Ambassador Leiter was right about J Street

Israeli Ambassador Yechiel Leiter’s public condemnation of J Street this week has garnered significant attention.

Citing the group’s support for an arms embargo on the Jewish state amid a multi-front war, the ambassador called the group a “cancer within the Jewish community” and called out its “duplicitousness” for claiming to be pro-Israel while backing policies that undermine Israel’s security.

They were blunt words. But they reflect a blunt truth: J Street is deliberately driving a wedge between the United States and Israel.

Let me start with the stakes. A new report from the Institute for National Security Studies (INSS) at Tel Aviv University outlined how American Jewish support is an essential “national security asset and is core to [Israel’s] purpose as a democratic nation-state of the Jewish people”. The report warns that the erosion of American Jewish support risks Israel becoming “more isolated globally, less capable of extending soft power, and less confident in its role as the nation-state of the Jewish people.” This is an existential concern, and one we must take seriously.

J Street is not merely a passive observer to that erosion (which it would have you believe is solely the fault of the Israeli government), it is actively working to accelerate it.

Consider the record. J Street has consistently backed Bernie Sanders’ efforts in the Senate to block arms sales to Israel — while Israeli families face attacks on multiple fronts.

J Street wants to add political conditions on security aid to Israel, despite robust conditions that are already in law about how that aid can be used.

J Street’s political endorsements include the most outspoken leaders of the anti-Israel faction of the Democratic Party.

And when Squad members Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Ro Khanna outrageously called to end American funding for defensive systems like Iron Dome, J Street didn’t condemn them – they joined them. Now, J Street wants members of Congress to believe it’s “pro-Israel” to oppose funding for Iron Dome, a purely defensive system that saves Israeli and Palestinian lives.

I’m a proud Zionist who understands the need to occasionally express concern with Israeli leadership. I am deeply opposed to Itamar Ben Gvir’s presence in this government, and was proud to see Ambassador Leiter condemn Ben Gvir’s antics this week, understanding that Israel’s behavior and that of its elected leaders matters.

But I refuse to accept an organization whose entire agenda, cloaked under a veil “friendship,” centers on driving a wedge between the Democratic Party and Israel at precisely the moment when that alliance needs the most reinforcement.

We can love Israel and disagree with its government. We can demand better and still support Israel’s security needs. But we shouldn’t tolerate those who risk the safety of Israeli families under the guise of supporting them.

It’s not pro-Israel to encourage America’s leaders to abandon Israel.

Ambassador Leiter was right about J Street.