Monday, May 03, 2010

A European J Street? Left-leaning poseur Continental Jewish Zionists level a bit of criticism at Israeli policy

Unconditional support for Israel 'is dangerous', say leading European Jews
Anti-settlement petition signed by Bernard Henri-Lévy and others causes division in Jewish community
(Associated Press, guardian.co.uk) --

More than 3,000 European Jews, including prominent intellectuals, have signed a petition speaking out against Israeli settlement policies and warning that systematic support for the Israeli government is dangerous.

The petition's signatories include French philosopher Bernard-Henri Lévy and Daniel Cohn-Bendit, a Greens leader in the European Parliament.

Supporters, who compare their goals to those of J Street, a liberal pro-Israel Jewish lobbying group in the United States, plan to present their position at a news conference at the European Parliament in Brussels tomorrow.

They say they hope to build a European movement that is both "committed to the state of Israel and critical of the current choices of its government".

Israeli columnist Yossi Sarid, a former Cabinet minister identified with Israel's peace movement, praised the initiative in an comment piece published in the Haaretz daily today.

"These are people who seize every opportunity to defend Israel publicly and remain faithful to it," he wrote. "But even their patience is running out and their hearts are filled with sincere concern."...MORE...LINK

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