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WASHINGTON (AP) — A dovish pro-Israel lobby that has struggled for acceptance by more established Jewish groups has elected an American Muslim as president of a core initiative.
University of Maryland senior Amna Farooqi was voted president of the seven-member J Street U National Student Board on Sunday. Farooqi, of Pakistani descent, had previously served as a regional representative on the student board for the lobby. J Street formed in 2009 to counter harder-line pro-Israel lobbies and has been attacked by critics since as disloyal to Israel.
J Street has affirmed its commitment to the Jewish state, positioning itself as a liberal voice for the establishment of an independent Palestinian state alongside Israel and a freeze on Israeli settlements in Palestinian territories.
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