U.S. Lawmakers Blast Boycott of J Street Delegation in Israel

by Barak Ravid and Natasha Mozgovaya

Five U.S. Congressmen on a visit here, which the left-wing American advocacy group J Street initiated, yesterday held a news conference in Tel Aviv to demand an official explanation for an apparent snub by Danny Ayalon, deputy foreign minister.

Congressman Bill Delahunt (D-MA), left, delivers a speech as Donald Payne (D-NJ), Bob Filner (D-CA), Lois Capps(D-CA), Mary Jo Kilroy(D-OH), Executive Director of J Street Jeremy Ben Ami, and Warren Clark of Churches for Middle East Peace listen during a press conference in Tel Aviv, Israel, Wednesday, Feb. 17, 2010. Delahunt is touring the region with a congressional delegation hosted by J Street, a liberal Jewish lobbying group that describes itself as pro-Israel and pro-peace. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit)

Tension between the Foreign Ministry and J Street was believed to be behind the unprecedented diplomatic rift between Israel and the U.S. Congress.

"It was with real surprise and disappointment that we read a headline in this morning's newspaper saying 'Foreign Ministry boycotts members of Congress,'" said Rep. William Delahunt (D-Massachusetts), who heads the delegation.