Israeli Ambassador Oren On The Difference Between AIPAC And J Street

From an interview Ambassador Michael Oren gave this past week:

“AIPAC’s mandate is to support the decisions of the democratically elected government of Israel, be it left, right or center,” he said. “J Street makes its own policy and does not necessarily, to say the least, accept the decisions of the policies of the government of Israel.”

“Listen, I represent the democratically elected government, and that government reflects the will of the people of Israel, and what they perceive as the interests of Israel,” he said, adding that J Street was an organization “taking issue with that, and that in itself is a source of disagreement.” [emphasis added]

It's a matter of emphasis.

AIPAC supports the people of Israel, regardless of the political leaning of the government.
J Street has a specific agenda--independent of the people of Israel and what they want.

[Hat tip: Jennifer Rubin]

Technorati Tag: AIPAC and J Street.