J Street Blasts Palin Views As "Misinformed And Dangerous"

Jeremy Ben Ami, Executive Director of J Street, is appalled that some leaders of the pro-Israel community have praised Sarah Palin for endorsing expanding Israeli settlements, despite long-time US policy opposing settlement expansion and the opposition of much of the Israeli public.

He has written Abraham Foxman, director of the Anti-Defamation League, who praised Palin's statements, explaining why Palin's views are objectionable.

Here is an excerpt:

Dear Abe,

I am deeply troubled by your attack on J Street for opposing Sarah Palin's unqualified support for settlement expansion on the West Bank.

Last I checked, it has been United States policy under every President since 1967 to oppose the development and expansion of settlements on the West Bank - and, yes, J Street along with a sizeable portion of the Israeli and American Jewish public also opposes settlement expansion.

Sarah Palin - recently nearly Vice President of the United States and doubtless soon to be a candidate for President - appears to disagree with this long-established, deeply bipartisan consensus on settlements - and seems further to imagine that large numbers of Jews around the world are packing their bags to move to the West Bank in the coming days and weeks.

Her views are outside the mainstream of American and Israeli thinking and her statements lack understanding of either the Jewish community or the meaning of the settlement issue to the chances of Israel's survival as a Jewish democracy.

In our view, those views when introduced into the national policy debate by a potential leader of our country need to be called out for what they are: misinformed and dangerous.

Read the rest of the letter HERE.