Why AIPAC is so dangerous to America

Let me tell you the ways the uber-lobbying group AIPAC (the American Israel Public Affairs Committee) is fouling relations with the United States and the world community—and I’ll tell you no lies.

AIPAC lobbies Congress constantly to promote military confrontation with Iran. AIPAC—like Israel’s government—is demanding (not asking) that the U.S. attack Iran militarily to prevent it from having the technological capacity to produce nuclear weapons, even though U.S. officials say Iran isn’t trying to build a weapon (unlike Israel which has hundreds of undeclared nuclear weapons). AIPAC has managed to successfully lobby the U.S. government to adopt crippling economic sanctions on Iran, including trying to cut off Iran’s oil exports, despite the fact that these sanctions are raising the price of gas that threatens the U.S. economy.

Wiki reports, “AIPAC was incorporated on January 2, 1963 by Isaiah L. “Si” Kenen. Kenen originally ran the American Zionist Committee for Public Affairs as a lobbying division of the American Zionist Council. Before that, Kenen was an employee of the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Michael Oren writes in his book, Power, Faith, and Fantasy: America in the Middle East 1776 to the Present. “Though founded in 1953, AIPAC has only in the mid-70s achieved the financial and political clout necessary to sway congressional opinion.” Reportedly, it has 100,000 very vocal members.

AIPAC promotes Israeli policies that are in direct opposition to international law. These include the establishment of the nefarious colonies (settlements) in the Occupied West Bank and the confiscation of Palestinian land in its construction of the 26-foot high concrete wall, i.e. “separation barrier” running through the West Bank. The support of these illegal practices makes it almost impossible to achieve a solution to the Israel/Palestine conflict. In fact, it daily exacerbates Israeli-Palestinian relations through measures like the above.

AIPAC’s call for unconditional support for the Israeli government threatens our national security. The United States’ one-sided, seemingly blind support of Israel, demanded by AIPAC, has significantly increased anti-American sentiment throughout the Middle East. It puts our troops in harm’s way by sowing the seeds of more possible terrorist attacks against us. On March 16, 2010, Gen. David Petraeus admitted that the U.S./Palestine conflict “foments anti-American sentiment, due to a perception of U.S. favoritism for Israel.” He also said that “Arab anger over the Palestinian question limits the strength and depth of U.S. partnerships with governments and peoples in the [region] and weakens the legitimacy of moderate regimes in the Arab world. Meanwhile, al-Qaeda and other militant groups exploit that anger to mobilize support.” So why would we allow this organization to continue is the question—among many.

AIPAC undermines American support for democracy movements in the Arab world. AIPAC looks at the whole Arab world through the lens of Israeli government interests, not whatever democratic aspirations the Arab people have. In this process, it has supported corrupt, repressive regimes that are friendly to the Israeli government, such as Egypt’s Hosni Mubarak, even after this 40-tear tyrant has been retired. Events now unfolding in the Middle East should convince U.S. policy-makers of the need to break from AIPAC’s grip and instead support truly democratic forces in the Arab world.

AIPAC makes the U.S. a pariah at the UN. Since AIPAC describes the UN as a body hostile to the State of Israel and has pressured the U.S. government to oppose resolutions calling Israel to account since 1972, the US has vetoed 44 UN Security Council resolutions condemning Israel’s actions against the Palestinians. President Obama continues that policy. Under Obama, the US vetoed UN censure of the savage Israeli assault on Gaza in January 2009 in which some 1,400 Palestinians were killed. What’s more, a 2011 resolution called for a halt to the illegal Israeli West Bank settlements, even though this was stated U.S. policy. Then there was a 2011 resolution calling for Israel to cease obstructing the work of the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees. And there was another resolution calling for an end to illegal Israeli settlement building in East Jerusalem and the occupied Golan Heights. Meanwhile, it’s business as usual in Israel.

AIPAC attacks politicians who question unconditional support of Israel. Most notoriously and corrupting to the democratic process, AIPAC demands that Congress rubber stamp legislation drafted by their staff. It keeps a record of how members of Congress vote, and this record is used by donors to make contributions to the politicians who score well. In other words, they both bribe and terrorize members of Congress who fail to support AIPAC legislation, targeting them for defeat in re-election bids. This is very anti-democratic behavior and more like the Zionist-born organization AIPAC is. Their political victims include Senators Adlai Stevenson III and Charles H. Percy, Representatives Paul Findley, Pete McCloskey, Cynthia McKinney, and Earl F. Hilliard. AIPAC’s overwhelmingly disproportionate influence on Congress subverts the democratic system itself.

AIPAC attempts to silence all criticism of Israel by labeling critics as “anti-Semitic,” “delegitimizers” or “self-hating Jews.” Journalists, think tanks, students and professors have been accused of anti-Semitism for merely taking stands critical of Israeli government policies not in keeping with AIPAC’s. These attacks stifle the critical discussions and debates that are at the heart of democratic policy-making. The recent attack on staffers at the Center for American Progress is but one example of AIPAC efforts to crush all dissent. Most notably, AIPAC has done a major hatchet job on the career of author and college professor Norman Finkelstein.

AIPAC peddles a distorted view of the Israel/Palestine conflict to U.S. government officials. AIPAC takes U.S. representatives on sugar and money coated trips to Israel. In 2011, AIPAC took one out of every five members of Congress—and many of their spouses—on a free junket to Israel to see only what the Israeli government wanted them to see. In fact, it is illegal for lobby groups to take Congress members on trips, but AIPAC somehow gets around the law by creating a bogus educational group, AIEF, to “organize” the trips for them. AIEF has the same office address as AIPAC and the same staff. These trips, like outright bribes, help cement the ties between AIPAC and Congress, furthering their undue if not illegal influence.

AIPAC lobbies for billions of U.S. tax-dollars to aid Israel instead of rebuilding America. While our country is reeling from a prolonged financial crisis, AIPAC is pushing for no cuts in military funds for Israel, a wealthy nation itself. While U.S. communities across the nation are slashing budgets for teachers, firefighters and police, AIPAC keeping pushing and receiving over $3 billion a year in aid to Israel for military purchases. This is obscene.

Moreover, money to Israel takes funds from the worlds’ poor. Israel has the 24th largest economy in the world, but thanks to AIPAC, it gets more U.S. tax-dollars than any other country. Why is that? And in return, Israel does more spying on America than any other nation in the world. At a time when our foreign aid budget is being slashed, we are keeping the lion’s share of foreign assistance for Israel. This means taking funds from critical programs to feed, provide shelter and offer emergency assistance to the world’s poorest people.

Bottom line, AIPAC is a de facto agent for a foreign government. AIPAC’s influence on U.S. policy is way out of proportion to even the number of Americans who support its policies. When a small group like this has that kind of disproportionate power, it hurts everyone, including Israelis and American Jews. Consciously or not, it maintains a bunker mentality of Israel and the U.S. against the world. What both nations need to do is join the diplomatic and peace processes of the world, not agitate for more hostilities.

For starts, putting a stop to starting a catastrophic war with Iran would be excellent and to finally resolving the Israel/Palestine conflict. But, an essential starting point must be breaking AIPAC’s iron-fisted grip on U.S. policy.

Jerry Mazza is a freelance writer, life-long resident of New York City. An EBook version of his book of poems “State Of Shock,” on 9/11 and its after effects is now available at Amazon.com and Barnesandnoble.com. He has also written hundreds of articles on politics and government as Associate Editor of Intrepid Report (formerly Online Journal). Reach him at gvmaz@verizon.net.