Israeli Ambassador to the United States Yechiel Leiter sharply criticized J Street overnight Tuesday in Washington, accusing the liberal Jewish advocacy group of being “duplicitous” over its stance on US military aid to Israel.
“The worst thing about J Street is it’s duplicitous,” Leiter said at a National Task Force to Combat Antisemitism gathering at the Museum of the Bible. “How can you be pro-Israel and advocate for an arms embargo on a state that’s fighting a seven-front war against Iranian proxies?”
“They are like a cancer in the heart of the Jewish community,” he added.
J Street, which describes itself as the “political home of pro-Israel, pro-peace, pro-democracy Americans,” recently changed its position on American security assistance to Israel and called for phasing out direct US military aid, including funding connected to systems such as Iron Dome.
Dispute centers on US aid and democratic legitimacy
Leiter said the organization could not present itself as both pro-Israel and pro-democracy while opposing Israel’s elected government and supporting members of Congress who seek to block weapons transfers to Israel.
“If they said that they were pro-Palestinian, I wouldn’t have a problem meeting with them. I meet with pro-Palestinian groups,” Leiter said. “But when you come and say in such a two-faced manner, ‘We’re pro-Israel, we’re pro democracy,’ there’s a democratically elected government in Israel.”
“You don’t like Netanyahu, make aliyah, vote in the next election, and express yourself. Don’t say you’re ‘pro-democracy’ and decry and defy the position of the democratic government of Israel,” he said.
Leiter also criticizes Jewish US politicians
Leiter also criticized Jewish politicians in the United States who oppose Israeli policy, appearing to refer to Sen. Bernie Sanders without naming him.
“Don’t be fooled by the fact that they appear to be Jewish,” Leiter said. “One senator told me that the sponsor is a Jew. The sponsor is not a Jew. The sponsor is a Communist, who may have Jewish pedigree. That doesn’t make him a Jew.”
“It’s amazing that we have some of these people, who remember their Jewish pedigree only when they’re bashing the State of Israel,” he added.
Leiter called on Israel supporters in the United States to create a political environment in which candidates distance themselves from J Street and compete to show closeness to AIPAC.
“You’ve got to create an atmosphere where there’s going to be competition among candidates who say, ‘I don’t have anything to do with J Street,’ and have competition among candidates who say, ‘I’m proudly affiliated with AIPAC,’” Leiter said.