Readers of the New York Times had a shock this morning: A full-page ad on page A9 from the Emergency Committee for Israel documenting the anti-Israel views of the Center for American Progress and Media Matters--and then asking why various Jewish communal philanthropies and business groups are funding those organizations. It should cause quite a stir.
As Allison Hoffman details in Tablet, the Obama administration seems to believe folks don't think it's pro-Israel because of a concentrated campaign from a small group of conservatives:
Barack Obama, in a speech today at the Union for Reform Judaism convention:
"I am proud to say that no U.S. administration has done more in support of Israel's security than ours. None. Don't let anybody else tell you otherwise. It is a fact." -- President Obama, Friday, Dec. 16
Bill Kristol, in his capacity as chairman of the Emergency Committee for Israel:
"Why does the Obama administration treat Israel like a punching bag?" That's the question the Emergency Committee for Israel is asking today in five full page newspaper ads across the nation:
The ad appears in today's New York Times, Miami Herald, Palm Beach Post, Las Vegas Review-Journal, and Variety.
The Emergency Committee for Israel's new campaign in New York City, featuring billboards, print ads, a web ad on the New York Times homepage, and a new website—check it out at www.NotProIsrael.com.
President Obama has united Democrats and Republicans on a single issue: Israel. That's the premise of a new Emergency Committee for Israel ad targeting the special election in New York's 9th Congressional District:
The Emergency Committee for Israel is running the following ad in a significant cable news buy, thanking “Israel’s true friends, Democrats and Republicans alike,” for supporting Israel when “President Obama sided with the Palestinians.”
Emergency Committee for Israel executive director Noah Pollak has written a letter to Ambassador Dennis Ross, urging him to use his upcoming address to the liberal lobbying group J Street “to explain why the Jewish State is not just one of our closest allies, but a country that fully deserves the admiration and moral support of all Americans.” If Ross does just this – express his support for Israel – he may not be received well, but “There are few moments when someone with [Ross’s] experience and credibility is invited into the anti-Israel echo chamber and provided an opportunity to dispel myths, combat falsehoods, deliver much-needed moral clarity – and state clearly that the United States stands with Israel.”
Ben Smith reports: "The Emergency Committee for Israel, which has been pounding away at Democratic candidates -- notably Joe Sestak in Pennsylvania -- has launched a new independent expenditure PAC that can solicit unlimited contributions and and play even more directly in elections."
Now we know who constitutes the real Israel lobby: the American public. Especially the Republican-leaning part of it.
Consider the results of a new poll, a survey of 1000 likely voters done October 3 to 5 by McLaughlin and Associates for the Emergency Committee for Israel. (The complete survey results, including cross-tabs, are available at committeeforisrael.com.)
Ben Smith reports today that Joe Sestak is distancing himself from the J Street sponsored, "infamous" (in the words of the Orthodox Union), anti-Israel letter accusing Israel of "collective punishment" for defending itself against Hamas terrorists bent on murdering Israelis. Collective punishment is specifically designated as a war crime by the Geneva Conventions, and the term's use was rejected by all but 12 percent of the House, all Democrats now known as the Gaza 54. That number dropped to 53 when Yvette Clark distanced herself from the letter almost immediately after it was sent to President Obama.
