro-peace activists.
We're calling this year's conference "Giving Voice to Your Values" and if there were ever a time to stand up for your values on this issue, this is it.
Together with hundreds and thousands of activists and in partnership with dozens of organizations, we'll take a strong stand for diversity and tolerance, peace and compromise, compassion and justice for Israel and the Palestinians.
Join us as we strategize, learn, challenge, question, advocate and mobilize. Learn how to connect what you're doing in your community with what is going on in the halls of power here and the streets of the region.
Turning out in force and demonstrating that we will not be silenced is the perfect answer to those who attack us. Together, we will make it clear that the dynamics of American politics on Israel are changing.
Isaac Luria
V.P., Communications and New Media
J Street
October 6, 2010
[1] "J Street Conference 2009: Media Coverage," by J Street.
[2] "Jewish Group Falls from Favor with the White House," by Eli Lake. Washington Times, September 27, 2010.
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J Street is the political home of the pro-Israel, pro-peace movement.
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DERSHOWITZ & J STREET DEBATE
http://israelmatzav.blogspot.com/2010/10/dershowitz-v-ben-ami.html
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