The
Power of the Israeli Lobby
By Dr. Syed Amir
Bethesda, MD
In a rare departure from their normal practice,
the US media this past month has given exposure
to an article critical of Israel. Two distinguished
professors of political science and international
affairs at two of the most prestigious universities
in the United States, Chicago and Harvard, have
jointly published an account of the power of the
Israeli lobby in America. Since its publication
in the last week of March, the article has ignited
a firestorm in political circles, especially among
the supporters of Israel. The authors have been
accused by some of being anti-Semitic and paranoid,
while others have applauded their courage in standing
up to the powerful Israeli lobby. Published in
the London Review of Books, Professors John Mearsheimer
and Stephen Walt have methodically delineated
the influence of the various political and religious
organizations that over decades have successfully
maneuvered US policies to the benefit of Israel.
The supporters of Israel have succeeded by convincing
the public that the American and Israeli national
interests, combating terrorism and promotion of
democracy in the Middle East, are identical. John
Mearsheimer and Stephen Walt argue that these
policies have not only cost huge sums of money
to the American public, but, even worse, are antithetical
to national interests, spawning needless ill-will
and hostility in the Islamic world. The situation
showcases the remarkable ability of well-organized
interest groups, passionate about their specific
cause, to implement their narrow agenda in the
face of an indifferent majority.
The two scholars strengthen their arguments by
citing impressive statistics. They point out that
since 1976, Israel has been the single largest
recipient of American economic and military aid,
and since the second world war has collected almost
$140 billion dollars from the US tax payers. No
other country has come close to receiving anything
near that amount. Currently, Israel is paid three
billion dollars per year in direct grants which
amounts to approximately $500 for each Israeli
citizen -- man, woman and child. The country has
benefited in other ways as well. While other countries,
receiving US aid, however modest in magnitude,
are obliged to spend it on buying material and
goods in the US, not Israel. It can spend one-quarter
of the amount it receives in upgrading and improving
its own defense industry, a major advantage.
Apart from providing generous financial assistance,
the US has also extended some crucial diplomatic
coverage, vetoing 32 UN Security Council resolutions
since 1982 that were critical of Israel. This
number of vetoes exceeded those cast by all other
member countries combined. According to the two
authors, the American role in peace negotiations
between the Palestinians and Israel has not been
based on neutrality, as the country has generally
sided with Israeli positions, causing much resentment
among the Palestinians. Resultantly, such negotiations
have degenerated into acrimonious debates and
ended in failure. These favors notwithstanding,
Israel has not reciprocated in kind, defying US
requests to put a freeze on its expanding settlements
in the occupied territories and spurning all requests
to moderate the intensity of its reprisals against
the Palestinian inhabitants.
The argument that Israel is a small beleaguered
state that is surrounded by hostile neighbors,
wedded to its destruction is not compelling. Mearsheimer
and Walt concede that if it did face an existential
threat, all-out support would be morally justified.
However, Israel, with a population of half of
that of Karachi, has achieved an unquestioned
military and technological superiority over the
neighboring Arab countries. It faces no real military
threat, and its standard of living rivals that
of Western Europe. In addition, not all Arab/Islamic
countries are hostile to Israel, as both Egypt
and Jordan have signed formal peace treaties,
and it has always enjoyed friendly relations with
Turkey. Furthermore, it has established disguised
commercial and business ties with several smaller
Arab countries.
The spectacular success of Israel in drawing US
support owes largely to the impressive skills
and resourcefulness of its supporters in Washington,
such as the American-Israel Public Affairs Committee
(AIPAC) and Conference of Presidents of Major
Jewish Organizations. AIPAC, in particular, is
recognized as of the most powerful and best organized
pressure groups in Washington. It operates through
the country’s democratic structure, making
generous monetary contributions to the election
campaigns of friendly Congressmen and Senators,
whether Republican and Democrats. In exchange,
it expects them to support Israel. This lobbying
group is so influential that its annual convention
in Washington is considered a major event, drawing
a constellation of powerful Government and political
leaders who try to outdo each other in pledging
their support for Israel.
In fairness, the majority of Jews in the United
States holds moderate views, opposes the Iraqi
war and favors a two-state solution in the Middle
East, Israel and Palestine. However, most of them
are reluctant to publicly criticize Israel or
its harsh treatment of the Palestinians. This
attitude is not too dissimilar from that of the
moderate worldwide Muslim majority which strongly
opposes violence and suicide bombings perpetrated
by an extremist fringe in the name of Islam, but
feel far too intimidated to repudiate it.
The support for Israel is not exclusive to people
of Jewish faith, however; equally ardent, if not
more so, are the Evangelical or fundamentalist
Christians, a conservative faction that has gained
considerable power and influence in America during
the past decade. Much of their love for Israel
arises from their religious convictions, based
on a literal interpretation of the Bible. They
are awaiting the appearance of the Messiah in
Jerusalem who, according to their belief, will
convert the Jews and others to Christianity and
establish the kingdom of God. They believe that
this will not happen until all Jews return and
reclaim their inheritance, the entire land of
Israel, including the occupied Palestinian territories.
Clearly, a confluence of factors has contributed
to the success that Israel has enjoyed in molding
American Middle East policy, not least of which
is the remarkable success and accomplishments
of Jewish Americans. Less than 2 percent of the
population, they are disproportionably represented
in professions of high scholarship and prestige,
medicine, journalism, science and the news media.
Less than 0.2 percent of world’s population,
they constitute 22 percent of the Nobel Prize
Laureates. However, they did not always enjoy
this acceptance and support and had to endure
much prejudice when they first arrived here in
large numbers in the late 19th and early 20th
centuries from Europe to escape persecution.
There has been a remarkable turnaround in the
fortunes of American Jews, but this was achieved
peacefully and through participation in the democratic
process of this country. Their success story could
serve as an example for Muslim immigrants who
have chosen to settle in the countries of Europe
and North America. While adhering to their religion
and traditions, Jews have adapted remarkably well
to the ways of their host countries, integrating
fully within the society. While, the American
Muslims have been more successful in becoming
part of the national mainstream, and enjoy a high
standard of living, unfortunately, in Europe,
it has been a different story as the recent troubles
in England, France and Scandinavian countries
testify. The nature of problems faced by European
Muslims is different than those experienced by
American Muslims. However, as immigrant communities
over the ages have learnt by experience we cannot
survive nor succeed as an island of insularity
in an ocean of native population that is both
technologically advanced and culturally sophisticated.
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