AIPAC: The Israeli Lobby
The United States supports Israel in a variety of ways. We give them all sorts of military and economic support, roughly 3 billion dollars a year. Israel, despite the fact, it is a relatively rich country, receives more foreign aid than any other other country in the world. We veto resolutions in the United Nations all the time that are critical to Israel. Is one allowed to question that reality, or is the pro-Israel lobby so strong, financially and politically, that the relationship with Israel is taboo and therefore unmentionable? And what happens to those who dare expose the unmentionable?
In March 2006 the American political scientists John Mearsheimer (University of Chicago) and Steve Walt (Harvard) published the controversial article 'The Israel Lobby and US foreign policy'. In it they state that it is not, or no longer, expedient for the US to support and protect present-day Israel. Together with the power shifts in Congress and the increasing doubts about the current Middle-East policy, this could become the fuse in the powder keg. Backlight talks to the people concerned in this 'new realism' debate.
The documentary sheds light on both parties involved in the discussion: those who wish to maintain the strong tie between the US and Israel (Neocon Richard Perle, televangelist John Hagee, and lobby organization AIPAC), and those who were critical of it and not infrequently became 'victims' of the lobby. Member of Congress Earl Hilliard from Alabama advocated a rapprochement with the Arab world and was promptly ousted by a political adversary who had the support of Aipac money. Historian Tony Judt, who tried to maintain that Israel was becoming a belligerent and intolerant ethno-state, driven by religion, found a lecture cancelled at the last minute. And Human Rights Watch director Kenneth Roth was personally attacked after he had criticised the violence Israel had used in the mini-war against Lebanon last summer.
Finally the question arises to what extend the pro-Israel lobby ultimately determines the military and political importance of Israel itself. Colonel Lawrence Wilkerson (Colin Powell's ex chief-of-staff) explains how the lobby's influence affects the decision-making structure in the White House. The lobby, Congress, the White House and Israel itself seem to have ended up in a suffocating embrace: will it ever change and how could it?Tony Judt and Richard Perle conclude by raising the crucial matters: what is the alternative? And what other friends can Israel count on?
My eyes are wide open now, and can not be closed again.
There are lots of people who do not like AIPAC. I am one of them. AIPAC has taken the US democracy hostage. Laws must be put into place to get our democracy back. THAT is worth fighting for. AIPAC has got to go. The religious right is way too powerful. That has to be stopped too. Let sanity reign.
Apartheid country.
Not all Jews are Zionist, as is seen in the Anti-Zionist Orthodox Jewish movement known as Neturei Karta, and not all Zionists are Jews, as is seen in the Christian Zionist movement led by Pastor John Hagee.
John Mearscheimer and Steve Walt are both immunized against charges of antisemitism by the fact that they are both Jewish. They shine a spotlight upon Zionist influence and control on the US media.
So what's new with favoritism towards the Jews? We seem to prefer them at every turn and in every way. Our News and Entertainment are controlled by them, as are most of our banks and wall street. We operate under a religion (REJECTED BY ORTHODOX JEWS AS LUNACY) which is a crumb which fell off of theirs. Our Christian religions demand that the Jews/ Israelis be recognized as "the chosen" and the "sheeple" are quick to kneel to a god/messiah that the Jews don't even believe in. Believe in the ridiculous if that's the best your brain can do, but trying to avoid your imaginary date with hell by preferring one race over all others is just evidence of RACISM and not evidence of any god. The preference of the Jews is nothing more than behavioral evidence that there is in fact, NO GOD.
Most probably your congress person has been given huge sums of money to win his/her election and in the pockets of Israel and its lobbies here. Why else would a democratic nation like ours support and protect an occupying nation, that has not given the Palestinian people their freedom for over 50 years, keeps stealing their lands, blockades them and violates international laws regarding human rights? Israel's bombs killed mostly women and children in Gaza in 2014, and we handed them more ammunition to continue the killing. If this was Iran or some other nation we are told to dislike, wouldn't we have boycotted and sanctioned them by now? I look forward to seeing this movie.
The end of the documentary sets the stage for all the geo-political issues that have taken place between Israel, the U.S and all the jewish /israeli lobbies since the formation of the israeli/american relationship or "bond" if you will. Wilkerson stated emphatically "a war over Irans nukes would be a huge mistake". He is right that America should not be involved but FOR THE WRONG REASONS !! Israel most likely can tear them open alone...thereby saving the eventual chaos that Hezzbollah would put forth on the USA FiRST!!! Before they could even could or would try anything with Israel. Till this day america and Americas lawmakers do not understand the arab, Muslims or indeed the Middle East at all!!
America is the BIGGEST satan to these people... So in a similar situation to Iraq in 1981, Israel is doing Ametica a favor... And this they and most Americans are to intellectually void to understand!
Whatever one thinks of the power and influence aipac and other jewish lobbies have on America ; be it good, bad or indifferent (or over represented for that matter) Cheney and Bush get it; the two countries indeed share most of the same interests. When those INTERESTS change, if indeed they do, you will see a weakening of the jewish lobbies "so called" domination of Americas foreign policy; not to mention the aid Israel recieves from America... Which by the way America gets back in SPADES in almost every way in which we live our lives in this country
BlueTortilla you are rather active here in the comments section. I can see you replying to almost as everyone.
For someone unaware, it would seem you might have more information and study besides rhetoric, about what the people that filmed and edited this material made it to in the first place. I mean, people are here to watch the doc because they are curious about it someway, before coming here to click play. Sometimes they feel like giving their 2 cents of what they understand about the subject.
For what I read so far on your replies, you act as a spiritual or intellectual guide and feel an urge to enlight these poor souls into the realm of literacy regarding the subject.
I have some theories so far.
1- you must be someone who was involved in the film production and did not like the steering of its content
2- you are training your debate/troll technics
I would never accuse you of being jew or of practicing jewish advocacy.
To Me All Opinion Counts I like to read ignorance or people whom choose not to see because they don't like the truth, because it does not conform with the mental picture and dreams of fantasy they hold; well welcome to the real world it is what it is you cant change it don't urinate on my leg and tell me is raining change it and we can America Love it or Leave It and yes if you Love Israel more than my Country This United States of America You Are the One Whom needs to get on the HWY
tell mhat else is in store for AMERICA "A nation can survive its fools, and even the ambitious. But it cannot survive treason from within. An enemy at the gates is less formidable, for he is known and carries his banner openly. But the traitor moves amongst those within the gate freely, his sly whispers rustling through...all the alleys, heard in the very halls of government itself. For the traitor appears not a traitor; he speaks in accents familiar to his victims, and he wears their face and their arguments, he appeals to the baseness that lies deep in the hearts of all men. He rots the soul of a nation, he works secretly and unknown in the night to undermine the pillars of the city, he infects the body politic so that it can no longer resist. A murderer is less to fear. The traitor is the plague." - Marcus Tullius Cicero
I Deal In Facts ~~~~~ Former Senator William Fulbright, in the 1970s, and former senior CIA official Victor Marchetti, in the 1980s, contended that AIPAC should have registered under the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) requires those who receive funds or act on behalf of a foreign government to register as a foreign agent. However, AIPAC states that the organization is a registered American lobbying group, funded by private donations, and maintains it receives "no financial assistance" from Israel or any other foreign group.
In 2006, Representative Betty McCollum (DFL) of Minnesota demanded an apology from AIPAC, claiming an AIPAC representative had described her vote against the Palestinian Anti-Terrorism Act of 2006 as "support for terrorists." McCollum stated that AIPAC representatives would not be allowed in her office until she received a written apology for the comment. AIPAC disputed McCollum's claim, and McCollum has since declared the incident over.
Steiner resignation
In 1992, AIPAC president David Steiner was forced to resign after he was recorded boasting about his political influence in obtaining aid for Israel. Steiner also claimed that he had met with (then Bush U.S. Secretary of State) Jim Baker and I cut a deal with him. I got, besides the $3 billion, you know they're looking for the Jewish votes, and I'll tell him whatever he wants to hear ... Besides the $10 billion in loan guarantees which was a fabulous thing, $3 billion in foreign, in military aid, and I got almost a billion dollars in other goodies that people don't even know about.
Steiner also claimed to be "negotiating" with the incoming Clinton administration over who Clinton would appoint as Secretary of State and Secretary of the National Security Agency. Steiner stated that AIPAC had "a dozen people in [the Clinton] campaign, in the headquarters... in Little Rock, and they're all going to get big jobs."
NY real estate developer Haim Katz told The Washington Times that he taped the conversation because "as someone Jewish, I am concerned when a small group has a disproportionate power. I think that hurts everyone, including Jews. If David Steiner wants to talk about the incredible, disproportionate clout AIPAC has, the public should know about it."
One cannot help but feel compassion for Israel, if you agree with the conclusion that the U.S. will boot Israel out when it no longer serves America's purpose or is more trouble than its worth. It is sad too that many Israelis (and Christians) have been brainwashed by the myth that the land of Israel is now theirs again because it was promised to them by God. Of course we cannot change the colonial history that led to the creation of modern Israel, but we do have to live with the consequences of a tiny state bristling with nuclear weapons (thanks to American policy) and surrounded by enemies in the most volatile part of the world.
Many grumble and say that Israel manipulates the U.S. but I argue that is the hard rightists in the U.S. that shape much of Israeli policy and that even the most notorious of Israel's rightists were shaped by the soft domination of a imperial benefactor combined with the agonizing memories of history, resulting in an extremely powerful yet tiny nation being run by paranoid leaders.
Both the people of the U.S. and the people of Israel want the peace process to move forward. What will happen when the U.S. abandons Israel with its weapons? The prospect is far more terrifying for the Israel people than it is for Americans.
I do believe that Israel can achieve recognition and co-existence with its neighbors, but it will take a great leap of faith for the U.S. to begin extending good will toward Arab states, and it will take decades before Israel can ever be trusted by its neighbors. From the way things have gone so far, the future looks pretty sad and unfair for all in the region.
This is anti-semetic...but also true. However, can you really blame them for using their intelligence, money & influence to gain an advantage?That is their right after all, in a free society. They just play the game smarter than the Palestinians. Instead of getting expelled for fighting, they made friends with the biggest kid in school.
Just one more valid example of why religion is destructive.
Informative information about the influence of the Jewish American lobby
(AIPEC) and foreign policy.
Some day my vote is going to count in this country...Some day!!
Zionism is terrorism.
can anyone tell me how any critisim of zionist are anti semetic when the are not semetic by race yet the palastians are semetic by race,who is the real anti semetic.......please some one explain,this hypocracy.
Amazing...when I did a search on Mearsheimer, all I could find were Jewish, Christian, conservatives, and liberals assassinating his character. Can there be NO polite discussion about the things the two co-authors wrote about?
It seems as if the topic is completely taboo for intellectual discussion and criticism.
No wonder why Ron Paul will never be "allowed" to win an election- the Israeli lobbyists are too powerful.
it is appalling to see senior American politicians bow to tiny Israel and its' corrupt leaders as evidenced in Bibi speech at the house. Never seen so many senators and congressmen competing on who can suck zionist cock better and cleaner.
apiac as no business controlling or influencing our government what about the constution wich sat noy to swear aliance to forieng government domestic or abroad,they represent isreal not united states..if politions bann someone because there not pro isreal policies then the all need to be put out,enough is enough
the zionist use the holocost to probogate there abuse and discredits it by there action they bought america and are polititions bought us out,actions speak louder then words call a spade a spade
Suicide bomb the AIPAC meetings
Nice documentary, but it failed to answer one critical question, while dancing around it the whole time: HOW COME that Israel has such strong lobbies and how come it controls the U.S. politics?!
They spent all 50 minutes proving that Israel does have increadible influence on the U.S. politicians, but that was pretty obvious even without watching this film.
Imagine that, say, Irland or Egypt controls the U.S. politics the same way. Virtually impossible, right!?
The anwer is clear: very influencian people INSIDE the United States are closely connected to Israel on a VERY personal/cultural/genetic/etc. level. Also, there is no economic connection whatsoever: you cannot make any serious money with Israel. Moreover: it's a burgen and only consumes the American financial help without giving anything substantial in return. Politicians are ALL puppets and merely administrators, there is not a single person in the big politics who is trying to INDEPENDENTLY change things for the better just because it's the right thing to do. The real decision-makers are always behind the curtain, and they seem to REALLY like Israel.
And the authors of this documnetaries simply did not have the balls to address this matter, though I'm positive they did their homework on this.
Yup, they never did learn anything from their Warsaw Ghetto dayze or even their all expenses paid visits to Auschwitz, Sobibor and Dachu, huh Pilgrims?
Maybe, a refresher course in humility and a biopsy to remove that 'Chutzpah gene' might help - but, don't count on it.
Now living in Hog Heaven, comfortabably savaging the downtrodden Palestinians who have lived on 'their' own lands since before Jesus was kicking the Kahzarian 'money changers out of from the temples The worshippers of the Golden Calf have shown the world that they never gave up their love for gold, silver, money and JEWlrey (Read the Talmud) and this is the way things will be until the skies over the Middle East are filled with a glittering Zionist confetti cloud high up in the stratosphere showing the Palestinians that it is now 'safe to return' to their once confisctaed properties in the Holy Lands.
Peace at last!
Peace at last!
'O Lord 'Peace at last!'
TheAZCowBoy
Tombstone, AZ.
Hint: Psalm 145:20 "Jehovah is guarding them that love him - The evil ones he will annihilate. (For it is written - and it will be done).'