Good for NPR; it aired a report on the new "J Street" lobby, an alternative to Aipac, this morning. NPR’s got a lot of liberal Jewish listeners. Will they support J Street?
Reporter Michele Keleman interviewed Dennis Ross of WINEP for the piece. Ross said that to be effective J Street would "have to in some ways reflect the Aipac model, I suspect. Meaning first, it’s nonpartisan. Second, it’s also nonpartisan within Israel and is able to bring Israelis from across the political spectrum here." [my emphasis]
This is hogwash. To be effective, J Street must work against Netanyahu and the colonialist movement in Israel. It should specifically act to prevent their voices from being heard–as, say, AEI for its part promotes Dore Gold here ad nauseum, or as the neocons championed Ahmed Chalabi in the case of a country they wanted to change. I sure hope J Street wants to change Israel’s behavior. Ross is saying that American Jewish activists must reflect the politics of the Israeli status quo. This is an abdication of moral, political and intellectual powers–and an argument for dual loyalty. American activists should operate on their own values and choose whoever they want in that brutalized society who reflects their point of view. That’s how change will happen.
