Pressure Groups on US Middle East Policy

 VIDEO: AIPAC and Stealth Israel Political Action Committees 
Janet McMahon of the Washington Report on Middle East Affairs explains the history and impact of "stealth PACs." Why has the American Israel Public Affairs Committee spawned a network of PACs across America? Why don't any claim affiliation to their creator or use descriptive names? Shouldn't they be consolidated to have reduced total contribution limits like other PACs? How has the American Israel Public Affairs Committee secretly coordinated stealth PACs, and what has been done about it? Watch

 Critical Connections: Egypt, the US, and the Israel Lobby 
Alison Weir, CounterPunch & Antiwar.com - Minimally explored in all the coverage of the momentous Egyptian uprising taking place over the last 10 days [Jan-Feb 2011] are the Israeli connections. more

 AIPAC: We’ll take over Cal’s student government... That's how we operate in our nation’s capitol 
Richard Brenneman - “How are we going to beat back the anti-Israel divestment resolution at Berkeley? We’re going to make certain that pro-Israel students take over the student government and reverse the vote. That is how AIPAC operates in our nation’s capitol. This is how AIPAC must operate on our nation’s campuses.” MORE & VIDEO

 My "Relationship" With Tom Campbell: A Wrench in the Israeli Gears 
Alison Weir, CounterPunch - It’s interesting to find myself a small factor in the California race for the Republican nomination for the U.S. Senate. But before I get to that, it’s necessary to take a look at the campaigns themselves, and the system in which they’re running. more

 Noam Chomsky and the pro-Israel lobby: Fourteen erroneous theses 
James Petras - Noam Chomsky has been called the US leading intellectual by pundits and even some sectors of the mass media. He has a large audience throughout the world especially in academic circles, in large part because of his vocal criticism of US foreign policy and many of the injustices resulting from those policies. Chomsky has nonetheless been reviled by all of the major Jewish and pro-Israel organizations and media for his criticism of Israeli policy toward the Palestinians even as he has defended the existence of the Zionist state of Israel. more

 AIPAC Bill will Destroy More American Jobs 
Institute for Research: Middle Eastern Policy - AIPAC legislated restrictions on US businesses and workers already cost 100,000 American jobs per year. New AIPAC legislation targeting Iran could lead to further jobs loss. more

 The End of Free Speech? Criminalizing Criticism of Israel 
Paul Craig Roberts, CounterPunch - On October 16, 2004, President George W. Bush signed the Israel Lobby’s bill, the Global Anti-Semitism Review Act. This legislation requires the US Department of State to monitor anti-semitism world wide. To monitor anti-semitism, it has to be defined. What is the definition? Basically, as defined by the Israel Lobby and Abe Foxman, it boils down to any criticism of Israel or Jews. more

 Articles about the 2008 US Election 
This section contains links to information relating to the candidates' stances on the Middle East. In particular, these articles reveal the way the major candidates were all influenced by groups pressuring them to support Israel no matter what its policies. more

 US Envoy Writes of Israeli Threats 
Barbara Crossette, The Nation - In the wake of the accusation by Chas Freeman that his nomination to lead the National Intelligence Council was derailed by an "Israeli lobby," a forthcoming memoir by another distinguished ambassador adds stunning new charges to the debate. The ambassador, John Gunther Dean, writes that over the years he not only came under pressure from pro-Israeli groups and officials in Washington but also was the target of an Israeli-inspired assassination attempt in 1980 in Lebanon, where he had opened links to the Palestine Liberation Organization. more

 Chas Freeman and the imaginary Lobby 
Stephen J. Sniegoski - In the Washington Post for March 12, an editorial adamantly rejects as a crackpot "conspiracy theory" the allegation that the Israel Lobby was behind the attacks on Charles W. ("Chas") Freeman Jr.'s appointment to chair the National Intelligence Council. However, on the front page of the very same issue, an article by Walter Pincus cites the groups and individuals who successfully worked to prevent Freeman from taking the job — AIPAC spokesman Josh Block, former AIPAC lobbyist Steve Rosen (indicted for espionage on behalf of Israel), the Jewish Institute for National Security Affairs (JINSA), the Zionist Organization of America (harder-line than AIPAC), Jeffrey Goldberg of The Atlantic, Michael Goldfarb of the Weekly Standard, and Jonathan Chait and Martin Peretz of the New Republic. Anyone with a functioning brain can see the pattern — it was a smear campaign orchestrated by the Israel Lobby. more

 Statement of Joel Kovel Regarding his Termination by Bard College 
Joel Kovel - In January, 1988, I was appointed to the Alger Hiss Chair of Social Studies at Bard College. As this was a Presidential appointment outside the tenure system, I have served under a series of contracts. The last of these was half-time (one semester on, one off, with half salary and full benefits year-round), effective from July 1, 2004, to June 30, 2009. On February 7 I received a letter from Michèle Dominy, Dean of the College, informing me that my contract would not be renewed this July 1 and that I would be moved to emeritus status as of that day. She wrote that this decision was made by President Botstein, Executive Vice-President Papadimitriou and herself, in consultation with members of the Faculty Senate. more

 Video: The Israel Lobby 
Marije Meerman, VPRO Backlight 2007 - For many years now the American foreign policy has been characterized by the strong tie between the United States and Israel. Does the United States in fact keep Israel on its feet? And how long will it continue to do so? In March 2006 the American political scientists John Mearsheimer (University of Chicago) and Steve Walt (Harvard) published the controversial article 'The Israel Lobby and US foreign policy'. In it they state that it is not, or no longer, expedient for the US to support and protect present-day Israel. The documentary sheds light on both parties involved in the discussion: those who wish to maintain the strong tie between the US and Israel, and those who were critical of it and not infrequently became 'victims' of the lobby. Watch Video

 Library Censors If Americans Knew 
A group of local citizens is challenging the decision by some officials at the Greenwich Library to cancel two upcoming talks that had been in the works since January. more

 I Was Israel’s Dupe 
Tom Hayden, CounterPunch - Twenty-five years ago I stared into the eyes of Michael Berman, chief operative for his congressman-brother, Howard Berman. I was a neophyte running for the California Assembly in a district that the Bermans claimed belonged to them. more

 U.S. too often follows Israel's lead in diplomatic situations 
Paul Findley, Iowa Press-Citizen - There is an open secret in Washington. I learned it well during my 22-year tenure as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives. All members swear to serve the interests of the United States, but there is an unwritten and overwhelming exception: The interests of one small foreign country almost always trump U.S. interests. That nation of course is Israel. more

 Where Did AIPAC Come From? 
Grant Smith, AntiWar.com, Excerpt from Foreign Agents - AIPAC was founded by Isaiah L. "Si" Kenen, springing from the American Zionist Committee for Public Affairs Kenen registered twice with the U.S. Department of Justice under the Foreign Agent Registration Act (FARA) as a foreign agent for Israel. more

 Banning Desmond Tutu 
Matt Snyders, Minneapolis / St. PaulCity Pages Newspaper - Back in April, when University of St. Thomas staffer Mike Klein informed his colleagues in the Justice and Peace Studies program that he'd succeeded in booking Archbishop Desmond Tutu for a campus appearance, the faculty buzzed in anticipation. For a program dedicated to fostering social change and nonviolence, there were few figures who embodied that vision more aptly than the world-renowned civil rights activist and Nobel Laureate. more

 Sen. Gravel Says AIPAC Is Pushing Confrontation With Iran 
Philip Weiss, Mondoweiss - I keep declaring that the Walt and Mearsheimer is historic, that it has blasted down a wall in the American discourse. I keep getting more evidence. more

 AIPAC on Trial: The lobby argues that good Americans spy for Israel? 
Justin Raimondo in The American Conservative - Is there a First Amendment right to engage in espionage? Dorothy Rabinowitz seems to think so. Describing the actions of Steve Rosen and Keith Weissman, two former top officials of AIPAC, the premier Israel lobbying group, who passed purloined intelligence to Israeli government officials, the Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist characterized them as “activities that go on every day in Washington, and that are clearly protected under the First Amendment.” If what Rabinowitz says is true—if passing classified information to foreign officials is routine in the nation’s capital—then we are all in big trouble. more

 Dirty Tricks on Campus: How Pro-Israel Groups Use Deceit to Prevent Honest Debate 
Brian Hennessey - I attended the appearance of President Carter at George Washington University two weeks ago. The "question-and-answer" period was a sham, hijacked by zealots who had no intention of debating but also with an agenda to prevent others from debating and questioning. They were hell-bent on embarrassing the President and GW University in the process while preventing any kind of open dialogue with students who had real questions. more

 Taming Leviathan 
The Economist - This week saw yet another reminder of the awesome power of “the lobby”. The American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) brought more than 6,000 activists to Washington for its annual policy conference. And they proceeded to live up to their critics' darkest fears. They heard from the four most powerful people on Capitol Hill—Nancy Pelosi and John Boehner from the House, Harry Reid and Mitch McConnell from the Senate—as well as the vice-president (who called his talk “The United States and Israel: United We Stand”) and sundry other power-brokers. Several first-division presidential candidates held receptions. more

 Iraq, Iran, and the Lobby: Four years after the invasion of Iraq, and the War Party is still in the driver's seat 
Justin Raimondo in AntiWar.com - It wasn't supposed to be like this: we weren't supposed to be "celebrating" the fourth anniversary of the U.S. invasion and occupation of Iraq. It was going to be a "cakewalk," the Iraqis would rise up and shower us with rose petals, and Johnny would come marching home in no time. Remember? Besides that, the whole deal would be cost-free, you see, because the revived Iraqi oil industry, no longer under sanctions, would pay the costs of the war. Or so Paul Wolfowitz assured us. more

 The hidden cost of free congressional trips to Israel 
Jim Abourezk in the CS Monitor - Democrats in Congress have moved quickly – and commendably – to strengthen ethics rules. But truly groundbreaking reform was prevented, in part, because of the efforts of the pro-Israel lobby to preserve one of its most critical functions: taking members of Congress on free "educational" trips to Israel. more

 Speaking frankly about Israel and Palestine 
Jimmy Carter in the Los Angeles Times - I signed a contract with Simon & Schuster two years ago to write a book about the Middle East, based on my personal observations as the Carter Center monitored three elections in Palestine and on my consultations with Israeli political leaders and peace activists. We covered every Palestinian community in 1996, 2005 and 2006, when Yasser Arafat and later Mahmoud Abbas were elected president and members of parliament were chosen. The elections were almost flawless, and turnout was very high – except in East Jerusalem, where, under severe Israeli restraints, only about 2% of registered voters managed to cast ballots. more

 Yes, It's the Lobby: "Political Fear" Drives US Support for Israel  
Former US Senator James Abourezk - James Abourezk, formerly US senator from South Dakota, describes below what drives US Mideast policies. He is responding to Jeffrey Blankfort's rebuttal of Noam Chomsky's allegations. more

 Carter shares insight on peace in Mideast 
Marty Rosen in the Louisville Courier-Journal - Former President Jimmy Carter's new book, "Palestine -- Peace Not Apartheid," reflects a lifetime of contemplation on the Middle East. Mixing memoir and policy, it recounts his youthful fascination with the Holy Lands, his long acquaintance with the political leaders who have shaped the modern history of the Arab and Israeli worlds, and it makes a strong case for renewed debate about the best path to peace in a long-troubled part of the world. In a telephone interview, Carter spoke in detail about the history of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and his hopes for peace. Here are his unedited responses: more

 The Chomsky/Blankfort Polemic 
Reprinted from Signs of the Times - Journalist Silvia Cattori interviewed Jewish photojournalist Jeffrey Blankfort. Blankfort describes his research into the major factors determining US Middle East policy. more

 Opinion: The Israel Lobby 
Michael Massing in The Nation - On May 2 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 resolutions were so strong that the Bush Administration--hardly a slouch when it comes to supporting Israel--attempted to soften its language so as to have more room in getting peace talks going. But its pleas were rejected, and members of Congress from Joe Lieberman to Tom DeLay competed to heap praise on Ariel Sharon and disdain on Yasir Arafat. Reporting on the vote, the New York Times noted that one of the few dissenters, Senator Ernest Hollings of South Carolina, "suggested that many senators were after campaign contributions." more

 Israeli civil libertarian's introduction to German edition of Beyond Chutzpah 
Felicia Langer - It was high time a book on the misuse of anti-Semitism as a political weapon got written. Now it has found its author: Norman Finkelstein. He is no stranger to daring challenges, and as this book clearly shows, Finkelstein has got what it takes. The precision and meticulousness of his research and analyses are admirable. more

 Study alleges US sets aside own security interest for Israel's 
Tom Regan in the Christian Science Monitor - A research paper by two leading American political scientists alleges that the US relationship with Israel is not good for US security, and that the Israeli lobby in the US, particularly the American-Israel Public Affairs Committee, has helped exaggerate to the US media and public the importance of making the protection of Israel a key part of US foreign policy. more

 The Israel Lobby 
John Mearsheimer and Stephen Walt in the London Review of Books - For the past several decades, and especially since the Six-Day War in 1967, the centrepiece of US Middle Eastern policy has been its relationship with Israel. The combination of unwavering support for Israel and the related effort to spread ‘democracy’ throughout the region has inflamed Arab and Islamic opinion and jeopardised not only US security but that of much of the rest of the world. This situation has no equal in American political history. Why has the US been willing to set aside its own security and that of many of its allies in order to advance the interests of another state? One might assume that the bond between the two countries was based on shared strategic interests or compelling moral imperatives, but neither explanation can account for the remarkable level of material and diplomatic support that the US provides. more

 US, Israel resume talks on $1.2b special aid package 
Ran Dagoni in Globes - The US initiated the present resumption in the talks. US foreign aid for 2006 includes $2.52 billion for Israel. more

 White House ‘Softens’ Bush Statement on Israeli Settlements 
Palestine Media Center - Backtracking on George W. Bush’s call on Israel Tuesday to stop all settlement expansion, the White House on Wednesday softened the US President’s stance and said that the upcoming meeting between him and the Israeli Prime Minister will focus mainly on Israel’s unilateral “disengagement” plan from the Gaza Strip, and not on expanding the illegal Jewish colony of “Maaleh Adumim,” only hours after the Palestinian President welcomed Bush’s statement. more

  The U.S. Elections as Open Season for Israel 
Uri Avnery in the Washington Report on Middle East Affairs - Right from the beginning, the state of Israel has been critically affected by events in the United States. “If America sneezes, Israel catches cold,” is the local version of the universal saying. This is particularly true in the run-up to American elections. They can be as important for Israel as our own, since the occupant of the White House can influence the fate of Israel in many significant ways. But they have an additional significance: the months before the American elections are a kind of open season for Israel. The basic assumption is that no candidate for the White House would dare to provoke the American Jewish voters at election times. more

 House Sets Limits on Palestinian Aid As DeLay Defies Calls of Bush, Rice 
Ori Nir in The Forward - Defying the wishes of the Bush administration, Congress approved a foreign-aid package this week forbidding any direct assistance to the Palestinian Authority and, in a rare snub, denying the president the authority to waive restrictions in the interest of national security. more

 Leaders Fear Probe Will Force Pro-Israel Lobby To File as ‘Foreign Agent’ Could Fuel Dual Loyalty Talk 
The Jewish Forward - As the Department of Justice intensifies its investigation of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, Jewish communal leaders fear that the goal of the probe is to compel the powerful lobbying organization to register as a “foreign agent” representing the government of another country. more

 FBI steps up AIPAC espionage probe 
Tom Regan in the Christian Science Monitor - The FBI has stepped up its investigation into alleged Israeli espionage against the US, United Press International reported last week, and in particular the operations of the most powerful pro-Israel lobbying group in Washington, the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, also know as AIPAC. more

 Pro-Israel and Pro-Arab Interests: The Money
The Center for Responsive Politics - Pro-Israel interests are a fixture in American politics, having developed an organized presence in Washington and across the country that is backed by generous campaign contributions and intensive lobbying. On the lobbying front, the pro-Israel community is led by the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), which Fortune magazine ranks as one of the top lobbying groups in the country. AIPAC spent more than $1.1 million lobbying in 2001, roughly the same amount it spent in 2000. more

On Middle East Policy, a Major Influence
David K. Shipler in the New York Times - After several decades of growth in size and sophistication, the leading pro-Israel lobby in Washington, the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, has become a major force in shaping United States policy in the Middle East. Operating from tightly guarded offices just north of the Capitol, the organization has gained the power to influence a Presidential candidate’s choice of staff, to block practically any arms sale to an Arab country and to serve as a catalyst for intimate military relations between the Pentagon and the Israeli Army. Its leading officials are consulted by State Department and White House policy makers, by Senators and generals. more

Pro-Israel Group Exerts Quiet Might As It Rallies Supporters in Congress
Robert Pear with Richard L. Berke in the New York Times - The Reagan Administration notified Congress at 5:57 P.M. on Friday, May 29, of its intention to sell 1,600 Maverick anti-tank missiles to Saudi Arabia. Within half an hour, lobbyists from the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, the only group registered to lobby Congress on legislation affecting Israel, were on the telephone to lawmakers about the proposal. more

Biased ‘Thinktanks’ Dictate US Foreign Policy
Brian Whitaker in the UK Guardian - In Washington, there is a cosy and cleverly-constructed network of Middle East “experts” who share a neo-conservative outlook and who pop up as talking heads on US television, in newspapers, books, testimonies to congressional committees, and at lunchtime gatherings. The network centres on research institutes — thinktanks that attempt to influence government policy and are funded by tax-deductible gifts from unidentified donors. more

Pressure on Campus: Interest groups successfully stifling academic discourse
Paul Findley in They Dare to Speak Out - The Israeli lobby pays special attention to the crucial role played by American colleges and universities in disseminating information and molding opinion on the Middle East. Lobby organizations are concerned not only with academic programs dealing with the Middle East but also with the editorial policies of student newspapers and with the appearance on campus of speakers critical of Israel. In all three of these areas of legitimate lobby interest and activity, as in its dealings on Capitol Hill, pro-Israeli organizations and activists frequently employ smear tactics, harassment and intimidation to inhibit the free exchange of ideas and views. more

The Israel Lobby and the Left: Uneasy Questions
Jeffrey Blankfort in Left Curve - It was 1991 and Noam Chomsky had just finished a lecture in Berkeley on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and was taking questions from the audience. An Arab-American asked him to explain his position regarding the influence of America’s Israel lobby. more

JDL Unleashes Campaign of Violence in America
Donald Neff in the Washington Report on Middle East Affairs - It was 29 years ago, on Aug. 29, 1970, that the Soviet government newspaper Izvestia protested repeated attacks by members of the Jewish Defense League against Soviet diplomats in New York and demanded better U.S. protection. more