#MeghanMcCain: “Americans do not support Israel because #AIPAC is influential, AIPAC is influential because Americans support Israel”

JNS
Despite attacks from the left and the right, AIPAC is still needed
by Jonathan S. Tobin
March 25, 2019

Still, the argument that AIPAC has become irrelevant to pro-Israel advocacy is mistaken. Just like liberals who have wrongly interpreted the lobby’s willingness to embrace right-wingers who love Israel as proof that it is a Republican front, so, too, does the right get it wrong when it blasts as AIPAC as a weak sister for refusing to go to war against the Democrats. Both ends of the political spectrum simply don’t understand what AIPAC does and why—their criticisms notwithstanding—it is still doing its job. READ MORE

THE JEWISH CHRONICLE Joan Ryan gets standing ovation as she tells America’s biggest pro-Israel conference Labour is now ‘riddled with antisemitism’ I’m at AIPAC “To Remind You How Quickly Things Can Change”

JNS Former US and Israeli defense officials clash over duty of AIPAC When AIPAC and other liberal Jewish groups lead congressmen, senators and other leaders on trips to Israel, posed [Harold] Rhode, “why are AIPAC and the other major U.S. Jewish groups so hesitant to take people to see the Jewish towns and villages in Judea and Samaria?

DAILY WIRE Leftist Organization Claims False Victory For Dem Candidates Not Attending AIPAC. Here’s The Real Reason. Last week, the leftist organization MoveOn declared victory over several Democratic presidential candidates as they did not attend AIPAC’s annual bipartisan Policy Conference. But the truth is more prosaic; many of the candidates were simply not invited or had scheduling conflicts.

THE NEW YORK JEWISH WEEK AIPAC After-Parties With An Ideological Bent The Yesha Council, representing West Bank settlers, hosted an event Sunday evening at the evangelical-backed Museum of the Bible. Hosted by the Hebron community spokesman Yishai Fleisher, the event opened with a “Woodstock-style” rendition of the national anthem and “Hatikvah” 

CBN NEWS Romania and Honduras Tell AIPAC Conference They’re Moving Embassies to Jerusalem

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“Ted Cruz replaces the Democrats’ muddled manifesto with a clear and unequivocal exploration of the hatred of Jews and its particular evils”

TABLET MAG
Finally, a Resolution That Actually Condemns Anti-Semitism
by Liel Leibovitz
March 26, 2019

Earlier this month, after Rep. Ilhan Omar accused American Jews of dual loyalty and the Israel lobby of purchasing undue influence, the House passed a resolution that did not mention Omar by name and that condemned not only anti-Semitism but every other conceivable form of bigotry. Doing his best to hide his disappointment, Rep. Eliot Engel, who chairs the Foreign Affairs Committee, said, “I wish we had had a separate resolution about anti-Semitism. I think we deserved it.” The congressman can take heart: A new resolution, drafted by Ted Cruz and slated to be introduced in the Senate this week, delivers everything that the Democrats’ muddled manifesto did not. READ MORE

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Ilhan Omar, the elephant in the room at AIPAC

NEW YORK POST
Ilhan Omar, anti-Semitism center of talks at Israeli lobby conference
By Nikki Schwab
March 24, 2019

Rep. Ilhan Omar — and some of her progressive allies — were the talk of the AIPAC Policy Conference Sunday, though no speaker would call them out by name. House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) dared critics to say that he held a “dual loyalty” to both the US and Israel. “I stand with Israel, proudly and apologetically. So when someone accuses American supporters of Israel of dual loyalty, I say — accuse me,” he taunted the crowd, who cheered loudly…Hoyer also reminded attendees that “there are 62 freshmen Democrats. Not three.” READ MORE

JTA Ilhan Omar lashes out at Pelosi, Netanyahu for their AIPAC jabs at her Rep. Ilhan Omar hit back at House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu after they called out the first-year congresswoman at the AIPAC policy conference for her attacks on the lobby and support for the Israel boycott movement.

DAILY WIRE Ilhan Omar Trashes Pro-Israel Protesters: ‘Could Care Less About What They Have To Say’ Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) continued to show her disdain for Israel and the Jewish people on Saturday after she mocked a group of hundreds of pro-Israel demonstrators who showed up to protest her at a [CAIR] fundraiser event she was attending…“I don’t think any of them realize that people like myself and many of the people in this room could care less about what they have to say,” Omar said.

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“In banning the entire organization of Hezbollah, the UK joins Canada, the U.S., Israel, the Netherlands and the Arab League”

GATESTONE
UK Bans Hezbollah
by Judith Bergman
March 23, 2019

British Home Secretary Sajid Javid recently proscribed the Iranian terrorist proxy organization, Hezbollah (‘Party of God’) in its entirety under the UK Terrorism Act 2000, a government decision that the UK Parliament also recently approved. “There have long been calls to ban the whole group with the distinction between the two factions derided as smoke and mirrors,” Javid said during a debate on the prevention and suppression of terrorism in the House of Commons. READ MORE

FLORIDA DAILY Brian Mast Wants Sanctions on Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad Rep. Brian Mast, R-Fla…paired up with the two leaders of the U.S. House Foreign Affairs Committee–chairman U.S. Rep. Eliot Engel, D-NY, and top Republican U.S. Rep. Michael McCaul, R-Tex.–and U.S. Rep. Josh Gottheimer, D-NJ, to introduce the  “Palestinian International Terrorism Support Prevention Act”.

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“Phillips has won a well-earned reputation as a stalwart opponent of the misrepresentations and downright lies about Israel that constantly fill the world’s media”

JERUSALEM POST
The transformational autobiography of Melanie Phillips
by Neville Teller
March 22, 2019

…She believes that the world-view promulgated by the left-wing intellectual élite in both countries grew increasingly out of step with the opinions of ordinary working and middle-class people. Progressive thinkers, perceiving the Western nation state as the source of colonialism and oppression, put their faith in transnational institutions like the European Union and the United Nations.  They took no account of the pride that many ordinary people feel in their nation, their institutions and their independence. This, Phillips believes, largely explains the intense shock the US establishment felt at the election of Donald Trump as president…READ MORE

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Former employee trashes Southern Poverty Law Center in The New Yorker, effectively calling them “a scam” and bastion of white privilege

THE NEW YORKER
The Reckoning of Morris Dees and the Southern Poverty Law Center
by Bob Moser
March 21, 2019

…Cameras were everywhere in the open-plan office, which made me feel like a Pentagon staffer, both secure and insecure at once. But nothing was more uncomfortable than the racial dynamic that quickly became apparent: a fair number of what was then about a hundred employees were African-American, but almost all of them were administrative and support staff—“the help,” one of my black colleagues said pointedly. The “professional staff”—the lawyers, researchers, educators, public-relations officers, and fund-raisers—were almost exclusively white. Just two staffers, including me, were openly gay. READ MORE

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Dershowitz: “If Jewish power and influence are used in the cause of peace and justice, we should not be ashamed of it. It should be a source of pride”

JEWISH PRESS
We Need More Jewish Power, Not Less
by Alan Dershowitz
March 21, 2019

When I hear that Jews are too powerful, my response is, we are not powerful enough. When I hear that AIPAC is too influential a lobby, I say it must become even more influential. When I hear that Jews contribute too much money to support pro-Israel causes, I say we must contribute more. When I hear that Jews control the media, I ask “Why is so much of the media so anti-Israel?” When I hear that Jews have too much influence on the outcome of elections, I say we need to increase our influence. READ MORE

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Trump’s tweet on US recognition of Israeli sovereignty over Golan Heights came as his secretary of state, Mike Pompeo, visited Jerusalem

FDD POLICY BRIEF
Trump Calls for Israeli Sovereignty over Golan Heights
by Jonathan Schanzer and David Adesnik
March 21, 2019

President Trump wrote on Twitter this afternoon, “After 52 years it is time for the United States to fully recognize Israel’s Sovereignty over the Golan Heights.” The announcement has been jeered by critics of the administration, but there is less controversy than meets the eye. Israel captured most of the Golan Heights from Syria in the 1967 Six Day War, which was a pre-emptive war Israel launched in self-defense. United Nations Resolution 242, issued following the conflict, called for “withdrawal of Israel armed forces from territories occupied in the recent conflict.” This text, now somewhat famous for its ambiguity, never called for withdrawal from “all territories.” READ MORE

NATIONAL REVIEW Why Trump’s Golan Heights Gesture Won’t Derail Peace Since there’s no peace process worthy of the name, it’s better to stand with our ally — and send a warning to Iran.

THE HILL Syria slams Trump on Golan Heights declaration Syria on Friday slammed President Trump over his surprise declaration that the U.S. should recognize Israeli sovereignty over the occupied Golan Heights, saying the decision was “irresponsible” and threatened international stability.

TIMES OF ISRAEL EU says it will not follow Trump in recognizing Israeli sovereignty over Golan Syria, Russia, Iran and Turkey condemn US president’s surprise announcement, warn it could destabilize region.

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“J Street’s primary goal, like that of the numerous other anti-Israel organizations in the US…is to create antipathy and distrust for Israel, so that Americans will oppose pro-Israel actions by the US government”

ABU YEHUDA
J Street uncovers a secret about Netanyahu and Trump
by Victor Rosenthal
March 22, 2019

…There’s no doubt that liberal and progressive American Jews hate Trump passionately, and there’s no better way to attack Netanyahu among that group than by associating him with their bête noire. The first J Street video is here. It’s very professional and probably didn’t come cheap. The question is, why did J Street spend a considerable sum of money on such a campaign? Americans don’t vote in Israeli elections (although J Street probably wishes they did). Why attack Netanyahu in the USA? It’s not a simple question and I don’t have a simple answer. READ MORE

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After Ilhan Omar demonizes AIPAC, many progressives follow suit and blow off Policy Conference

WASHINGTON EXAMINER
2020 Democrats to skip AIPAC
by Zachary Halaschak
March 21, 2019

Five Democratic presidential candidates say they will not attend this year’s American Israel Public Affairs Committee policy conference. The announcements come a day after progressive advocacy group MoveOn urged candidate to skip the conference, which is widely attended by lawmakers in both political parties. Democratic Sens. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts and Kamala Harris of California will not be attending,  according to reports. Neither will independent Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, who is Jewish. READ MORE

JTA Democratic candidates are steering clear of AIPAC. Is it business as usual or a mini-revolt? This week MoveOn, the progressive advocacy. group, asked candidates not to attend the conference of the AIPAC and has been keeping a list of the no-shows: Sens. Kamala Harris of California, Kirsten Gillibrand of New York and Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts; Washington Gov. Jay Inslee; South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg; former Housing Secretary Julian Castro; former Maryland Rep. John Delaney; and former Texas Rep. Beto O’Rourke.

FREE BEACON Omar Shares Praise for Democrats Boycotting AIPAC Rep. Ilhan Omar (D., Minn.) appeared to take credit on Twitter for the Democratic Party’s decline in support for Israel Thursday. She shared two tweets from progressive organization MoveOn and from Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s (D., N.Y.) chief of staff that praised Democrats for not attending the AIPAC annual Policy Conference.

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