While Israelis, left and right, are overwhelmingly opposed to the deal, American Jews are torn between their general support for President Barack Obama–only black voters have been more loyal–and the reality of what the deal will do to strengthen Iran and threaten both American and Israeli security.
If Obama and his supporters are so concerned about comments that portray the president as an antisemite, he should stop trying to act like one. At the very least, it shows he knows he cannot defend the Iran deal on its merits.
Jeb Bush, who is lagging behind other prospective GOP 2016 presidential candidates in recent polls, attempted to regain momentum lost among conservative Jews stemming from his naming former Secretary of State James Baker as one of his advisors. Jeb cited his brother President George W. Bush as a trusted advisor regarding the state of Israel.
President Barack Obama met on Monday with a group of Jewish leaders at the White House in an effort to win their support for the Iran deal–and for passing that deal without approval from Congress. The details of the meeting were not posted, but The Hill reports that the Obama administration sees the outreach as a key part of its effort to prevent the Corker bill, which would require congressional approval of an Iran deal, from reaching the two-thirds majority threshold.
Rand Paul may be “closest to Obama in his view on foreign policy,” as Dr. Charles Krauthammer put it on Tuesday, but he is facing stiff competition from Jeb Bush in that category.The former Florida governor praised Obama’s initial negotiating efforts with Iran on Tuesday, telling an audience in Denver that “we need to give him credit” for “bringing other people along and making it tougher.” The puzzling statement suggests the influence of James A. Baker III on the Bush campaign.
Hoping to revive the sagging spirits of America’s dwindling pro-Israel Jewish community, pro-Israel icon William Kristol tries to reassure Weekly Standard readers this week that Jimmy Carter issued anti-Israel threats similar to those now made by President Obama, only to see American Jews and Israel emerge stronger.
Billionaire casino mogul Sheldon Adelson, a generous Republican donor and staunch supporter of Israel, has reportedly become “incensed” at former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush over comments that a Bush foreign policy adviser made about Israel.
Representative Jan Schakowsky (D-IL) has apologized for stating in a disparaging manner that Joel Pollak—her former opponent in a 2010 Congressional race, who now serves as Breitbart News’s Senior Editor-At-Large and Breitbart California Editor—is an “Orthodox” Jew.
Former Secretary of State James A. Baker III, a foreign policy adviser to former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, criticized Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday evening at the Washington gala dinner for J Street, a Soros-funded left-wing group that is devoted to disrupting the close U.S.-Israel alliance. Baker said that Netanyahu had been too forceful in his opposition to a nuclear deal with Iran, and that he had shown insufficient commitment to peace with the Palestinians.
Representative Jan Schakowsky (D-IL), speaking on Monday at the 2015 J Street convention, praised the far left “Pro-Israel, Pro-Peace” organization for backing her 2010 re-election campaign against Joel Pollak, Breitbart News’s Senior Editor-at-Large and Breitbart California Editor.
This weekend, as the Obama administration continued to stress the importance of reaching a nuclear deal with Iran, Iran’s Supreme Leader continued to tweet—in English, no less—that Iran would never abide by a deal to the benefit of the United States.
White House Chief of Staff Denis McDonoough earned raucous cheers from the left-wing activists gathered at J Street’s fifth annual conference in Washington, D.C. on Monday when he attacked Israel’s occupation of the West Bank. “An occupation that has lasted almost 50 years must end,” he said. J Street was founded to disrupt the close U.S.-Israel alliance and to serve as an alternative to the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), the powerful pro-Israel group.
J Street, a progressive organization funded primarily by far-left individuals who are critical of Israeli policy and more sympathetic to the Palestinian cause, is holding its annual conference this week in Washington.
This weekend, two staunchly opposing groups, Stand With Us and J-Street, will hold conferences on opposite coasts, setting opposing agendas for U.S.-relations at a time when those relations are in danger of taking a turn for the worse.
Former Secretary of State James A. Baker III is to deliver the keynote at this weekend’s J Street conference, a gathering of left-wing activists opposed to the Israeli government and to recently re-elected Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Baker, who served under President George H.W. Bush, is also advising Jeb Bush in his presidential effort, according to a report by the Jewish Telegraphic Agency. Baker is considered hostile to Israel and is controversial among Jewish voters.
J Street, a left-wing organization that was founded by liberal Jews to counter traditional pro-Israel advocacy in Congress, has crossed the line into hate group status with its invitation to Palestinian chief negotiator Saeb Erekat to address its conference later this month.
The Zionist Organization of America (ZOA) has accused Jewish critics of Benjamin Netanyahu’s speech to Congress of repeating the mistakes of the Nazi era.
The New York Times has launched a full-court press against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Israeli Ambassador Ron Dermer over Netanyahu’s acceptance of an invitation by Speaker of the House John Boehner to address Congress on the subjects of Iran and radical Islam in March without coordinating with the White House.
J Street, a George Soros-funded, far-left organization that styles itself as “pro-Israel” but spends its energy opposing Israeli policies, is trying to stop Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu from addressing Congress in a special session in March.
