[ad_1]
NEW YORK — LED trucks thanking Sen. John Fetterman for his support for Israel are driving around midtown Manhattan this weekend during Pennsylvania Society, the annual glitzy gatheringof the state’s political establishment.
The digital billboards have a photo of Fetterman next to an Israeli flag and say, “Thank you Senator Fetterman!” The billboards include a quote from Fetterman, a Democrat, saying, “I also fully support Israel neutralizing the terrorists responsible for this barbarism.”
The billboards are the effort of about a dozen Jewish people from across the country but mostly Pennsylvania, said Ari Mittleman, a former staffer for Democratic Sen. Bob Casey, who helped fund and organize the displays.
The group also paid to put up a series of billboards outside Pittsburgh, including near Fetterman’s hometown of Braddock.
“I always found the two words not said enough in politics and Washington are ‘thank you,’” said Mittleman, who lives in Maryland. “It’s been a difficult seven weeks for the Jewish community and our allies — a lot of conversations over the Sabbath table and sleepless nights and in a lot of those conversations friends have brought up John Fetterman.”
Former Republican Senate candidate Jeff Bartos also helped organize the billboards. He said the group includes politically engaged people from both parties.
“I’m hearing from people in Israel and the United States and Pennsylvania who say, ‘Please tell him thank you,’” Bartos said.
The billboards come as Fetterman faces ongoing backlash for his outspoken support of Israel. He has been vocal about his stance on the Israel-Hamas war — putting up photos of Israeli hostages in his Senate office and saying he does not support a cease-fire.
Demonstrators, organized by the group Jewish Voice for Peace, have held several rallies outside of his offices in Philadelphia, Pittsburgh and Washington, D.C., calling on Fetterman to back a cease-fire.
While some of Fetterman’s pro-Israel Democratic colleagues have changed their stances on the war as the death toll rises in Gaza, Fetterman has remained firm and highly visible on the issue. He wrapped himself in an Israeli flag at a march in D.C., and a video of him taunting Palestinian protesters as he waved an Israeli flag went viral last month.
Fetterman could not immediately be reached for comment. He appeared on “The View” in New York on Friday, and a spokesperson said he is attending some of the Pennsylvania Society events this weekend.
The annual gathering, where some of the most powerful politicians in the state all gatherin Manhattan, has drawn many demonstrations in its 125 years.
[ad_2]
Source_link