The Goldstone Report, took its name from the South African Judge who lead the UN's inquiry into the Gaza War. The committee threw any standards of investigation out the window. The report violated international standards for inquries, including UN rules on fact- finding. The Commission systematically favored witnesses and evidence put forward by anti-Israel advocates including Hamas, and dismissed evidence and testimony that would undermine its case. For example it ruled that Hamas did not use its own citizens as human shields despite a wealth of video evidence. . The commission relied extensively on mediating agencies, especially UN and NGOs, which have a documented hostility to Israel; and reproduced earlier reports and claims from these agencies. And that's just for a start. The Goldstone report has very serious, but untrue charges, no group claiming to advocate for Israel would ever want the US Congress to formally accept the document. That's where J Street comes in.
Colette Avital a former member of Israel's parliament, from the left wing Labor Party used to be J Street's liaison in Israel. Avital told The Washington Times that she quit her J Street job partially because of the group's "connection to Judge Goldstone."
"When Judge Goldstone came to Washington, [J Street leaders were] suggesting that they might help him set up his appointments on Capitol Hill," she said.
Avital later had a joint conference call with J Street President Jeremy Ben-Ami and the paper where she denied she said J Street was working with Judge Goldstone, but thankfully the Times has their original conversation with her on tape .
While J Street was trying to promote the report in Congress the Obama adminsistration was trying to kill it at the UN
The chairman and ranking member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee had also been circulating a bipartisan resolution condemning Judge Goldstone's report before the retired South African jurist came to Washington.
The Goldstone Report is widely viewed as slanderous toward the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) among the American Jewish community and in Israel. It accuses the IDF of deliberately targeting civilians in the ground and air war in Gaza, which resulted in at least 1,000 Palestinian deaths. The White House also has criticized the report.
J Street was the only "pro-Israel" group that did not publicly condemn the Goldstone Report (they did not publicly endorse it either).
In a statement provided to The Washington Times this week, Mr. Ben-Ami said, "J Street did not host, arrange or facilitate any visit to Washington, D.C., by Judge Richard Goldstone."
He went on to say, however, that "J Street staff spoke to colleagues at the organizations coordinating the meetings and, at their behest, reached out to a handful of congressional staff to inquire whether members would be interested in seeing Judge Goldstone."
He added, "We believed it to be a good idea for him and for members of Congress to meet personally, but we declined to play a role in hosting, convening or attending any of the meetings."
When asked later how many congressional offices had been contacted, a J Street staffer told the Times that it was "two or three." Mr. Ben-Ami later said he did not remember reaching out to Congress at all.
A director of J Street and President of George Soros' Open Society Institute (OSI), played a central role in arranging Judge Goldstone's visit. The tax returns we provided to the Washington Times last week,list Mr. Halperin as a "director," and says he spends 10 hours a week on J Street business.
"He [Halerin] suggested — and I agreed — that it would be a good idea for me to meet with some of the leading members of Congress," Judge Goldstone said. "I thought it was important to correct the misimpressions." He added that Mr. Halperin had hand-delivered a personal letter he had written to members of Congress.
Mr. Ben-Ami acknowledged in his statement that OSI and a second organization facilitating Judge Goldstone's trip — the New America Foundation (NAF) — had approached J Street for help in making arrangements on the Hill.
Judge Goldstone said he remembers attending "10 or 12" meetings. J Street co-founder Daniel Levy, who accompanied the judge to several of the parleys, said that NAF — whose Middle East Task Force he co-chairs — had also hosted a lunch with Judge Goldstone for "a group of analysts and Middle East wonks." The judge, Mr. Levy, and J Street all declined to identify the members of Congress.
All three organizations associated with Judge Goldstone's visit to Washington — J Street, NAF and OSI — receive substantial funding from Hungarian-born billionaire, George Soros, a fierce critic of AIPAC and Israeli policies.
Judge Goldstone said that he "was keen to meet with [members of Congress] because of what I considered to be both an unfortunate and factually incorrect resolution." J Street said at the time that it was "unable to support" the resolution as written. It subsequently passed the House by a vote of 344-36.
When the J Street/Soros partnership was revealed last week, many in the liberal media wondered what the big deal was. The J Street Goldstone report scandal is a perfect example of "what the big deal was."
You see because he suffered through the Holocaust as a child, Soros feels a need to hurt Israel. Soros' father had sent him to live with a bribed Christian government official who was involved in confiscating Jewish property for the Nazis.
As Barry Rubin wrote recently, Soros must prove to the enemies of the Jews that he is not someone they should see as an enemy. Just as he did when he was growing up in Hungry.
By fighting Jewish interests he can claim to diminish antisemitism while also protecting his own interests.
What did Soros say was the main lesson he had learned on those streets in 1944 Hungary? "That one should think ahead. One should understand and--and anticipate events and when--when one is threatened."
So for Soros, religious Jews, Zionists, and in effect the overwhelming majority of the Jewish communities of the world are bringing disaster on themselves by provoking an antisemitic backlash that will eventually hurt him. J Street is just another vehicle for him to "become friends" with those who would hurt him
What did Soros say was the main lesson he had learned on those streets in 1944 Hungary? "That one should think ahead. One should understand and--and anticipate events and when--when one is threatened."
So for Soros, religious Jews, Zionists, and in effect the overwhelming majority of the Jewish communities of the world are bringing disaster on themselves by provoking an antisemitic backlash that will eventually hurt him. J Street is just another vehicle for him to "become friends" with those who would hurt him
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