Chicago, IL – It is quite a swipe at the organized Jewish community that the Jerusalem Post is reporting Senator Biden has launched against the American Israel Public Affairs Committee. “I take a backseat to no one — including Aipac — when it comes to supporting Israel,” the Post quotes the Delaware Democrat just chosen as Senator Obama’s running mate as saying. “They don’t speak for the entire Jewish community. There are other organizations that are just as strong and consequential,” he said. “Aipac does not speak for the State of Israel.”
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Well, it is true that Aipac does not speak for the state of Israel; it is not a foreign agent. But Aipac is the formal voice of the pro-Israel lobby in America, and through its governance structure, represents the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations that is the umbrella group for the Jewish community in this country. Aipac has not publicly criticized Mr. Biden, though it did take different stances than he did on some Iran-related legislation. Aipac has described Mr. Biden as pro-Israel, a description whose accuracy we do not dispute.
If Mr. Biden, though, really thinks there are other American Jewish organizations that are as strong or as consequential as Aipac when it comes to the America-Israel relationship it sure will be illuminating to see him name them. If he has in mind dovish groups such as the Israel Policy Forum or the J Street Project, Mr. Biden is only going to hurt the Obama ticket with that portion of the Jewish vote that is actually up for grabs in this election.
The Biden comment is eerily reminiscent of the anti-Israel polemicists Professors Walt and Mearsheimer, who wrote, “Many of the key organisations in the Lobby, such as the American-Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) and the Conference of Presidents of Major Jewish Organisations, are run by hardliners who generally support the Likud Party’s expansionist policies, including its hostility to the Oslo peace process. The bulk of US Jewry, meanwhile, is more inclined to make concessions to the Palestinians.”
When the Sun reported back in September 2007 that an Obama campaign advertisement was appearing on the Amazon.com page of Messrs. Walt and Mearsheimer’s book, the campaign pulled it. “The ad has been removed from the site because the views of the book do not reflect the views of Senator Obama on the U.S.-Israel relationship,” an Obama spokeswoman, Jennifer Psaki, told us then. It was the right move at the time. It is going to be more difficult, but just as appropriate, for Mr. Obama to distance himself from Mr. Biden’s reported comments.
he is right
he is right the dont speak in the name of all jewrey(specialy not in our name)
neturi karte- the “advocates” for Israel are not Aipac? I guess then that it must be Jews forJ, Peace Now, and Reform Jews? Or is it the Iranian Leadership?
re; Joe Biden can be either Pro-Obama, or Pro Israel, but Not both- it would be an Oxymoron, or contradiction in terms. If Mr. Biden has been pro Israel in the past I thank him for that.
Kudos to the Sun for bringing this story to light.
Good way to close out a great alternative paper to the New York Slimes!
Neturei is right. Any advocate for the illegal state of Israel is not a friend of the real Jews.
You nk guys dont talk for most Jews. You guys can vote for Obama and when he wins I will go to Israel.
AIPAC does not speak for the State of Israel. It speaks for the GOVERNMENT of Israel!
Biden is right. Aipac does not speak for me. Their Arabic translations are completely out of context and in many cases, just plain wrong.
My family lived in peace among Muslims for 2000 years. Muslims also rescued my extended family from Hitler and for this we owe eternal gratitude.
If I had to leave the US, I would go to live in Morocco under the Muslim regime that saved 250,000 Jews from Hitler.
Charlie Bitan speaks for me.
Sorry for that ,
anyway as much as want mccain to win, biden is right that AIPAC does not represent the american jewry, besides the tens of thousands american jews not related to the NK who are against israel, the vast majority of american jews support a more dovish policy, are for going back to pre-1967 borders and dont think that the israelis should attack iran
I don’t understand the anger of the Zionists. Biden keeps insisting that he is a Zionist and supports “Israel”. What more do they want from him? OK, maybe he’s not an Effie Etam Zionist, but he’s probably at least a Kadima Zionist. So if he’s loyal to the State of Israel, what are people so paranoid about?
Now that Biden is on the very, very liberal Obama Democrat ticket, he’s beginning to ramp down his support of Israel and disassociate himself from organizations that are considered by the left as “right-wing” extremists. Knowing Biden, it’s going to get worse as he opens his mouth and starts shooting from the lip.
Please explain the term “Kadima Zionist”-that was made as a joke, right. (oxymoron)
Although he may have point, these statements are usually a cover-up for bigots, we constantly hear these statements from anti-Semites, as if tough they only hate Zionist and love the Jewish people, I’m sure,Hitler if given the chance to defend himself, he would have argued that he only meant to kill the Zionists, and had no problem with the Jews, well, for me his above statement is enough to stay away from the Obama ticket, for me it’s now a clear choice, I won’t question his love for Jews anymore, as the old saying goes “if you have a winner, stick with it”.
Although I may be wrong, I promised myself never again, so I will go with my gut feelings.
All I can say is nebuch……many frum Yidden (not all, but many) are infected with a terrible infection of Zionist paranoia and arrogance at other people’s expense. Much moreso than the frei Jews of any type.
You people are all bumbling idiots, if you did 3% as much for israel as AIPAC did you might actually accomplish something for Israel. Instead you morons sit on the computer and talk out of you know where. You give a bad name to all frum people everywhere who have common sense.
re; Joe Biden can be either Pro-Obama, or Pro Israel, but Not both- it would be an Oxymoron, or contradiction in terms. If Mr. Biden has been pro Israel in the past I thank him for that.
This kind of statement is nonsence.
to morrocan Jew:
Charlie Bitton is not a leftwing communist pro-arab anymore. He changed his views. Check this out
Salute Mr Biden, yes indeed satmar rebbe z”l(not neteri karta)in his v’yoel moshe writes that it is a חיוב to let the entire world known that zionist don’t talk in the name of all jews.
AIPAC speaks for the very modern Orthodox/Conservative segment of the population.They all live in comfort in America and contribute to show off to their fellow buddies and for political gain. If you’ve ever been to an AIPAC conference you know exactly what I mean. Bnei Torah on the other hand don’t have fancy conferences; they go to live in Eretz Yisroel and/or support those who do.
stop the hate before the hate stops us all
yes he is rigth they dont speak for all the jews
I agree with anonymous 4:20 a.m. let us remember that we are in best golus we ever had but as the historian Beschloss reports ” we are here under sufferance”.