In lobbying news, a group of prominent Jewish liberals have formed a new lobbying group and political action committee that they hope will be a counterpoint to AIPAC, the American Israel Public Affairs Committee. The new initiative will be called J Street. Part of its mission will be to push for an Arab-Israeli peace settlement. Democratic fundraiser Alan Solomont said, “We have heard the voices of neocons, and right-of-center Jewish leaders and Christian evangelicals, and the mainstream views of the American Jewish community have not been heard.” The Washington Post reports J Street will be hard-pressed to match AIPAC’s influence in Washington. AIPAC has more than 100,000 members, eighteen offices around the country and an endowment of more than $100 million. The first year budget of J Street will be about $1.5 million.