And Now for a Bit of Pat Buchanan and His Marriage of Convenience with the Far Left, Far Right and Anyone Who Hates the Jews

Pater Familias of a Deranged Crew

 Chossudovsky, Ottawa Loon

 Justin Raimondo, CA Loon

                
 I don't know why I just fixated on Pat Buchanan, but I did.  He is so bizarre and Jew-crazy that I just had to feature his latest dementia.  Champion of John Demjanjuk, the Sobibor killer, consort of Holocaust deniers and demonizer of Israel, he gets my vote for loon of the year.  Of Demjanjuk, he recently said,


 "the same satanic brew of hate and revenge that drove another innocent man up Calvary that first Good Friday 2,000 years ago."

Israel, however, remains in the crosshairs of this pathetic bigot.  Buchanan's rants are "researched" by his shadowy media  group called "Global Research."  When you click on the "about" link you get this:


"The Centre for Research on Globalisation (CRG) is an independent research and media organization based in Montreal.  The CRG is a registered non profit organization in the province of Quebec, Canada. "

The head of Global Research is Michel Chossudovsky, erstwhile economics professor, conspiracy theorist and - yes - Holocaust denier.  In 2005,


"B'nai B'rith Canada complained to the University of Ottawa in August 2005 that one of its
faculty members, economist Michel Chossudovsky, maintains a web site that includes postings alleging Jewish conspiracies and denying the Holocaust. Articles on Chossudovsky's web site, www.globalresearch.ca, include "The Hilarious Auschwitz Story," "The HolyCo$t Lie is Finished," "Jewish Lies of Omission (about the 'Holocaust')," and "Jewish Hate Responsible For Largest Mass Killing at Dachau." Interviewed by The Ottawa Citizen, Chossudovsky said the postings are "anti-Zionist, not anti-Semitic."2
1 Jewish Telegraphic Agency (JTA), February 25, 2005.
2 The Ottawa Citizen, August 20, 2005.

 Such are Pat Buchanan's "researchers."  The Great Man never saw a leftist organization that he despised except on the subject of Israel and the Jews.  His take on the jihadists aboard the Mavi Marmara ship:  "Israel Doctored the Evidence!"  Read more Laroucheisms here.

There seems to be no trough dirty and deep enough to turn away Buchanan.  Another of his favorite sources is Justin Raimondo, self-described "paleo-libertarian", far right (left?) - we're getting into murky territory here - who -oddly enough -  asserts that Israeli intelligence knew in advance of the 9/11 attacks and deliberately denied the information to the United States.   And, oh yes, Mr. Raimondo is a proud homophobe, forever battling the evils of gay politics. 


Why anyone would take Buchanan seriously at this point - or any other - is a good question.   And Natan Sharansky should never agree to debate him, or for that matter, agree to be in the same city.






 

Dr. Charles Jacobs Responds to Innuendos

In the ongoing tumult surrounding the Charles Jacobs/Rabbis dispute, last week witnessed a gigantic outpouring of support for clarity, accuracy and honesty at Temple Beth El in Newton, MA.  A crowd of over 300  watched Charles Jacobs and his team at Americans for Peace and Tolerance answer the innuendos and ad hominem attacks leveled by a group of rabbis whose temerity outweighed their objectivity and vertebrae.

Having documented for years the highly disturbing personalities, funding and statements emanating from the Islamic Society of Boston and the Muslim American Society , Jacobs laid out in graphic detail his case for confronting Taqiyya at the ISB.  Presenting hard evidence, most often contained in the mosque's spokespersons' own words has nothing to do with bigotry or attempts to sabotage interfaith dialogue.  Had spokespersons from Christian Evangelical churches uttered the same anti-Israel and anti-semitic remarks, the rabbis would have been the first to denounce them.  Of course, the vast majority of evangelicals have demonstrated their unconditional support for Israel's survival, which typically earns them the scorn from nay within Jewish leadership.

As the Marxist question asks (Grouch, of course), "Are you going to believe me or your lying eyes?" judge for yourself as you watch the videos below to discover just how serious the Jihadist, anti-Israel situation is in the Boston area.  Dialoguing with moderate Muslims is not damaged by a careful examination of the facts.  Reform and "Progressive" rabbis should be the first to declare "Dibru Emet" (tell the truth).  We hope that honest dialogue is advanced by doing so.

A Declartion of Principles for The New Israel Fund

Peace Now may have become moribund in Israel in the aftermath of the 2000 intifadah and the rocket response to the 2005 Gaza pullout, but the hydra has more heads in the game these days.  The New Israel Fund, with its ample $30,000,000 budget is one these heads, funding and supporting organizations that espouse a lethal, anti-Zionist agenda.  BDS initiatives abound in their client groups, even advocates of the "one state" solution (which amounts to a "final" solution for the Jewish state). 

Emboldened by Obama's hostility towards Bibi and Israel and fattened with Soros money, the NIF functions as the nuts and bolts of Ben Ami's J Street.  As duplicitous as J Street is, the NIF is even more so in its alliances with organizations like Adalah and Israel Physicians for Human Rights.  (see our report here).

Professor Gerald Steinberg has just published the definitive profile of the NIF along with serious demands that it demonstrate a responsible and substantive role as it claims to be the premier "pro-Zionist" hyper critic of Israel:

A code of conduct for the New Israel Fund

By GERALD STEINBERG (Jerusalem Post op-ed)
06/27/2010 08:35

The NIF’s board of directors have an opportunity to lead the rest of ‘civil society’ by adopting and implementing clear ethical guidelines.

When the board of directors of the New Israel Fund meets on Sunday, its members will confront the most important decisions in the organization’s 30-year history. With a budget of more than $30 million, divided among more than 100 groups, the NIF is a major but unelected power in Israeli society and politics. And while two-thirds of this money goes to a wide range of significant social and educational causes, the rest goes to groups that lead anti-Israel delegitimization campaigns under the façade of “human rights.”

In last year’s Goldstone Report indicting Israel on allegations of “war crimes,” Israelis recognized the nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) B’Tselem, Adalah and Breaking the Silence among the most cited references.

While claiming to promote human rights and social equality, these and other NIF grantees are also heavily involved in demonization.

Using NIF funds, B’Tselem operates offices in Washington and London that lobby foreign governments to endorse Goldstone’s destructive recommendations.

The Coalition of Women for Peace, which received $285,509 from NIF between 2006 and 2008, and a former NIF grantee – ICAHD – are leaders in the BDS (boycott, divestment and sanctions) campaign. BDS is a central part of the strategy adopted by NGOs at the 2001 Durban conference, which denies Jews the right of self-determination and defense against terror. European governments followed NIF’s lead and provide substantial funds, allowing both groups to expand their political warfare.

SUCH NIF funding stands in sharp contrast to official claims of being a Zionist organization, supporting a “Jewish and democratic state” and telling donors it helps and “loves Israel.” When NGO Monitor documented the contradictions, and Im Tirtzu launched a more frontal and personal assault, NIF lashed out by slinging mud. Its leaders portrayed themselves as the only defenders of Israeli democracy, and labeled as “McCarthyites” those who held different views. This political warfare did not convince many Israelis, nor did it mollify Diaspora donors who realized that their money was being used for some very negative activities.

To resolve this deep crisis of confidence, the NIF board members meeting on Sunday are going to have to change both their policy substance and style. A few references to tikkun olam and Jewish ethical principles can no longer be used to hide NIF’s funding for organizations that engage in hard-core demonization.

In this context, NIF officials have an opportunity to lead the rest of “civil society” and human rights organizations by adopting and implementing clear ethical guidelines, which are greatly needed by these powerful social and political groups.

On this basis, NGO Monitor has sent NIF board members a draft code of conduct, based on existing models, with the goal of converting the declaratory “red lines” into actual policy, and to address NIF’s incivility and anti-democratic intolerance.

The proposed funding rules would end support for political advocacy groups involved in BDS, or accusations of “apartheid,” “ethnic cleansing,” “war crimes” or “crimes against humanity.”

In addition, active involvement in “lawfare” (legal threats or actions against Israeli officials abroad) would be unacceptable, including support for biased UN processes such as the Goldstone Commission. No group denying Israel’s status as a Jewish and democratic state, or calling for a “one-state solution,” would continue to get money from NIF donors.

To implement these rules and restore lost credibility, the NIF board of directors also needs to create an independent ombudsman’s office, staffed and operated without involvement of the paid NIF leadership.

The ombudsman’s office would prepare biannual reports on advocacy activities of funded organizations, to determine compliance with the guidelines. The summary information and analysis should be made available to the board, sent to donors and made public.

The ombudsman’s office should also serve as an independent investigative body for complaints resulting from intolerance and uncivil statements by NIF officials and employees. A Jewish organization that uses the language of tikkun olam should not be involved in Nixonian dirty tricks against critics, such as publicizing fake Twitter accounts putting out racist messages using NGO Monitor’s name, or trashing critics as “a mouthpiece for the extreme right” with “no regard for objectivity or transparency, and only disdain for democratic process and open debate.”

And NIF’s New Generations and Development associate should not be posting obscene gestures on his blog (which have since been removed).

Before preaching civility and democracy to Israelis, NIF needs to fix its own problems. The program for NIF’s June 28 symposium on democracy, headlined “The Battle for Israel’s Soul,” is a one-sided political rally that shuts out any criticism – the antithesis of democratic debate.

In a recent article in Haaretz, NIF leaders Daniel Sokatch and Rachel Liel sought to defend themselves from criticism by writing that “now is not the time to scapegoat Israelis who are critical of Israel.”

But NIF’s role goes far beyond legitimate criticism. The funding provided by NIF’s Jewish donors helps powerful NGOs lead the campaign to delegitimize Jewish national self-determination. And it is NIF that is doing much of the scapegoating.

On Sunday, the NIF board has a chance to stop the decline by adopting a code of conduct and a transparent mechanism for implementing the red lines it claims to have. If the board members accept this challenge, they will help restore NIF credibility and its ability to contribute positively to Israel during this time of difficulty.

The writer heads NGO Monitor and is on the faculty of Bar-Ilan University.                                                                          Naomi Chazan: Missing in Action?

Naked Lunch Time at J Street

"a frozen moment when everyone sees what is on the end of every fork" was how the brilliant and weird expatriate American novelist William S. Burroughs described  drug induced clarities in his 1959 novel, Naked Lunch.  Since its inception in 2008, J Street has been delivering lethal, anti-Israel initiatives and polemics and serving them up as "Pro Israel."  Jeremy Ben Ami continually tries to   convince his diners that that foul smelling thing on the end of his fork is really ambrosia.

The latest dish  is an attempt to dissuade lawmakers from signing the Poe-Peters letter circulating in Congress. In spite of the moderate wording of the letter (to this date signed by 329 Congressmen and 87 Senators (John Kerry being a notable not signing) and its appeal to resume the proximity talks that will hopefully move along the peace process, J Street's Ben Ami is having none of it, convinced that the road to peace is paved with overt anti-Israel rhetoric cloaked in peace blandishments:

" (the letter) fail[s] to address the impact of the present closure of Gaza on the civilian population, the deep American interest in resolving this conflict diplomatically, or the urgency of moving forward with diplomacy before it is too late."

No mention of the letter's urging diplomacy or appeal for an end to the conflict.  No matter how often J Street is unmasked as a Palestinian surrogate, committed to its eliminationist agenda rather than Israel's survival, the vast, deluded Left must maintain the absurd fiction of J Street as "Pro Israel."
As usual, no substantive objections were raised about the letter.

Of the 58 congressmen endorsed by the JStreet PAC, 18 signed the letter.  Conspicuously missing were Russell Feingold of Wisconsin and Jim McGovern of Massachusetts.

 Recently J Street has been banging the drum for McGovern,  sensing vulnerability in the November elections:

 Jim McGovern - Vulnerable? We Can Only Hope

 "You and I know how rare it is to find a courageous leader in Congress willing to press for US leadership to achieve peace and security in the Middle East.  

In 2010, far too many of our best leaders are fighting for their political lives - some specifically because of their bold leadership on our issue.

For decades, Congressman Jim McGovern (D-MA) has been a leading voice in Congress for a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.  Now he faces the fight of his political career, and he's written a special note to JStreetPAC supporters asking for our support.

We created JStreetPAC specifically to prove that pro-Israel, pro-peace politicians like Jim McGovern could count on support when they needed it from us.  With just days till the June 30 reporting deadline, I hope you'll step up for Jim the way he has for us in Congress." 
-----Isaac Luria, J Street



  Stepehn Lynch hasn't shown up on the PAC yet, but in light of his outrageous, Pro Gaza statements and his refusal to sign the Poe Peters letter, it's only a matter of time.The fact that 18 - all Democrats - signed the letter in apparent defiance of Ben Ami shows just how tenuous J Street's hold on its monopoly of opinion really is. 

J Street, the JCRC and the ADL Present Stephen Lynch, Gaza's Man in Congress

 Partners in Shame

Only the Boston Jewish Community Relations Council could conceive an event honoring Stephen Lynch, Democratic Congressman representing a melange of rough and tumble blue collar voters along with upscale suburbanites.  Aside from the obvious in-their-pocket J Street politicians like Keith Ellison, Donna Edwards and Maurice Hinchey, Lynch is probably the most squishy congressman on the terrorist threat to Israel.

Recently, Lynch has become so extreme on the subject of Gaza, that he has laid virtually all the blame on Israel for the (phony) "humanitarian" crisis culminating in the Gaza flotilla incident three weeks ago.  As a preface to his skewed view of the Gaza situation , he - along with 2 other Massachusetts congressmen - was one of only 36 nay votes that refused to condemn the incredibly biased UN Goldstone Report.
On the subject of Israel defense funding, however, he scores relatively high marks.  Anyone representing heavily Jewish Needham, would be unelectable were he to oppose defense aid to Israel.   The only congressmen consistently voting against funding for Israel are the usual suspects: John Conyers (representing Dearbornistan, Michigan), Dennis Kucinich (who never saw an Islamic terrorist he couldn't "understand"), the ever bizarre Ron Paul, and California's Pete Stark (representing San Francisco's east bay - enough said?. 

And so, onto the bimah of Temple Beth Shalom in Needham strode Congressman Lynch sponsored by the JCRC of Greater Boston with its Director, Nancy Kaufman, seated prominently next to him.   Lynch has also refused to add his signature to the Poe-Peters letter affirming Israel's right of self defense in the wake of the Gaza blockade incident.  To date, 315 members of Congress have signed the letter.

Watch the video of Congressman Lynch press the Palestinian position, blaming the violence that ensued following the flotilla interdiction solely on the Israelis.
 
According to Lynch, Gazans dream of "coming to America" and "freedom".  Strange, every other credible report has Gazans dreaming of destroying Israel and the Jews.  I guess Mr. Lynch could only find idealists cast as Jefferson and Madison.
  He then joins the international chorus by insisting on an "investigation."  Of course, he does not demand an international commission to investigate the Turkish and IHH role in preparing their Shaheeds for martyrdom.   The Q & A portion is audio only (apologies), but suffice it to say that, in spite of the sponsorship of J Street/JCRC, among others, there was significant pushback from the audience, to their credit.



Regarding the question about prosecuting U.S. citizens who participate in "humanitarian" missions to Gaza (aid - in virtually any form  - to terrorist groups is a felony and was affirmed by a recent Supreme Court decision), Lynch chose not to reply.
To this point, in attendance was Jeff Klein, who, in his own words, has "left the Jewish race to join the humans".  He urged Lynch to cease all aid to Israel and is currently spearheading a "Jewish" boat project from Boston to Gaza to break the blockade and make it possible to ship any and all goods into the Hamas weapons depot.  Klein may be an extreme case, but the roots of betrayal intertwine at J Street and it would seem, now among Jews in leadership positions. Boston is now vying for number one with San Francisco as one of the worst examples of Jewish steadfastness and honesty.

It's Now the Law of the Land: Aid Hamas - Go Straight to Jail

In case you were closely following the non-prosecution of individuals who knowingly aid and abet officially designated terrorist groups (like HAMAS), you may have missed the lengthy jail sentences not meted out to Noam Chomsky, Joel Beinin, Sara Roy and the scores of others  who have traveled to Gaza to lend their support to their favorite terrorist regime.


Well, now, the Supreme Court has had the final say on terrorist aid, be it in the form of money, weapons, services, or "expert assistance".  According to Robert Sugarman, chief counsel at the Washington Legal Foundation:

“There is no such thing as ‘good’ aid to a terrorist group, because all aid is fungible".

This morning there must be plenty of consternation in the hate-Israel camp, and plenty of second thoughts about mounting more flotillas to Gaza.  Since the law was passed in 1996, law enforcement officials have been reluctant, to say the least, to prosecute individuals who have clearly attempted to aid terror groups.  In yesterday's Supreme Court decision, the majority ruled that:

"Congress has amended the definition of “material support or resources” periodically, but at present it is defined as follows: “[T]he term ‘material support or resources’ means any property, tangible or intangible, or service, including currency or monetary instruments or financial securities, financial services, lodging, training, expert advice or assistance, safe houses, false documentation or identification, communications equipment, facilities,weapons, lethal substances, explosives, personnel or more individuals who may be or include oneself), and transportation, except medicine or religious materials.”

That means that Noam Chomsky's 2006 embraceable moment with Hezbollah's chief, Sheikh Nasrallah, in which he said,


"I think Nasrallah has a reasoned argument and persuasive argument that they - (the arms) -should be in the hands of Hezbollah  as a deterrent to potential aggression, and there is plenty of background reasons for that. So until, I think his position reporting it correctly and it seems to me reasonable position, is that until there is a general political settlement in the region, the threat of aggression and violence is reduced or eliminated there has to be a deterrent, and the Lebanese army can't be a deterrent." 

is clearly felonious.


 At the very least, Chomsky's passport should have been revoked by the State Department.  And that same standard should have been applied to Edward Said in his famous stone throwing episode on the Lebanese border.
Similarly, the Gaza Flotilla wannabees, whose "expert assistance" is being offered to HAMAS, must be prosecuted.  A case in point is a current initiative by a Boston Group of "Jews" planning to assist the genociders of Gaza, The AJJP or American Jews for a Just Peace.  Have look at their graphics:

Two Things to Note: Judaism is Relegated to a Small Panel on the Right and the Familiar Keyhole Representing Palestinian Keys to All of "Palestine"

Jun 14 2010

"AJJP is proud to announce that we will serve as the U.S. Coordinator for the "Jewish Boat to Gaza." The boat, sponsored by a coalition of international Jewish organizations dedicated to peace with justice in Israel/Palestine, is scheduled to sail from an undisclosed location in the Mediterranean this July. It will head toward Gaza in an effort to break the siege imposed by Israel in 2006. Passengers will include Jews from Germany, the U.K., and the United States, including at least one survivor of the Nazi Holocaust.
AJJP joins the "Jüdische Stimme" ('Jewish Voice' for a Just Peace in the Near East) and Jews for Justice for Palestinians (UK) in sending a call to the leaders of the world: help Israel find her way to reason, to a sense of humanity and a life without fear.
The Jewish Boat's captain, Glyn Secker, is a British Jew and a longtime activist with Jews for Justice for Palestinians in the UK. In an impassioned speech at a London demonstration protesting the attack on the Gaza flotilla on May 31, Secker told the crowd, "As Jews we should stand as a beacon for human rights not as an internationally known perpetrator of atrocities." Secker confirmed that the boat will carry school bags and books, donated by German schoolchildren, musical instruments, and art materials, as well as essential medicines and small medical equipment.
Absolutely no weapons will be on board, and all passengers and crew will be trained in and committed to the principles of non-violent action. Organizers are requesting that the Israeli government, the British government, the German government and the Obama Administration guarantee safe passage for the boat, its passengers and cargo.
Please help spread the word. The organizers have asked for support from Jews and allies around the world.

• Sign and circulate our petition to President Obama asking for safe passage for the Jewish Boat. Sign our on-line petition.
• Donate to The Jewish Boat to Gaza via PayPal by clicking here.
• Learn more about the Jewish Boat at www.jewish-ship-to-gaza.jimdo.com.

The moral imperative to end the siege of Gaza is absolute. When governments fail to act, ordinary people must organize to intervene. As ordinary people of conscience, we are determined to act on behalf of the people in Gaza deprived of their right to ordinary lives.
Click here to contribute."

_________________________________________________________________________

"AJJP joins the "Jüdische Stimme" ('Jewish Voice' for a Just Peace in the Near East) and Jews for Justice for Palestinians (UK) in sending a call to the leaders of the world: help Israel find her way to reason, to a sense of humanity and a life without fear.
The Jewish Boat's captain, Glyn Secker, is a British Jew and a longtime activist with Jews for Justice for Palestinians in the UK. In an impassioned speech at a London demonstration protesting the attack on the Gaza flotilla on May 31, Secker told the crowd, "As Jews we should stand as a beacon for human rights not as an internationally known perpetrator of atrocities." Secker confirmed that the boat will carry school bags and books, donated by German schoolchildren, musical instruments, and art materials, as well as essential medicines and small medical equipment.
Absolutely no weapons will be on board, and all passengers and crew will be trained in and committed to the principles of non-violent action. Organizers are requesting that the Israeli government, the British government, the German government and the Obama Administration guarantee safe passage for the boat, its passengers and cargo.
Please help spread the word. The organizers have asked for support from Jews and allies around the world.

• Sign and circulate our petition to President Obama asking for safe passage for the Jewish Boat. Sign our on-line petition.
• Donate to The Jewish Boat to Gaza via PayPal by clicking here.
• Learn more about the Jewish Boat at www.jewish-ship-to-gaza.jimdo.com.

The moral imperative to end the siege of Gaza is absolute. When governments fail to act, ordinary people must organize to intervene. As ordinary people of conscience, we are determined to act on behalf of the people in Gaza deprived of their right to ordinary lives.
Click here to contribute."

__________________________________________________________________________

This group does not even attempt to circumvent the law by avoiding HAMAS officials. Like every other boat that has brought "humanitarian" aid to Gaza, it has been greeted by Ismail Haniyeh's representatives.  Congressmen who have served as apologists for HAMAS, like Steve Lynch,  (more about him later) of Massachusetts have  at least kept up the appearance of avoiding official contacts with the terror-designated group.  Not so with this group.  They have met publicly with Hamas representatives in Gaza and in Bethlehem.

 Howie Lenow of the Proposed Boston to Gaza Boat

The appeal specifically calls for donations, another clear violation of the law.  We can only hope that our lawmakers will finally reinvigorate their spines and carry out their sworn duty to uphold the law and prosecute these felons.

What's a Nice PLO Boy Doing Aiding the Gaza Flotilla?

Husam Zomlot:

Our Peace Partner - What's Not to Trust?

 Husam Zomlot has been the toast (Visiting Fellow) of Harvard's Center for Middle East Studies for some time now.  He is best buddies with Sara Roy, the Hamas apologist, CMES Director and conduit for all things propagandistic for the most right wing, anti-semitic segments of the Palestinian population (and, of course, she is the daughter of a Holocuast survivor).  Mr. Zomlot served as PLO representative to the UK from 2003 to 2008 and holds a Phd in economics and political science from Bir Zeit University near Ramallah (you remember Bir Zeit, the wonderful folks who gave us the celebratory reenactment of the Sbarro massacre in 2001):

Among other accomplishments, he represented the Palestinian "narrative" in a debate with Israel's Consul General in Boston, Nadav Tamir, two years ago.  Now, let's remember that the PLO under "Mr. Moderate", Mahmoud Abbas, is Israel's official Peace Partner.  If that's the case, then why is Mr. Zomlot acting as one of the chief strategists for "Breaking the Siege of Gaza?" and aiding his chief rival, Hamas?

In Cambridge last week, Mr. Zomlot led an event called "Breaking the Siege of Gaza: UJP Strategy Conference" UJP, or United for Justice with Peace (one of the extreme anti-Israel front groups that pop up and disappear within a few months).  Aside from Zomlot, the program featured Ret. Colonel Ann Wright, Gaza Flotilla passenger and clumsy apologist for the would-be killers aboard the Turkish ship, Mavi Marmara.  Read the full skinny on her here:

Breaking the Siege of Gaza: UJP Strategy Conference
When: Saturday, June 19, 2010, 2:00 pm to 5:30 pm
Where: Cambridge Friends Meeting Center • 5 Longfellow Park • Harvard Square T • Cambridge

                        Ann Wright

                        Husam Zomlot

                        Jeff Klein

The deadly Israeli attack May 30 on a humanitarian flotilla delivering aid to blockaded Gaza has aroused the condemnation of the world, further isolated Israel's intransigent regime, and challenged the U.S. to review its Middle East policy lest it, too, face isolation. There is a new situation and new opportunities to build the movement to end the siege of Gaza and US support for the occupation of Palestine.   Three speakers will lead off our discussion:

• Ann Wright was a passenger on the Challenger 1, one of the six boats in the Gaza flotilla that was raided by Israeli commandos on May 31, and will give us an eyewitness report.   She is a retired U.S. army colonel who also served as a State Department diplomat.  She resigned her State Department post in 2003 to protest the war in Iraq.  (After the conference Saturday night, Ann will also give an in-depth presentation at the Palestinian Cultural Center - NOT on Friday as previously posted).

• Gaza-born Palestinian scholar and diplomat Husam Zomlot served as a PLO diplomat to the UK from 2003 to 2008.  He is a specialist in the political economy of conflict, has a PhD in economics from the University of London, and is currently a visiting scholar at the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs at Harvard's Kennedy School of Government.

• Dorchester People for Peace activist Jeff Klein will put the current crisis into perspective and kick off our discussion of what UJP and the peace movement can do.

The conference will also address peace movement strategy, which will be up for discussion this summer.   UJP will be presenting a workshop at the US Social Forum in Detroit June 22-26. The Unified National Antiwar Conference will meet in Albany July 23-25, and One Nation One Dream will march on Washington in October. Our strategy conference will review these and other initiatives and discuss UJP's response to, and participation in, them.


Colonel Wright (just how low our military has sunk is no better illustrated than putting this America-hating whacko in uniform) is also memorably recalled for an interview she gave to Bill O'Reilly following the abduction of British sailors a few years ago by Iran):

But I digress.  UJP is interchangeable with AJJP , American Jews for a Just Peace, another born yesterday hate-Israel group that will no doubt re-form under a different acronym but with just as lethal a purpose.  Mr. Zomlot is advising this "Jewish" group on how best to break the blockade of Gaza and get weapons to Hamas.  The strategy session was attended by someone who identified himself as a "rabbi" for human rights.  I could tell, because he was wearing a kippah along with a "talis" emblazoned with a Palestinian flag. 
Straightjackets all around.

Meet Claire and Okan: The Righteous of Istanbul

 The Claire and Oken Orient Express


  Claire is a novelist, Okan a documentary filmmaker.  Both are courageous truth seekers and, in spite of the dangers, they recently confronted the IHH in their den with the following interview.  In their words,


"We’ve had it with press coverage of this region that relies eternally on the same recycled handful of tired sources, uncritically repeats partisan propaganda, and sheds more heat than light. The coverage of the Mavi Marmara flotilla fiasco was the last straw: If this is a media war, we decided, someone needs to be shooting straight."

And shoot straight they did.  Here's their interview with the "Free Gaza" coordinator and IHH representative, Ahmet Emin Dag.   To get the full effect, it must be read in its entirety.  It's Taqiyya 101:



Claire: Do you support Israel’s right to exist?
Ahmet Bey: Our institutional perspective is that of the Palestinian people. That is, in the Oslo Accords, they agreed to a two-state solution.
Claire: The Hamas charter—and Hamas is part of the Palestinian people—calls for the complete destruction of Israel.
Ahmet Bey: Different groups can think differently, Islamic Jihad can think differently, Hamas can think differently, Jibril–
Claire: I asked what you felt.
Ahmet Bey: The people who govern Palestine and Gaza are in Ramallah, whatever they want to do, we’re with them—
Claire: Do you think Israel has a right to exist?
Ahmet Bey: If the innocent Palestinian people want to live together with Israel, then anyone outside of Palestine does not have any right to think any other way. We can’t be more Palestinian than the Palestinians. All we’re trying to do is to help them.
Claire: I’m still not understanding. This is a pretty simple question. Do you, personally, think that Israel has a right to exist?
Ahmet Bey: According to international law, which is the United Nations decision 242, Israel and Palestinians and all the nations accept that the Israel state can exist. I go along with that. Whatever the Palestinian people want and have decided, I go along with that.
Claire: It doesn’t sound like you have a lot of sympathy for the state of Israel though, since you’re saying you’ll go along with whatever the Palestinian people want. I’m just wondering: There are many charges that this is a very anti-Semitic group, that the IHH is an anti-Semitic group. Let’s find out. Tell me, do you believe in the Protocols of the Elders of Zion?
Ahmet Bey: That’s a cheap defense of Israel. They label everyone as anti-Semitic.
Claire: I’m not labeling you, I’m asking you.
Ahmet Bey: Israel is, Israel is. If you claim that the embargo is against international law, they label you as anti-Semitic. If Turkey defends the rights of their ten dead people on the boat, then all of a sudden Turkey’s taken a different direction, they’re becoming anti-Semitic, they’re moving against the West. All these cheap accusations …


READ MORE HERE


And Watch the VIDEO:
IHH Interview, Part 1 from NiMBUS PRODUCTIONS on Vimeo.

Latest Photographic Evidence:

IDF soldier wounded by "humanitarians" aboard the Mavi Marmara:

The Definitive Video of the Phony "Humanitarian" Gaza Flotilla

Here is the best video presentation yet on the Gaza flotilla incident.  Never in the history of journalism has there been so much incontrovertible evidence of culpability and so many lies, spin and reality vaporization.  This presentation is the antidote:


Maritime Martyrs from CJHS on Vimeo.

"Othering", Rabbinic Style

 The Imam and the Rabbi: His Master's Voice

Did you hear the one about the 70 Lefty rabbis who walked into a bar?.....

Here's the punch line:  "They all decided that safety lay in siding with the coming dominant political culture - Islam - and not by standing up for a fellow Jew, in this case, Charles Jacobs." 

Dr Jacobs has been sounding the alarm about political Islam for years, allying himself with MOC (Muslims of Conscience) like Ahmed Mansour and courageously exposing and combating Taqiyya, the Islamic doctrine of dissembling in order to advance the faith. 

A particularly adept practitioner of this doctrine is one Abdullah Farooq, Imam at the ISB mosque in Roxbury, the center which David Gordis, one of the signers of the letter attacking Charles Jacobs, helped dedicate under the watchful eyes of the Muslim American Society, a branch of the Muslim Brotherhood.  Imam Farooq once let slip a remark that he would be delighted to see Israel "disappear".  As Solomonia has reported, Imam Farooq has also achieved notoriety by urging his followers to "grab the gun" in pursuing Jihad.

Moreover, representatives of the Saudi-funded mosque have stood by terrorists Aafia Siddiqi and Tarek Mehanna.  Siddiqi was recently convicted of attempted murder of American soldiers and Mehanna was recently indicted in the plot to kill Americans at a shopping mall in Massachusetts.

Interfaith nonsense pervades the craven letter from the rabbis.  Seeking to inaugurate a "different kind of politics", the letter will simply reinforce the pathetic "dhimmi" role of sycophantic Jews.   Rabbi Gordis, past President of the near-bankrupt Hebrew College in Newton, MA is fond of decrying Jewish "triumphalism."  If the supercessionist aims of political Islam are victorious, then Rabbi Gordis will certainly get his wish.

Most of the other delusional rabbis who signed the letter have no qualms at all in "othering" when it comes to their fellow Jews.   "Settlers" and anyone else who criticizes their divinely-inspired notions of "social justice" are fair game for being labeled "the Other."

One of the signers of the letter, I recall, was instrumental in inviting an Arab representative of Neve Shalom, the "Oasis of Peace" colony in Israel which distinguishes itself by - among other "anti-triumphalist" exercises - lowering the Israeli flag on Israel Independence Day.  The representative, speaking at the Jewish school, told the students and parents that he aspired to be a suicide bomber!  The venue, needless to say, was a Reform Jewish school.

Ironic indeed,  is the letter's twisting of the Shelach Lechah parsha into an attack against Dr. Jacobs for "spreading calumnies".  Of course, the Torah portion's central theme is the delusional, paralyzing fear conveyed by the scouts who try to terrify their fellow Jews into giving up their quest for the promised land.  The learned rabbis would be well advised to re-read the Torah portions dealing with Korach, Dathan and Aviram and the consequences of cowardice, delusion and treason.

Dr Jacobs has worked his entire life speaking truth to power by his pioneering work with the American Anti Slavery movement and now with Americans for Peace and Tolerance.  The defamatory gibberish contained in the rabbis' letter reflects a defeatism reminiscent of the unconscionable cowardice of much of  American Jewish leadership during the Holocaust.

Massacre Watch: Double Standards, Double Talk

 The EU Wise Men and Women of Brussels

In the past week, 40 civilians were massacred in Kandahar, Afghanistan at a wedding party, at least two dozen Iraqi civilians died in a Sunni attack in Baghdad and hundreds of Uzbeks have been murdered in Kyrgyzstan.  Hundreds of thousands more have fled that country to neighboring Uzbekistan.

In the meantime, the UN Security Council joined by the United States' ambassador, Susan Rice, is demanding an international commission of inquiry into Israel's behavior in intercepting the "Free Gaza" flotilla in which 9 knife and pipe wielding "peace activists" were killed in self-defense by Israeli commandos. 

Today, the EU Foreign Ministers convened, demanding

"an immediate, full and impartial inquiry into these events and the circumstances surrounding them. To command the confidence of the international community this should include credible international participation."



The Goldstone Report should serve as a model for such an impartial investigation.

No such demand for an investigation was imposed on Turkish sponsorship of the IHH, an international terror support group with proven ties to Al Qaeda and Hamas (hat tip to Elder of Ziyon).  No such demand was imposed on the Afghani Taliban whose effective control of Kandahar province goes unchallenged.  No such demand was placed on the Kyrgyzstan government, whose police and military forces have been observed joining in the slaughter of their fellow Uzbek citizens.


The infamous UN Council for Human Rights is airlifting aid supplies to Uzbekistan to the 100,000 + refugees, but has assiduously refrained from identifying a culprit.  The Organization of the Islamic Conference, composed of 57 Islamic states, has gently urged restraint:
OIC secretary-general Professor Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu delivered this stinging rebuke to the government of Kyrgyzstan:

"...I urge all communities in Kyrgyzstan to show their utmost restraint and continue to live in peace with one another, under the rule of law in order to preserve national unity in the country,"

Kyrgyzstan has been a member of the OIC since 1992.
No rebuke or even call for restraint has ever been issued during the decade-long Iraqi conflict in which hundreds of thousands of innocent civilians have been massacred.  Nor was a condemnation of the Kandahar massacre addressed by the OIC, the EU or the United Nations.  This is the same OIC that has in the last week, demanded that the Temple Mount in Jerusalem be turned over to its impartial administration:



The EU foreign ministers went beyond parroting the call for an international investigation of Israel and further declared that,

"The continued policy of closure is unacceptable and politically counterproductive... ...in line with UN Security Council Resolution 1860, the EU reiterates its call for an immediate, sustained and unconditional opening of crossings for the flow of humanitarian aid, commercial goods and persons to and from Gaza including goods from the West Bank."

As an inoculation, the EU added,


"(The EU) deplore the continuing acts of rocket fire. All those responsible must take immediate and concrete steps to cease and prevent such violence. The Council calls on those holding the abducted Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit to release him without delay. Hamas must also unconditionally allow ICRC access and end its interference with the operations of NGOs and UN agencies in Gaza."

Of course, as with previous EU statements, there are no concrete penalties designated for continued aggressive acts by Hamas, providing adequate cover for the Ministers.



 

Where, Exactly, are U.S. Tax Dollars Going in Gaza?

Married to the Mob

Since 1994, the United States, through the Agency for International Development (USAID), has funneled nearly three billion dollars to Gaza, with virtually no interruption following the 2007 Hamas takeover.  Yesterday, in addition to the $960 million dollars already pledged by Barak Obama following Israel's Operation Cast Lead in 2009, the President promised $400 million dollars more. 

The European Union has pledged nearly as much for the same period.  Turkey, on the other hand, for all its propaganda bluster in support of the Gazans, ranks 26th on the aid list, below Belgium, Finland and Ireland.  In 2009 the munificent Turks ponied up a whopping $1.08 million to UNRWA, the UN agency tasked to dole out foreign largess.   In contrast, Sweden gave $48.6 million.  Kuwait and Saudi Arabia are the only other Muslim nations that show up on the donor list. 

With a GDP of nearly a trillion dollars, the skinflints of Ankara apparently would rather put their humanitarian foot forward in support of  the Al Qaeda connected IHH rather than cough up real humanitarian aid. Private sector NGO's in Turkey have added another $340,000 to the pot - thus making the Turks the Middle East's equivalent of Ebinezer Scrooge.

USAID, on the other hand, channels virtually all its cash through UNRWA, the organization specifically set up to support Arab refugees following the unsuccessful attempt to destroy the newly established state of Israel in 1948.  No other refugee group in the world has a U.N. agency devoted to their plight - not Rwandans, Tamils or Congolese.  In Gaza, 99% of UNRWA's employees are Hamas members or supporters, effectively placing a UN agency under their control.  Unlike the infrastructure disbursements in the West Bank, there are no U.S. officials in Gaza overseeing payouts. 
An alarming example of this lack of oversight involves Gaza media. In a rare public condemnation of Palestinian official anti-Israel and antisemitic propaganda (no doubt partially paid for with American dollars), Hillary Clinton outlined the problem:



According to Executive Order 13224, signed by President Bush in 2001, which continues to this day, foreign charities and humanitarian organizations must be vetted in order to ensure that funds or in- kind aid not go to individuals or groups that espouse or practice terrorism: 
"individuals or groups determined by the Secretary of State, in consultation with the Secretary of the Treasury and the Attorney General, to have committed, or to pose a significant risk of committing, acts of terrorism that threaten the security of U.S. nationals or the national security, foreign policy, or economy of the United States (shall not receive foreign aid)"
UNRWA's ties to terrorism have been widely documented by CAMERA.
  

In other words, no money for HAMAS since it has been officially designated a "terrorist" group by the State Department.  The fiction, however,  is maintained through the UNRWA conduit.  

Not only has USAID turned mostly a blind eye with regard to enforcing EO 13224 (Larry Garber, former director, admitted his lax enforcement of the policy.  Mr. Garber then moved on to direct The New Israel Fund), but has even ignored the continual corruption and outright theft of USAID funds.  

With an Obama administration openly hostile to Israel and wishing to curry favor with the Arab and Muslim world, what kind of due diligence will be applied to the hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars that find their way to the vaults of Gaza?

"Whom the gods would destroy, they first make mad."

 At last, a putative Jewish group more deranged (but less dangerous) than J Street rears its ugly head in Britain.  Kudos to Richard Millett who turned over the rock at the University of London to expose the International Jewish Anti Zionist Network.  The "Hate That Dared Not Speak its Name" is now in full view and full of pride.  In a similar fashion to our attempt at filming (the "transparent") goings on at Harvard Law School at the occasion of Christine Chinkin, the Goldstone Report commissioner's talk, the theo-fascists of London tried to stop Richard from filming:
\

Note that the speaker, Uri Davis, is described as a "Muslim of Jewish origin".  I assume that he recited the shahada and voila! became a Muslim.  We all know how apostasy from Islam is treated.

J Street has resisted the temptation to welcome groups like this into its big tent.  Among these "beyond the fringe" groups we find QUIT Palestine ("Queers Undermining Israeli Terrorism"), Queers Against Israel Apartheid and my favorite, Jews for Allah:

 They even offer selected verses from the Quran-in Yiddish!  Oy Vay! (How do you say, "Jews turned into Apes and Swine" in Yiddish?)

I corresponded with a representative of QUIT Palestine! and pointed out that all of their members would be welcomed in Gaza with torture and the hangman's noose while Israel is one of the safest places on earth for homosexuals.  I received no reply.

Jewish Voice for Peace  will probably be ushered into J Street's tent eventually, but for now, its pro BDS stance along with the "one-none-state-solution" keeps it out in the cold for Ben Ami.

My experience at J Street's national conference in October of last year revealed a wide level of support for JVP among the attendees, but they were reluctant to publicly voice their approval.

Given the current hysteria over the Gaza Flotilla event in spite of the exculpatory video evidence in Israel's favor, the lunatic fringe appears to be growing.   Reality is becoming a scarce commodity.

When The Tent Isn't Big Enough

For decades, The Boston Workmen's Circle has benefited from its association with the Combined Jewish Philanthropies of Greater Boston.  In terms of prestige and cash grants through CJP's Donor Advised Funds, the "yiddishkayt" group has flourished in its mission of preserving eastern European Jewish culture and promoting a socialist agenda of "a besere velt" (a better world).  Sadly, the organization has not risen to the challenge of preserving Israel.  For decades, The Circle has hosted scores of virulently anti-Israel speakers and events. 
The recent Gaza Flotilla incident is a shameful case in point.  Recently, the Boston CJP issued an accurate and commendable statement on the maritime attempt to resupply and support Hamas:

Statement by Combined Jewish Philanthropies and Jewish Community Relations Council on the Flotilla to Gaza

"Our community grieves this most recent loss of life in the Middle East which, like so many others before it, has as its direct cause the refusal of certain forces to end their state of war with Israel. Hamas' determination to persist in its declared effort to eliminate Israel, and to maintain the Gaza Strip as an armed base from which to conduct its campaign of elimination, continues to bring no end of tragedy to the people of this region, and to frustrate hopes for peace at every turn. Hamas' unwillingness to make peace with Israel, and to make Gaza a place of opportunity rather than a place of war, continues unabated and so, too, does the loss of life for which Hamas is responsible. Our hearts go out to the people of this region, and we stand with the state of Israel as it struggles and struggles again to cope with those who, regrettably, refuse to permit Israel and its neighbors to live in peace.
Certain fundamental points are of critical importance. First, Hamas, which rules Gaza with an iron hand, is recognized by the international community as a terrorist enterprise, and one which has pledged itself to the annihilation of Israel and the torpedoing of peace. Second, Hamas insists on using Gaza as an armed base from which to wage war on Israel and, for that matter, on the peace process. Third, it is Hamas and its allies who have necessitated the embargo on the Gaza Strip, which has as its purpose stopping the flow of materials used to launch attacks on Israeli civilian centers.
Fourth, Israel works on a daily basis to ensure that aid that is genuinely humanitarian in nature reaches the civilians of Gaza, who are effectively held hostage by a repressive regime which cares more about waging war on Israel than it does about improving the lives of its people. And finally, the organizers of the flotilla involved in today's incident, who ignored repeated warnings from the Israeli government intended to avoid violence, chose to refuse Israel's offer to ensure that the humanitarian aid on board these ships be routed to the people of Gaza after any non-humanitarian materials were removed. Sadly, this speaks volumes about the real nature of this flotilla.
Our community continues to hope that those who are so adamantly opposed to peace with Israel will join with those who desire peace, and will cease taking actions designed to frustrate the cause of peace in the Middle East to which all reasonable people aspire."

_________________________________

In stark contrast to the CJP statement, The Workmen's Circle produced the following:

Statement on the Gaza Flotilla Tragedy

"The Workmen’s Circle expresses its grief and horror at the consequences of the Israeli military attack on civilian ships bringing humanitarian aid to Gaza, resulting in the death of at least nine civilians. Unless there is an end to the occupation of the West Bank and East Jerusalem, and the lifting of the blockade of all civilian goods to Gaza, tragic events like this one will continue. Regrettably, the policies of the current Israeli government have resulted in the continued oppression of Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza, while at the same time undermining Israeli democracy and contributing to the isolation of Israel in the world community. The ongoing occupation and the blockade of Gaza not only diminish Israeli security and embitter daily Palestinian life, they also threaten peace and stability in the wider world.

We call upon the government of the United States to support a thorough and genuinely impartial investigation into the events of May 31st, and to support the prosecution of any violations of international law that such an investigation may uncover. More importantly, we call upon the United States to employ its considerable influence and resources to bring about a speedy and just solution to the Israeli/Palestinian conflict through the establishment of a viable, independent Palestinian State based on the pre-1967 borders, with agreed-upon adjustments, alongside a safe, secure, and democratic Israel."

 _____________________________________

For CJP to maintain relations - and financial support - to an organization that, at every opportunity, has sided with individuals and groups that seek the end of Israel as a Jewish state is absurd.  If The Workmen's Circle wishes to resurrect the Bund, to celebrate Stalin's birthday or to commemorate Die Freiheit, let them do so inside their own bizarre tent.  At a time of unprecedented, existential threats to Israel, the Jewish community tent isn't big enough to accommodate their betrayal and mishigas.

Now You See it - Now You Don't

After nearly a week of incontestable video evidence of the violent assault on IDF commandos on board the Mavi Marmara, it seems that the MSM and Turkey have had enough.  Unable to refute the reality of the Jihadist "activists", Reuters has decided to aid the fanatics of Istanbul by doctoring some of the photographic evidence:


The IDF Spokesman's office has also provided a brief dossier (as first reported on Solomonia)on some of the "humanitarians"/"activists" as they have been described by news outlets like MSNBC and NPR.   I suggest that complicit news organizations receive a new journalism prize:  The Helen Thomas Award.

Ready for Her New Job as Guide at the Salem Witch Museum

J Street Advisor Signs Onto "Obama Flotilla"

Arafat groupie and official member of the J Street Advisory Council, Robert Malley, the on-again-off-again Obama advisor, can now "envision" the idea of an American led flotilla intended to break the Israeli blockade of Hamas-controlled Gaza.
Al Jazeera English presents the interview:


The utter absurdity of inviting inveterate Israel-haters like Malley to sit on its council conclusively demonstrates  the real animus J Street holds for The Jewish State.  We've profiled him before.  Malley is a favorite go-to guy for Al Jazeera, the Qatar based news agency that brought us the birthday celebration for Samir Kuntar, the Lebanese terrorist who brutally killed a Jewish policeman and his four year old daughter in Nahariya in 1979.  He returned to a hero's welcome in Lebanon after being freed in a prisoner exchange for soldiers Eldad Regev and Ehud Goldwasser whereupon the "objective" Qatari news channel threw him a party.


Note: The Al Jazeera staffer, Clayton Swisher, is one of Malley's strongest supporters in his long since discredited account of how Ehud Barak sabotaged the Camp David Peace Plan.  He shares (and even wrote a book about it) Malley's exculpation of Arafat (denied by both Bill Clinton and Dennis Ross).    And who does Swisher count among his friends?  The execrable MJ Rosenberg formerly of Media Matters, another favorite of Ben Ami and J Street.

This is the caliber of people chosen to sit on J Street's Advisory Council.  It should also be kept in mind that Malley was Obama's classmate at Harvard.  Ominouser and ominouser.

Daniel Schorr, Lay Down Jew

 Retirement Should Have Come Decades Earlier

Daniel Schorr, nonagenarian Senior News Analyst (that's the title bestowed by NPR on left wing reporters when they get put out to pasture by the high-paying networks), has joined the hate-Israel chorus.  In his Saturday morning banter with fellow demi-Jew Scott Simon (son of 2nd banana comic, Ernie Simon, Schorr has labeled Israel's interception of the Hamas convoy, "The Hate Blockade." 

 I wonder if Mr. Schorr would have called the allied naval blockade of Nazi Germany and Japan during World War II  a "Hate Blockade"?   

Schorr cut his teeth with CBS News in 1946, working with team headed by Edward R. Murrow, the iconic, stylized voice of the network for decades, who made his bones with his intrepid broadcasts from within Nazi Germany and later for his broadsides against Joe McCarthy.  For at least a decade, Schorr's punditry - as far as Israel is concerned - has toed the NPR line, namely, Israel has a right to defend itself, but must be condemned every time it does so. 

For decades, NPR has unabashedly championed the Palestinian cause, no matter which flavor - the kill -Jews PLO or the kill -Jews Hamas.  The powerful, publicly funded radio network feigns objectivity, but is careful to exclude all but the most lunatic, leftist Israeli or Jewish spokespersons  (Noam Chomsky, Bernard Avishai, Gideon Levy). 

This isn't the first time that Schorr has had to prove himself a member in good standing of that lunatic chorus.  In 2009, he pundited:


"Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will not halt settlement activity, and he offers only restraint, a nonstarter for peace negotiations. Netanyahu calls for immediate negotiations looking towards an independent Palestinian state. But his precondition is a demilitarized state, another nonstarter. A state that cannot defend itself is not a sovereign state."  (NPR, All Things Considered, Nov. 11, 2009)


So, Mr. Schorr, in spite of the rampant, daily, Jew hatred spewed by the "moderate" (Schorr's word) Abbas and the doctrinal genocidal goals of Hamas, wants the Palestinians to possess a full-fledged military. 

When the history of the conduct of American Jews in our time in the face of existential threats to Israel is written, Mr. Schorr and his so-called Jewish comrades in the media it will make the cowardly behavior of the 1940's seem like heroism.

Mr. Schorr obviously lacks the moral clarity of his mentor:



A final note: If you want to read a stand-up Jew, read Krauthammer's latest, brilliant piece:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/06/03/AR2010060304287.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns

The 500 lb. Flotilla in the Room: J Street Can't See It.

 
 J Street has just published its fifth column on the Gaza Flotilla incident.  Let's see how the group is expressing its "Pro Israel" mission following the confrontation in the Mediterranean Sea.  In a familiar, accusatory "open letter", Ben Ami displays his obsequiousness to an administration openly hostile to Israel:

   "We mourn the latest loss of life in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict as we mourn the countless deaths and lives destroyed by this tragic conflict over these past decades on both sides of the conflict.

Our deeply-held values demand that we speak out against the death and destruction that accompany this conflict, and the suffering inflicted on both the Palestinian and Israeli people over the decades.

We support an immediate end to the blockade of civilian and humanitarian items from entering Gaza, subject to inspection and screening to prevent the import of arms and weapons. We also call for the immediate release of Corporal Gilad Shalit. (emphasis added)

We urge all parties to go the extra mile now for peace before it is too late: talk to your enemies, open the door to compromise, prepare your people for the compromises that ending the conflict will require. Without this effort, the road ahead is paved only with further violence and destruction.

Most important, Mr. President, take immediate action, using the full power of the United States, to achieve a two-state resolution that protects Israel and frees the Palestinian people"

Ben Ami makes no mention of the fact that the "humanitarian" aid aboard the flotilla amounted to less than a day's free shipment of goods by Israel.  The afterthought on Gilad Shalit is too self-serving to comment on.
Another of J Street's important constituent groups, The New Israel Fund, put out this statement yesterday:

"In light of the violent events that occurred on Sunday when the IDF forces took control of the flotilla boats on their way to Gaza, and in light of past experience,  the New Israel Fund calls for Israel's government authorities to act responsibly and with restraint and to to allow legitimate and legal protest of citizens across the country. The events at sea were serious and tragic enough, and it is important that they not escalate to  further violence." 

Must have missed the NIF's call to  Turkey and the Free Gaza Movement to "act responsibly and with restraint".  Never one to miss an opportunity to impute war mongering motives to Israel, Dan Sokatch's group has clearly joined the ranks of the so-called "International Community" in siding with the Jihadists.  Ominous and predictable is their call "to allow legitimate and legal protest of citizens across the country."    NIF is obviously planning anti-Israel protests across the U.S. and Israel and wants to preempt any criticism of its support for terror.  In spite of the overwhelming video and eyewitness evidence that those aboard the Mavi Marmara were bent on violence and murder, the NIF never saw a terrorist or terrorist sympathizer that was unworthy of justification.

Another group allied with J Street, Americans for Peace Now,  released the following statement:

"Washington, DC; Americans for Peace Now (APN) is deeply dismayed at the tragic results of Israel's interception of the international Gaza aid flotilla today and calls on Israel to thoroughly investigate the operation and to reassess its policy toward the Gaza Strip."

Again, no criticism or even mention of the Turkish, IHH terrorists and terrorist supporters on board the Marmara; only demands that Israel investigate its own clearly implied transgressions.  Israel is "guilty until proven guilty."

Ameinu, another self-styled Progressive organization tied to J Street had this to say:

"Ameinu believes that Israel's inflexibility regarding the blockade of Gaza enables tragedies such as this to occur...Ameinu calls upon the international community to refrain from placing blame on any party until all the facts have come to light, as early eyewitness reports indicate that the so-called peace activists on the Mavi Marmara betrayed their stated non-violent intentions and escalated the situation, which resulted in death and serious injury.  Ameinu also calls upon the government of Israel to convene a commission of inquiry to study these tragic events."

With a slight attenuation of J Street's and NIF's messages, this group also points its angry finger at the government of Israel.

Not officially affiliated with J Street, the Union for Reform Judaism and its leader, Eric Yoffie issued a sort-of-support statement for Israel:

"We are deeply saddened by the events off the coast of Gaza.  We greatly regret the loss of life that resulted from the clashes between activists on the flotilla and Israeli forces.

We note that the Hamas government, which is committed to Israel's destruction and which has long been responsible for attacks against Israeli forces and civilian centers, cannot expect to have open borders.  We also note that humanitarian aid sent to Gaza in the past has often been used as a cover for delivering weapons and military supplies.  In light of these factors, Israel has responded as a sovereign nation must, by exercising her right to self-defense.

We urge the Government of the United States to work with Israel in addressing Israel's security concerns while examining as well the plight of those living in Gaza who require additional humanitarian assistance.  Recent events underscore the need for real progress in addressing both sets of concerns."

Yoffie has vacillated in his support for J Street, at first repudiating the group, but later, warming to its agenda when he lavished praise on the group at its 2009 Washington conference.  Yoffie remains a stalwart of the two state solution, forcible removal of settlers and is convinced that the majority of Palestinians are moderate and peace-loving.

J Street U, the campus arm of J Street has maintained a distinct silence on the Flotilla incident.  Not surprisingly, since the group removed "Pro Israel" from its description.

As for individuals associated with J Street, notably, members of its Advisory Council, we have the following:

Robert Malley:  (incredibly, he sits on J Street's Council):

"For the Obama administration, this crisis presents an opportunity to demonstrate concern both for the well-being of Palestinians and the safety of Israel. Its goal should be to immediately lift the siege, open Gaza's crossings with Israel and Egypt, dispatch its own large-scale provision of goods and facilitate a credible international presence to verify what comes into Gaza and monitor its end-use."  

And try this nouveau-Kingston Trio homage to the"humanitarians" of the flotilla by M. Cherif Bassiouni, another J Street Advisor:

If they weren't so cowardly and duplicitous, J Street and its fellow travelers would qualify as the world's best stand-up act.