J Street now airing pro-peace TV commercial but need support
For years pro-peace activists accused the all powerful right-wing extremist AIPAC (American Israeli Political Action Committee) of punishing any voice of moderation in the U.S. government or media (see recent story about firing of Nasr and Thomas) and thus stonewalling the peace process in the Middle East. Several in-depth studies have also addressed this problem in U.S. foreign policy, as reflected in such books as "Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid" by Jimmy Carter (former U.S. President), "They Dare to Speak Out" by Paul Findley (former U.S. congressman), and "The Israel Lobby and U.S. Foreign Policy" by John J. Mearsheimer and Stephen M. Walt.
But President Obama's unprecedented harsh criticism of Israeli settlements as "endangering America's security," and the emergence of J Street, a pro-peace Jewish lobby in the U.S. have given peace activists new hopes. This week as President Obama met with Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu at the White House, J Street kicked off "the Community of Yes," an expansive campaign and TV ad in support of bold US leadership to achieve a two-state solution (attached video).
The ad contrasts the fear mongering of the Chorus of No - including Rush Limbaugh and Sarah Palin – with a vision of peace and security that serves the best interests of Israel, the US, and the Palestinians and finds broad support among Americans across the spectrum. But to continue airing this expensive commercial, J Street has asked on their website for people to join the Community of Yes.
They also state on their site "JStreetPAC is the first political action committee to endorse and raise money for federal candidates based on their support for Israel and for American policy in the Middle East that promotes security through peace, a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and active diplomacy to address regional conflicts."
»This is a summary of the original feature in Farsi. To request a more extensive translation of the Farsi text, please contact us.
