A prominent Pittsburgh philanthropist has been drawn into a controversy over the funding for a non-profit group which advocates a two-state solution to the Arab-Israeli conflict.

William Benter, 53, who heads a foundation bearing his name, helped secure an $811,697 contribution from a Hong Kong businesswoman to J Street, the organization that advocates a two-state solution to the Middle East conflict.

Benter, a supporter of J Street, convinced Consolacion Esdicul, a Hong Kong business associate, to donate the money, said J Street Executive Director Jeremy Ben-Ami in a statement.

J Street has come into prominence due, in part, to close ties to the Obama administration. Its position on a two-state settlement has come under sharp attack from more conservative Jewish groups, such as the American Israel Public Affairs Committee.

Some, J Street officials acknowledge, have accused the organization of trying to "kill Israel."

"What you have here is a fundamental disagreement over what policy makes more sense, " said Stephen M. Walt, professor of international affairs at Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government, when asked to comment on the controversy.

He said J Street surfaced after "a number of people in the American Jewish community began to become convinced that the hard-line approach was in fact counterproductive."

The Hong Kong donation was reported on 2008 federal income tax returns for J Street posted recently on the internet. The details were first reported by the Washington Times.

Benter, head of Acusis LLC, an international medical transcription firm, did not respond to a series of phone calls and emails seeking comment. He has augmented his highly successful business through a computerized horse race betting system that experts says is among the best in the world.

Ben-Ami said Benter was "a major supporter of and contributor to J Street" and that he had agreed to help raise funds for the organization.

"One contribution he helped raise was from Ms. Esdicul, a business associate from Hong Kong, where he lives for part of the year and has business holdings," Ben-Ami wrote.

Ben-Ami also acknowledged that billionaire George Soros and family members have donated to J Street. Ben-Ami said he had "been less than clear" about Soros involvement in the past.

Initially he had said that Soros was not involved in helping to launch J Street or provide its initial funding.

The tax return posted shows J Street collected $1.6 million in contributions in the fiscal year ending June 30, 2009. Normally, as Ben-Ami noted, the portion of the tax returns listing donors is not made public.

In addition to Esdicul, the returns show a $145,000 contribution from Soros and $100,000 from members of his family.

In addition to the nonprofit, the advocates of the two-state solution have a political action committee and the J Street Education Fund.

Benter has been a long time supporter of political candidates. Most recently he contributed a total of $26,000 to Allegheny County Chief Executive Dan Onorato's gubernatorial campaign.

Benter lives in a Strip District loft but maintains other residences in the United States and abroad. He was married earlier this year to Vivian Fung in a Tibetan Buddhist ceremony.

The Benter Foundation, which he heads, has donated to the Propel School Foundation, the Pittsburgh Ballet Theater and the Grant Foundation for support of the Albert Schweitzer Hospital in Haiti.

On its web site, the J Street organization states that is "proud to provide a reasoned, moderate voice for supporters of Israel — Jewish and not. We encourage open and honest debate about what is best for Israel and the United States and we urge those who disagree with us to engage on the merits, rather than engaging in scurrilous personal attacks."

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