Washington's new Jewish lobby presses Israel

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But my question is might J Street find itself in a situation where it would be lobbying on an issue that would be counter to what the Israeli government is doing?

Oh, absolutely. We have absolutely no problem taking a position that says the actions and policies of the Israeli government are counterproductive and not in the best interests in our opinion of either Israel or the United States. And I think the reticence to stand up and take those positions has been a real absence in America and one that we're putting an end to.... And by taking these positions we enable a better political and policy debate here in the U.S.

http://www.newsweek.com/id/138784/page/1

Posted By: marky18 @ 05/28/2008 09:59:15

Comment: First, I agree with your implication that J-Street is not a pro-Israel lobby, as if purports to be. But to answer your first question: yes, I would say the same thing about a hawkish US lobby that lobbied our politicians to pressure the Israeli government to be more hawkish - say, to stop negotiating with Syria, or to attack Hamas or Iran, or not to negotiate with Syria. A pro-Israel lobby should not try to bring US pressure on the democratically elected government of Israel because we Americans know better how Israel can achieve peace with its neighbors than Israelis do -- that's just arrogant. And that's why you'll never see AIPAC doing that -- no matter whether the Israeli administration is ruled by hawks or doves at any given time.
As for what we Americans get from our relationship with Israel, the answer is plenty. I don't know where you get your misinformation, but Israel and the US constantly share intelligence regarding terrorist threats -- it's definitely a mutually beneficial relationship.