Several media outlets apparently fell for a press release hoax from someone claiming to be speaking on behalf of the pro-Israel lobbying group AIPAC, which is holding its conference in Washington, D.C., this week.

Slate reported that NPR, Al Jazeera, and ABC's Jake Tapper all fell for the bogus press release, which stated that AIPAC had called on Israel to halt all new settlement construction.

“The statement was issued by someone impersonating AIPAC spokesman Josh Block,” Slate reported. “and it 'calls on the Israeli government to immediately freeze new settlement projects, both in the West Bank and Jerusalem.' It also attributes [a] quote to Howard Kohr, the group's executive director.”

Slate adds that: “Politico's Laura Rozen contacted AIPAC and exposed the scam shortly before [Secretary of State Hillary] Clinton's talk [Monday] morning. So far, nobody has stepped up to take credit.”

The fake release, courtesy of Politico, is below:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Contact: Josh Block
March 22, 2010
AIPAC CALLS ON THE ISRAELI GOVERNMENT
TO IMMEDIATELY DEFUSE TENSIONS
WITH UNITED STATES
URGES ISRAEL TO FREEZE ALL SETTLEMENTS
With Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu traveling to the United States to speak at the AIPAC 2010 Policy Conference and meet with President Barack Obama, AIPAC reaffirms the U.S-Israel relationship rooted in mutual strategic interest, shared democratic values, and a commitment to peace in the region. To further solidify this relationship, AIPAC calls on the Netanyahu government to make a conscious effort to move away from actions that create tensions between the two governments and undermine prospects for Israel-Palestine peace. AIPAC therefore calls on the Israeli government to immediately freeze new settlement projects, both in the West Bank and Jerusalem.
AIPAC agrees with Vice President Joe Biden that the Israeli government plan for new housing units in East Jerusalem “undermines the trust that we need right now in order to begin ... profitable negotiations.” It also seconds the position of AIPAC keynote speaker Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who said that the U.S. government wants to see a freeze on settlements - “not some settlements, not outposts, not 'natural growth' exceptions.”
AIPAC applauds the Israeli government's recent announcement that it will ease the restrictions on materials allowed into Gaza, especially materials needed for rebuilding the sewage system and buildings destroyed during Operation Cast Lead.
AIPAC believes that an easing of the tensions between the United States and Israel is critical to move forward with the substantive work that needs to be done to thwart Iran's dangerous pursuit of nuclear weapons, and to move forward in the peace process between Israel and all of her Arab neighbors. It 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.
“With the good faith gesture of freezing settlements, Israel can generate a new equilibrium in the Middle East that assures,” said AIPAC executive director Howard Kohr.