U.S. pro-Israel lobby wages anti-Lieberman campaign

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http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1076043.html

U.S. pro-Israel lobby wages anti-Lieberman campaign

WATCH: U.S. pro-Israel lobby wages anti-Lieberman campaign

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YtuKO06R ... r_embedded


By Natasha Mozgovaya, Haaretz Correspondent
Tags: Jewish World, J Street

JStreet, a pro-Israel lobby in the U.S., has launched a campaign expressing the organization's concern over the appointment of Yisrael Beiteinu Chairman Avigdor Lieberman to head Israel's Foreign Ministry and his party's strong representation in the Knesset.


The Soviet-born ultranationalist became Israel's foreign minister on Tuesday and the next day said new Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's right-leaning government would not be bound by U.S.-backed understandings on a Palestinian state.

He questions the loyalties of Israel's Arab citizens and rhetoric widely seen as anti-Arab has alarmed Palestinians but won him a large following beyond his original Russian-speaking power base.

"J Street is deeply concerned about what Avigdor Lieberman's recent strong showing in Israeli elections, and the key role he is playing as Foreign Minister in the new Israeli government, mean for the U.S.-Israel relationship," said a statement on the group's website, urging supporters to sign an open letter and call on Jewish community leaders to "speak out forcefully against Lieberman's inflammatory platform and rhetoric and stand up for peace, justice and democracy."