The Emergency Committee for Israel, a neoconservative lobby associated with Bill Kristol, is attempting to turn support for Israel into a partisan issue. (That's useful for Republicans, because support for israel is popular, but not so good for Israel.) The ECI's method consists of two things. First, define support for Israel in maximalist terms, so that any American politician whose views on the Middle East comport with moderate or center-left Israeli parties rather than the Israeli right becomes "anti-Israel." And second, ignore any such deviations from Republican politicians:
But while ECI claims to be a nonpartisan outfit primarily concerned with Israel, Democrats -- as well as J Street -- charge that its a blatantly neo-conservative attack outfit.
"If they're anything more than a right-wing organization, they haven't showed it yet," said a Democratic Hill staffer who's been tracking ECI's attacks.
If ECI genuinely cared about electing pro-Israel members of Congress, it would launch big money campaigns against Tea Party candidates, such as Rand Paul (R-Ky.) and Pat Toomey (R-Pa.), the source said.
Toomey, for instance, has twice voted against foreign aid packages, which are widely viewed as principal pro-Israel litmus tests, as they include large amounts of financial assistance for the Jewish state. (According to the Philadelphia Jewish Exponent, Toomey said that he "feels Israel no longer needs economic aid, and should simply receive military assistance.")
Pollak, however, defended Toomey, noting that he voted against foreign aid not out of hostility toward Israel, but "as a matter of larger fiscal principles. He has never shown a particular animosity toward Israel -- far from it."
That's hysterical -- Republicans who oppose economic aid to Israel are acting out of "principle," while Democrats who believe (like moderate Israelis) that Jerusalem will have to be divided can only be animated by hostility to Israel.
One thing you can say about the neocons: They've disproven the slur that everything they do is just cover for protecting Israel.