Introduction

For many years American Jewry stood united behind Israel in its struggle against the Arab states and the PLO. This unity found institutional expression in the pro-Israel lobby spearheaded by AIPAC. However, in the wake of the first intifada, vociferous debate over Israeli policy stirred within the community, and in 2008, amid much fanfare and controversy, a new dovish pro-Israel lobby was established: J Street. It challenged the dominant approach of AIPAC and the mainstream and claimed to represent a large slice of American Jewish opinion. This seemed to signal unprecedented Jewish divisions over the Arab-Israeli conflict. On the other hand, the collapse of the peace process in 2000 was blamed on the Arab side by the overwhelming majority of American Jews. Subsequently, AIPAC’s annual conference set new records for attendance and fund-raising. Renowned academics John Mearsheimer and Stephen Walt claimed that the pro-Israel lobby was all-powerful.

This apparent contradiction begs the following questions: Is American Jewry increasingly divided over the peace process? What changes have taken place in their approach to the conflict? And what are the political implications of these changes? This chapter answers these questions in two parts. The first part deals with American Jewish attitudes towards the conflict. The second part deals with the approach of the organized Jewish community.