Israeli Lobby

There it is. I said it. Talking about Israel is the third rail of all politicians in America and even elsewhere in the world. I'll get to international countries later, but let's start at home. Charles W. Freeman Jr. withdrew his name for consideration from Obama's National Intelligence Council, largely over concerns regarding his positions on Israel. Here was the comment that cost him his job:

 He said that "Israeli violence against Palestinians" was a key barrier to Mideast peace. (As seen here)

While exiting stage left, he also blamed the dreaded "Israel Lobby". Oy.

If I had a dollar for every time somebody asked me about the Jewish Lobby, I would be a rich man. Granted, the questions range from, "Why do Jews run Congress?" to "Why doesn't America care about Palestinian children? Is it because the Jews control the banks?" Seriously, these questions are normal and accepted, if not encouraged, throughout the Arab world.

First, I don't agree with these questions at all. I think saying that Israel represents all Jews and equating the two terms is as dangerous, if not more dangerous, as saying that all terrorists are Muslims or that any country speaks for all of Islam. There are numerous Jewish groups that disagree with Israeli policies on personal and religious grounds, just as there are many Muslims who disagree with Saudi Arabia or terrorists or any other country. I don't mean to leave out similar word and identity games for Christians or any other religion; I just don't have the space for it in my blog.

So back to Israel: No, Jews don't control Washington, or the banks, or are single handedly responsible for the financial crisis. However these ignorant questions don't mean that we as Americans shouldn't look at the power of the conservative Israeli lobby AIPAC in Washington. Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, and John McCain all spoke before AIPAC, the American Israel Public Affairs Committee. They donated about 2.5 million dollars to various candidates in 2008, but if you want a good idea about what most people are talking about read Mearsheimer and Walt's book. There are some problems, but it gives you a good starting point for seeing how powerful the pro-Israeli lobby is in America. Check out AIPAC's own site here.

My point is simple, and at this point obvious: For conspiracy theorists and deniers of the political influence of Jewish Israeli lobbyist organizations, AIPAC and other pro-Israeli organizations are real and powerful. It is not a clandestine organization that controls decisions people make any more than agricultural lobbies control any politician. They simply are a powerful voice that must be considered when working in Washington. They started the campaign against Freeman and won it primarily over his comments regarding Israel.

My other point is that however unpopular Freeman is at the moment, he is right in his original quote: Israeli violence is a major hurdle to the Middle East peace process, and I will go one step further. If Obama wants to see peace in the region, he will have to push Israel to make tough concessions for a final peace deal with the Palestinians. I am not saying that Israel does not have a right to existence or self-defense nor that Hamas and Islamic Jihad are as innocent as children. I just don't think that America can afford politically or morally, to favor only Israel on this point. This is not a new opinion, only something that I think needs to be said over and over again until it actually happens. Furthermore, denying or exaggerating the strength of the pro Israeli lobbies including AIPAC is dangerous. As I say to everybody I meet who claims that Jews control the world or that anybody who criticizes Israeli policy is anti-Semitic:

Jewish does not mean Israeli—and while they are politically significant, so are old people (AARP), farmers, and gun rights activists (NRA).