J Street Is Pro-Israel

Israel's Deputy Foreign Minister, Danny Ayalon, today told the Conference of Presidents of Major Jewish Organizations that he thinks J Street, the pro-Israel, pro-peace organization, engages in false advertising. "The thing that troubles me is that they don't present themselves as to what they really are. They should not call themselves pro-Israel," he said.

Ayalon, who has developed a reputation as a loose cannon since assuming the Deputy Foreign Minister's role in the Netanyahu government, has shot himself in the foot again.  J Street is an American organization dedicated to securing the future of Israel by helping it achieve peace with its neighbors. There is nothing that is not pro-Israel about that unless Ayalon deems Yitzhak Rabin (who signed the Oslo agreement with Yasir Arafat) and Menachem Begim (who signed the peace treaty with Egypt) as not pro-Israel.

But Ayalon might. He is a far out right winger, considerably to the right of Prime Minister Netanyahu and, in fact, most Israelis.

As to his judgment, he is the "diplomat" who came up with the idea of seating the Turkish ambassador to Israel in a kindergarten chair during a meeting to emphasize his displeasure with the Turkish government.  He told photographers who witnessed the attempted humiliation of the ambassador, "The important thing is that they see he's sitting lower and we're up high..."

That act of sheer silliness and ineptitude almost led to Turkey recalling its diplomats, an eventuality that was averted when Ayalon repeatedly begged forgiveness.

So who cares what he thinks about J Street?

Probably no one.  Nonetheless, it is worth pointing out that supporting failed policies does not make one pro-Israel.  Helping Israel achieve peace does.  That is what J Street is trying to do, despite the best efforts of Danny Ayalon.