The 2012 March 4-6 AIPAC annual conference was attended by hundreds of congressional leaders; President Obama addressed the conference, as did Republican presidential candidates by video.
In 2001, Fortune magazine ranked AIPAC the fourth most powerful lobby in Washington. AIPAC lobbyists urge our government to support Israel’s hawkish policies including Prime Minister Netanyahu’s focus on a preemptive attack on Iran’s nuclear sites.
J Street, founded in 2008 to provide American Jews with an alternative to AIPAC, supports a two state solution, is opposed to West Bank Settlements and military action against Iran. It is unlikely that many members of congress will attend, nor will the President address its annual March 24-27 Conference.