A Washington conference hosted by a new liberal Jewish advocacy group this weekend has sparked a diplomatic row and proxy battle over the Obama administration’s stance on Israel at a time of simmering tensions between Washington and Israel’s right-leaning government.
J Street, an advocacy and lobbying firm created 18 months ago, is holding its first annual conference beginning Sunday , with participation from about 150 Democratic members of Congress, many current and former Israeli politicians and a keynote speech Tuesday by National Security Adviser James L. Jones.
But the self-described “pro-Israel, pro-peace” group has been rebuffed in its attempts to invite Israel’s U.S. ambassador, Michael Oren, to speak at the gathering. In a statement explaining the refusal, the Israeli Embassy accused J Street of endorsing policies that “could impair Israel’s interests.”
