Here comes the liberal Israel lobby

In his cover story for Prospect this month, Gershom Gorenberg writes that a new "dovish" Israel lobby is on the verge of being formed in the US to counter the hawkish views of the likes of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (Aipac). This new grouping, writes Gorenberg, would be likely to support an end to the Israeli occupation of the Palestinian territories and the creation of a Palestinian state, and to urge the US government to take a more active role in promoting these ends.

Now it seems the "liberal Israel lobby" is about to be unveiled, according to a report in the Jewish Week News. As yet unnamed—it currently goes by the name "J Street Project," and if you get that gag you probably know too much about American politics—the group is due to hold a fundraiser today, before a formal public launch in the middle of April. None of the individuals behind the new group will speak publicly before then, but the JWN reveals that it will be headed by Jeremy Ben-Ami, who served as a policy adviser under Bill Clinton. The board of advisers will include several names with links to Democratic frontrunner Barack Obama, as well as a former deputy head of Mossad.