Don't brand J Street as anything, but don't applaud the split either.

David Kimche is half right. He tells us, Don't brand 'J Street' as anti-Zionist and that is correct. The new lobby does not consist of anti-Semites, Trotskyites and Neturei Karteh, but of Jewish supporters of Israel. But as David Kimche astutely notes:

 

There are known knowns.

 

There are things we know we know.

 

We also know there are known unknowns.

 

That is to say we know there are some things we do not know.

 

But there are also unknown unknowns, the ones we don't know we don't know.

That is quite true. And what we don't know is how the rhetoric of J street is going to be translated into actions - what candidates it will support and what issues it will support and how it will support them, and whether or not J Street will be there for Israel at particularly crucial junctures.

 

Example: J Street lobby wants the US to be actively and forcefully engaged in peace negotiations, which may be fine. But what if Palestinians insist on Right of Return as part of an agreement? Is J Street going to lobby the US government to

1- Make the Palestinians drop Right of Return

or

2- Make the Israelis accept Right of Return ?

 

There is one thing that is known in advance. A lobby or interest group that is split and disunited is never as influential as one that is united, especially if the different constituents don't work together. If Candidate A loses AIPAC support because they want to cut a deal with Iranian Mullahs, is J Street going to provide alternative support? If Israel asks for some super-smart defense technology such as stealth aircraft, will J Street unite with AIPAC to support the effort, or is J Street going to be a one issue lobby focused on pressuring Israel regarding the peace process?

 

Ami Isseroff