A senior Israeli official hinted on Monday that the lobbying group J Street can no longer be seen as a pro-Israel organization because it has allegedly been actively undermining Israeli interests in Washington, particularly on Iran.
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J Street was founded in 2008 with a goal of being "the political home for pro-Israel, pro-peace Americans who want Israel to be secure, democratic and the national home of the Jewish people." It believes in the two-state solution.
In recent weeks, J Street's endorsements of various candidates ahead of the midterm elections have drawn criticism from pro-Israel groups. The American Israel Public Affairs Committee, AIPAC, the large pro-Israel lobby in Washington, has said some of the J Steet-endorsed candidates are clearly pro-Palestinian anti-Israel. AIPAC has subsequently accused J Street of no longer being pro-Israel as a result of those endorsements.
When asked about AIPAC's accusation, the Israeli official would only say – after a long pause – "We work really well with AIPAC," implicitly criticizing J Street.
The official's comments come amid the ongoing tension with the US over the return to the 2015 nuclear deal with Iran. The administration has said that it plans to submit a deal to Congress, where J Street is expected to rally lawmakers to support it. This would run directly against Israel's campaign to derail the new arrangement.
This is not the first time that J Street has come under fire from pro-Israel elements. Its views surrounding Israel's actions in various flare-ups in Gaza, including on the Goldstone Report, as well as its support of Palestinian statehood and contact with anti-Israel activists who called for boycotting the Jewish state have all irked Israeli officials.
In response to the comments made by the Israeli official, J Street said the following: "The lobby has been promoting a pro-Israel policy in Congress as part of its view that it is in Israel's interest to see a two-state solution move forward, as well as choosing a diplomatic path when it comes to dealing with the Iranian nuclear threat. Iran has used the Trump administration's withdrawal from the JCPOA [the Iran deal] to continue enriching uranium and advancing its nuclear program. Returning to the deal will halt the Iranian march toward the bomb and therefore it is in Israel's interest, as well as the world's."
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