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The Latest from the Political Home of the Pro-Israel, Pro-Peace Movement
Jeremy Ben-Ami responds to breakdown of Israeli-Palestinian talks – UPDATED
WASHINGTON — J Street President Jeremy Ben-Ami issued the following statement in response to the apparent failure of the latest round of Jordanian sponsored talks between Israel and the PLO:
“J Street is gravely concerned by the apparent failure of the latest round of Jordanian-sponsored talks between Israel and the PLO.
While no one had high expectations for these talks, no one should take satisfaction in seeing predicted failure come to pass. The interests at stake – for Israel, the Palestinians, Jordan, the US and the Quartet—are too serious and the consequences of failure too dire.
What are the experts saying about Iran?
American and Israeli security experts warn that a military strike on Iran would fail to stop its nuclear program, provide the Iranian regime with additional impetus to pursue a nuclear weapon, and risk igniting a regional war that would expose Israeli citizens and even Americans to devastating retaliation. J Street is today releasing a video featuring the views of former Mossad Directors Ephraim Halevy and Meier Dagan, former Israeli Defense Forces Chief of Staff Amnon Lipkin-Shahak, and Middle East advisor to six U.S. Secretaries of State Aaron David Miller, among others, who have sought to challenge the facile assumptions and rhetoric of those arguing for war. It is required viewing for those who truly want to understand what is at stake for the United States and Israel in deciding how to prevent the rise of a nuclear-armed Iran.
J Street’s Jeremy Ben-Ami Responds to Mufti’s ‘Incendiary’ Comments
WASHINGTON— J Street President Jeremy Ben-Ami released the following statement in response to Mufti of Jerusalem Sheikh Muhammad Hussein’s invocation at a recent Fatah event:
J Street’s Jeremy Ben-Ami Responds To Atlanta Jewish Times Publisher’s Call to Consider Presidential Assassination
WASHINGTON— J Street President Jeremy Ben-Ami issued the following statement in response to an editorial written by the publisher of the Atlanta Jewish Times calling for Israel to consider assassinating President Barack Obama:
Jeremy Ben-Ami Expands on Comments in Washington Post this Morning
I agree that the use of the term “Israel Firster” is a bad choice of words. The conspiracy theory that American Jews have dual loyalty is just that, a conspiracy theory and must be refuted in the strongest possible way.
However, this incident is a perfect example of a more pressing problem with the way the debate plays out over Israel in the American Jewish community and in American politics. Rather than engage directly over whether or not American and/or Israeli policies are actually advancing American and Israeli interests, an ill-chosen word or phrase is used to delegitimize a critic or in this case an entire institution.
The real question we should be debating is not the use of the term “Israel Firster” but the underlying questions being raised by CAP and others over the direction of American foreign policy – how best to achieve a two-state solution and how to prevent Iran from attaining a nuclear weapon without going to war.
