Emergency Committee for Israel

The group's board members include Weekly Standard editor William Kristol, former Republican presidential candidate Gary Bauer, and former member, conservative writer Rachel Abrams, wife of Elliott Abrams.{{cite news |date=July 13, 2010 |title=Conservatives launch group to attack supporters of Obama's Israel policies |publisher=Jewish Telegraphic Agency |url=https://www.jta.org/news/article/2010/07/13/2740043/conservatives-lanch-pro-israel-group |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120924101858/http://www.jta.org/news/article/2010/07/13/2740043/conservatives-lanch-pro-israel-group |archive-date=September 24, 2012}} Noah Pollak is its executive director.

Kristol said the group, created in mid-2010, was inspired by the new "liberal" J Street group, "whose ability to amplify criticism of the Israeli government showed the power of a small new group—if on the other side of the debate." Pollak said, shortly after the group's creation, that it planned to be involved in a number of congressional races. "We want to be hard-hitting; we want to get into the debate and shake things up and make some points in a firm way", he said.

As it started up, the organization ran ads opposing the elections of U.S. Senate candidate Joe Sestak{{cite web|title=Bill Kristol will protect Israel with attack ads against Democrats: The Emergency Committee for Israel says Joe Sestak loves terrorists|url=http://www.salon.com/news/politics/war_room/2010/07/12/emergency_committee_israel_kristol|first=Alex|last=Pareene|work=Salon|date=July 12, 2010}}{{cite news|url=http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10206/1075193-176.stm|title=Ads target Jewish voters: Senate nominee Sestak may be forced to defend his pro-Israel stance|first=James|last=O'Toole|work=Pittsburgh Post-Gazette|date=July 25, 2010}} and U.S. House of Representatives candidates Rush D. Holt, Jr., Mary Jo Kilroy, and John F. Tierney, portraying them as "openly hostile" to Israel.{{cite web |url=http://washingtonjewishweek.com/main.asp?SectionID=4&SubSectionID=4&ArticleID=13420&TM=38113 |title=To tell the truth:J Street treads on partisan territory as it attacks new pro-Israel group as out-of-step |access-date=September 19, 2010 |author=Adam Kredo |work=Washington Jewish Week |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100919001746/http://washingtonjewishweek.com/main.asp?SectionID=4&SubSectionID=4&ArticleID=13420&TM=38113 |archive-date=September 19, 2010 }}

In October 2011, the committee produced a video portraying Occupy Wall Street as anti-Semitic.{{cite web|url=http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4135361,00.html|title=Anti-Semitism tainting Occupy Wall Street protests |first=Yitzhak|last=Benhorin|publisher=Ynet|date=October 16, 2011}} The Washington Post columnist Richard Cohen referred to the video and said he found no evidence of antisemitism during his two visits to the demonstration site.{{cite news |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/where-are-the-anti-semites-of-occupy-wall-street/2011/10/24/gIQAP89eDM_story.html |title=Where are the anti-Semites of Occupy Wall Street? |last=Cohen |first=Richard |author-link=Richard Cohen (columnist) |date=October 24, 2011 |newspaper=The Washington Post |access-date=October 26, 2011 }}

In February 2012, the committee produced a 30-minute documentary covering President Barack Obama's record on Israel.{{cite web|title=Daylight: The Story of Obama and Israel|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0wbH5KVPrPo&list=UUcXTp1krYBic3g9qKi1FKbA&index=2&feature=plcp |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211221/0wbH5KVPrPo |archive-date=2021-12-21 |url-status=live|work=youtube.com}}{{cbignore}} The documentary was viewed 200,000 times in its first week.

In June 2012, the committee ran an ad encouraging the US Government to immediately put an end to Iran's nuclear program.{{cite web|title=GOP Group's Ad: Bomb Iran|last=Miller |first=Zeke |date=June 14, 2012|url=https://www.buzzfeed.com/zekejmiller/gop-groups-ad-bomb-iran|publisher=BuzzFeed}} The ad ran in New York; Washington, DC; and additional markets.

In October 2012, the group released a robo-call which combined clips of Obama from 2009 and 2011 and a clip from a speech Benjamin Netanyahu gave in 2012, in a form that appeared as if the two were having a debate.{{cite web|url=http://www.jta.org/2012/10/29/news-opinion/the-telegraph/ecis-made-up-bibi-obama-robocall-debate-updated|title=ECI's made-up Bibi-Obama robocall 'debate'-UPDATED|first=Ron|last=Kampeas|date=October 29, 2012 |publisher=Jewish Telegraphic Agency|access-date=March 29, 2015}} Pollak said that month that his group would release further "secret Obama—Netanyahu debate recordings".

In January 2013, the grouped launched a site opposing the nomination of Chuck Hagel as Secretary of Defense. {{ Cite web | url = https://www.chuckhagel.com | title = Home }}

{{reflist}}

• [https://web.archive.org/web/20100817104854/http://www.committeeforisrael.com/ Emergency Committee for Israel (website)]

{{Neoconservatism}}

Category:501(c)(4) nonprofit organizations

Category:Israel–United States relations

Category:Neoconservatism

Category:Conservative organizations in the United States

Category:Zionist organizations in the United States

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