J Street markets itself as “the political home of pro-Israel, pro-peace Americans” in an effort to make someone believe that its primary goal is supporting Israel. The group dismissed criticisms when it advocated against the desires of the Israeli government in supporting the Iran nuclear deal and condemning Jews living in the “West Bank” as simply opposing particular Israeli policies. It really didn’t have a response when it effectively lobbied the Obama administration to allow the anti-Israel United Nations Security Resolution 2334 to pass.
As the “pro-Israel” veneer washed away long ago, it has freed the group to become unabashedly pro-Progressive, pouring money AGAINST pro-Israel candidates in favor of extreme leftists.
Rep. Henry Cuellar (D-TX28) has proven many times that he understands Israel and supports the democratic Jewish State. On February 1, 2022, he tweeted in response to the false libels of the Amnesty report on Israel “Israel is not an apartheid state. Full stop. These inaccuracies incite antisemitic behavior against the Jewish people. Lies that incite violence, but do nothing to help the Palestinian people. Let’s work together, not tear each other down.“
In December 2021, he co-authored a letter to Secretary of State Blinken to take a tough stand against Iran as it continued to pursue nuclear weapons. In sharing the letter, Cuellar said “We cannot let an aggressive actor threaten Israel—our strongest ally in the Middle East.“
It is therefore not a surprise that Cuellar has received endorsements from many pro-Israel organizations like Pro-Israel America.
For progressive groups who do not care about Israel or are actively hostile to Israel, the primary lens is simply that he is too moderate.
Justice Democrats, the far-left group behind Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) poured money into the campaign of his primary challenger, Jessica Cisneros. She’s received endorsements from far left politicians including Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D-NY) and AOC. The Sunshine Group – which gained infamy for its DC Chapter boycotting the presence of Zionist groups advocating for voting rights – also backs her.
Other far left-wing groups actively hostile to Israel also back Cisneros. The list includes Move On and The Working Families Party, which pushed politicians to boycott the pro-Israel AIPAC conference. Daily Kos, a left wing media outlet which equated the Palestinian political-terrorist group HAMAS which calls for killing Israelis and the destruction of Israel, and Israel’s Likud as “Two despicable organizations,” also supports Cisneros.
Joining the list of alt-left wing groups – many anti-Israel – in endorsing Cisneros is J Street PAC. J Street is spending $100,000 in digital ads to help Cisneros defeat Cuellar in the Democratic primary on March 1, 2022. To put that sum in context, J Street spent $272,000 nationally in getting Joe Biden elected president in 2020.
Consider that Cisneros hasn’t said a single word about Israel. Her “Issues” list doesn’t mention Israel or the Middle East.
Yet J Street, which markets itself as primarily concerned with Israel is putting a huge amount of money behind someone who has no opinions on Israel, and against a moderate Democratic politician who staunchly supports the Jewish State.
J Street is a progressive PAC first and foremost, which thinks nothing of standing alongside left wing groups that despise Israel. In backing Cisneros in Texas, it is proving again that the organization has nothing to do with being pro-Israel.
Related articles:
J Street Pushes to Make Israel a Partisan Issue
J Street Prioritizes Palestinian Aid Over Iranian Threat
J Street: Home for Pro-Palestinian, Pro-Peace Americans
J Street is Only Considered “Pro-Israel” in Progressive Circles
J Street is a Partisan Left-Wing Group, NOT an Alternative to AIPAC
{Reposted from the author’s blog}
