Despite enjoying a hearty welcome at the US Congress recently, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has refused to meet with a delegation of representatives organized by J Street, the liberal Jewish lobby said Sunday.
Congressmen cheered Netanyahu on enthusiastically 50 times during his speech, 29 of those being standing ovations. However when five of those same Congress members planned a visit Israel, requesting a meeting with the prime minster or any other official representative of the state, not a single one complied.
The delegation, composed of Democratic Congress members, was set to arrive in Israel on Monday. The trip was initiated by J Street, considered a controversial group known for its fierce criticism of Israel, particularly over the issue of West Bank settlements.
The organizers attempted to arrange meetings with Netanyahu ahead of time, however they were turned down due to alleged schedule conflicts.
Organizers claim this is an excuse, stating that the actual reason is due to Netanyahu’s government policy, which bans meetings with US legislators brought here by J Street.
The delegation includes five representatives: Steve Cohen from Tennessee, Betty McCollum from Minnesota, John Yarmuth from Kentucky, and Sam Farr and Lynn Woolsey from California. Two of them are Jewish.
They plan to tour Egypt and the Palestinian Authority in an attempt to become familiar with Mideast realities and the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.
In Egypt the delegation has set up meetings with Egypt’s military leader Mohamed Tantawi, and Egyptian Foreign Minister Nabil al-Arabi. While visiting in the Palestinian Authority they will talk with Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad.
However in Israel, after being turned down by nearly everyone, the Congress representatives will only sit down with Opposition leader Tzipi Livni, a few other Knesset members, and possibly with Minister Miki Eitan (Likud).
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16 Responses
Israel cannot afford to snub members of the US Congress, regardless of the J Street problem. They should make some compromise position, where perhaps they could meet with Likud Knesset members who are not ministers in the government, i.e. their counterparts.
What is wrong with this picture: Five US Congressmen, together with an American pro-Israel lobby, are planning a tour of the Middle East, will meet with Egypt’s military leader, the Egyptian Foreign Minister and the Palestinian Prime Minister, but Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will not meet with them? Well, maybe nothing, if we recognize that the Israeli PM is struggling to keep his right-wing partners in his governing coalition. And the US visitors will meet with the leader of the Israeli Opposition, former Foreign Minister and Mossad agent Tzipi Livni, who may become Netanyahu’s successor as PM anyway.
And just for the record: “fierce criticism” of Israel is that it has no right to exist, which is not something J Street has ever said.
Kol HaKovod to Bibi.
Its about time someone brought those self hating sick people down a notch or two.
The so called J Street is being financed by our biggest enemies and hell bent on our de-legitimization and ultimate destruction.
They should change their name to P Street.
In my personal opinion, they make a much bigger chillul HaShem than the Neturei Karta (who everyone know, are just a bunch of pathetic attention seekers)
Bibi got a brain; don’t meet with loosers
No. 2: Your homework assignment for today is to post two lists, one of which lists all the mitzvahs you fulfilled by calling me “self hating” and “sick”, and the other should list all the mitzvahs you breached by the same conduct.
Your homework is due in 24 hours, and you get extra credit for an apology.
No. 3: You may think you are lucky that in my comment no. 5, I gave your homework assignment to somebody else. But you should now consider comment 5 to be your homework assignment, not No. 2’s (who is clearly incompetent), and the deadline is 24 hours from the time of this posting.
#2, I must correct you: Fierce criticism of Israel happens to be any and all criticism of Israel. No other country has ever shown such a good nature to all, including it’s enemies, yet has been poked and prodded and bled and threatened…to almost no end.
You are entitled to your opinions just as you are entitled to be wrong.
Definition of :
Self-hating Jew: a Jew whose opinion you don’t like.
Similar to:
Activist Judge: a judge whose opinion you don’t like.
No. 6: Your homework assignment is to figure out whether No. 5 is masquerading as No. 2, or whether No. 2 is really the pseudonym under which No. 3 mysteriously does No. 5’s homework. Either way, once you figure out who YOU are, feel free to post an intelligent comment.
Netanyahu erred by not meeting with the congressmen; they are official diplomatic representatives of the United States. He should have met with them and read them the riot act regarding J Street.
J street is anti Israel.
It is funded in part and has ties with Moslem groups. It supports negotiations with Hamas. It was in favor of the UN resolution favoring Israel.
Correction: It was in favor of the UN resolution condeming Israel.
Good for Netanyahu.
There was no point in meeting with a group of congressmen who are anti-Israel and in the case of two on that list, antisemites.
I don’t see Obama going to Israel and meeting with Knesset members he doesn’t like. No reason for the Prime Minister to waste his time on people who are going to be against Israel no matter what he does.
The only reason they wanted to meet with him is to raise their own profile as influential and put out a press release.
It’s not a question of dissing these representatives, although they probably deserve to be dissed.
J Street is not a legitimate American PAC to speak on behalf of Israeli interests; it is at odds with Israel’s democratically elected leadership. J Street may preach what it believes to be in Israel’s best interests, but what it articulates is regarded by Israel and Israel’s American friends as unhelpful and offensive.
As such, it is appropriate for the Israeli leadership to engage with Congressmen specifically when their trips to Israel are not organized by the likes of J Street, Hamas, Syria, etc. Otherwise, how would Congressmen know that J Street is not an avenue for friendship with Israel?
NFGO3 you are from J Street? Ouch… They are mosrim! They lie about Israel to the ignorant and naive public for their own gain, along with meeting with murderers and arch-terrorists such as Abu Mazen. Some of their members joined the International Solidarity Movement, which aided and abetted “Palestinian” suicide bombers and block IDF operations in our land continually out of love for the enemy and self-hate from themselves. They are obsessed with proving to the goyim that they are “enlightened”. Enough proof for you?
BTW> Asking someone for an apology for something he said about someone else is just outright ARROGANT. Get a humility lesson.