The top spokesman for AIPAC says someone created a hoax version of his email address and blasted out a statement calling on Israel to stop building new settlements, which was picked up by NPR, Politico's Laura Rozen reports.
The statement said in part that AIPAC "strongly urges Israel to work closely and privately with the Obama administration, in a manner befitting strategic allies, to address a wide range of critical issues, including settlements, the status of East Jerusalem and the humanitarian crisis in Gaza."
And it attributes this quote to AIPAC Executive Director Howard Kohr, who spoke this morning at the group's annual Washington conference: "With the good faith gesture of freezing settlements, Israel can generate a new equilibrium in the Middle East that assures."
It's still unclear who is responsible for the fake statement. We've put in a call to notorious political pranksters the Yes Men but haven't heard back yet. (See Late Update below.)
We've also asked AIPAC spokesman Josh Block what exactly happened, and we'll let you know if we hear back. (It's worth noting that AIPAC apparently does not have an official position on settlements -- the topic is not among the 11 major areas on the group's issues page.)
UPDATE
Update: Medea Benjamin has contacted us to let us know that Code Pink sent out the release. Here is the announcement the fooled nearly everyone (including us!) reports
PR_AIPAC -
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