Cory Booker Targeted By Conservative Pro-Israel Group

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By Nathan Guttman September 7, 2017

A new 30 second ad is going after New Jersey Democrat Cory Booker for his refusal to support the Taylor Force Act, a bill aimed at cutting U.S. aid to the Palestinian Authority until it stops paying stipends to convicted terrorists and their families.

“He ran here as a friend to Israel,” the ad narrator states over footage of Booker wearing a kippah. “Just four years later, he’s eyeing a run for president and throwing Israel under the bus.” The ad then urges viewers to “call Booker, tell him we noticed.”

Booker was one of four Democrats in the Foreign Relations Committee who voted against the bill on August 3.

The attack ad was produced by the Emergency Committee for Israel, a Republican-leaning pro-Israel organization. The group, which played a leading role in the campaign against President Obama’s nuclear deal with Iran, has been less active since and this is its first move aimed at potential candidates for the 2020 elections. The Emergency Committee is headed by Bill Kristol and Gary Bauer.

Contact Nathan Guttman at [email protected] or on Twitter @nathanguttman

Nathan Guttman, staff writer, was the Forward’s Washington bureau chief. He joined the staff in 2006 after serving for five years as Washington correspondent for the Israeli dailies Haaretz and The Jerusalem Post. In Israel, he was the features editor for Ha’aretz and chief editor of Channel 1 TV evening news. He was born in Canada and grew up in Israel. He is a graduate of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.