On Wednesday, the Conference of Presidents of Major Jewish Organizations rejected J Street’s bid for membership. Of the 42 out of 50 members present at the vote, 17 were in favor, 22 opposed and three abstained.
Needing 34 supporting votes to gain entry “into the tent,” J Street would have lost even if the eight groups absent, together with those who had refrained from casting a ballot, had backed its entry.
It was, in other words, a resounding defeat.
Since its inception in 2008, J Street’s goal has been to compete with, undermine and eventually replace the American Israel Public Affairs Committee as the most influential Jewish lobby on Capitol Hill. And though initially this seemed to be too tall an order for the fledgling organization that called itself “pro-Israel and pro-peace” — a euphemism for pro-Palestinian and pro-Arab world — J Street began to gain momentum.
It certainly received media coverage for every one of its events, no matter how poorly attended; and its director, Jeremy Ben-Ami, became prominent on the lecture and panel circuit. This provided him the opportunity to attack Israel in the guise of defending it against the policies of its government, while accusing J Street’s critics of stifling healthy and robust debate.
Liberals are always suckers for such blackmail. Ben-Ami knows this and has tried, often successfully, to use it to his advantage.
But there is one crack in his armor and calculations: His operation is funded by radical left-wing billionaire George Soros.