Emergency Committee for Israel -

Transcription

1 - To Whom it May Concern: I have received the Sestak for Senate campaign s request that you cease and desist airing the Emergency Committee for Israel s advertisement regarding Rep. Sestak s record. This ad is neither false nor misleading. It relies on Congressman Sestak s own words in addition to well documented events and statements. To the Sestak campaign s first point. In March of 2007, as Politico reported, Freshman Rep. Joe Sestak (D-Pa.) has ignited a controversy after agreeing to be the keynote speaker at an April 7 banquet and fundraiser hosted by the Philadelphia chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations. (Sestak Scheduled Speech to Muslim Group Causes Uproar by Josh Kraushaar, Politico, 3/19/07 see addendum 1) Indeed, by serving as the keynote speaker at a banquet and fundraiser for the Council on American-Islamic Relations, Rep. Sestak engaged in activity that by any standard must be considered fundraising i.e. he raised money for the organization. No doubt if Sestak delivered a speech at a Sestak for Senate fundraiser, he would concede that he had raised money for his own campaign regardless of whether he solicited such donations in his speech. The notion that this portion of the event was explicitly free of fundraising is not credible on its face attendees to see Sestak s speech were required to make a $50 donation to CAIR. To the second point our ad simply states that the FBI called CAIR a front group for Hamas. This is factually true. The statement was made by FBI Special Agent Lara Burns during a retrial of the Holy Land Foundation case in 2008, and the charges made by federal prosecutors, and for which CAIR was named as an unindicted coconspirator, stemmed from activity that took place before Sestak s appearance at the fundraiser. (Judge due to rule on Holy Land defense evidence challenge by Jason Trahan, Dallas Morning News, 10/14/08, see addendum 2)

2 Furthermore, CAIR had come under scrutiny for ties to Hamas well before Sestak spoke at their fundraiser. As Newsweek reported in December 2006, California Senator Barbara Boxer had, rescinded an award to an Islamic activist in her home state because of the man s connections to a major American Muslim organization that recently has been courted by leading political figures and even the FBI. Boxer s office confirmed to NEWSWEEK that she has withdrawn a certificate of accomplishment to Sacramento activist Basim Elkarra after learning that he serves as an official with the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR). After directing her staff to look into CAIR, Boxer expressed concern about some past statements and actions by the group, as well as assertions by some law enforcement officials that it gives aid to international terrorist groups, according to Natalie Ravitz, the senator s press spokeswoman. CAIR, which has 32 offices around the country and bills itself as the leading Muslim-American civil- rights group, has never been charged with any crimes, nor have any of its top leaders. But a handful of individuals who have had ties to CAIR in the past have been convicted or deported for financial dealings with Hamas another reason cited by Boxer for her action. (CAIR Play by Mark Hosenball and Michael Isikoff, Newsweek, 12/29/06, see addendum 3) The controversy surrounding Rep. Sestak s appearance at the fundraiser makes clear that he was well aware of CAIR s ties to Hamas ties that were so close that other US Senators from his own party had expressed such concerns publicly. Further, the effort to dismiss this single FBI agent who characterized CAIR as a front group for Hamas ignores the fact that this particular special agent was speaking in federal court on behalf of the FBI and as the Special Agent most knowledgeable regarding the events in question. To the third point made by the Sestak campaign, we are merely quoting the Senator s own words as expressed in a letter Congressman Sestak himself

3 signed. That letter plainly stated that the Israeli government s actions amounted to the de facto collective punishment of the Palestinian residents of Gaza. Indeed, Congressman Sestak was well aware of how controversial this statement was at the time he made it. As Philadelphia s Jewish Exponent reported then, Sestak acknowledged that signing on to the letter was politically risky, and that it could be used "against me." But he said that it was more important to him to stand up for his convictions. (Sestak Under the Gun After Signing On to Letter by Bryan Schwartzman, Jewish Exponent, 2/4/10, see addendum 4) Now that his decision to sign the letter is being used against him, he denies the substance of the words he used and seeks to keep our ad off the air. To the Sestak for Senate campaign s final point we do indeed suggest that Congressman Sestak s record shows he does not believe Israel is a close ally of the United States. Whether his campaign sees the issue differently is immaterial and certainly cannot be the standard by which our group or any other should be held. The Sestak for Senate campaign is welcome to air ads touting the letters that Sestak did or didn t sign and the law entitles us to do the same. Instead Congressman Sestak is attempting to stifle political debate in a statewide election by intimidating one of Pennsylvania s most prominent businesses with threats of legal action. We ask that Comcast continue to air this ad as it had previously agreed to do. Any further inquiries regarding the content of this ad may be directed to Robert Kelner, counsel to the Emergency Committee for Israel, at Covington & Burling LLP. Best, Noah Pollak Executive Director, Emergency Committee for Israel

4 Addendum 1: Sestak Scheduled Speech to Muslim Group Causes Uproar By: Josh Kraushaar March 19, :03 PM EDT Freshman Rep. Joe Sestak (D-Pa.) has ignited a controversy after agreeing to be the keynote speaker at an April 7 banquet and fundraiser hosted by the Philadelphia chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations. CAIR is the largest Muslim civil rights group in the country, with 30 chapters nationwide. Jewish organizations and conservative groups have criticized CAIR for not labeling Hamas and Hezbollah as terrorist organizations and for not specifically denouncing suicide bombings against Israelis. Sestak's acceptance of the invitation has particularly enraged members of the Philadelphia Jewish community, who bombarded him with critical questions at a two-hour forum last week. According to Rabbi Lisa Malik, whose synagogue co-sponsored the forum, the event was nearly canceled after word of Sestak's scheduled appearance at CAIR's function leaked out. When the congressman did speak at the Jewish Community Center in Havertown, protesters gathered outside. "I don't think he came across looking that good. A lot of his answers came across as very wishy-washy," Malik said. "He had the opportunity to become a hero. I was hoping after hearing everyone's complaints, he would cancel his appearance at the CAIR function or at least reconsider it." Sestak is among a growing number of lawmakers to take flak over associations with CAIR. In January, after drawing criticism, Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) rescinded a letter of appreciation that she offered to the head of CAIR's Sacramento chapter. Boxer later said her office hadn't thoroughly vetted the organization. CAIR vigorously disputes criticism of the organization. Legislative director Corey Saylor said his group has "gone above and beyond in terms of

5 condemning terrorism and extremism." In 2005, CAIR signed on in support of a fatwa condemning "religious extremism and the use of violence against innocent lives." Referring to critics, Saylor said, "These groups want to see Muslims disenfranchised." But at the very least, CAIR has taken positions that appear to clash with those of Israel supporters. That could prove to be politically harmful to Sestak in his suburban Philadelphia district, which has a politically influential bloc of Jewish voters. And some CAIR supporters, including one of the speakers at the fundraiser, have made statements Jewish leaders have labeled as anti-semitic. One of the featured speakers at the event is Muslim activist Rafael Narbaez, who has made a number of controversial comments about Israel. During a July 2006 speech at a Detroit mosque, Narbaez said Zionists have "the same racist ideology that the Nazis of Germany had." "To me, the notion that you can sit down with CAIR and help them, and affirm yourself as a supporter of Israel, is a contradiction," said Jonathan S. Tobin, executive editor of the Jewish Exponent, a weekly newspaper in Philadelphia. "Many people in this region feel the same way." The brouhaha began two weeks ago, when Sestak's outreach coordinator, Adeeba Al-Zaman, booked the congressman for an event other Sestak aides presented as a banquet. But CAIR's Philadelphia chapter put out fliers billing the congressman as the featured speaker at a fundraiser. Al- Zaman is the former director of communications for CAIR's Philadelphia chapter. Upon receiving complaints, Sestak insisted he wouldn't speak unless he was the only speaker and was disassociated from the fundraising portion of the event. CAIR responded by advertising Sestak's speech as part of a "banquet," while other featured speakers and entertainment would be listed under the fundraiser. Despite the changes, attendees still need to pay $50 to attend the banquet and hear Sestak speak. "It's disingenuous to say they're two separate events," Malik said. Sestak said he would not cancel because more than 200 of his constituents would be in the audience. He also said his speech would

6 criticize CAIR and call on the organization to more explicitly condemn terrorism. "The easiest thing to do was to cancel, but I don't think it's the right thing to do," Sestak said. "The best way forward is to take advantage of this, to speak, and to speak truth to power. And to speak directly and candidly of what I believe." Sestak said his speech will reiterate his "strong support for Israel" and criticize terrorist groups. He added that he hasn't seen any instance in which CAIR has specifically singled out extremist organizations for criticism. "I can't find where it's ever condemned Hamas and Hezbollah by name," Sestak said. At the same time, Sestak said CAIR was a "legitimate organization," and he pointed to its "good work" in fighting racial profiling. But his suggestion at having a "Sister Souljah moment" of sorts in front of CAIR has done little to sway his detractors. "Unless he says something really specific, it doesn't really mean anything. It's somewhat insulting," Malik said. "After a point, you can't just forgive him because he's a rookie. It would have been nice if he said, after all you told me about CAIR, I'd perhaps reconsider. He didn't even go that far." In 2006, Sestak handily defeated GOP Rep. Curt Weldon, aided in part by an ongoing Department of Justice investigation into Weldon's lobbying ties. Sestak's military experience as a retired Navy vice admiral has made him one of the leading Democratic spokesmen on foreign policy. He participated in a four-person panel on "Meet the Press" Sunday to discuss the Iraq war. Political analysts believe the Democratic tilt of Sestak's district makes his reelection fairly secure, but the CAIR controversy has given Republicans new optimism in trying to pick up the seat. Real estate executive Tim Pulte has met with officials from the National Republican Congressional Committee and is leaning toward a run, according to a Republican operative.

7 Sestak's spokesman said politics is the furthest thing from the congressman's mind in determining whether to speak at the CAIR function. "He tells people what he thinks," said spokesman Ryan Rudominer. "He's not necessarily afraid of the political consequences of doing what he feels is in the best interest of his district -- in this case, speaking with 250 constituents." ADDENDUM 2 Judge due to rule on Holy Land defense evidence challenge 12:00 AM CDT on Tuesday, October 14, 2008 By JASON TRAHAN / The Dallas Morning News jtrahan@dallasnews.com A legal question that brought the Holy Land Foundation terrorism financing case to a standstill last week, when defense attorneys attacked mounting government evidence linking the defendants to Islamic extremists, is expected to be addressed when the trial resumes today. U.S. District Judge Jorge Solis is expected to decide today whether jurors were improperly prejudiced by Wednesday's testimony about InfoCom, the former computer services company run by defendant Ghassan Elashi and his family. In 2005, Mr. Elashi and two of his brothers were convicted of laundering $250,000 that suspected Hamas terrorist leader Mousa Abu Marzook gave to InfoCom. Prosecutors argue that using the InfoCom evidence does not constitute double jeopardy, as defense attorneys allege. Rather, the government says, the evidence is relevant in proving the current allegations: that the defendants engaged in an international conspiracy to funnel millions of dollars overseas to Hamas, which has been deemed a Palestinian terrorist group by the U.S. The U.S. made supporting Hamas illegal in Defense attorneys say Holy Land was a legitimate charity with no connection to terrorists.

8 Defense attorneys, who note that the government avoided presenting the InfoCom evidence in last year's trial, are asking Judge Solis to drop some of the 35 counts against Mr. Elashi. Short of that, they want the judge to strike the evidence from the record or tell jurors that they can only use the evidence in a limited way, the alternative that prosecutors favor. Bugged meeting Earlier during week three of testimony in the retrial, FBI Special Agent Lara Burns labeled the Council on American-Islamic Relations a front group for Hamas, an allegation the group has denied. CAIR is one of about 300 unindicted co-conspirators named in the Holy Land case. The group has asked to be removed from the list, which it says taints its civil rights work on behalf of American Muslims. Testimony has suggested that CAIR's founder, Omar Ahmad, and its current executive director, Nihad Awad, participated in a 1993 meeting of purported Hamas sympathizers. Some Holy Land defendants attended the Philadelphia meeting, bugged by the FBI. At the meeting, former Holy Land CEO Shukri Abu Baker talked about the need for more secular, mainstream organizations in America, "which can benefit from a new atmosphere, one whose Islamic hue is not very conspicuous," according to a transcript. When asked by prosecutor Barry Jonas whether any groups formed after the gathering fit this mold, Agent Burns cited CAIR. "Just to be sure," said Joshua Dratel, attorney for defendant Mohammad El- Mezain, holding up a sign with the words "Council on American-Islamic Relations" scrawled across it, "this is the one with the inconspicuous Islamist hue?" Second FBI agent FBI Special Agent Robert Miranda also testified last week, taking jurors through a list of Islamic clerics that Holy Land allegedly brought to the U.S. to headline fundraising festivals. Hamas co-founder Mahmoud al-zahar and Jamil Hamami were among those on the foundation's speaker list, Agent Miranda said.

9 Prosecutor Jim Jacks pointed to each one on a huge chart titled "Hamas Leaders In The 1990s." Two other alleged Hamas leaders on that chart, Mohammed Siam and Hamed Bitawi, participated in a Holy Land-sponsored conference call, made in 1997, after the U.S. designated Hamas a terrorist organization. Such calls, another method by which the foundation used overseas speakers to help raise money, were joined by people in Islamic centers across the U.S., the FBI says. "We can also say that the Islamic world is undergoing a stage of changing from weakness to strength and to the love of martyrdom," said Kamal al-hilbawi, a former spokesman for Hamas' parent organization the Muslim Brotherhood, according to what was introduced as a transcript of the intercepted call. He lauded Yehya Ayyash, allegedly a Hamas bomb maker who helped perfect the suicide belt, Hamas spiritual founder Sheikh Ahmed Yassin and Mr. Marzook for their "understanding, knowledge, bravery, strength and determination." He helped close the call with a prayer, according to the prosecution. "Redeem us with your mercy for the infidel people. Our God, block their money and tighten their hearts so that they won't believe until they see painful torture." The moderator then urged listeners to call Holy Land's toll free number to donate money. "Is there a reference to charity in this call?" Mr. Jacks asked Agent Miranda. "I think you'd have to be creative to find it," he answered. ADDENDUM 3 CAIR Play? Sen. Barbara Boxer recalled an award she recently gave to an Islamic activist because of his ties to a major American

10 Muslim organization that critics say has ties to terrorist activities. by Michael Isikoff and Mark Hosenball Dec. 29, 2006 In a highly unusual move, Sen. Barbara Boxer of California has rescinded an award to an Islamic activist in her home state because of the man s connections to a major American Muslim organization that recently has been courted by leading political figures and even the FBI. Boxer s office confirmed to NEWSWEEK that she has withdrawn a certificate of accomplishment to Sacramento activist Basim Elkarra after learning that he serves as an official with the Council on American- Islamic Relations (CAIR). After directing her staff to look into CAIR, Boxer expressed concern about some past statements and actions by the group, as well as assertions by some law enforcement officials that it gives aid to international terrorist groups, according to Natalie Ravitz, the senator s press spokeswoman. CAIR, which has 32 offices around the country and bills itself as the leading Muslim-American civil- rights group, has never been charged with any crimes, nor have any of its top leaders. But a handful of individuals who have had ties to CAIR in the past have been convicted or deported for financial dealings with Hamas another reason cited by Boxer for her action. The senator directed her staff to withdraw the certificate which she routinely gives to community leaders in California and asked that a statement she had previously made endorsing CAIR be stricken from the group s Web site, Ravitz said in an . Ironically, just last month, Boxer had sent CAIR a letter in connection with its 10th anniversary fundraising dinnerendorsing the group as a constant support system for the American Muslim community and praising it for its work on

11 civil liberties. "As an advocate for justice and greater understanding, CAIR embodies what we should all strive to achieve," Boxer wrote in the Nov. 18 letter. Boxer tells NEWSWEEK she never saw the letter to CAIR signed in her name or was even aware of the award to Elkarra before it was sent out. "I feel terrible about this," she says. "We just made a mistake. I was not in the loop. That was an automatic signature [on the letter]." But Boxer stands by her decision to withdraw the award and to distance herself from CAIR, saying she was influenced by previous critical statements about CAIR made by her Democratic colleagues Sens. Richard Durbin of Illinois and Charles Schumer of New York. "To praise an organization because they haven't been indicted is like somebody saying, 'I'm not a crook,' Boxer says. I'm going to take a lot of hits for this. But I'm just doing what I think is right." The move outraged CAIR officials who charged that the liberal Democratic senator was responding to the writings of Joe Kaufman, a blogger who has expressed sympathy for slain Jewish extremist Meir Kahane in the past, and whose columns regularly appear on the Web site of conservative activist David Horowitz. CAIR has formally asked for a meeting with Boxer and demanded that she withdraw the action which one top CAIR official said smacks of Islamophobia. This is an attempt to marginalize the largest and most mainstream Muslim organization in the country, says Hussam Ayloush, executive director of CAIR s office in southern California. This is absolutely unacceptable. Nihad Awad, CAIR s top Washington official, vigorously denied the charges that CAIR has any links to terror groups and said the allegations are based on a deliberate smear campaign by individuals who cannot brook any criticism of the Israeli government. We feel that the same crowd who is pushing these smears against CAIR is the same crowd as the neocons that

12 pushed us into the Iraq war, he says. They are trying to smear the Muslim community and they are trying to silence its voice. This takes us back to the McCarthy era. The incident illustrates the political tensions that have repeatedly arisen in recent years when members of Congress and other political leaders deal with a number of leading Muslim-American groups some of which have been accused of sometimes murky links to terrorist groups. The CAIR case is especially striking, however, because of its timing. Just last month, CAIR threw fundraising dinners in the Washington and southern California areas that attracted several leading political and law enforcement figures along with generating a slew of testimonial statements like that submitted by Boxer's office. At a banquet in Arlington, Va., the featured speakers included Joseph Persichini, the assistant director of the FBI in charge of the Washington, D.C., field office, as well as members of Congress and Keith Ellison, the just-elected Democratic representative from Minnesota who next week will become the first Muslim in Congress. The speakers at the dinner in southern California included J. Stephen Tidwell, the assistant director in charge of the FBI s Los Angeles field office. Ayloush and other CAIR officials have asked how Boxer s concerns about possible terror links can possibly be true when two senior FBI officials are openly attending its fundraisers and seeking the group s help in reaching out to the Muslim-American community. Awad, the group s executive director in Washington, said that CAIR also has conducted sensitivity training courses for FBI and Homeland Security agents as well as local police officers around the country. We train law enforcement officers on how to deal with the Muslim community, he says. But terror researcher Steve Emerson a frequent critic of CAIR says there has been a fierce internal debate within the law- enforcement community over the FBI s outreach to CAIR,

13 and adds that some agents he has heard from are furious about the presence of bureau officials at the group s dinners. There s a major clash between field agents and headquarters over this, Emerson says. One senior law-enforcement official, who asked not to be identified talking about a sensitive matter, agrees that there is a split in FBI culture over the bureau s relationships with CAIR and says that some agents "hold their nose" when it comes to dealing with the group. But he said other top law-enforcement officials believe it is essential for the FBI to establish better relations with the Muslim community if for no other reason than to encourage cooperation and the flow of information on terrorism investigations. "In some cities, CAIR is the only [Muslim] group or the dominant group," the official says. When asked about the attendance of the two top FBI officials at the recent CAIR dinners, John Miller, the bureau s chief spokesman, responds: They were invited. It was an opportunity to engage in positive community outreach to the Arab-American and American-Muslim community. Miller acknowledges that FBI officials don t agree with CAIR on every issue. We have serious disagreements with them on a number of issues. But the important thing is we try to maintain open dialogue with all these groups. The dispute over Boxer s award began earlier this month when Kaufman, who runs a one-man group in Florida called Americans Against Hate, posted an article about the Boxer- CAIR connection on the Web site of Front Page Magazine, a publication sponsored by David Horowitz. Kaufman noted that Boxer s office had put out a press release mentioning it was giving a certificate of achievement to Elkarra, 27, who serves as executive director of CAIR s Sacramento office. The certificate was being given in recognition of his efforts to protect civil

14 liberties and to build bridges among diverse communities in California. Kaufman said in an interview that one of his goals is to shut CAIR down. In his article in Front Page, he charges that the group is connected to Islamic extremism and notes that two men previously associated with the group have been convicted of terror-related charges and two others have been deported. He also contends that Elkarra himself was a radical who had accused Israel of being an apartheid and racist state and that he had defended a northern California man who had trained for jihad in a Pakistani terrorist camp. Boxer was unaware of the certificate to Elkarra that had been given in her name by staff members in her California office and only learned of it when she came across a story on Horowitz s blog, according to the from Ravitz, the senator s spokeswoman. After review by her staff, Boxer was particularly concerned by claims that CAIR had refused to condemn Hamas and Hizbullah and recognize those groups as terrorist organizations, Ravitz said. In response, CAIR ed to NEWSWEEK a number of past statements in which it condemned suicide bombings and terror attacks. On Oct. 4, 2003, for example, CAIR issued a statement condemning a suicide bombing at a restaurant in Haifa, Israel, that killed 19 people, including three children. CAIR condemns this vicious attack in the strongest possible terms, the statement read. The bombing is particularly loathsome, coming as it did on the eve of the Jewish community s holiest day. The Israeli Foreign Ministry accused the group Islamic Jihad of being behind the attack. But CAIR Executive Director Awad refuses to say whether he would also condemn Hamas which has taken credit for similar attacks in Israel as a group or even whether he considers it a terrorist organization like the U.S. State Department does. We

15 condemn these groups when they committed acts of terrorism, he says. But I m not going to play the game of the pro-israel lobby just so they can put words in our mouth. Our position is very clear. "The entire issue is going back to Israel," Awad adds. "If you love Israel, you're OK. If you question Israel, you're not. If that is the litmus test, no American Muslim and no freedom-loving person is going to pass that test." Awad also dismisses claims that CAIR members or officials have been convicted of terror-related charges, saying all the cases cited by Kaufman involve individuals who had only loose ties to the group in the past. One of the cases cited by Kaufman was Ghassan Elashi, a marketing executive in a Texas computer company and a founding director of CAIR's Texas chapter, who was convicted last year of financial dealings with Mousa Abu Marzook, a self-admitted leader of Hamas who now lives in Damascus. Another case involved Rabi Haddad, a former CAIR fund-raiser in Michigan, who was deported after being accused by Justice Department officials of providing funds to Hamas. They were former members, says Awad. This is guilt by association. Caught in the middle was Elkarra, who recently received a fax from Boxer s office informing him that the certificate he had gotten just a few weeks earlier was being rescinded. He says the news was especially disappointing because he recently spoke at a local synagogue as part of a CAIR-funded project to build relations with the Jewish community. He also rejects the idea that he is an extremist, noting that contrary to Kaufman s allegations he never defended a Lodi, Calif., man accused by the FBI of training for jihad in Pakistan. He simply raised questions about the handling of the case by the Justice Department similar to those raised by groups such as the American Civil Liberties Union, as well as a number of news organizations. It is

16 disappointing that [Sen. Boxer] has succumbed to these extremists, Elkarra says. Kaufman, for his part, couldn t be more pleased. We are proud of Sen. Boxer, he says. By taking back this award, the senator has shown that she is conscious of the extreme problems that Basim Elkarra and his group, CAIR, pose to the public. Horowitz, whose Web site first got Boxer s attention, says, I m pleased that Boxer listened to us. The fact that Democrats are finally waking up is good. ADDENDUM 4 Sestak Under the Gun After Signing On to Letter February 04, Bryan Schwartzman, Staff Writer U.S. Rep. Joe Sestak (D-District 7) is under political fire for signing on to a congressional letter urging President Barack Obama to address the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. Although he was one of 54 House Democrats to sign the Jan. 21 communiqué, the national office of the Republican Jewish Coalition singled Sestak out in a statement decrying the letter as a "troubling" development that "raises questions about whether the Democrats' traditional support for Israel is weakening." In the coming months, Pat Toomey (left) and U.S. Sen. Arlen Specter will be battling for Specter's seat, along with U.S. Rep. Joe Sestak. The flap comes as the race for the Pennsylvania Senate seat is heating up. Sestak trails Democratic rival Sen. Arlen Specter by 17 points in the latest Franklin & Marshall poll; their Republican opponent Pat Toomey is leading both of them by double digits.

17 The RJC said that it targeted Sestak specifically because he is the only House member "seeking a promotion" by trying to unseat Specter. The congressional letter to Obama said that "the current blockade has severely impeded the ability of aid agencies to do their work to relieve suffering." "We recognize that the Israeli government has imposed restrictions on Gaza out of a legitimate and keenly felt fear of terrorist action by Hamas and other militant groups," the letter said, noting also Egypt's blockade of its border. "This concern must be addressed without resulting in the de facto collective punishment of the Palestinian residents of the Gaza Strip." Israel withdrew its forces and civilians from Gaza in 2005; two years later, Hamas took over the territory after a violent confrontation with Fatah. Last December, Israel launched Operation Cast Lead to stop Palestinian rocket fire into southern Israel. Daniel Kutner, Israel's consul general in Philadelphia, would not comment on the letter, but spoke on the overall situation on the ground. "As long as Hamas continues to attack Israel with missiles and other means, Israel will not open the border crossings," he said, adding that "Israel is doing everything possible to ensure that humanitarian aid enters Gaza in a controlled manner to ensure that their population receives what it needs." Denies Anti-Israel Intent Sestak, a retired vice admiral in the U.S. Navy, insisted that the letter was not anti-israel, and that he blames the Palestinians' suffering on Hamas. Still, he said, the United States should investigate whether there is a way to get more humanitarian aid into Gaza without bolstering Hamas or threatening Israel's security interests.

18 Sestak acknowledged that signing on to the letter was politically risky, and that it could be used "against me." But he said that it was more important to him to stand up for his convictions. He said that while Israel's security is a vital U.S. interest, the welfare of Gazans is a humanitarian concern: "I think we should be looking at this because I think it's part of what we stand for as a nation." Toomey, the Republican who is seeking Specter's seat, criticized the letter, saying: "I strongly disagree with Joe Sestak's effort to pressure Israel. The Israeli actions in Gaza are legitimate self-defense, without which we would see Hamas turning Gaza into a terrorist launching pad once again." Specter did not respond to a request for comment. U.S. Rep. Chaka Fattah (D-District 2) was the only other Pennsylvania lawmaker to lend his name to the letter. He, too, did not respond to a request for comment. As for the RJC's questioning of Democratic support for the Jewish state, David Streeter, spokesman for the National Jewish Democratic Council, responded that the "Obama administration and the House and Senate Democratic leadership take a back seat to nobody" when it comes to "strengthening the U.S.-Israel relationship and expanding Israel's qualitative military edge." Sestak, who's trying to make inroads into Specter's traditional support among Jews, has often spoken about the necessity of Israel's security to U.S. interests. In October, he backed a congressional resolution blasting the U.N. Goldstone report, which accused Israel of committing possible war crimes in the Gaza Strip and, in December, he signed a letter to Obama calling for increased military aid to Israel. But some of his positions have angered pro-israel activists -- from his decision to address a controversial Muslim group in 2007 to his initial reluctance to back Iran sanctions earlier this fall.

19 Robin Schatz, director of government affairs for the Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia, said that both Sestak and Fattah have amassed strong pro-israel voting records. But one Capitol Hill source close to the pro-israel community, who asked not to be identified, said that "there were a lot of problems and inaccuracies in the letter, which is reflected by the marginal support it drew, largely from the members traditionally least supportive of Israel and its right to self-defense."