US Politics: "Emergency Committee for Israel" is Launched

The birth of The Emergency Committee for Israel has been announced by a combination of Republican Party activists and Evangelical Christians. Its board includes Weekly Standard editor William Kristol, former Republican presidential candidate Gary Bauer, and conservative writer and activist Rachel Abrams.

Kristol said, "We’re the pro-Israel wing of the pro-Israel community", while Bauer described the Obama presidency as “the most anti-Israel administration in the history of the United States".

Kristol explained why there was a need for a new pro-Israeli group:

There are some who say they’re pro-Israel but aren’t really [a reference to another activist group, Street]. Then there’s AIPAC [America Israel Public Affairs Committee], which is a wonderful organization, but one that’s very committed to working with the administration, so they pull some punches publicly.

While the question is debated of how many advocacy groups are needed to support Israel in the US, Haaretz's Akiva Eldar points out an important detail ignored during Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's meetings with American Jews last week. Eldar writes:

"Everybody knows that there are Jewish neighborhoods in Jerusalem that, under any peace plan, will remain where they are," Netanyahu said in response to the question from Malcolm Honlein, the executive vice chairman of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, on the fate of the eternal capital. Netanyahu did not say: "Israel's united capital forever and ever."

Is The Emergency Committee for Israel even more "committed" than Netanyahu, who is hinting a possible shift in Israeli state policy over the status of Jerusalem? Are they putting gentle pressure on him as well as sending a firmer message to US politicians?