"The American Israel Public Affairs Committee is accustomed to getting its way. The powerful lobby has run smoothly and quietly for half a century, successfully championing the close ties between Israel and the United States.
But this is a different time. On the eve of the organization's annual convention, traditionally a self-congratulatory event, many AIPAC supporters are wringing their hands over a federal probe into allegations that two of the group's employees may have passed classified information to Israel.
Such doubts are unusual for the organization, which has long been counted as one of the country's most effective lobbying groups. It ranked consistently among the five most influential interest groups in Fortune magazine's poll of Washington insiders (alongside such better-known lobbies as AARP and the National Rifle Association). A recent survey by the National Journal ranked AIPAC No. 2 among Democratic lawmakers and No. 4 among Republicans.
Money is the main reason. AIPAC takes pains to say that it does not contribute funds directly to candidates for federal office, and that it does not rate or endorse them. It constantly updates its 100,000 members on lawmakers' views of Israel and maintains close ties with a network of wealthy individuals and political action committees that regularly pour millions of dollars into the political process."
A rare direct statement. Normally one can't discuss Jewish political influence, especially in the context of money, without being accused of anti-Semitism. Discussion of Judaism, money, and behind the scenes influence invokes a lot of very ugly and very ancient stereotypes and hatreds and I understand that.
Let me be very clear. I have nothing against anyone's FAITH. I have a lot of problems with the policies of ISRAEL. And we can't honestly discuss American policy toward that country without acknowledging that such policy is directly rooted in this. The US has a 60 year policy of Israel Right Or Wrong because - simple statement of fact - pro-Israel Jewish people in the US write a disproportionate amount of political checks and are disproportionately settled in large states (New York, Illinois, Florida) that have traditionally been close in presidential elections.
In recent years this has been reinforced by the strangest of allies: the fundamentalist right, who sees the restoration of the Israeli state as a sign of the Second Coming. I find this support even more offensive - in fact the very implications are far more anti-Semitic than any criticism of Israeli policy could be.
In any case we need to examine the influence of the Israel lobby more closely now that our Israel policies are the greatest threat to our national security.
Interestingly this comes at the same time that Israel is lobbying for the release of Jonathan Pollard:
The White House yesterday said that convicted spy Jonathan Pollard should remain in jail, rejecting efforts by top Israeli officials to win release of the ex-U.S. Navy intelligence analyst convicted of spying for Israel in the 1980s.
Jewish groups in Washington, including the American Jewish Committee, B'nai B'rith International and the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, have taken the stance that Pollard's penalty exceeded what others have received and that he should be released after serving nearly 20 years.
I hate to have to say this but bravo to Bush for keeping him locked up. But here's a twist:
Earlier this month, Pollard presented a petition to the Israeli Supreme Court to be recognized as a prisoner of Zion. Pollard, a U.S.-born Jew who was granted Israeli citizenship in 1998, said in his petition that he had been the victim of both physical and mental torture during his lengthy imprisonment.
That's a nice dodge. First you betray your trust and country, then you defect to the country you spied for and claim you're a victim of religious oppression. Now that's, if I may borrow a phrase, chutzpah! Again. This isn't about faith. This is about the policies of a FOREIGN government and how those policies harm us.
I await someone's Sister Souljah Moment with the Israel lobby.
Meanwhile, in Israel-Palestine proper, the Dead Sea is drying up. And it's not completely unrelated:
Gotlieb and others said the traditional Zionist dream to "make the desert bloom" has to be updated to reflect the scarcity of resources in a more densely populated country. She pointed to the reserve's neighbor, Kibbutz Ein Gedi, and said it was no longer appropriate for residents there to use natural spring water to tend fruit groves and a botanical garden with more than 800 species of exotic plants in the middle of the desert. Of the 3 million cubic meters of water that flow from Ein Gedi's four springs, not a drop reaches the Dead Sea anymore, she said.
Politics
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