Interior Minister and Vice Premier Eli Yishai (Shas) addressed Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman on Wednesday, asking them to intervene and prevent Israels deputy ambassador to the U.S. from attending a J Street conference in Washington D.C. later this month. J Street describes itself as a pro-Israel, pro-peace U.S. lobby. Its views are seen by many in and outside of Israel as far Left. I was shocked to learn of the possibility that an official representative of Israel, a deputy ambassador, was to participate in a central conference held by this harmful organization which has overtly acted against Israels interests for a long time, Yishai said upon reading the Israel Hayom report that Deputy Ambassador Baruch Bina was slated to attend the J Street conference. In a letter addressed to Netanyahu, Lieberman and Deputy Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon, Yishai explained why Bina should not be permitted to attend the conference: J Street is not a pro-Israel organization. It resembles more the organizations that have made it their goal to harm the state. It is, at the very least, a pro-Palestinian organization that systematically operates against the interests of Israel, its army and its citizens! Yishai supported his argument with recent examples, such as J Streets recent condemnation of Israeli bombings in Gaza earlier this month, when rockets pounded Israels southern cities. While the IDF fought against terror in Gaza, killing 12 terrorists, J Street decided to issue an official statement condemning the airstrikes on Gaza that have killed over a dozen Palestinian civilians this when even the Palestinians themselves reported that those killed were terrorists actively involved in terror, Yishai wrote. Moreover, he continued, Mr. Daniel Levy, one of the founders [of J Street], said that the establishment of Israel was an act that was wrong. Yishai further emphasized that J Street opposes the U.S. Congress and global efforts to impose sanctions on Iran! He added that there were countless more examples. The participation [of an official Israeli representative in a J Street conference] represents a crossing of all lines. We must not grant this organization legitimacy. We must act to expel it from our midst, to sever all ties with it the sooner the better, Yishai wrote.
