Dispatches From J Street: Where Are All the Israeli Officials?
By Nathan Guttman
A Tight Squeeze
It’s one of the oldest tricks in the book. When planning an event, always make sure the room is just big enough or, even better, a little too small for the number of people you are expecting. That way, the room will always be full and you can avoid any embarrassing bald spots in the crowd.
But that was not the case this morning as J Street began its inaugural national conference at a downtown Washington hotel. The rooms were way too crowded to suspect any deliberate underestimation.
Organizers were expecting a little more than thousand participants. They were even very proud of this number. But as the doors opened, the numbers grew. Three hundred walk-ins checked in during the first hours of the day and others showed up the night before. That brought the number of conference participants to 1,500. It was a huge success for J Street, and a big problem for those who actually tried to make it into the breakout sessions that were packed way beyond capacity.
September 2, 2009, 7:34pm
High Holidays With AIPAC
By Nathan Guttman
For those rabbis still working on their High Holiday sermons, AIPAC has some advice. The American Israel Public Affairs Committee put out its High Holiday Resource Guide — a 22-page booklet packed with ideas about how to talk to your congregation about Israel, Iran and about the importance of getting involved in political action.
Some of the ideas in AIPAC’s Synagogue Initiative guide seem almost obvious: the blowing of the Shofar, for example, is a wakeup call reminding the Jews of just how urgent the situation is. Some are aimed at the more creative rabbis and suggest quotes from Dr. Seuss’s “Oh, The Places You’ll Go” or from Nike’s “Just Do It” advertisement to send the same message to congregants: It’s time to take action to stop Iran.
So if one of these themes shows up in the Rosh Hashanah sermon at your synagogue, you’ll know where it came from. And just pray your rabbi doesn’t choose to use AIPAC’s suggestion on page 7. It’s a parable about an egg and a poor woman and it is really long. Bottom line: The woman dropped the egg and lost the opportunity to help her family. Moral: Don’t drop the Iran egg.
May 15, 2009, 1:12pm
On the Eve of Bibi's U.S. Visit, Jewish Groups Fight it Out
By Nathan Guttman
There are only a few days left until Benjamin Netanyahu descends on Washington, and preparations within the Jewish community are in high gear. That means, of course, that it’s time for some inter-organizational fighting.
The first question is who will get to meet Bibi. The Israeli embassy is putting together a list of 40 communal leaders that will cram into the Blair House meeting room on Tuesday to hear the prime minister sum up his first visit with President Obama.
So far, based on a partial sample of Jewish organizations, all the major mainstream groups are in, as are some of the smaller political groups (Zionist Organization of America, from the right, and Americans for Peace Now, from the left). Notably absent is the up and coming dovish lobby J Street. Not a big surprise considering the group’s harsh criticism of the Netanyahu government and their call for U.S. pressure on Israel to move forward with the peace process.
Then there’s the substance.
All Jewish advocacy groups are pitching in to tell Congress, the administration and even the Israelis what exactly should be said and done at the May 18 meeting between Netanyahu and Obama.
AIPAC is lobbying for a Congressional letter supporting the White House’s drive for peace, but stating that “the parties themselves must negotiate the details of any agreement.”
J Street is pushing for a different letter, which calls for a policy that will “actively working to de-escalate conflict and advance peace.”
But that’s not all: Americans for Peace Now put out an action alert calling on its activists to urge Obama to “stick to his guns,” and not give up on the two-state solution. And the Israel Policy Forum out a letter, signed by former ambassadors to the region, encouraging Obama to take an active role in promoting Israeli–Palestinian peace.
So, which of the letters will the president have read as he sits down with Netanyahu in the Oval Office?
Given his extremely busy schedule this week, probably none of them.
May 5, 2009, 5:07pm
Aipac Forum, Day 3: Your Refrigerators Are No Good Here
By Nathan Guttman
Before loading the buses en route to Capitol Hill, Aipac delegates got a dose of reality with Vice President Biden reminding the pro-Israel activists just what it is the administration believes in.
Biden, it turns out, doesn’t necessarily buy into the Peres–Netanyahu doctrine of moving forward with the peace process without mentioning the term “Palestinian state.” Speaking on the last day of the Aipac policy conference, Biden actually used the term “two-state solution” and went on to say: “You’re not going to like my saying this, but [do] not build more settlements.”
This message is coming not only from the administration. Senator John Kerry, speaking in advance of Biden’s address, made a similar point: “Settlements make it difficult for Israel to protect its own citizens,” said the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
But while differences might exist with the administration, one thing is clear: The Israelis felt perfectly at home. President Shimon Peres told the Israeli press that the atmosphere was so warm that “even all the refrigerators in the world could not chill it.”
Maybe it sounds better in Hebrew.
To watch video from the Aipac conference, or to read transcripts of the addresses given there, click here.
May 4, 2009, 4:37pm
Aipac Forum, Day 2: Rahm Emanuel Touches a Third Rail
By Nathan Guttman
Aipac’s big show of the morning was, of course, Israeli president Shimon Peres. The president found himself praising his long rival Benjamin Netanyahu, and vouching for Bibi’s intention to promote peace between Israelis and Palestinian.
But some of the more interesting comments were heard behind closed doors, in the sessions that organizers decided to close to the press. Such was one of the main dinner events Sunday night that featured White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel and former Israeli foreign minister, now leader of the opposition, Tzipi Livni.
Emanuel went straight to what used to be considered the third rail in U.S.–Israel relations: He linked the peace process with the Iranian nuclear threat. According to press reports, Emanuel said that effective American efforts to deal with Iran hinge on Israel moving forward with the Palestinians.
At the same event, Tzipi Livni gave Aipac activists a different perspective on Israeli policy and, contrary to Netanyahu’s approach, said there is an immediate need to take on Israeli–Palestinian peacemaking.
May 3, 2009, 7:24pm
Aipac Forum, Day 1: Strengthening Ties — With Help From Purell
By Nathan Guttman
“Relationships Matter” is the slogan Aipac has chosen for this year’s annual policy conference, which opened on Sunday at the Washington Convention Center. “Relationships,” as in those between the U.S. and Israel, and relationships of the kind Aipac members are expected to forge with members of Congress and other elected officials.
And good relationships, everyone knows, begin with a handshake. But this could turn out to be somewhat of a problem with the Swine Flu scare, which is making people think twice before extending their hand for a friendly hello. Organizers at the Aipac conference had thought even of that, and provided delegates who were interested in it with miniature bottles of Purell.
And with the antibacterial wash in hand, they can move forward with making those relationship matters.
Another relationship that matters was that of the pro-Israel lobby with Rep. Jane Harman, the California Democrat who got into trouble after transcripts of her phone conversation regarding the prosecution against two former Aipac staffers were leaked to the press.
Harman sat on the opening panel at the conference and, for a while, stuck to the issue of Middle East foreign policy. But at the final round of questions, Harman turned to the crowd and addressed what she called “my alleged situation.” She vowed to keep fighting to clear her name, and promised to keep up her good ties with pro-Israeli activists.
“The issue is obviously creating a chilling effect on hardworking bipartisan members of Congress who care intensely about the U.S.–Israel security relationship and have every right to talk to advocacy groups and our good friends about that relationship,” Harman said.
One relationship that never came up during the first day of the Aipac conference was the relationship of the lobby itself with its two former staff members, Steve Rosen and Keith Weissman; on Friday, Rosen and Weissman were all but exonerated from espionage charges.
Somehow, no one felt the need to mention the case.
May 1, 2009, 6:16pm
Rosen and Weissman's Next Act?
By Nathan Guttman
With their phones ringing off the hook Friday, former Aipac lobbyists (and, we can now add, former defendants) Steve Rosen and Keith Weissman are trying to figure out what next.
Their lawyers celebrated the decision to dismiss the case with a media conference call and a joint statement in which they called for a further public review into why the investigation against the two pro-Israel lobbyists started in the first place.
But before that happens, there is still one issue to settle: money.
Aipac has already paid (after putting up a fight) millions of dollars in legal fees to the attorneys representing Rosen and Weissman. Now the former employees are seeking compensation for their more than four years of unemployment and loss of income since they were fired from the lobby in 2005.
Steve Rosen has filed a civil lawsuit against Aipac, but he expects, as do most observers who are following the case, that the lobby will settle with him before the lawsuit is heard in court.
The only person who had no reason to celebrate Friday was Larry Franklin, the former Pentagon analyst who was charged with providing Rosen and Weissman the information. Franklin had reached a plea agreement with the prosecution early on in the case and had expected his 12.5-year sentence to be reduced significantly after he testifies against Rosen and Weissman. Now, with no testimony needed, he is left at the mercy of the prosecution and the court, when it comes to reducing his prison term. Franklin has not yet begun to serve his sentence.
October 3, 2007, 11:16am
For Rep. Moran, Truth Is a Defense
By Daniel Treiman
The New Republic’s John B. Judis defends Rep. Jim Moran from charges of antisemitism over remarks he made to Tikkun magazine about Aipac, American Jewry and the Iraq War:
Moran has certainly made his share of reckless and ill-founded statements–some of which have been directed at Jews. Four years ago, Moran said that “if it were not for the strong support of the Jewish community for this war with Iraq, we would not be doing this.” That statement is false and reprehensible. But in this case, it is Moran’s critics who are making reckless charges. And although the controversy may remain confined to the Beltway, it’s no small matter when a politician is accused of anti-Semitism. This kind of charge, if wielded without caution, makes it more difficult for politicians and policy-makers to have a frank and open discussion about American foreign policy in the Middle East.
Judis’s defense is that much of what Moran said to Tikkun is actually correct.
Read the full article.
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