The Emergency Committee for Israel on Obama

By | Jun 03, 2011
Uncategorized

by Sophie Taylor

In May, President Obama gave a set of speeches on the Middle East, urging Israelto consider pre-1967 borders in hopes of making progress on the peace process. After Obama’s first speech on the situation in the Middle East, Commentary columnist and Moment contributor Noah Pollak tweeted that he found “Obama’s line on Israel/Palestine borders basically identical to Bush admin” and that there was nothing in Obama’s speech that “Netanyahu will find surprising or even disagreeable.”

Yesterday, however, Pollak’s organization, the Emergency Committee for Israel (ECI), released an anti-Obama ad accusing Obama of having “sided with the Palestinians,” and thanking “members of Congress from both parties” for being “Israel’s true friends.” The 30-second ad, which is set to air on Fox, CNBC, CNN and MSNBC, shows Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV), Minority Whip Steny Hoyer (D-MD), and Senator Robert Casey (D-PA) criticizing Obama’s call for a return to the 1967 borders and expressing a need to stand with Israel.

Although the ad makes much of thanking members of “both parties” for their support, releasing an anti-Obama ad as we approach election season feels distinctly partisan, and Washington Post blogger Greg Sargent points out that most Democrats (including those showcased in the ad) are criticizing “a position on Israel that Obama does not hold.”

A spokesman for the National Democratic Jewish Council told Jennifer Rubin of The Washington Post that the ECI “is playing a dangerous game by continuing to politicize support for Israel at this critical time,” accusing ECI’s Bill Kristol of “exploiting any confusion [over Obama’s speech] for short term political gain.” (In a recent Moment column, Pollak explains how it is, in fact, liberals who politicized Israel.)

For more from Noah Pollak, read “How Liberals Politicized Israel” and  “The New War Against Israel” in Moment.

3 thoughts on “The Emergency Committee for Israel on Obama

  1. Vlady says:

    One can spin Obama’s position on Israel to the left or to the right, but under any calculation his 1967 border stance reflects an adapted Palestinian position on the issue. I appreciate people’s loyalty to Obama. But still If it walks like a duck, quacks like a duck, looks like a duck, it must be a duck. So it goes for the Obama stance as not as friendly on Israel as Obama supporters would like us to believe.

  2. francesco miglino says:

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    OGGI L’ UMANITA’ EMPATICAMENTE CORRELATA NELL’ UNIVERSO INTERNETTIANO INTERVIENE RITENENDO CHE OGNI UOMO IN QUALUNQUE LUOGO DEL PIANETA VENGA ALLA VITA, SIA’ PORTATORE DEI QUEI DIRITTI FONDAMENTALI CHE QUALIFICANO LA NOSTRA CIVILTA’ . FRA I NUOVI DIRITTI FONDAMENTALI VI E’ IL DIRITTO ALL’ ACCESSO PER PARTECIPARE CON IL PROPRIO SENTIRE ED I PROPRI SAPERI ALLA COSTRUZIONE DELL’ ERA INTERNETTIANA.

  3. Ahsan Habib says:

    Always I like Mr. Obama. Because all time he thought about the peach of the world. For this thought he sent an emergency committee for Israel. Its good.
    Thanks him and also thanks you for giving this info.
    Moen faucets review!

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