In search of the truth about the Israel lobby's influence on Washington

[norml]

A Beautiful Friendship?
In search of the truth about the Israel lobby's influence on Washington

By Glenn Frankel
Sunday, July 16, 2006; Page W13

All David Ben-Gurion wanted was 15 minutes of Franklin Delano Roosevelt's time.

Israel's founding father, one of the indomitable political leaders of the 20th century, came to Washington in December 1941 yearning to present the case for a Jewish state directly to the American president. He took a two-room suite at the old Ambassador Hotel at 14th and K for $1,000 a month and cooled his heels for 10 weeks, writing letters and reports and making passes at Miriam Cohen, his attractive American secretary. But Ben-Gurion didn't get the meeting. Not then, not ever. Not even a pair of presidential cuff links.

Now let's fast-forward 64 years to late May and a news conference in the East Room of the White House. That tall, freckled, slightly nervous-looking man with the rust-colored hair standing alongside President Bush at matching lecterns is Ehud Olmert, 12th prime minister of Israel. The two leaders and their advisers have just spent two hours together in the Oval Office. Bush is reaffirming the "deep and abiding ties between Israel and the United States" and praising Olmert's "bold ideas" and commitment to peace. Afterward, they'll adjourn for a private session without aides or note-takers and then go to dinner together. And the next day Olmert will address a joint session of Congress, whose members will interrupt his speech with 16 standing ovations. Ben-Gurion, whose remains rest in a simple grave overlooking the Negev Desert, would be stunned.

It's not that Olmert is a more commanding figure than Ben-Gurion. Far from it. No, it's about power. And not just Israeli power. It's really about the perceived power of the Israel lobby, a collection of American Jewish organizations, campaign contributors and think tanks -- aided by Christian conservatives and other non-Jewish supporters -- that arose over the second half of the 20th century and that sees as a principle goal the support and promotion of the interests of the state of Israel.

Thanks to the work of the lobby and its allies, Israel gets more direct foreign aid -- about $3 billion a year -- than any other nation. There's a file cabinet somewhere in the State Department full of memoranda of understanding on military, diplomatic and economic affairs. Israel gets treated like a NATO member when it comes to military matters and like Canada or Mexico when it comes to free trade. There's an annual calendar full of meetings of joint strategic task forces and other collaborative sessions. And there's a presidential pledge, re-avowed by Bush in the East Room, that the United States will come to Israel's aid in the event of attack.

On Capitol Hill the Israel lobby commands large majorities in both the House and Senate. Polls show strong public support for Israel -- a connection that has grown even deeper after the September 11 attacks. The popular equation goes like this: Israelis equal good guys, Arabs equal terrorists. Working the Hill these days, says Josh Block, spokesman for the premier Israeli lobbying group known as AIPAC, the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, "is like pushing at an open door."


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http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/07/12/AR2006071201627.html

[adriennui]

1. so what.

israel is an ally. in spite of what many believe, we share the same values (we don't behead adulterers and allow women to drive and be educated). israel doesn't have natural resources which we sell our souls to get. israels only natural resource is its' people in a country about the size of new jersey surrounded by countries whose people and religion despise everything it symbolizes.

i do believe there are many sinister lobbyists in washington....AIPAC isn't one of them.

[papau]

2. I agree - State and Pentagon hate of Israel by Arabist experts in each is

still extremely high and has been the controlling influence on policy, post Truman without interruption.

A bit like the big lie of a "liberal media" - say it often enough and you might believe it.

[Violet_Crumble]

3. I don't think sharing the same values has much to do with choosing allies.

in spite of what many believe, we share the same values (we don't behead adulterers and allow women to drive and be educated).

After all, Saudi Arabia is one of the few countries that has the values you mentioned, and it's an ally of the US....

[adriennui]

4. saudi is an ally

because of the oil and the depraved relationship between the bushes and saudi royal family.

[cantstandbush]

5. Israel is an ally we can well do without. The cost to the US far exceeds

the benefit. Especially when Israel keep acting in ways to endanger American citizens around the world and especially when Israel was found to be spying on the US, aiding and abetting the S. African Apartheid regime against US policy, bombing and destroying a US naval ship, killing 34 US seamen, and especially when Israel keep thumbing its nose at the US whenever the US finds the courage to stand up for Palestinian rights. Israel is more of an albatross than an ally.

[adriennui]

6. in other words we have no other allies that are embarrassments?

the so-called albatross known as israel is a myth perpetuated by entities who have many things to gain. do you really, really believe that the world hates us because of our friendship with israel? you and "the fixer" james baker III should get together and compare notes. are you as appalled by this country selling its economic soul to chinal and the oil rich mid-east states who as far as i can see have zero human rights.

it's very easy to get on the "let's hate israel" bandwagon....that's what i find so sinister and fraught with deep, dark meanings.
check some of the white bationalist sights to see what i mean.

[cantstandbush]

8. Never said that and never said I hate Israel. Stop putting words into

my post. I'll just stop with standing on the historical record.

[ChuckyDee]

7. Israel is good....

Yes, Israel is good. Nowhere else in the Arab world are Arabs treated as well as in Israel, where they have full equal rights to live and be prosperous, and they are even elected to serve in the Knesset (where they vote against Israeli policy every single time - in favor of destructive policy that favors Hamaas, Hizbullah, etc.).

Too bad that some people refuse to see things in black-and-white. Things ARE sometimes as simple as they seem.

Creating stories and conspiracies like the Protocols of Zion that make Israel look bad just so the rest of the world can take a more "fair and balanced" view at the situation doesn't serve anyone's best interests. It's not fair and balanced at all to paint Israel in the darkest colors imaginable just so that things appear more evenly evil on both sides of the situation.