Free Republic

The Jewish right has always had a special place in its rogues gallery of enemies for Dan Kurtzer, the former U.S. ambassador to Israel and Egypt. I've always thought that was because his pro-Israel credentials are so strong that his critiques of Israeli policy have to be taken seriously – except, of course, by those who believe Israel is the only nation in the history of the world incapable of making mistakes or pursuing flawed policy. Kurtzer did it again today with a Washington Post op-ed arguing that the Obama administration's offer of a big incentive package in return for...

Isn't this called piling on? Well, sometimes piling on is justified. Yesterday former U.S. ambassador to Israel Dan Kurtzer heaped what looks to me like well deserved scorn on the Obama administration's attempt to “bribe” Israel back to the peace table, and predicted it will never work. This morning Politico's Ben Smith uses a wider club to bash the President, arguing that his unclear, seemingly naive policies in the region have managed to alienate both Israelis and Palestinians, and may actually have set back the cause of peace. “[F]ar from becoming the transcendent figure in a centuries-old drama, Obama has...

J Street, the liberal Middle East policy advocacy organization, on Sunday issued a statement acknowledging what the group had earlier denied: J Street received financial support from billionaire George Soros. "I accept responsibility personally for being less than clear about Mr. Soros' support once he did become a donor," Jeremy Ben Ami, J Street's executive director, said in a note to supporters on the group's website. The Washington Times first disclosed Friday that J Street, a group that portrays itself as a progressive alternative to the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), had received $750,000 from Mr. Soros and his...