The advertisement also criticized Sestak for signing a letter that condemned Israel’s blockade of Gaza goods as “collective punishment.” Specifically, the letter said Sestak recognized that “the Israeli government has imposed restrictions on Gaza out of a legitimate and keenly felt fear of continued terrorist action by Hamas and other militant groups. This concerned must be addressed without resulting in the de facto collective punishment of the Palestinian residents of the Gaza Strip.”
Sestak again said his intentions were mis-characterized. Again, ECI didn’t buy it, citing a Philadelphia’s Jewish Exponent report that Sestak had recognized his signing the letter could be politically dangerous, but that he thought it was “important to him to stand up for his convictions.”
"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," Pollak wrote.
To ice the cake, Sestak used his military service as justification for his support for Israel, saying that his service meant he had "put his life on the line to defend Israel." According to Sestak spokesman Jonathan Dworkin as cited by Politico, the Congressman was “involved in situations with the Israeli military and, while serving the United States, he was willing to lay his life on the line in defense of our ally, Israel.”
The drama comes as Pat Toomey reports a $3.1 million the second quarter of 2010, compared with Sestak’s $1.95 million. That brings Toomey’s total to $4.65 million compared Sestak's $2 million.