Pro-israeli lobbies in the United States

Résumé du document

The Jewish community in the USA is often criticized because of the belief that it is responsible for the USA's foreign policy in the Middle East. There's a strong belief that the Jewish community is represented by very powerful and organized organizations, that exert a great influence in Washington, especially on the members of the Congress and inside the White House. It can be argued that its influence is overestimated. This can be explained by centuries-old suspicion towards Jewish people, ranging from the impression that Jews control many aspects of economic and financial life, and more recently, the entertainment industry too, especially Hollywood.

Extraits

[...] It has been said that the right- leaning branch is the most influential in Washington. AIPAC and the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations are right- leaning, and they are traditionally supporters of the Likud Party's expansionist policies. The left-leaning component is made up of groups such as Americans for Peace Now, the Tikkun Community and the Israel Policy Forum amongst others. These groups are opposed to the settlements, and the Bush administration's unconditional support of Israel Its influence and the controversies surrounding its role How does it exert influence? [...]

[...] American Jews are also traditionally benefactors in political campaigns. The Israeli lobby works in the same way other lobbies work, which disproves some people's certainty that it is some sort of Jewish cabal, that is, an organization that operates in the shadows and exerts considerable influence through illegal means. In reality, the Israeli lobby, according to Middle East experts Hisham Melhem and Dennis Ross, "operates a system of rewards and punishment, by advocacy and pooling money into the campaigns of those people that they see as friendly to Israel". [...]

[...] Pro-israeli lobbies in the United States Introduction The Jewish community in the USA is often criticized because of the belief that it is responsible for the USA's foreign policy in the Middle East. There's a strong belief that the Jewish community is represented by very powerful and organized organizations that exert a great influence in Washington, especially on members of Congress and inside the White House. It can be argued that its influence is overestimated. This can be explained by centuries-old suspicion towards Jewish people, ranging from the impression that Jews control many aspects of economic and financial life, and more recently, the entertainment industry too, especially Hollywood. [...]

[...] The Israeli lobby is often a scapegoat in American politics. It has been said, in the context of the Mearsheimer and Walt controversy, that it is "convenient to blame an allegedly powerful and wealthy group of Jews for the direction of a controversial US policy" (Steven Zunes, professor of politics at the University of San Francisco). This tendency to blame Jewish people is centuries old, and has often been used in times of crisis to absolve the people who are really responsible for the crisis a country is going through. [...]

[...] It also trains young leaders in pro-Israel advocacy What are the controversies surrounding its actions and role? AIPAC is a somewhat obscure organization since its officials rarely give interviews. Media coverage of the lobbies is scarce because staff members are reluctant to discuss their organizations and former staff members have usually signed pledges of silence. Furthermore, reporters exercise self-censorship because criticism of the organizations and their role might be equated to anti- Semitism. One of the controversies around the organizations is that its influence far outweighs the number of people it represents. [...]