The Republican Jewish Coalition (RJC) has published a new ad accusing the Democratic Party of being "stridently anti-Israel" and featuring a string of attendees at last week's Democratic convention criticizing Israel, JTA reports.
Released Friday and titled "This Isn't the Old Democrat Party Anymore," the ad claims that "anti-Israel Democrats are on full display at the Democratic Convention in Philadelphia."
The video then goes on to quote Georgia Rep. Hank Johnson who compared Israeli residents of Judea and Samaria to termites during an event held at the convention.
Johnson subsequently issued a weak apology for the remarks, saying it was a “poor choice of words” but adding that the “settlement activity” undermines the two-state solution.
The Republican Jewish Coalition's ad also shows a clip of protesters burning an Israeli flag outside the convention. It then shows video of two attendees criticizing Israel: One calls Israel an "apartheid state," and the other says "America is acting as a terrorist" and is "giving way too much money to Israel."
Hillary Clinton's campaign condemned the burning of the Israeli flag, saying it was “a reckless act that undermines peace and our values.”
At the Democratic National Convention, debate over Israel was present but peripheral, noted JTA. Clinton pledged to safeguard Israel's security in her acceptance speech.
The ad is part of an RJC campaign begun in June that highlights prominent Democrats' perceived anti-Israel statements. The ads all end with the tagline, "Sadly, this isn't the old Democratic Party. It's today's Democratic Party."
In a statement responding to the ad, the National Jewish Democratic Council (NJDC) accused the RJC of trying to divert attention from their party's candidate, Donald Trump.
"We understand why they don’t want to be defending their racist, sexist and bigoted candidate who peddles in anti-Semitic tropes, but notice how they don’t even mention Hillary Clinton’s actual record,” the NJDC said.
“As they oppose the only consistently pro-Israel nominee in this race, this is going to be a tough year for RJC – all while more and more of their people stand with Israel and strengthening the U.S.-Israel relationship by abandoning Trump."