Screenshot of press release taken from JStreet website, click to enlarge.

The head of liberal pro-peace lobby J Street, Jeremy Ben-Ami, issued a press statement today claiming that during Israel’s latest response to rocket attacks from Palestinian terrorists in Gaza “airstrikes on Gaza…..have killed over a dozen Palestinian civilians.”

According to media reports this number is incorrect by at least 11. While most media outlets have reported 18 deaths to date as a result of Israeli targeted strikes on terror crews, at least 16 of them were terrorists belonging to the Islamic Jihad and Popular Resistance Committee terror groups. Britain’s Guardian newspaper reported that one 12 year old boy was killed in the strikes, and “Apart from the 12-year-old, all those killed were militants.”

Palestinian medics have claimed that a 60 year old man who was killed while in the vicinity of terror activity was also a civilian.

The J Street statement also urges “all involved to exercise maximal restraint and we call on Israeli, Palestinian, American and international leaders to take bold steps to diplomatically resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.”

Critics have accused J Street – an organization that also claims to be pro-Israel – of irresponsibly condemning Israel without adequate checking of relevant facts.

At the time of publication, J Street representatives had not responded to The Algemeiner’s request for comment.

UPDATE: Following the publication of this report and others, J Street revised their press statement to exclude the inaccurate claim.  The paragraph in question now reads, “J Street is deeply concerned about the most recent spate of violence between the Israel Defense Forces and militants in Gaza.”