Americans will ultimately turn on the pro-Israel lobby
https://arab.news/g3m8v
At the Democratic National Convention, everyone spoke. Supposedly, it was a show of diversity, which America is all about. However, one voice was missing: the Palestinian American. Many Democratic members were upset by this lack of empathy with the Palestinian people. This omission shows the power of the pro-Israel lobby, which is now going full steam ahead trying to defend the indefensible. It also shows that it has been effective.
It is now just two months until the US presidential election and no one wants to rock the boat with important donors. Democratic nominee Kamala Harris would also not want to give Donald Trump any reason to attack her. Trump, a staunch ally of Israel, would use any coercive measures the Biden administration might take against Tel Aviv to attack Harris. He would claim that the Biden administration was bowing to Iran and not standing by its ally. Also, campaign money is now badly needed to buy advertisements.
The pro-Israel lobby has always worked to garner US support for Israel. It is a single-issue lobby. It gathers Jews and non-Jews alike. In fact, Christian Zionists are an important pillar of this lobby. The pro-Israel lobby will work on defeating any candidate that opposes unconditional US support for Israel.
Recently, two Democratic representatives — Cori Bush of Missouri and Jamaal Bowman of New York — lost their primary elections because they did not toe the line on Israel. The United Democracy Project, the super political action committee of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, spent about $9 million on ads attacking Bush or boosting her opponent. Bush irritated the pro-Israel group by pressing for a ceasefire in Gaza. Bowman was also targeted because of his criticism of Israel and his position on the Gaza war. AIPAC alone spent $15 million in its effort to unseat the incumbent congressman. Bowman said of the power of the lobby: “We should be outraged when a super PAC of dark money can spend $20 million to brainwash people into believing something that isn’t true.”
The message is clear: anyone who calls for a ceasefire or even suggests that the US should use its leverage to enforce one is out. Who would want to upset such a powerful lobby two months before an election? No one. However, there is a massive social movement calling for a ceasefire. Protests have taken place at college campuses all over the country. So, how to balance between the two sides? The best way is to pretend to be working for a ceasefire while not actually imposing anything on Israel.
As a result of this situation, the US is stalling. This is frustrating the Arab negotiators. Secretary of State Antony Blinken was supposed to meet with Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani in Doha last month, but the meeting was canceled. A US official said that the emir was unwell. Hence, Blinken met with a much less senior official: the minister of state. Does that give any hint? Yes, Arab negotiators are fed up with American diplomacy, which is acting like a proxy for the Israelis.
Though Blinken said there is “a fierce urgency of now,” in fact the US is not putting any pressure on Israel to accept a ceasefire deal. Hamas has accused the US of being “misleading.” Therefore, Washington is putting on a show of being a negotiator that is working diligently to reach a ceasefire, but in reality it is only buying time for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
The pro-Israel lobby will work on defeating any candidate that opposes unconditional US support for Israel.
Dr. Dania Koleilat Khatib
However, for a lobby to function properly, it needs to be low profile, especially as the pro-Israel lobby shapes US foreign policy toward the Middle East. No American would want a foreign government to dictate US foreign policy or to compromise US national interests. However, it is now out in the open. This will push people to ask: why does this group, which works for a foreign government, have so much power.
The defeats of Bowman and Bush are pushing people to speak out. Andy Levin, a former progressive Jewish member of Congress, lost his Democratic primary in 2022 as AIPAC spent millions of dollars supporting his opponent. Last month, he recalled his experience with the pro-Israel lobby, which stifles any discussion on Israel. He is calling for a change in US policy. He is calling for the Democratic Party to work to stop “dark money” from hijacking elections.
The pro-Israel lobby will probably succeed in helping to prolong the war, which will mean more death and destruction in Gaza. However, once the election is decided, Netanyahu will be forced to stop. The US does not want to be sucked into a regional war. Once the war stops, television cameras will enter Gaza and the world will be able to see what Israel has “achieved.” The American people will ask themselves questions. People will be listening to the likes of Bowman, Bush and Levin.
Israel has to remember that the Foreign Agents Registration Act was put in place in the US in the 1930s. The act states that anyone who works on behalf of a foreign government has to register as a foreign agent. It was initially used mainly to counter the influence of Nazis inside the country, as they were spreading antisemitic propaganda and pushing the US to stay out of the Second World War. After the war, Americans realized how many lives could have been saved if they had entered the war earlier. Similarly, once the Gaza war is over, Americans will realize the destruction their state contributed to by acquiescing to the demands of the pro-Israel lobby. They will start asking themselves some serious questions. They will take action and that will be bad news for Israel.
• Dr. Dania Koleilat Khatib is a specialist in US-Arab relations with a focus on lobbying. She is co-founder of the Research Center for Cooperation and Peace Building, a Lebanese nongovernmental organization focused on Track II.
