The Anti-Defamation League issued harsh criticism Thursday for the far-left lobby J Street and its campaign to mobilize American Jews against Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu. 

The campaign, entitled, “I am a Jew, and Bibi does NOT [sic] speak for me,” calls on American Jews to sign a petition against Netanyahu’s upcoming visit to Washington to be sent to Israel’s Ambassador in the United States, Ron Dermer. 

The ADL argues that the “repugnant” campaign rejects Netanyahu’s “sense of duty and responsibility” to world Jewry by telling American Jews “he certainly cannot claim any mandate to speak for Jews in the United States.” 

Abraham H. Foxman, the ADL’s National Director issued a statement about the campaign, which his organization also referred to as “inflammatory.”

“At the height of the controversy surrounding Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s scheduled speech to Congress, J Street’s petition campaign that attempts to distance itself and American Jews from Israel’s duly elected prime minister is inflammatory and repugnant and exacerbates an already heated and politicized moment for US-Israel relations at a critical juncture in the West’s negotiations with Iran.”

“Let’s remember what is at stake: Preventing extremist Iran from gaining a nuclear weapon that could threaten Israel’s very existence.  In that goal, Mr. Netanyahu surely does represent not only Israelis but American Jews as well.”