An Essay on the Israel Lobby that the American Media Won't Publish

[Rohirrim]

(IMO, A crucial read for every American, INCLUDING those who support Israel)

---------------------------------------------------
A key pillar of the Lobby’s effectiveness is its influence in Congress, where Israel is virtually immune from criticism. This in itself is remarkable, because Congress rarely shies away from contentious issues. Where Israel is concerned, however, potential critics fall silent. One reason is that some key members are Christian Zionists like Dick Armey, who said in September 2002: ‘My No. 1 priority in foreign policy is to protect Israel.’ One might think that the No. 1 priority for any congressman would be to protect America. There are also Jewish senators and congressmen who work to ensure that US foreign policy supports Israel’s interests.

Another source of the Lobby’s power is its use of pro-Israel congressional staffers. As Morris Amitay, a former head of AIPAC, once admitted, ‘there are a lot of guys at the working level up here’ – on Capitol Hill – ‘who happen to be Jewish, who are willing . . . to look at certain issues in terms of their Jewishness . . . These are all guys who are in a position to make the decision in these areas for those senators . . . You can get an awful lot done just at the staff level.’
--------------------------------------
There is no doubt about the efficacy of these tactics. Here is one example: in the 1984 elections, AIPAC helped defeat Senator Charles Percy from Illinois, who, according to a prominent Lobby figure, had ‘displayed insensitivity and even hostility to our concerns’. Thomas Dine, the head of AIPAC at the time, explained what happened: ‘All the Jews in America, from coast to coast, gathered to oust Percy. And the American politicians – those who hold public positions now, and those who aspire – got the message.’

AIPAC’s influence on Capitol Hill goes even further. According to Douglas Bloomfield, a former AIPAC staff member, ‘it is common for members of Congress and their staffs to turn to AIPAC first when they need information, before calling the Library of Congress, the Congressional Research Service, committee staff or administration experts.’ More important, he notes that AIPAC is ‘often called on to draft speeches, work on legislation, advise on tactics, perform research, collect co-sponsors and marshal votes’.
The bottom line is that AIPAC, a de facto agent for a foreign government, has a stranglehold on Congress, with the result that US policy towards Israel is not debated there, even though that policy has important consequences for the entire world. In other words, one of the three main branches of the government is firmly committed to supporting Israel. As one former Democratic senator, Ernest Hollings, noted on leaving office, ‘you can’t have an Israeli policy other than what AIPAC gives you around here.’ Or as Ariel Sharon once told an American audience, ‘when people ask me how they can help Israel, I tell them: “Help AIPAC.”’
------------------------------------------------
The situation is even more pronounced in the Bush administration, whose ranks have included such fervent advocates of the Israeli cause as Elliot Abrams, John Bolton, Douglas Feith, I. Lewis (‘Scooter’) Libby, Richard Perle, Paul Wolfowitz and David Wurmser. As we shall see, these officials have consistently pushed for policies favoured by Israel and backed by organisations in the Lobby.
--------------------------------------------------

Perhaps the most disturbing aspect of all this is the efforts Jewish groups have made to push Congress into establishing mechanisms to monitor what professors say. If they manage to get this passed, universities judged to have an anti-Israel bias would be denied federal funding. Their efforts have not yet succeeded, but they are an indication of the importance placed on controlling debate.
------------------------------------------------------

Pressure from Israel and the Lobby was not the only factor behind the decision to attack Iraq in March 2003, but it was critical. Some Americans believe that this was a war for oil, but there is hardly any direct evidence to support this claim. Instead, the war was motivated in good part by a desire to make Israel more secure.

------------------------------------------------------

Like virtually all the neo-conservatives, Feith is deeply committed to Israel; he also has long-term ties to Likud. He wrote articles in the 1990s supporting the settlements and arguing that Israel should retain the Occupied Territories. More important, along with Perle and Wurmser, he wrote the famous ‘Clean Break’ report in June 1996 for Netanyahu, who had just become prime minister. Among other things, it recommended that Netanyahu ‘focus on removing Saddam Hussein from power in Iraq – an important Israeli strategic objective in its own right’. It also called for Israel to take steps to reorder the entire Middle East. Netanyahu did not follow their advice, but Feith, Perle and Wurmser were soon urging the Bush administration to pursue those same goals. The Ha’aretz columnist Akiva Eldar warned that Feith and Perle ‘are walking a fine line between their loyalty to American governments . . . and Israeli interests’.
--------------------------------------------------------------------

The Lobby’s influence causes trouble on several fronts. It increases the terrorist danger that all states face – including America’s European allies. It has made it impossible to end the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, a situation that gives extremists a powerful recruiting tool, increases the pool of potential terrorists and sympathisers, and contributes to Islamic radicalism in Europe and Asia.

-------------------------------------------------------

The essay is long, but contains critical information that every American should be aware of.

http://www.lrb.co.uk/v28/n06/mear01_.html

[yavoon]

I say we destroy the zionists. obviously they control the world and our media. the racist and criminal united states must be stopped, but first we have to get rid of the zionists.

UNITE!

[Rohirrim]

Originally Posted by yavoon

I say we destroy the zionists. obviously they control the world and our media. the racist and criminal united states must be stopped, but first we have to get rid of the zionists.

UNITE!

You obviously didn't read a word of it, clown.

[yavoon]

Originally Posted by Rohirrim

You obviously didn't read a word of it, clown.

I've read it all now, I'v read it all before. should see my thread about the muslims and leftists getting together. well the jew hating is coalescing rather nicely as well.

its funny to me how often this happens. how often the jews have been demonized just like this. "they control everything." there's somewhere between 15 million and 20 million jews in the WORLD. there are only 2 countries w/ over 1 million jews, the US and israel.

they are probably the safest group EVER INVENTED to hate. have u ever seen a jew burn anything in effigy? have u ever seen a jew scream in the streets for ppl to die? has one single coffee shop in germany been blown up by a suicide jew? hell until 50 years ago they didnt even shoot back, which is probably what is REALLY pissing off the muslims and the leftists. all of a sudden the most harmless boogey man ever created started shooting back. the ****ing crime of it all.

[Rohirrim]

Originally Posted by yavoon

I've read it all now, I'v read it all before. should see my thread about the muslims and leftists getting together. well the jew hating is coalescing rather nicely as well.

its funny to me how often this happens. how often the jews have been demonized just like this. "they control everything." there's somewhere between 15 million and 20 million jews in the WORLD. there are only 2 countries w/ over 1 million jews, the US and israel.

they are probably the safest group EVER INVENTED to hate. have u ever seen a jew burn anything in effigy? have u ever seen a jew scream in the streets for ppl to die? has one single coffee shop in germany been blown up by a suicide jew? hell until 50 years ago they didnt even shoot back, which is probably what is REALLY pissing off the muslims and the leftists. all of a sudden the most harmless boogey man ever created started shooting back. the ****ing crime of it all.

Since the essay has nothing whatsover to do with "Jew hating" or any kind of anti-Semitism whatsover, I can only assume your attack is an attempt at killing debate, a tactic that the AIPAC is famous for.

[yavoon]

Originally Posted by Rohirrim

Since the essay has nothing whatsover to do with "Jew hating" or any kind of anti-Semitism whatsover, I can only assume your attack is an attempt at killing debate, a tactic that the AIPAC is famous for.

oh by no means I dont want to kill debate. I'm perfectly happy to let u go on till ur hearts content about how the jews control everything. about how all debate is silenced, as u say by the evil jews who wont let us know that they control everything.

please, go on.

[Rohirrim]

Go here to read how this essay is being attacked before anyone has a chance to debate its arguments. AIPAC does not allow debate as yavoon so aptly points out.

http://www.thenation.com/doc/20060515/weiss

While criticisms of the lobby have circulated widely for years and been published at the periphery, the Mearsheimer-Walt paper stands out because it was so frontal and pointed, and because it was published online by Harvard's Kennedy School of Government, where Walt is a professor and outgoing academic dean. "It was inevitably going to take someone from Harvard [to get this discussed]," says Phyllis Bennis, a writer on Middle East issues at the Institute for Policy Studies.

[yavoon]

Originally Posted by Rohirrim

Go here to read how this essay is being attacked before anyone has a chance to debate its arguments. AIPAC does not allow debate as yavoon so aptly points out.

http://www.thenation.com/doc/20060515/weiss

While criticisms of the lobby have circulated widely for years and been published at the periphery, the Mearsheimer-Walt paper stands out because it was so frontal and pointed, and because it was published online by Harvard's Kennedy School of Government, where Walt is a professor and outgoing academic dean. "It was inevitably going to take someone from Harvard [to get this discussed]," says Phyllis Bennis, a writer on Middle East issues at the Institute for Policy Studies.

I never pointed any such thing out, and I stated that I was perfectly happy w/ u having ur debate. afterall how could I have heard this so many times before if I didnt want ppl talking?

ur only problem roh is u have no idea how deep the rabbit hole goes. I think ghaff's here would be very willing to show u the true grandeur of what u are only scratching the surface of. the true control the jews have. and what is control w/o being able to silence debate! which of course makes u a victim.

so now ur a victim roh, of the evil jewish conspiracy to silence debate about the evil jewish conspiracy to control everything.

[Rohirrim]

Your attempts at extremism are an excellent way of attempting to kill the ideas in this essay. It's called the straw man. Before anyone has a chance to come to the table with an open mind and read the essay and discuss the issues, you label the piece as extremist. I don't know what ax you have to grind in this debate, but it is obviously personal.

What these very distinguished authors ,whose credentials are unassailable (which is why you haven't launched any personal attacks against them - yet) are offering, is that it is time we debate our relationship with Israel. Did Israel, and its American lobby, unduly influence our involvement in Iraq? Are American soldiers dying in the service of another state's policies? Israel has as much wealth as South Korea. Why do we give them more foreign aid than any other state in the world? No other state in the ME can come close to Israel in sheer military power. Why do they need our unlimited defense? Why can't we debate these issues in our government? In our media?

[Rohirrim]

These professors were first asked to write this article by The Atlantic. But after they submitted the essay the editors refused to publish it, saying that the writing wasn't good enough.

[yavoon]

Originally Posted by Rohirrim

Your attempts at extremism are an excellent way of attempting to kill the ideas in this essay. It's called the straw man. Before anyone has a chance to come to the table with an open mind and read the essay and discuss the issues, you label the piece as extremist. I don't know what ax you have to grind in this debate, but it is obviously personal.

What these very distinguished authors ,whose credentials are unassailable (which is why you haven't launched any personal attacks against them - yet) are offering, is that it is time we debate our relationship with Israel. Did Israel, and its American lobby, unduly influence our involvement in Iraq? Are American soldiers dying in the service of another state's policies? Israel has as much wealth as South Korea. Why do we give them more foreign aid than any other state in the world? No other state in the ME can come close to Israel in sheer military power. Why do they need our unlimited defense? Why can't we debate these issues in our government? In our media?

what straw man, the jews secretly control things while not allowing debate is exactly what thi is saying and is exactly what u r saying and its exactly what is said by leftists and muslims throughout the world. if direct correlation is now straw man I think the term has ceased to have meaning.

I have no desire to attack the authors, regardless of their "credentials." and I welcome all ppl who want to read the essay to read the essay. I see ur victimhood is going into fullswing though. as it feels pretty bizarre for me to being make some declaration that I dont mind ppl reading things.

[Rohirrim]

Originally Posted by yavoon

what straw man, the jews secretly control things while not allowing debate is exactly what this is saying and its exactly what is said by leftists and muslims throughout the world. if direct correlation is now straw man I think the term has ceased to have meaning.

I have no desire to attack the authors, regardless of their "credentials." and I welcome all ppl who want to read the essay to read the essay. I see ur victimhood is going into fullswing though. as it feels pretty bizarre for me to being make some declaration that I dont mind ppl reading things.

I'm curious why you're getting all emo about it. As the Nation article clearly points out, the so called "leftists" are just as chicken to discuss these issues as any other public figures in America. Do you deny that the Jewish lobby is more powerful than the NRA? It's easy enough to find on the internet. The only lobby more powerful than AIPAC is the AARP. We all know that no American politician will touch the "third rail" of American politics (SSI/SSA) because of AARP. Why can't we talk about why no American politician will touch anything having to do with Israel? Why can't we discuss whether or not the interests of Israel are not necessarily the same as the interests of the United States?

The "secret world control" of the Jews is a fantasy. AIPAC is not. Let's forget about world control and get specific: What influence did Israel's lobbying efforts have on Bush's decision to invade Iraq?

[epicSocialism4tw]

We really need something to identify those subversive Jews. If they really are squelching debate and making all of our foreign policy issues in our stead, we need to squeeze them out from behind the scenes and to put some sort of identifier on them. They almost look white, but not quite. Its hard to tell.

Jews and their interests should be fully removed from the political process. They have no right to their own political agendas.

Here, I've got an idea...lets do this.

We can put one of these on their chest:




We can run them out of their business step-by-step and eventually put them here:


So that eventually, we can put them here:

[Rohirrim]

Wow! I knew you were low, dramaqueen, but I didn't know how low. I hope you and yavoon realize that your extremism only serves to prove the point of the essay: Any person who questions Israel's influence on U.S. policy will be attacked and slandered immediately, even using the tragedy of the holocaust to serve the cowardly purpose.

How anti-democratic of you both.

[Rohirrim]

Frankly, I find these extremist reactions amazing.

Perhaps yavoon or dramaqueen would do us all a service and find a single anti-semitic word, phrase, or sentence in the entire essay.

[epicSocialism4tw]

Originally Posted by Rohirrim

Wow! I knew you were low, dramaqueen, but I didn't know how low. I hope you and yavoon realize that your extremism only serves to prove the point of the essay: Any person who questions Israel's influence on U.S. policy will be attacked and slandered immediately, even using the tragedy of the holocaust to serve the cowardly purpose.
How anti-democratic of you both.

You asked for it. Dont complain and whine to me.

[alkemical]

Ro~

I've done research on how much money AIPAC gives to US politicans - it's quite interesting. Also interesting - was a lobbyist by the name of jack abramoff had done some work for AIPAC.

[alkemical]

Originally Posted by angryllama

You asked for it. Dont complain and whine to me.

No, Ro~ didn't ask for it. Go to opensecrets.org and look for the AIPAC funding -

[Rohirrim]

If I posted an essay bringing into question the effect of the AARP lobby on social security, would I be an agist?

[epicSocialism4tw]

Originally Posted by claviculasolomonis

No, Ro~ didn't ask for it. Go to opensecrets.org and look for the AIPAC funding -

It's no secret that there are pro-Israel lobbies that have their own agendas. There is a PAC for everything under the sun.

Why should we be so suspicious of the pro-Israel lobby? Could they be up to something? What are these Jews doing? Could they have been the root cause of the Iraq war?

The Israel lobby may have a bit of influence in some areas, but they arent making our decisions to go to war or even contributing enough influence to that cause to make a difference. That's just out and out insane.

It makes sense that Israel would be our ally. They are a functional, stable democracy in a region full of loons that we would like stabilized.

[Rohirrim]

Obviously, you didn't read the essay.

[epicSocialism4tw]

Originally Posted by Rohirrim

Obviously, you didn't read the essay.

I scanned your essay.

It said essentially what has been said about the Jewish influence on politics for ages. There is some underlying, foreboding, secretive power that wipes mens wills and minds from making critical decisions against Israel. Politicians are all hypnotized by zionism and Israeli propaganda. The pro-Israel lobby is able to implement a PR plan through backdoor tactics that projects them in a positive light.

There's nothing new under the sun, Rohirrim. This (if I can so term it as your friend's essay does) anti-Israel lobby propaganda has been around for a long time. The Jews have money, influence, and are evidently a bunch of hypnotists.

The article is nothing more than an education on what a PAC does.

[Rohirrim]

Originally Posted by angryllama

I scanned your essay.

It said essentially what has been said about the Jewish influence on politics for ages. There is some underlying, foreboding, secretive power that wipes mens wills and minds from making critical decisions against Israel. Politicians are all hypnotized by zionism and Israeli propaganda. The pro-Israel lobby is able to implement a PR plan through backdoor tactics that projects them in a positive light.

There's nothing new under the sun, Rohirrim. This (if I can so term it as your friend's essay does) anti-Israel lobby propaganda has been around for a long time. The Jews have money, influence, and are evidently a bunch of hypnotists.

The article is nothing more than an education on what a PAC does.

Friends? Why don't you at least take a moment to read the background of these professors emiritus from Harvard, Stanford, Princeton, who wrote the article. At least.

So, in the Llama universe, the AARP can dictate American public policy regarding social security, the NRA can basically dictate gun policy, but the poor little Israel lobby (second most powerful in the U.S.) has no power whatsover. I guess they should ask for a refund?

[alkemical]

Originally Posted by angryllama

It's no secret that there are pro-Israel lobbies that have their own agendas. There is a PAC for everything under the sun.

Why should we be so suspicious of the pro-Israel lobby? Could they be up to something? What are these Jews doing? Could they have been the root cause of the Iraq war?

The Israel lobby may have a bit of influence in some areas, but they arent making our decisions to go to war or even contributing enough influence to that cause to make a difference. That's just out and out insane.

It makes sense that Israel would be our ally. They are a functional, stable democracy in a region full of loons that we would like stabilized.

Maybe you should read some israeli press where they joke about how they dictate american policy......

[epicSocialism4tw]

Originally Posted by Rohirrim

Friends? Why don't you at least take a moment to read the background of these professors emiritus from Harvard, Stanford, Princeton, who wrote the article. At least.
So, in the Llama universe, the AARP can dictate American public policy regarding social security, the NRA can basically dictate gun policy, but the poor little Israel lobby (second most powerful in the U.S.) has no power whatsover. I guess they should ask for a refund?

I think it's important that we note that lobby groups are the source of information in every segment of government. They give money, they give information, they give consultation. Its not a question of whether or not they can dictate policy, they DO have an influence on policy.

That's the way American politics works, like it or not.

Personally, I think that the Israel lobby is an important one. If Iran wants to bring it's case to the table, play the game the right way and be heard. Show up with some good-will cash. Bring in your statisticians. Threats and abnoxious claims about the historicity of the holocaust arent going to open the door wide enough for them to have a platform.

That's why there is a difference in the way both are treated on the house and senate floors. Israel understands democracy. Iran understands tyranny. Its a fundamental difference that has given Israel a voice and has made Iran nothing but a clanging cymbal.