http://jta.org/news/article/2009/12/10/1009659/oren-blasts-j-street
WASHINGTON (JTA) -- The Israeli ambassador to the United States blasted J Street, saying the organization was "fooling around with the lives of 7 million people."
Michael Oren, responding to a question during an appearance Monday before the United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism's biennial convention, described the left-wing pro-Israel group as "a unique problem in that it not only opposes one policy of one Israeli government, it opposes all policies of all Israeli governments. It's significantly out of the mainstream," The Forward reported. "This is not a matter of settlements here [or] there," said Oren. "We understand that there are differences of opinion. But when it comes to the survival of the Jewish state, there should be no differences of opinion. You are fooling around with the lives of 7 million people. This is no joke."
Among the policies Oren pointed to as problematic were J Street's criticism of Israel's attack on Gaza last winter, its refusal to reject the Goldstone report and its failure to support additional sanctions on Iran. The same morning Oren spoke, J Street released a statement announcing that it now backed passage of Iran sanctions legislation in Congress.
Oren's remarks were much more critical than a statement from an Israeli Embassy spokesman in October, when Oren declined an invitation to address J Street's inaugural conference. At that time, the embassy said it would be "privately communicating its concerns over certain policies of the organization that may impair the interests of Israel."
J Street executive director Jeremy Ben-Ami told The Forward that Oren was misrepresenting J Street's position.
"I don't quite understand how it is in the State of Israel's interest to look at J Street as a problem, to write off an organization that represents a large number of American Jews," he said.
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just what the world needed ,another jewish organization in bed with the enemies of israel-i'm sure,however,the leaders will be invited to the white house hanukkah party,notwithstanding the guest list has been cut in half this year
In a message dated 12/11/2009 11:52:16 A.M. Eastern Standard Time, lorilowenthalmarcus@yahoo.com writes:
Israeli Envoy to US X-s Out J Street
Kislev 24, 5770, 11 December 09 01:39
by Ernie Singer
(Israelnationalnews.com) Michael Oren, Israeli Ambassador to the United States, has taken an unprecedented swipe at the “pro-peace” J Street lobby that also accepts Hamas, saying the two-year-old group is “significantly out of the mainstream.”
J Street, heavily funded by billionaire George Soros, has called for Israel to negotiate with Hamas and has criticized the country for the Operation Cast Lead counterterrorist campaign against Hamas attacks on civilians in farms, towns and cities. Unlike the pro-Israel American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) lobby, J Street actively campaigns for Congressional candidates who want Israel to surrender all land restored to the country in the Six-Day War in 1967.
The group supports dividing Jerusalem so that the eastern portion, including the Temple Mount and Western Wall, would be the capital of Palestinian Authority state. It also has taken a generally dovish issue on the Iranian nuclear threat.
Oren this week told delegates at a conservative Jewish convention that J Street “not only opposes one policy of one Israeli government, it [also] opposes all policies of all Israeli governments. It’s significantly out of the mainstream.”
The ambassador previously rejected an invitation to address the political lobby’s conference in Washington two months ago, stating that J Street’s policies "might impair Israel's interests."
J Street also was one of the few Jewish groups that did not condemn the Goldstone report, which accused Israel of committing war crimes in Operation Cast Lead while barely mentioning Hamas’ attacks on Israel. The United Nations-authorized report said Hamas “may have been guilty” of “some” war crimes.
”When it comes to the survival of the Jewish state, there should be no differences of opinion,” Oren staged. “You are fooling around with the lives of 7 million people. This is no joke.”
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