Bush speaking to AIPAC.
Photo by AP.

Israeli lobbies may influence our foriegn policy more than people think.

Just like anyone else, I am reluctant to report on what I see as a too powerful Israeli lobby. All too often, any discussion about Israel, and its politics are characterized the same as Bush would characterize his Iraq War stance — “either you’re with us, or you’re against us”. So, any criticism of the Israeli lobby is usually labeled anti-Semitic and rooted out. I fully understand that this is an emotional issue for many people who have strong political fervor over the state of Israel. But, just what has happened that causes us to offer unquestioned and unconditional support for Israel no matter the consequences (US grants to Israel: 2.3 billion dollars a year paid for by U.S. taxpayers and 7.1 billion dollars of arms deliveries to Israel in the 1997-2004 period.)? And, why don’t we read in the media any objective discussions about the Israeli/Palestinian issues?

According to a May, 2002, article in The Nation, “the Senate, in a vote of 94 to 2, and the House, 352 to 21, expressed unqualified support for Israel in its recent military actions against the Palestinians”. The language was so strong that even President Bush at the time attempted to tone down the language but was overruled by strong voices of support for Ariel Sharon by Joe Lieberman and Tom DeLay. It was reported in the New York Times that one of the few dissenters, Senator Ernest Hollings of South Carolina, “suggested that many senators were after campaign contributions.”

In another article in July, 2006, of The Nation, it was reported that “leaders of both parties have been quick to forcefully condemn Hamas and Hezbollah while offering unconditional support for Israel’s bombing of civilian Beirut”. Again, it appears that Congress responded with a knee-jerk reaction quick to support military excursions that Israel undertakes regardless of the impact to the area or the consequences to peace. Only a few senior statesmen raised an alarm about the ferocity of Israel’s response. One of them was Rep. John Dingell, the longest serving Democrat in the House, who called the Israeli counterattack “disproportionate and counterproductive.”

So, why are our leaders so eager to support Israel and it’s agenda? I refer back to the comment made by Sen. Hollings in which he noted that congressional leaders may be too eager for campaign contributions. So I looked into what these contributions are and what they really mean to our politicians. In doing so, I came across a discussion by Mitchell Bard in the Jewish Virtual Library which I thought would be a good start to find out more about their lobbying efforts. I learned that in any discussion about the political influence wielded by the Jewish lobby, one has to look at the informal and formal lobbying efforts in this country.

The Western Wall at the Temple Mount. Jerusalem, Israel.

In regards to their informal lobbying efforts, the interesting thing to note about Jews and politics in America is that they are passionate about it. Therefore, their influence is more keenly felt in our political realms. According to Bard, the Jews recognize the importance of supporting Israel because of the dire consequences that would follow if they didn’t. They look at Israel as an isolated, democratic nation in the middle of hostile Arabs who want nothing other than annihilation of their beloved nation-state. So, their hearts and minds are loyal to Israel. As a result they have dedicated themselves to politics with a religious fervor. This is evident in the fact that they have the highest voter turnout of any ethnic group in the U.S.

As pointed out by Bard, although the Jewish population in the U.S. is roughly six million, about 94% live in thirteen key electoral college states which make up enough electoral votes to elect the president. Then, if you add the non-Jews who are also pro-Israel (many are the pro-Zionist evangelicals), it is clear that “Israel has the support of one of the largest voting groups in the country”.

As reported in 2002The Nation article, the main obstacle is the fear on the part of the mainstream media of a backlash in response to reporting on Israel that may in any way present a nonsupporting picture of Israel. As the Forward observed in late April, “rooting out perceived anti-Israel bias in the media has become for many American Jews the most direct and emotional outlet for connecting with the conflict 6,000 miles away.”

This is what The Nation has reported regarding media suppression:

Recently, an estimated 1,000 subscribers to the Los Angeles Times suspended home delivery for a day to protest what they considered the paper’s pro-Palestinian coverage. The Chicago Tribune, the Minneapolis Star Tribune, the Philadelphia Inquirer and the Miami Herald have all been hit by similar protests, and NPR has received thousands of e-mails complaining about its reports from the Middle East.

The New York Times ran two photographs of a pro-Israel parade in Manhattan. Both showed the parade in the background and anti-Israel protesters prominently in the foreground. The paper, which for weeks has been threatened with a boycott by Jewish readers, was deluged with protests. On May 7 the Times ran an abject apology.

The Nation also reported that a correspondent at another large daily who was familiar with the New York Times incident said that Newspapers are ‘afraid’ of organizations like AIPAC. “The pressure from these groups is relentless. Editors would just as soon not touch them.”

So, who is AIPAC and why are they so powerful? AIPAC is a registered Israeli lobby whose influence on Capital Hill is legendary. Here is how The Nation describes this powerful lobby:

AIPAC is widely regarded as the most powerful foreign-policy lobby in Washington. Its 60,000 members shower millions of dollars on hundreds of members of Congress on both sides of the aisle. It also maintains a network of wealthy and influential citizens around the country, whom it can regularly mobilize to support its main goal, which is making sure there is “no daylight” between the policies of Israel and of the United States.

Needless to say, with this type of lobbying power, Congress pays attention. In researching just how much money is involved, I found a report that details the amount of money donated by AIPAC to Congressional leaders from 1978 to 2004. I can see why their influence is so strong because for this period of time, AIPAC donated over $42 million dollars to Congressional candidates. And, for anyone looking to get reelected, this type of money does turn heads. For some political candidates, the donations add up to quite a bit of money over their career with the highest going to Mitch McConnell at $377,685. That can mean the difference in winning or losing an election in some cases. To view what each of the political candidates have received in AIPAC money go here.

I realize that there are many factors that contribute to the U.S.’s support of Israel, such as Israel being a strategic U.S. ally and a model of democracy in the Middle East, horror over the devastation of suicide bombings and death of innocent civilians, and opposition to radical extremists in the region. However, we need to weigh the consequences of our unconditional support of Israel in light of a more global perspective. And, the incredible power and influence of both the informal and formal Israeli lobbying groups makes this difficult, if not impossible. At least, I feel there should be more rational, objective debate in this country for which we have not seen on Israel’s vitally important role in our foreign policy.

I feel debate is what is sadly lacking today because the only way that democracy really works is for its constituents to have free access to all information and transparency in the government. This allows for an informed voter and better representation on Capital Hill. As it is now, you and I have almost no voice over the power of sophisticated and highly paid lobbyists. And this doesn’t just apply to AIPAC, it applies to all the other powerful lobbying groups in Washington which in the past twenty years, has gotten totally out of control. So, let your congressional leaders know how you feel. If enough of us did this, we would be heard.