J Street has found its issue, and maybe its voice, too. It's calling on the Jewish leadership to come out against the Hebron settlers' "pogroms." Specifically, J Street wonders why Malcolm Hoenlein of the Conference of Presidents has said nothing. We can tell you why he's said nothing–because some of his constituent organizations, including ZOA, are four-square for the Hebron settlers! J Street is full-throated, at last:
extremism. Because, while mainstream Israelis recognize the necessity
of reining in the settler movement, a large part of the money
supporting the settlers' presence in Hebron is coming from right here
in America. The Brooklyn-based Hebron Fund, for instance, has raised at
least $6.6 million since 2002 to support the extremist Jewish community
in Hebron – and is actively undermining the possibility of a
two-state solution with the Palestinians.
So J Street has found a wedge issue: Extremist settlers. Once it builds its constituency around this question, it might really play oedipus and turn on AIPAC (because AIPAC won't know what to do on this one; too many of its members are for Eretz Israel). And one day it will call on congressmen and Obama to denounce the extremist settlers. Good luck to J Street. And look at this space for continuing coverage of the fabric store on 6th Avenue which is funneling very upstanding American Jews' money to the Hebron extremists, for "urgent security needs."
