J Street convenes in Washington, but can it take on AIPAC?

When US money and other aid travels to Israel in large amounts for decades and there is no recipricol action (like making peace with neighbors), US Jews and Americans do have a right to get involved. Also, Israel is putting American international security at risk. If the Israeli-Palestinian conflict was resolved, it would be better for USA. Freeman, Americans want you to look at Arabs differently, we want to look at Arabs as they will be your new friends. Grow up and get modern.

I'm glad that we are finally getting some alternative to AIPAC. All we ever get is the one-sided Likud export to Israel by people who are fanatical and uncompromising in their beliefs. I hope we can now have a more balanced and reasonable debate on what "pro-Israel" means rather than blindly defending every single one of their policies as a security matter. By the way, #28, you seem to confuse the right to self-defense with the right to target civilians all across the Gaza strip. Every country has the right to self defense, but that doesn't include to right to destroy targets that have nothing to do with the threat. Look it up. The fact that you use the word "Judenrein" to talk about the withdrawal from the Gaza strip is also very typical of extreme propogandists.

Groups like American Friends of Peace Now and the American branch of Likud promote various versions of Zionism to American Jews. They also support their ideological brothers in putting their views before the Israeli public for them to decide upon in elections. J Street is a different animal altogether. It proposes to mobilize a segment of US Jewish (and non-Jewish) opinion to influence US government policy to put pressure on the Israeli government to act the way J Street thinks is right -- regardless of the views of the Israeli electorate! Can someone explain to me how that's "pro-Israel"?

The leaders of J Street deny Israel the right of self defence. To condemn the gaza operation after 8 years of persistent missile attacks on israel and after israel made gaza judenrein is nothing more than betrayal of your brothers and sisters in israel. When has Judas Street ever supported israel's right to defend itself. It attacked the operation in lebanon depsite the massive missile strike on Israel and it condemns israel ahead of time for the possible need to remove the existential threat of an iranian nuclear weapon. So Judas Street, when is it allowed for Israel to protect the jewish people? I am sure Judas Street will give wonderful eulogies (making their members shed oceans of tears) if israel is destroyed, but not one word of support for us to prevent it. These are politicaly correct corrupted jews who are more concerned with looking radical and chic in their elitist circles than dealing with the true challenges and threats to their people.

Does Israel really need American Jews lobbying to put pressure on it? Does it really need American Jews adopting positions which have no sense whatever of the realities on the ground in the Palestinian and Arab worlds? The JStreet people are simply a tool for enabling American pressure on Israel. However the pressure no matter how strongly applied can never solve the basic problem of Arab intransigence, the basic cause of the conflict. They are misguided and can only do damage.

James my friend, Americans have and still do love and care about the survival od Israel, but enough is enough. There's many Americans that "fell out of love with Israel," when the Oslo Accords colapsed. Americans want peace and don't understand why the Jews and Pals just do it! Americans don't hate Arabs; we buy our oil from them.

that might become a really big part of their organization. i mean, its really discriminatory, having this 'jewish' organization. it should be opened up to everybody. who do they think they are, the chosen people or something?

has been tepid to J-Street's entreaties. When a supposed pro-Israeli lobbying group is going to start its inaugeral meeting with comments such as "this conference will not be forgiving of Israel, nor will it offer unmitigated support. Tough questions will be asked and every aspect of Israel's policies and relationship with the U.S. come under scrutiny; even a debate about "what it means to be pro-Israel" was promised." It seems not only fair, but rational for Israelis and the Israeli government to "not offer unmitigated support. Certainly tough questions and scrutiny of J-Street is warrented as well. That the Ha'Aretz pundit points to the fact that J-Street is more in line with Obama than Israel should raise questions to J-Street's leadership just who are they lobbying for, and who are they lobbying to?

First Ritch, If you think "AIPAC is far more pro-peace then J Street is pro-Israel" then fine. I disagree, but fine. However, J Street is "racist"?!? Especially when compared to AIPAC, that is just laughable. Roger, What is it with your ilk that seems to think a just peace is pro-Arab? That someone that wants to stop the killing is pro-Arab? How does J Street want "to sell Israel to the Arabs"? Kind of a dumb statement. This is what is called debate in Israel?

Finally, J Street, an organization that I can support that has as its mission the long-term peaceful survival of Israel, and that aligns itself with my Abrahamic heritage and beliefs! Peace, Manny Hotchkiss Portland, Oregon USA

AIPAC still has the money and teh right wing clowns of America, but its hold is weakening and J STreet is growing by leaps and bounds. It's simple: we don't want to see Israel --homeland of teh Jewish people-- turned into South Africa or Belgium.

When was the last time you talked to "all Americans" about this?

Under the laws that AIPAC was founded and incorporated, the AIPAC group can only technically lobby the Congress and Executive Branch. Being a foreign lobbyist in WASH DC is a different structure. JStreet and AIPAC competing--well yes--competing for the proper US policy towards Israel. Americans other than the American Jews are also very important in this debate. And Israelis should never forget this fact.

No no no. Though Aipac is perceived a more right wing in America that is because it tries to work as a lobby for Israel. It does not develop its own agenda. Those idiots a J Street left wing americans think they know better than Israel. They are not a lobby for Israel they lobby for their own leftist agenda. Not really what a lobby it. Not that they don't have a right to exist. They are playing on the young american left that is tired of war in the middle east. These kids didn't grow up with historical founding of Israel and the work to build Israel. We are all for peace. But Israeli citizens vote for the party they want to support the peace agenda. Then we get in line to support them. We are not citizens. It is kind of treasonous to negatively impact a relationship with a foreign government. AIPAC supports Israel based on the Israeli government. The Israelis went right wing. Thats what we have to live with. Go protest if you don't like it. But don't screw with the Ame

Sounds a little stupid to me that the ambassador snubs this group.He wont lose anything by just listening to another approach ,I think it casts a poor reflection on him or his masters in Jerusalem.Reminds me of "Ever decreasing circles"

I live in Shavei Shomron in Samaria, and I see no problem at all about what's going on here. Why is the world focusing on us? There was no one before us, we brought the material to construct our homes, it was a desert before!

...that support of Israel does not mean support of every policy of every Israeli coalition government. Since when does support of any country mean that? Does every Jewish American support every Administration from either party and everything it does? Of course not. Does it mean anyone's unpatriotic, idiotic or a traitor? Of course not. AIPAC and the Jewish sentiments it encourages know none of this.

J Street differed significantly with Obama over whether Israel had the right to use military force in self-defense against Hamas rocket attacks on Sderot. J Street condemned Operation Cast Lead within 24 hours after it started. Furthermore, J Street rewarded Representative Donna Edwards with campaign donations for voting "present" rather than "yes" on Speaker Pelosi's January 9 resolution endorsing Israel's right to self-defense. In contrast, Obama resisted calls to condemn Operation Cast Lead, giving tacit support to the Israeli military operation. Obama, unlike J Street, took the position of Israel's center-left Labor Party or its leftwing Meretz Party that the initial stages of Operation Cast Lead were justified. It is false to claim that J Street's positions are "in line" with those of Obama.

AIPAC is pro a Fatah Palestinian state, so how does J Street really differ?

The success or failure of J Street will depend, in the final analysis, on whether the Israeli peace movement can recuperate. If the propaganda of the Likud and its allies continue to successfully brain-wash the Israeli public, American Jewish pressure on Israel will be a no-starter.

According to J Street Director Jeremy Ben-Ami he wants to reach "Jewish and other Americans who have found it hard to connect to traditional pro-Israel advocacy." That being the case, having as their keynote speaker one Jim Jones, decorated former Marine Commandant and current National Security Advisor to the President of the United States, is worth having in the audience ten Michael Orens, spokesman for an unyielding right-wing government that is alienating the leaders of friendly nations all over the world.

that JStreet cannot stand simply as a pro-Israel, pro-peace organization; it must be a 'lobby' and 'compete' with AIPAC. Nonsense. I think that JStreet has definitely hit a resonance with American Jews who are not regulars at political fundraisers, who do not have the money to plant trees in Israel, who vote Democratic and who do not bandy about nasty epithets about the President of the United States. This, of course, distinguishes JStreet sympathizers from AIPAC and the "Commentary" crowd of plutocrats, yet I get no sense that JStreet aspires to lobby for Israel, as AIPAC does. How can it compete for something it is not going to do? In fact, it seems to want to lobby for the majority of American Jews who break out in a rash at the policies of the current government of Israel. We feel that present policies will destroy Israel, and we oppose them.

Oren's refusal to show tells us that the words from Netanyahu about " two states" is simply deception. If not, Oren would have been there. At least now American Jews can weigh the differences between a compliant AIPAC and JStreet, whose 'real peace ' platform tells it like it is. One must be proud that a peace group has finally penetrated the bluster.

The reason US Jews and other supporters of Israel are alienated is that many groups got distracted from their pro-Israel focus. Instead of standing up for Israel, they stood up for the "peace" process. Certain groups and politicians even tied Israel's legitimacy to the "peace" process and tried to argue that Israel was founded through the benevolence of the UN. Those who support Israel support it because they support the Jewish people's right to be a free people in their own land. That right has nothing to do with what other states say or with worthless agreements that our "partners" ignore. Furthermore, making the claim that those who oppose this focus are somehow anti-peace is snobbish and shallow. Everyone wants peace, the question is whether we attain it by emboldening Israel's enemies and giving them incentives to continue violence or by finally saying, "Enough!" It's too bad more Jewish groups haven't said "Enough!" to the likes of J Street and its misguided leaders.

it must start with Hamastan.

J-street wants to sell Israel to the Arabs!

I think AIPAC is far more pro-Peace than J(ew) Street is pro-Israel. For one J(ew) Street is racist while AIPAC is has a far broader tent- although it does, contrary to J(ew) Street exclude pro-Ahmindinijad, pro-Islamists extremists.

J Street is great news and is already having an effect with the usual suspects of the US "support settlement building and war crimes" lobbies getting very hot under the collar at a voice of reason appearing on the scene. J Street threatens to break the iron grip of belligerant Zionism that has hijacked the US political scene for so long. Heaven help us - we might even have a sensible debate about how to end the conflict!

The message is ridiculous, what is this 'approach' to peace that is so unique? Throw down your rifles and "hope" for "change" is not applicable in Israel. Eventually J Street will be exposed for its lack of validity and support will dwindle as it garners the stigma of a fringe & extremist organization.

Finally we get a lobby that is balanced and fair to Israel and the Palestinians AIPAC is so biased and blind that it actually hurts Israel and Jews everywhere. Let's pray that this organization becomes the voice of American Jewry and not the lapdog of Pro-Zionist Western evangelicals and war mongers

the Jews believe in supporting Israel. Lets face it from an American view the Arabs are the enemy.

not themselves like the aipac, neocons lukuds...hurrah to J street

To what effect? Time will only tell how effective a lobbying organization J Street will be. But it has already demonstrated that AIPAC, AJC, UCJ, the Conference of Presidents of Major Jewish Organizations and the rest of the Zionist lobby do not speak for many American Jews. For an 18 month-old organization to have a quarter of Congress at its coming out party is also rather astounding. There is much more support for moderate views than the "mainstream Jewish leaders" want to admit. Another effect of JStreet may be to move some of these other groups to more moderate positions.