Anti-Semitism Envoy Gets Sent to Woodshed

When Hannah Rosenthal was apppointed State Department Special Envoy to Combat Anti-Semitism, we noted the concerns of those who raised questions about her background and connections to J Street, but we reserved judgement.

Well, Ms. Rosenthal seems to have let her association with J Street lead her to step beyond the boundaries of her responsibilities and criticize Israeli Ambassador to the U.S. Michael Oren because of his criticism of J Street.

The comments drew fire from the Chairman of the Conference of Presidents, Alan Solow, and the Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Near East Affairs, Jeffrey Feltman, has repudiated Ms. Rosenthal with the following statement:

“The Department of State values its close relationship with Ambassador Michael Oren and his staff at the Embassy of Israel in Washington. The United States and Israel enjoy extraordinarily close ties based on shared values, interests, and history, as well as the deep bonds between the Israeli people and the American people. Ambassador Oren plays an indispensable role in maintaining and strengthening our relationship through his day to day interaction with the Administration and Congress on issues of vital importance to both countries and his vigorous outreach to Americans of all origins and points of view.”

The concerns seem to have been warranted.