The Emergency Committee for Israel on Stopping a Nuclear Iran

As seen here, William Kristol, Chairman of the Washington-based Emergency Committee for Israel, has issued the following statement on the withdrawal of Democratic support for a vote on the Senate Iran sanctions bill:

"We commend 42 Senators for their strong letter demanding a vote on S. 1881, the bipartisan Nuclear Weapon Free Iran Act, which has been cosponsored by more than half of the Senate. The bill is simple and reasonable. It would reimpose existing sanctions suspended under the interim agreement if Iran cheats; it would ensure that a final agreement requires Iran to dismantle its illicit nuclear infrastructure; and it promises to impose additional economic sanctions in the future should Iran fail to agree to a final deal that dismantles its nuclear infrastructure.

As the Senators put it in their letter to the Majority Leader, 'Now we have come to a crossroads. Will the Senate allow Iran to keep its illicit nuclear infrastructure in place, rebuild its teetering economy and ultimately develop nuclear weapons at some point in the future?'

The answer to this question must be no. The Senate should act now to deliver that answer. It would be nice if there were universal bipartisan support for acting now to stop a nuclear Iran. But there apparently is not. And it would be terrible if history's judgment on the pro-Israel community was that it made a fetish of bipartisanship -- and got a nuclear Iran."

Meanwhile, remember my post here about two Iranian naval vessels on the move?  Well, the official Iranian news agency reports that Admiral Afshin Rezavee Haddad, who commands that country's Northern Navy Fleet, has said that the two vessels (a destroyer and a helicopter-carrying supply ship)  have now entered the Atlantic Ocean and will travel close to the USA's maritime borders ...  (See more here)

And Iran's Press TV has been crowing about the BDS Movement; the comments below their video and article demonstrates yet again the malevolence of western Israel-haters including some in Australia.

But not a word from the Israel-haters about Iran's many and continuing abuses of human rights, including the rape of virgins awaiting execution and the recent barbaric hanging of a young poet (see here)

"The Worst Possible Message We Could Send To Our Friend Israel & The Rest Of Our Allies In The Middle East Is Chuck Hagel"

President Obama's nomination of Senator Chuck Hagel as US Secretary of Defense is certainly causing consternation among supporters of Israel.

Jennifer Rubin, who goes on to cite some of the fears being expressed on Capitol Hill about Hagel, opens her article thus:

"President Obama wants to get credit for bipartisanship, so he picks a Republican defense secretary who will garner few if any Republican votes. He walks away from a politically loyal African American woman for secretary of state (whose nomination would open up his political liabilities) but goes forward with a white, Republican man (whose nomination puts gobs of Senate Republicans in an untenable spot). The two groups of Democrats (gays and Jews) who turned out in droves for him watch a nomination proceed with someone who had tried to exclude gays from government and accused Jews of dual loyalty."

One of those Ms Rubin quotes is Texas Republican Senator John Cornyn, who's declared:

"I will not support Chuck Hagel’s nomination to the Department of Defense. His record and past statements, particularly with respect to rogue nations like Iran, are extremely concerning to me. . . . As Iran becomes increasingly hostile and gains influence in the region, the worst possible message we could send to our friend Israel and the rest of our allies in the Middle East is Chuck Hagel."

Similar fears have been voiced by many others, including Alan Dershowitz, who writes, inter alia (see full article here) that Hagel's nomination

"risks increasing the likelihood that Iran will develop nuclear weapons. It poses that risk because Hagel is well known for his opposition both to sanctions against Iran and to employing the military option if necessary.

These views are inconsistent with the very different views expressed by President Obama. The President has emphasized on numerous occasions that he will never allow Iran to develop nuclear weapons and will use military force if necessary to prevent that “game changer.”

The nomination of Hagel thus sends a mixed message to the mullahs in Tehran, who will likely interpret it as a change from a red light to a yellow or green one when it comes to their desire to develop nuclear weapons. Sending a mixed message at this point can increase the chances that Iran will miscalculate and act in a foolheartedly manner thus requiring the actual use of the military option—an eventuality that nobody wants...."

 The Emergency Committee for Israel (ECI) has announced that it

"will vigorously oppose the confirmation of Chuck Hagel as our next Secretary of Defense. We have examined Mr. Hagel's public record, which is marked by an animus toward our friend Israel and a surprising solicitude for our enemies Iran, Hamas and Hezbollah. We believe Mr. Hagel's record – both his votes and his statements – place him well outside the American mainstream. We look forward to participating in a full and fair debate on Mr. Hagel's record. We trust, at the conclusion of that debate, the United States Senate will withhold its consent to Mr. Hagel's selection as Secretary of Defense"

Hagel's apologists are fighting back, but see the ECI's itemisation of Senator Hagel's record on key foreign policy issues here

The Emergency Committee For Israel Targets Californian Congresswoman Capps

Californian Democrat Lois Capps,  a member of Congress since 1998 and now standing for a sixth term, is one of 66 Democrats endorsed by J Street.  However, the Emergency Committee for Israel (ECI) has released the above 30-second TV ad that highlights what it calls

 "her troubling foreign policy record....

 Capps has been consistently hostile to the U.S.-Israel alliance. She has accused Israel of war crimes, befriended the radical Islamic group CAIR, refused to sign bipartisan letters of support for Israel, and supported the libelous Goldstone Report."  

Says Noah Pollak, executive director of the ECI:

"If there is a member of Congress whose foreign policy record is more extreme than Lois Capps's, I can't think of one. Throughout her career, she has demonstrated an inability to distinguish between America's friends and enemies and has repeatedly attacked America's closest ally in the Middle East – Israel."

The ad will air hundreds of times over the coming weeks on cable and broadcast television in Representative Capps's district, which includes Santa Barbara, Los Angeles, and San Luis Obispo counties.

"Next Year, President Romney In Jerusalem, The Capital Of Israel" (video)

Here's a new ad from the Emergency Committee for Israel (ECI).

In explanation, ECI has issued the following statement:

'What's the capital of Israel? President Obama once knew. In 2008 he declared that “Jerusalem will remain the capital of Israel and it must remain undivided.”

Today, he's not so sure. In fact, he won't even acknowledge the plain reality that Jerusalem is the capital of Israel. Mitt Romney has no such problem. On his recent trip abroad, he said: "It's a deeply moving experience to be in Jerusalem, the capital of Israel."

To highlight this contrast, today the Emergency Committee for Israel released a 30-second TV ad that will air hundreds of times in the coming days in Florida. The spot will appear during weekend Marlins games, on popular cable news shows and broadcast programs.

ECI's chairman, William Kristol, said:

"The contrast couldn't be clearer. Barack Obama is agnostic, at best, about whether Jerusalem is the capital of Israel. Mitt Romney understands the meaning of Jerusalem, whole and free, the capital of Israel."'

Emergency Committee For Israel: Obama & Jerusalem, Obama & Israel (videos)

Here's a telling video released by the Emergency Committee for Israel (ECI) regarding the Obama administration and Jerusalem.  Does Obama recognise Jerusalem as Israel's capital, or doesn't he?

Hot on the heels of its newspaper ad (see my previous post but one), the ECI has released a television ad called "postcards" lasting half a minute.  It appears today and Monday on MSNBC, CNN, and Fox News in Washington and New York, and through next week on broadcast and cable in Florida, Pennsylvania, and Ohio:

 Observes the ECI:

'Where's President Obama?

He's quite a world traveller. But not to Israel. An oversight? Or an indication? According to a front-page story in the Washington Post two weeks ago, Obama has pursued a strategy of putting "daylight" between the U.S. and Israel. He's traveled to the Middle East multiple times –  to accept an award in Saudi Arabia, to give a major speech in Cairo, to hold town hall meetings in Turkey -–  but never stopped to visit our closest ally in the region.'

On Obama and American Jewry see this new article

Meanwhile, here's how the Mayor of Tel Aviv views the issue of Israel's capital (hat tip: reader Ian):

"What Will They Be Saying After Another Four Years Of Obama?"

Here's a full-page ad that the Emergency Committee for Israel (ECI) has placed in 23 Jewish newspapers across the United States drawing attention to criticism by well-known political liberals regarding Barack Obama's  policy towards Israel and to his fraught relationship with Israel's supporters over the term of his presidency.

Comments Noah Pollak, the ECI's executive director:

"President Obama has been trying to have it both ways  – pursuing policies that weaken the U.S.-Israel alliance while boasting on the campaign trail that he is the most pro-Israel president since Truman. As the Obama campaign attempts to mislead about the president's record, it is important that American Jews understand what many prominent liberals are now conceding this president's approach to Israel has been hostile, ineffective, and at odds with the promises he made in 2008."

To view the ad bigger click on the image or go to  http://goo.gl/6RjdE

For more from the ECI re Obama see my next post but one.

"Hate Is Not An American Value" (video)

"Rich-man antisemitism," it has been termed by one historian.  You know, the perception that Jews are plutocrats and consequently wield a disproportionate amount of power in the world.

A code-word for Jews in antisemitic circles that perhaps don't want to be seen to wear their judeophobia on their sleeve is of course "international financier".  It very often goes hand in hand with nutjob conspiracy theories, of course.

And this sort of antisemitism - viewing a shadowy cabal of mega-rich Jews as exerting undue influence over the fates of nations - has reared its extremely ugly head at the "Occupy Wall Street" demonstrations in the United States, along with a disturbing amount of anti-Israel rhetoric.

Not everyone, however, be they ever so liberal, seems to want to admit that this is so - thus leading Democrats have turned a blind eye and a deaf ear to the deplorable Jew-hatred.

That's why the following video has been made by the Emergency Committee for Israel (ECI).  Says  ECI's chairman, William Kristol:

"It’s not surprising that elements of the modern left are antisemitic.  It is surprising that respectable liberals have praised the protesters while ignoring the antisemitism. Liberals have pretended to see nothing hateful and hear nothing hateful, and therefore have said nothing to rebuke their allies. Will they now speak up?”