Newsgroup: it.politica.internazionale
Titolo: l'armata Brancaleone

A guardarli da vicino, quelli di J Street assomigliano sempre piu' a una 
armata Brancaleone che non sa cosa vuole e non va d'accordo nemmeno sui 
punti basilari
http://jta.org/news/article/2009/10/27/1008770/j-street-conference-shows-generational-divide-on-israel
J Street confab shows generational divide on Israel
By Eric Fingerhut · October 27, 2009
WASHINGTON (JTA) -- After all the arguing in recent weeks over J Street, 
one thing was clear at the inaugural conference of the self-described 
“pro-Israel, pro-peace” group: Even among the 1,500 delegates who 
attended the parley, there are crucial disagreements over what’s best 
for Middle East peace.
On some issues, judging from interviews with conference delegates and 
assessments by J Street officials of participants’ viewpoints, there 
appeared to be broad consenus, like the belief that the Palestinians 
deserve national rights or the United States needs to do more to push 
the Israelis and Palestinians toward negotiations.
On other issues, however, a stark generation gap was apparent.
Older conference goers appeared to be virtually unanimous in expressing 
support for a  two-state solution, calling themselves Zionists and 
saying that while they back more U.S. pressure on the parties, they 
reject cutting aid to Israel if it does not accede to U.S. demands.
But a number of delegates under 40, especially college students and 
recent graduates, appeared to be much more equivocal on the idea of two 
states for two peoples. Some were hesitant about identifying as 
Zionists, and some were open to the idea of making U.S. aid to Israel 
conditional on progress in the peace process.
The divide, which J Street officials acknowledged, raises the question 
of how an organization that strongly endorses a two-state solution can 
succeed when many of its supporters question its core position.
J Street executive director Jeremy Ben-Ami said he hoped that by 
engaging younger activists to come and debate the issue, the 
organization could convince them to back a two-state solution.
“Let them question it here under the tent of a pro-Israel organization" 
rather than among those who don’t have Israel’s best interests at heart, 
he said.
The key to winning over such young people, J Street officials have 
argued, is opening up the debate, even on the most fundmamental issues. 
Critics of the organization counter that some of J Street's positions 
undercut Jewish unity and could harm Israel’s interests, such as the 
group’s opposition to Israel’s Gaza operation last winter and its 
reluctance to endorse harsher sanctions against Iran at this time.
Oberlin College senior Danielle Gershkoff and junior Rachel Beck -- 
neither of whom is convinced of the efficacy of a two-state solution -- 
said they were glad J Street encouraged them to participate and ask 
questions at the conference rather than telling them they were too left 
wing.
“We don't want old people telling us what to do and what to think,” Beck 
said.
Ben Magarik, 25, of Washington, said the conference was an excellent way 
to engage young people in the Jewish community, allowing them to 
question what others might consider the orthodoxies of pro-Israel activism.
“There's a need to be critical of Israel's policies when they don't lead 
to a two-state solution,” Magarik said. “That's what love is, real care 
and concern -- not solely supportive but willing to criticize."
Both young and old at the conference were united on some issues. 
References to the creation of a Palestinian state frequently garnered 
loud applause at sessions, though talk of a Jewish homeland received 
little crowd reaction. And participants seemed united on the need to 
keep pushing Israelis and Palestinians toward a solution.
Wendy Kenin, 37, of Berkeley, Calif., a member of the Green Party, said 
she was less interested in staking out her own views on the 
Israeli-Palestinian conflict than in the process of “bringing all 
different perspectives together.” She called the views of the American 
Israeli Public Affairs Committee, J Street and Students for Justice in 
Palestine, which supports a one-state solution to the conflict, all 
worthy of consideration.
Rachel Nadelman, 32, of Washington, who works in international 
development, said she supports the idea of two states for two peoples 
but demurred when asked whether she considered herself a Zionist.
“It's a loaded word,” she said. “It's a word I've not been real 
comfortable with.”
Nadelman added that if Israel didn't go along with U.S. requests in the 
peace process, she thought it was reasonable to reconsider aid to 
Israel. Israel needs to be “accountable,” she said.
Meanwhile, older delegates -- many with years of Israel activism under 
their belt -- were less ambivalent about being called Zionists.
“The moral heart of Judaism and Zionism is justice and fair treatment 
for all people,” said Michael Peshkin, 52, a Northwestern University 
engineering professor.
A proponent of the two-state solution, Peshkin has been a Chicago-area 
leader of the left-wing group B'rit Tzedek v'Shalom, which this week 
merged with J Street.
Kay Elfant, 64, of Silver Spring, Md., said she is a proud Zionist who 
longs for a settlement of the conflict because she is troubled that “my 
people could be in any way abusive” and “make life so hard for other 
people.”
While she wants pressure on the two sides, she has a red line, she said: 
no cut-off of aid to Israel.
“Never aid, I can't go there,” Elfant said. “That feels anti-Israel.”
Sally Gottesman, 45, of New York, said thinking about aid possibly being 
cut off to Israel is like “worrying about a meteor striking Earth.”
“It could happen," she said, "but it is so unlikely that it's silly to 
worry about."

 armata Brancaleone
mentre chi è ossessionato dall'armata Brancaleone si chiama.....