NEWS RELEASE
Zionist Organization of America
Jacob & Libby Goodman ZOA House, 4 East 34th Street, New York, N.Y. 10016
(212) 481-1500 Fax: (212) 481-1515 email@zoa.org www.zoa.org

September 24, 2008
Contact Morton A. Klein at: 917-974-8795 or 212-481-1500
Attn: NEWS EDITOR

Left-wing Jewish Groups Subordinated Concern
For Israel To Their Domestic Agenda

SOME JEWISH GROUPS THAT OPPOSED PALIN
APPEARING AT ANTI-IRAN RALLY IGNORED
URGING ATTENDANCE AT RALLY

The Zionist Organization of America (ZOA) has criticized the National Jewish
Democratic Convention (NJDC) and J Street, two of the Jewish groups that
sought to disinvite Republican vice-presidential candidate and Alaskan
Governor, Sarah Palin, from Monday's rally outside the United Nations in New
York City protesting the visit to America of Iranian President Mahmoud
Ahmadinejad. Ahmadinejad has called repeatedly for Israel and America to be
wiped off the map while continuing to work towards developing nuclear
weapons. Governor Palin was to have addressed the rally, as was former
Democratic presidential candidate Senator Hillary Clinton (D-NY), but the
latter withdrew when Governor Pain was invited. (Democratic
vice-presidential candidate Senator Joseph Biden was invited but was unable
to attend; so was Democratic Congressman Wexler, who did not attend when the
decision was made to rescind invitations to politicians).

The ZOA notes that the NJDC, in its press releases both before and after the
Palin dis-invitation, did not even call upon Jewish Democrats to attend the
rally or provide details as to time, venue, scheduled speakers and so on.
Neither did J Street in its press release entitled 'We Won! Palin Not
Speaking at Iran Rally.' Instead, both simply boasted of the 'achievement'
of having Governor Palin disinvited. Furthermore, neither of these Jewish
groups even bothered to express appreciation to Governor Palin for accepting
the invitation to address the rally on a subject of deep importance to
Israel and the Jewish people.

ZOA National President Morton A. Klein said, "The ZOA is thoroughly
disappointed and deeply concerned at the action of these left-wing Jewish
groups to disinvite Governor Palin. It is appalled that these groups chose
to play politics on a vital, indeed, existential issue, for Israel and the
Jewish people.

"The rally was not a partisan political rally. It was an anti-Ahmadinejad
rally. It did not become 'partisan' when Democratic Senators Clinton, Biden
and Congressman Wexler were invited. And it did not become 'partisan' when
Republican Governor Palin was also invited. Quite the contrary - it became
bipartisan, as it should have been. No, it became a 'partisan' event when
Governor Palin was disinvited.

"If Senators Biden and Clinton had accepted and no Republican figure been
able to attend, the ZOA would have totally supported their attendance. Had
DJNC and J Street truly cared for Israel, they ought to have been thrilled
at the prospect of a vice-presidential candidate of either party addressing
the rally.

"But the DJNC and J Street were clearly less than thrilled about Governor
Palin attending because their concern for Israel was clearly subordinate to
their domestic American political interests. Rather than welcome a call
from Governor Palin for tough measures to induce Iran to stop its nuclear
program, these groups were terrified that her address might win over part of
the Jewish vote in November. As a result, political leaders who have, or may
have, real power to act on this critical issue were excluded by the action
of these groups.

"Therefore, how disingenuous of these groups to assert that they sought
Governor Palin's dis-invitation in order to prevent the rally being
partisan. Clearly, the only partisan behavior here was the successful effort
to sabotage Governor Palin's attendance. And how disingenuous of them to
assert that they wanted to protect the rally from becoming mired in politics
when they lacked sufficient interest in the rally to even issue a press
release urging their supporters to attend and providing them with the
details as to the time, venue and speakers attending. For them, this rally
was merely an inconvenience to which they paid lip service but did nothing
to promote and everything to undermine.

"Worse, these groups did not even have the decency to thank Governor Palin
for agreeing to come and speak at this rally. Instead of thanking her, they
tastelessly gushed about their 'success' in having her disinvited.

"It should be noted that organizations like J Street are not representative
of the majority views of American Jewry or the Israeli electorate regarding
Israel and the Arab war on Israel. J Street supports major territorial
concessions, including dividing Jerusalem, to Mahmoud Abbas' unreconstructed
Palestinian Authority, the creation of a Palestinian state that would
endanger Israel's existence and negotiations with Hamas. These positions are
inconsistent with the American Jewish Committee 2007 survey showing that
American Jewry overwhelmingly believes (80 per cent) that the goal of
Israel's Arab neighbors "is not the return of occupied territories but
rather the destruction of Israel" and that 58 percent of American Jews
reject Israeli concessions on Jerusalem. The same poll shows American Jewry
is almost even split on the general issue of creating a Palestinian state,
let alone on specific proposals involving the biggest Israeli concessions to
achieve this.

"An October 2007 Tel Aviv University poll has shown that a clear majority of
Jewish Israelis - 59 percent to 33 percent - oppose, even in return for a
peace agreement, Israel handing over to the PA various Arab neighborhoods in
the eastern half of Jerusalem. Similarly, May 2007 Dahaf Institute poll
found that 53 percent of Israelis oppose withdrawals from Judea and Samaria,
even in return for a 'real peace.' A March 2007 INSS poll showed that 72
percent of Israelis oppose uprooting Jewish communities in Judea and
Samaria. J Street, in contrast, supports all these concessions - and more.

"Lastly, we wish to make it clear that the ZOA, as well as other constituent
members of the Conference of Presidents, were not consulted on this
decision. It was made without our knowledge or agreement. (We do understand
that enormous pressures were brought to bear behind the scenes). Of course,
the ZOA and many others would have steadfastly opposed the decision to
disinvite Governor Palin."