They drop out of the host committee for a conference of J Street, no doubt under AIPAC pressure.
Senator Kirsten Gillibrand has asked to be removed from the host committee for a conference of the left-leaning Jewish group J Street and was "unaware" she had been included on the group's list of supporters, spokesman Matt Canter said.
Her withdrawal comes after her political mentor, Chuck Schumer, also refused to participate in the event, and as the place of J Street -- positioning itself as liberal but staunchly "pro-Israel" -- remains hotly contested in American political circles.
http://www.politico.com/...
Somewhat surprising that Schumer would have agreed to be a part of J Street in the first place, since he'll usually parrot any line that comes out of any Israeli government. But no surprise that his shadow, and lapdog, Gillibrand, would follow him out the door.
The actions of these cowardly two reflect the broader dispute between J Street, AIPAC and the current Israeli government. With current Israeli ambassador to the U.S., Michael Oren, being in the middle.
There's a curious, fairly outrageous, brouhaha going on in the American Jewish community and particularly in the American Jewish community's relationship with the current Israeli government. You may or may not have heard of J Street, a new pro-peace Zionist lobby recently established as a counterweight to AIPAC, which over the years has become more and more exclusively tied to the Israeli right.
. . . .
In any case, a short time ago, J Street invited Oren to address its upcoming conference. Oren declined, while authorizing his spokesman to suggest that J Street is 'anti-Israel.'
http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/...
All this is not a mere sideshow. It goes to the very heart of whether the Obama administration will be able to convince Israel to end its west bank colonization project and agree to a settlement with the Palestinians which will result in a viable Palestinian state.
As they say, stay tuned.