The Israeli ambassador has turned down an invitation to speak at J Street's anti-Israel conference because of -- well, "concerns over certain policies of the organization that may impair the interests of Israel." In other words, Oren isn't at all convinced that J Street is pro-Israel. And apparently those same concerns are shared by eleven members of Congress who've asked to have their names removed from any materials associated with the conference. In addition, the organizers of the conference cancelled a panel featuring three poets whose anti-Israel poetry slams even J Street was not prepared to defend. Now Glenn Thrush reports that Senator John Kerry, one of the conferences keynote speakers, has pulled out and will not attend:
J Street, DC's new left-leaning Israel advocacy group, had hoped to make a big splash with an event in DC next week but the group has been rocked by a wave of defections -- which now includes headliner John Kerry, POLITICO's Meredith Shiner reports....
Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman John Kerry's name is still is listed on J Street's web site as one of four keynote speakers at the group's gala, albeit with an asterisk signifying he was invited but not confirmed.
But he turned down the invitation "weeks ago" due to a prior commitment, according to Kerry spokeswoman Whitney Smith.
"As happens in putting together events like this, the list of hosts changed constantly over several months. Names were added and deleted, and decisions on participation changed regularly," J Street's Director of Strategy & Policy Hadar Susskind told POLITICO.
Names have certainly been deleted -- 14 by my count -- but what names have been added? Only one by my reckoning -- General Jim Jones, whom the Obama administration was kind enough to send to the conference in a bid to stop the wave of defections referenced above. Apparently that hasn't worked so well given the fresh wave of dropouts today. Unfortunately for the White House, they were the last ones to board a sinking ship.
