The American - Jewish or otherwise - friends of Israel have been largely of two different views regarding Israel and its security/relationship with Arab neighbors and Palestine - according to conventional wisdom - those that see as Israel needing to make concessions and perhaps take risks for peace and the others that believe Israel must maintain its absolute advantage in military and political terms leaving little room for concession. "J Street" is identified with the first friends of Israel or as some would like to describe as the "pro-Israel, pro-peace lobby" group in Washington. Following is a brief summary from J Street's web site (at jstreet.org): WHO IS J STREET? "J-Street is the political home for pro-Israel, pro-peace Americans. The organization gives political voice to mainstream American Jews and other supporters of Israel who, informed by their progressive and Jewish values, believe that a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is essential to Israel’s survival as the national home of the Jewish people and as a vibrant democracy. J Street’s mission is two-fold: first, to advocate for urgent American diplomatic leadership to achieve a two-state solution and a broader regional, comprehensive peace and, second, to ensure a broad debate on Israel and the Middle East in national politics and the American Jewish community. J Street represents Americans, primarily but not exclusively Jewish, who support Israel and its desire for security as the Jewish homeland, as well as the right of the Palestinians to a sovereign state of their own – two states living side-by-side in peace and security. We believe ending the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is in the best interests of Israel, the United States, the Palestinians, and the region as a whole. J Street supports diplomatic solutions over military ones, including in Iran; multilateral over unilateral approaches to conflict resolution; and dialogue over confrontation with a wide range of countries and actors when conflicts do arise. For more on our policy positions, click here. J Street advocates forcefully in the policy process, in Congress, in the media, and in the Jewish community to make sure public officials and community leaders clearly see the depth and breadth of support for our views on Middle East policy among voters and supporters in their states and districts. We seek to complement the work of existing organizations and individuals that share our agenda. In our lobbying and advocacy efforts, we enlist individual supporters of other efforts as partners." CHANGE IN ARAB WORLD - NEW PERSPECTIVE or CONFIRMING STATUS QUO? Below is the response of J Street to Judge Goldstone's "reconsideration' of the Goldstone Report. Beyond the Goldstone Report, the changes in the Arab World have caused some in the Israeli political establishment to perceive their reserve toward concessions and "two-state solution" as having been ever more justified. With Mubarek gone and other allies under threat, they see the future from the perspective of what has changed from the relative stability/comfort of the past. Others, (and perhaps J Street) would seem to view change in the Arab World as undercutting the politics of the past. The differences between J Street and some of Israel's more "hawkish supporters" can be sharp, even expressed with venom. On the other hand, some more traditional supporters of the Palestinian cause see little distinction. I will not claim any special skill or insight to make a judgment, but would rather take all at face value. Certainly the argument that Israel is the only democracy in the Middle East will be no longer a rhetorical claim that can demand unilateral sympathy from Washington and many western democracies, (depending on how now the more evolutionary process of hoped for democracy takes shape replacing revolutionary end to the status quo in countries like Egypt and Tunisia). It will also be either an opportunity or hazard for Israel, depending on the perspective of such friend. The rule of law will become potentially an ever more defining, and here the discussion on the Goldstone Report can be seen by some as the starting point of such debate (Review Part 1 of "Goldstone Report Reconsidered - diplomaticallyincorrect.org/films/blog_post/the-goldstone-report-reconsidered-the-highly-polarized-debate-by-ambassador-mo/26964 ). By Ambassador Muhamed Sacirbey Face Book at "Diplomatically Incorrect" Twitter - DiplomaticallyX J Street Responds to Judge Goldstone’s Washington Post Op-Ed April 4, 2011 J Street President Jeremy Ben-Ami released the following statement in response to Judge Richard Goldstone’s op-ed in The Washington Post this weekend: J Street welcomes Judge Richard Goldstone’s op-ed in The Washington Post this weekend and his conclusion, based on evidence from Israel’s investigations into allegations of misconduct in Gaza during Operation Cast Lead, that “civilians were not intentionally targeted as a matter of policy.” This was one of the most serious charges against Israel contained in the Goldstone Report. While J Street never took a position supporting or opposing the Goldstone Report, we did second calls by prominent Israelis such as Dan Meridor and former attorney general Menahem Mazuz for Israel to launch its own credible, independent investigation, as it had in the past. The Israel Defense Forces did in fact launch internal investigations into some of the charges related to Operation Cast Lead that were in the report and some that were not. We share Judge Goldstone’s belief that Israel deserves credit from the international community for launching these investigations and further that Hamas should be strongly condemned for its failure to address the charges against it in any way. We hope Israel will vigorously pursue and complete the inquiries it has begun and that it will do so in an open and public way. As Judge Goldstone emphasizes, and as we noted last February, his report would have been far better and more balanced had the government of Israel chosen to cooperate – a conclusion that is emerging as conventional wisdom in Israel today. Israeli commentator Nahum Barnea begins a recent column asserting, “It was a mistake to boycott the Goldstone commission,” while Brig. Gen. (res.) Zvika Fogel, the Southern Command’s fire center commander during Operation Cast Lead, writes in Yisrael Hayom that, “We should have cooperated with the commission of inquiry.” We further urged at the time that the report’s critics should refrain from personal attacks on Judge Goldstone or on the human rights advocates who brought the violations to light. The judge’s column in The Washington Post confirms our sense of respect for him as a person and a jurist who should never have been so viciously attacked on a personal level by his opponents. Our hope moving forward is that all parties will take steps to avoid any escalation of tension or renewed conflict between Gaza and Israel and to ensure the safety and well-being of the residents of southern Israel and of Gaza. To that end, we call in particular for an end to rocket fire against Israeli civilians. Finally, we urge the United States, Israel and the Palestinians to focus now on achieving a two-state solution so that we reduce the chances of future conflicts entailing civilian casualties, alleged human rights violations and investigative reports.