Podcast: New Peace Lobby for Israel

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On this week’s American Influence podcast, J Street has its coming out party in Washington. The new pro-Israel, pro-peace lobby group creates a stir. And US-funded Palestinian security forces in the West Bank. Join The World’s Matthew Bell for his weekly in-depth look at US foreign policy and its effects across the globe. Download MP3

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Web extra: J Street’s Jeremy Ben-Ami interview

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Israel’s Abassador to the United States, Michael Oren, has turned down an invitation to speak at J Street’s upcoming conference in Washington. The World’s Matthew Bell interviewed J Street executive director, Jeremy Ben-Ami this week. And Bell asked Ben-Ami if Amb. Oren’s decision not to come to the conference was a blow to what the group is trying to accomplish. Download MP3

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• J Street Conference 2009
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Obama’s Middle East gambit and the US-Israeli rift over settlements

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Barack Obama wants to revive the long-stalled peace process between Israel and the Palestinians and Arab states. But the US and Israel have yet to resolve a disagreement over the expansion of Jewish settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem. How big is the US-Israeli rift? And is Team Obama’s agenda for Mideast peace already in jeopardy?