The largest pro-Israel lobby in the country, AIPAC, is trying to leverage is Capitol Hill supports to issue a steadfast expression of support for the Jewish state following last month’s highly controversial raid on an aid ship from Turkey. Even though the Israeli public and Israel supporters have come out backing Israel for defending its borders from terrorists, the European community has predictably issued anti-Israel responses that ignore hard facts.
Well, J Street has picked its horse. Instead of looking at the facts and supporting assertions that Israel did not commit an immoral act by defending its borders, J Street has decided instead to use the incident to oppose AIPAC’s efforts and use the event to promote a policy against the blockade.
In a letter to lawmakers, J Street wrote:
“The sign-on letters now circulating in the House and Senate, while expressing strong American support for Israel – a position we endorse – fail to address the impact of the present closure of Gaza on the civilian population, the deep American interest in resolving this conflict diplomatically, or the urgency of moving forward with diplomacy before it is too late. By ignoring these critical issues in favor of a simplistic statement that supports Israeli policy and actions, Congress is serving neither the best interests of the United States or of Israel.”
There is a time and and a place for politics. Regardless of J Street’s position on the blockade, Israel faced undeserved criticism and international bias and needed the pro-Israel community to stand behind it. Instead, J Street abandoned Israel to score political points.