The Emergency Committee for Israel (ECI) — the latest astroturf group organized by neoconservative Bill Kristol and Christian evangelical Gary Bauer — has launched their second attack ad, this time going after Rep. Mary Jo Kilroy (D-OH). We here at LobeLog have closely followed the ECI since its public launch last month.

For those who forget, the ECI – which Kristol describes as the, “pro-Israel wing of the pro-Israel community” — has derived plenty of negative attention in the blogosphere for its links (first mentioned here) to the Committee for the Liberation of Iraq (CLI) and Fox News contributor Margaret Hoover. The ECI appears be a letterhead group designed to narrow the acceptable discourse about the U.S.-Israel relationship and, much like the CLI, push the U.S. into further military adventurism in the Middle East.

Jeremy Ben-Ami, president of the “Pro-Israel, Pro-Peace” J Street organization, issued the following statement responding to the ECI‘s latest attack ad.

The latest attack ad from the Emergency Committee for Israel is a frightening example of how pro-Israel advocacy as practiced by far-right neocons like Bill Kristol and right-wing Christian Zionists like Gary Bauer has come unhinged.

According to their ad, it’s apparently “anti-Israel” for a member of Congress to sign a letter urging that Israel do exactly what the Prime Minister of Israel has now done — namely, ease the terms of the closure of Gaza so that weapons are kept out, while humanitarian and other supplies are allowed in.

What’s next for the Emergency Committee? An attack ad against Prime Minister Netanyahu?

The tactics of the Emergency Committee will win no friends for Israel. By increasing the fear and ill will around Israel in American politics, they are doing far more to undermine Israel’s security than to save it.