GRAYZONE PROJECT Three Days Undercover at the Israel Lobby’s Biggest Policy Conference
by Robert Bryan, Alter Net, March 28, 2016.
Neither American Zionism nor K Street venality can fully explain the cult-like nature of AIPAC.
The
American Israel Public Affairs Committee is a cult, and like most
cults, its followers would probably object to the characterization.
American Israel Public Affairs Committee is a cult, and like most
cults, its followers would probably object to the characterization.
To
AIPAC’s 100,000 members and to the 18,000 delegates who attended its
annual convention last week in DC, the organization serves a heroic
purpose by securing the protection of Israel, and by extension, the
Jewish people. To its detractors, it is a manifestation of the most
toxic elements of Zionism and a symptom of the corruption that allows
lobbying groups to further their agendas by buying politicians (though
not a PAC itself, Israel lobbies politicians through a series of small
affiliated PACs).
AIPAC’s 100,000 members and to the 18,000 delegates who attended its
annual convention last week in DC, the organization serves a heroic
purpose by securing the protection of Israel, and by extension, the
Jewish people. To its detractors, it is a manifestation of the most
toxic elements of Zionism and a symptom of the corruption that allows
lobbying groups to further their agendas by buying politicians (though
not a PAC itself, Israel lobbies politicians through a series of small
affiliated PACs).
But neither American Zionism nor K
Street venality can fully explain the cult-like nature of AIPAC. Though
there’s a lot of talk about “Jewish values” and protecting “the Jewish
people,” little about the organization qualifies as Jewish in a
traditional religious sense. (In fact, the Torah explicitly forbids the
state-sanctioned bribery that lobbying groups like AIPAC practice: “Do
not accept a bribe, for a bribe blinds those who see and twists the
words of the innocent”—Exod. 23.8.)
Street venality can fully explain the cult-like nature of AIPAC. Though
there’s a lot of talk about “Jewish values” and protecting “the Jewish
people,” little about the organization qualifies as Jewish in a
traditional religious sense. (In fact, the Torah explicitly forbids the
state-sanctioned bribery that lobbying groups like AIPAC practice: “Do
not accept a bribe, for a bribe blinds those who see and twists the
words of the innocent”—Exod. 23.8.)
AIPAC is far more
of a political organization than a religious one, but its politics are
based on a deliberate misreading of history that erases the Palestinian
people and whitewashes Israeli crimes. What makes AIPAC a cult is that
it demands unquestioning allegiance from its members—not to a
charismatic leader, but to the state of Israel. Just as nothing could
convince the Moonies that their beloved Reverend wasn’t the messiah, it
is impossible for AIPAC’s acolytes to acknowledge even the most obvious
truths about Israel’s illegal occupation and apartheid policies. And
even as lobbyists subvert the democratic process by paying off
politicians, AIPAC’s members insist that they are the front lines of the
noble fight to preserve the Middle East’s lone democracy.
of a political organization than a religious one, but its politics are
based on a deliberate misreading of history that erases the Palestinian
people and whitewashes Israeli crimes. What makes AIPAC a cult is that
it demands unquestioning allegiance from its members—not to a
charismatic leader, but to the state of Israel. Just as nothing could
convince the Moonies that their beloved Reverend wasn’t the messiah, it
is impossible for AIPAC’s acolytes to acknowledge even the most obvious
truths about Israel’s illegal occupation and apartheid policies. And
even as lobbyists subvert the democratic process by paying off
politicians, AIPAC’s members insist that they are the front lines of the
noble fight to preserve the Middle East’s lone democracy.
Blending In
I
attended last week’s conference at the Washington Convention Center.
Knowing that AIPAC had denied press credentials to a number of my fellow
leftist reporters, I decided to show up looking neat and clean-shaven
in a navy blue suit and tie to avoid looking like a potential
troublemaker.
attended last week’s conference at the Washington Convention Center.
Knowing that AIPAC had denied press credentials to a number of my fellow
leftist reporters, I decided to show up looking neat and clean-shaven
in a navy blue suit and tie to avoid looking like a potential
troublemaker.
Though Zionists are quick to shout “Jew
hater!” at anyone who even mentions the possibility of “dual loyalty”
among American Jews, the conference’s organizers seemed to intentionally
promote this notion by handing out complimentary pins with the American
and Israeli flags intertwined. I dutifully affixed the pin to my lapel,
draped my laminated pass around my neck, and steeled myself for a
three-day onslaught of propaganda.
hater!” at anyone who even mentions the possibility of “dual loyalty”
among American Jews, the conference’s organizers seemed to intentionally
promote this notion by handing out complimentary pins with the American
and Israeli flags intertwined. I dutifully affixed the pin to my lapel,
draped my laminated pass around my neck, and steeled myself for a
three-day onslaught of propaganda.
When I arrived early
Sunday afternoon, pro-Palestinian protesters (along with a pitifully
small contingent of counter-protesters) had amassed outside the
convention center after marching from the White House. Several activists
unfurled a large Palestinian flag as chants of “Free Palestine” rang
out. As the protest reached a fever pitch, I spoke briefly to three
older Palestinian women standing quietly near the back of the protest
who asked that their names not be used. One of the women told me she had
immigrated to the states in 1970 and would like to go back once
Palestinians are given equal rights. “As long as Americans support
[Israel], it’s hard,” she said. “We have to change the American
minds…they think we’re terrorists. We’re not terrorists! We just want
our land.”
Sunday afternoon, pro-Palestinian protesters (along with a pitifully
small contingent of counter-protesters) had amassed outside the
convention center after marching from the White House. Several activists
unfurled a large Palestinian flag as chants of “Free Palestine” rang
out. As the protest reached a fever pitch, I spoke briefly to three
older Palestinian women standing quietly near the back of the protest
who asked that their names not be used. One of the women told me she had
immigrated to the states in 1970 and would like to go back once
Palestinians are given equal rights. “As long as Americans support
[Israel], it’s hard,” she said. “We have to change the American
minds…they think we’re terrorists. We’re not terrorists! We just want
our land.”
As I made my way through the metal detector
and looked around, I couldn’t help but think that anti-Semites who
imagine secretive cabals of powerful Jews would be immensely
disappointed with what I saw. The building consisted of big open spaces
filled with sunlight streaming through glass walls, more like an airport
than a smoky back room. One was left with same drab, predictable
atmosphere of any other business conference, but on a massive scale.
Like your typical conference, the event featured fold-out tables
displaying an array of pamphlets and flyers. Unlike your typical
conference, the reading material covered subjects like Israel’s
thrilling innovations in military technology and carrier screening for
Jewish genetic diseases.
and looked around, I couldn’t help but think that anti-Semites who
imagine secretive cabals of powerful Jews would be immensely
disappointed with what I saw. The building consisted of big open spaces
filled with sunlight streaming through glass walls, more like an airport
than a smoky back room. One was left with same drab, predictable
atmosphere of any other business conference, but on a massive scale.
Like your typical conference, the event featured fold-out tables
displaying an array of pamphlets and flyers. Unlike your typical
conference, the reading material covered subjects like Israel’s
thrilling innovations in military technology and carrier screening for
Jewish genetic diseases.
Many attendees had arrived
thanks to some special initiative. A room near the entrance marked
“African American Leadership Luncheon” was filled with black executives
looking to network with influential pro-Israel activists. White AIPAC
members seemed to avoid this area altogether. Close-knit groups of high
school and college students on sponsored trips wandered the halls while
yarmulke-clad old men clutched $5 water bottles. Floor after floor
teemed with a pulsing mix of straight-laced lobbyists, fast-talking
shmoozers, nutty zealots, and kvelling nerds. Everyone had “Come
Together,” to quote the official motto of this year’s conference, united
not by religion (a sizable portion were not Jewish) but in an
unquestioning belief in the righteousness of Zionism and the
infallibility of the Jewish state.
thanks to some special initiative. A room near the entrance marked
“African American Leadership Luncheon” was filled with black executives
looking to network with influential pro-Israel activists. White AIPAC
members seemed to avoid this area altogether. Close-knit groups of high
school and college students on sponsored trips wandered the halls while
yarmulke-clad old men clutched $5 water bottles. Floor after floor
teemed with a pulsing mix of straight-laced lobbyists, fast-talking
shmoozers, nutty zealots, and kvelling nerds. Everyone had “Come
Together,” to quote the official motto of this year’s conference, united
not by religion (a sizable portion were not Jewish) but in an
unquestioning belief in the righteousness of Zionism and the
infallibility of the Jewish state.
Who’s Afraid of BDS?
Down
several sets of escalators was an enormous space that had been
fashioned into a loose collection of booths and pavilions called AIPAC
Village. A panel on “Defeating BDS on Campus: Partner Perspectives”
featured several rabidly anti-BDS speakers including Rabbi Evan Goodman
(executive director of Hillel at UC Santa Barbara) and Roz Rothstein
(co-founder and CEO of StandWithUs). I started taking video of the panel
on my phone, but moderator Adam Teitelbaum spotted me and directed an
usher to stop my recording.
several sets of escalators was an enormous space that had been
fashioned into a loose collection of booths and pavilions called AIPAC
Village. A panel on “Defeating BDS on Campus: Partner Perspectives”
featured several rabidly anti-BDS speakers including Rabbi Evan Goodman
(executive director of Hillel at UC Santa Barbara) and Roz Rothstein
(co-founder and CEO of StandWithUs). I started taking video of the panel
on my phone, but moderator Adam Teitelbaum spotted me and directed an
usher to stop my recording.
Teitelbaum, a sharply
dressed young man with a carefully manicured beard, serves as deputy
leadership development director at AIPAC. Goodman, who recently came under fire
for trying to censor the writer David Harris-Gershon for his support
for BDS (the boycott, divestment, sanctions movement), said the mission
of Hillel “is to build Jewish identity and to build up the Jewish people
and to have us be able to enact our values and to share our values out
into the world.” Without saying what these values were, he proceeded to
describe how his chapter of Hillel was taking five Jews and 20 non-Jews
on a 10-day “fact-finding mission” to Israel: “This is a
behind-the-scenes community-building trip for campus influentials…in
order to build up the connection to Israel for a variety of people – not
under the auspices of BDS, but instead from a positive dimension.”
dressed young man with a carefully manicured beard, serves as deputy
leadership development director at AIPAC. Goodman, who recently came under fire
for trying to censor the writer David Harris-Gershon for his support
for BDS (the boycott, divestment, sanctions movement), said the mission
of Hillel “is to build Jewish identity and to build up the Jewish people
and to have us be able to enact our values and to share our values out
into the world.” Without saying what these values were, he proceeded to
describe how his chapter of Hillel was taking five Jews and 20 non-Jews
on a 10-day “fact-finding mission” to Israel: “This is a
behind-the-scenes community-building trip for campus influentials…in
order to build up the connection to Israel for a variety of people – not
under the auspices of BDS, but instead from a positive dimension.”
Putting
aside the absurdity of the phrase “campus influentials,” his
description of the trip made clear that his use of the phrase “Jewish
identity” had nothing to do with observing the Sabbath or learning a
lesson from the story of Job; it simply means strengthening Americans’
blind faith in the Israeli state. Part of this mission involves assuring
that these Americans, Jews and gentiles alike, won’t be bothered by any
pesky notions of self-determination or universal human rights.
aside the absurdity of the phrase “campus influentials,” his
description of the trip made clear that his use of the phrase “Jewish
identity” had nothing to do with observing the Sabbath or learning a
lesson from the story of Job; it simply means strengthening Americans’
blind faith in the Israeli state. Part of this mission involves assuring
that these Americans, Jews and gentiles alike, won’t be bothered by any
pesky notions of self-determination or universal human rights.
Jewish
identity, in this formulation, means something not just immoral but
profoundly un-Jewish. The Talmudic tradition has always valued critique
and self-examination, values the Israel lobby seeks to replace with a
pathological projection of Israel’s crimes onto a dangerous Other. This
backward logic extends to the BDS movement, which the AIPAC cult maligns
as an anti-Semitic menace despite its high-minded goals and non-violent
tactics. Ten days of hasbara, or pro-Israel propagandizing, in
Goodman’s estimation, will be enough to convert new recruits, refreshing
their impressionable young minds like a tall glass of Kool-Aid.
identity, in this formulation, means something not just immoral but
profoundly un-Jewish. The Talmudic tradition has always valued critique
and self-examination, values the Israel lobby seeks to replace with a
pathological projection of Israel’s crimes onto a dangerous Other. This
backward logic extends to the BDS movement, which the AIPAC cult maligns
as an anti-Semitic menace despite its high-minded goals and non-violent
tactics. Ten days of hasbara, or pro-Israel propagandizing, in
Goodman’s estimation, will be enough to convert new recruits, refreshing
their impressionable young minds like a tall glass of Kool-Aid.
The
most disturbing part of the panel came in response to a question from a
60-something audience member named Bud from Dallas, who asked, “Did you
establish a relationship with the ex-student associations or the alumni
associations of the colleges? The alumni are the ones who are making
money and they can put pressure on the administration by refusing to
make contributions to the university.”
most disturbing part of the panel came in response to a question from a
60-something audience member named Bud from Dallas, who asked, “Did you
establish a relationship with the ex-student associations or the alumni
associations of the colleges? The alumni are the ones who are making
money and they can put pressure on the administration by refusing to
make contributions to the university.”
Rothstein immediately stepped in with an intentionally vague answer that amounted to a direct attack on academic free speech:
“We
are about to partner with this very thing—an alumni association group
builder—we’ve already built groups at Oberlin and Vassar, and hundreds
of alumni in just those two universities…they’re already beginning to
cultivate three other universities and they’re being very successful to
build up numbers so that when there is an issue…they can come in and
engage and mentor students, and come in and speak with the
administration, and be part of the solution. So you’re absolutely
right—we have our eye on that ball, and as a matter of fact we have just
signed that partnership relationship.”
Without
being totally forthright, Rothstein was praising the idea of alumni
threatening to withhold donations as a means of suppressing campus
activism. Steven Salaita found himself the target of a similar campaign last year, and anti-Palestinian censorship continues to be a major free-speech issue on campuses nationwide.
being totally forthright, Rothstein was praising the idea of alumni
threatening to withhold donations as a means of suppressing campus
activism. Steven Salaita found himself the target of a similar campaign last year, and anti-Palestinian censorship continues to be a major free-speech issue on campuses nationwide.
Pandering and Politicking
The
Jewish members of AIPAC represent only a privileged sliver of the
Jewish population; in Occupy terms, they are the one percent.
Accusations of a powerful Jewish lobby controlling American foreign
policy are almost always met with reflexive counter-accusations of
anti-Semitism, but they fail to alter the disturbing dynamic of
pro-Israel lobbying groups like AIPAC leveraging money from wealthy Jews
to dictate America’s policies in the Middle East. When Stephen Walt and
John Mearsheimer published their landmark book The Israel Lobby and U.S. Foreign Policy
in 2007, Zionists alleged an anti-Jewish bias. Yet the book’s
conclusion that AIPAC has a “stranglehold” on U.S. policy is
indisputable. And though the facts speak for themselves—AIPAC dropped
nearly $3.4 million on lobbying campaigns in 2015, $1.67 million
of which it spent in the first half of the year alone to lobby Congress
against the Iran deal—accusations of anti-Semitism dog Walt and
Mearsheimer to this day.
Jewish members of AIPAC represent only a privileged sliver of the
Jewish population; in Occupy terms, they are the one percent.
Accusations of a powerful Jewish lobby controlling American foreign
policy are almost always met with reflexive counter-accusations of
anti-Semitism, but they fail to alter the disturbing dynamic of
pro-Israel lobbying groups like AIPAC leveraging money from wealthy Jews
to dictate America’s policies in the Middle East. When Stephen Walt and
John Mearsheimer published their landmark book The Israel Lobby and U.S. Foreign Policy
in 2007, Zionists alleged an anti-Jewish bias. Yet the book’s
conclusion that AIPAC has a “stranglehold” on U.S. policy is
indisputable. And though the facts speak for themselves—AIPAC dropped
nearly $3.4 million on lobbying campaigns in 2015, $1.67 million
of which it spent in the first half of the year alone to lobby Congress
against the Iran deal—accusations of anti-Semitism dog Walt and
Mearsheimer to this day.
In Edward Said’s prophetic essay,
“America’s Last Taboo,” published in New Left Review in 2000, just
months after the outbreak of the Second Intifada, he described AIPAC as
“the most powerful single lobby in Washington.” Said trained his ire on
Hillary Clinton, then a New York Senate candidate:
“America’s Last Taboo,” published in New Left Review in 2000, just
months after the outbreak of the Second Intifada, he described AIPAC as
“the most powerful single lobby in Washington.” Said trained his ire on
Hillary Clinton, then a New York Senate candidate:
“No-one
exemplifies the sway of AIPAC better than Hillary Clinton, outdoing
even the most right-wing Zionists in fervour for Israel in her avid
clawing for power in New York, where she went so far as to call for the
transfer of the American embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem and the
grant of leniency for Jonathan Pollard, the Israeli spy serving a life
sentence in the US.”
Despite
her reputation for inconsistency, Hillary Clinton proved that not much
had changed in the last 16 years when she addressed an audience of
thousands at the Verizon Center on Monday morning. Clinton vilified the
BDS movement as anti-Semitic and accused it of using the very tactics
its proponents have often found themselves the victims of: “Don’t let
anyone silence you, bully you or try to shut down debate.”
her reputation for inconsistency, Hillary Clinton proved that not much
had changed in the last 16 years when she addressed an audience of
thousands at the Verizon Center on Monday morning. Clinton vilified the
BDS movement as anti-Semitic and accused it of using the very tactics
its proponents have often found themselves the victims of: “Don’t let
anyone silence you, bully you or try to shut down debate.”
In
a mindboggling critique of Trump, Clinton took aim at her Republican
opponent for supporting the exact kind of racist policies Israel has
embraced for years:
a mindboggling critique of Trump, Clinton took aim at her Republican
opponent for supporting the exact kind of racist policies Israel has
embraced for years:
“In a democracy we’re
going to have differences, but what Americans are hearing on the
campaign trail this year is something else entirely: encouraging
violence, playing coy with white supremacists, calling for 12 million
immigrants to be rounded up and deported, demanding we turn away
refugees because of their religion and proposing a ban on all Muslims
entering the United States.”
Hillary knows
that Israel’s Law of Return privileges Jews over Palestinian refugees.
She knows that the Israeli government fills detention centers in the
Negev with Sudanese and Eritrean asylum seekers, many of whom are
fleeing genocide in their native countries. She’s not so ignorant that
she can’t see the similarities between Trump’s fantasy and Israel’s
reality; she just wants to score political points by trying to sound
progressive. Judging by the ecstatic reaction to Trump that night,
however, she may have misread her audience.
that Israel’s Law of Return privileges Jews over Palestinian refugees.
She knows that the Israeli government fills detention centers in the
Negev with Sudanese and Eritrean asylum seekers, many of whom are
fleeing genocide in their native countries. She’s not so ignorant that
she can’t see the similarities between Trump’s fantasy and Israel’s
reality; she just wants to score political points by trying to sound
progressive. Judging by the ecstatic reaction to Trump that night,
however, she may have misread her audience.
Gladiators at the Coliseum
Early
that evening, I walked several blocks from the Convention Center to the
Verizon Center to hear Trump speak (Kasich, Cruz and Paul Ryan spoke
too, but Trump was clearly the man of the hour). I struck up a
conversation with a middle-aged couple from New Jersey who told me they
support Trump because, despite his outrageous persona, “people who know
him” had assured them of his Zionist bona fides. It took every bit of
self-control in my possession to stop myself from shouting, “Do you hear
yourselves?” Instead I smiled, nodded and forged ahead.
that evening, I walked several blocks from the Convention Center to the
Verizon Center to hear Trump speak (Kasich, Cruz and Paul Ryan spoke
too, but Trump was clearly the man of the hour). I struck up a
conversation with a middle-aged couple from New Jersey who told me they
support Trump because, despite his outrageous persona, “people who know
him” had assured them of his Zionist bona fides. It took every bit of
self-control in my possession to stop myself from shouting, “Do you hear
yourselves?” Instead I smiled, nodded and forged ahead.
The
slow-moving line to get in the stadium snaked around the block. While I
was waiting I met a couple from Rancho Palos Verdes who agreed that
Trump was “dangerous,” but after listening to them defend Hillary along
roughly the same lines as the previous couple defended Trump, my
patience wore thin. Did anyone here care about things not directly
related to Israel? Did they have any valid criterion for electing a
president apart from, “most likely to bomb Gaza into submission?”
Without exception, every single attendee I spoke with said Israel was
the most important issue in the upcoming election. Considering the
dismal state of American politics, this attitude is pretty
extraordinary. Many people cannot afford health care or college and are
facing insurmountable debt. Wall Street fleeces the middle class with
impunity while nearly 50 million Americans live below the poverty line.
Our prison system incarcerates more people than any nation on earth and
the U.S. military budget exceeds that of the next seven countries
combined.
slow-moving line to get in the stadium snaked around the block. While I
was waiting I met a couple from Rancho Palos Verdes who agreed that
Trump was “dangerous,” but after listening to them defend Hillary along
roughly the same lines as the previous couple defended Trump, my
patience wore thin. Did anyone here care about things not directly
related to Israel? Did they have any valid criterion for electing a
president apart from, “most likely to bomb Gaza into submission?”
Without exception, every single attendee I spoke with said Israel was
the most important issue in the upcoming election. Considering the
dismal state of American politics, this attitude is pretty
extraordinary. Many people cannot afford health care or college and are
facing insurmountable debt. Wall Street fleeces the middle class with
impunity while nearly 50 million Americans live below the poverty line.
Our prison system incarcerates more people than any nation on earth and
the U.S. military budget exceeds that of the next seven countries
combined.
Yet to AIPAC’s faithful acolytes, nothing
matters as much as supplying Israel with billions of dollars to enforce a
50-year-old military occupation that has turned what’s left of
Palestine into hell on earth. Since all the major presidential
candidates (with the possible exception of Bernie Sanders) have made it
clear they will do anything to appease Israeli interests regardless of
the human toll, all AIPAC’s cult members can do is cheer on the
candidate who appears to value Palestinian lives the least.
matters as much as supplying Israel with billions of dollars to enforce a
50-year-old military occupation that has turned what’s left of
Palestine into hell on earth. Since all the major presidential
candidates (with the possible exception of Bernie Sanders) have made it
clear they will do anything to appease Israeli interests regardless of
the human toll, all AIPAC’s cult members can do is cheer on the
candidate who appears to value Palestinian lives the least.
The
Republicans who spoke Monday night turned Verizon Center into a
modern-day Colosseum, playing gladiator to the Muslim boogeyman they
summoned with every warning of global jihadism. Trump gave an unhinged
but surprisingly lucid speech, promising to “dismantle the disastrous
deal with Iran.” Decrying an evil Palestinian society in which “the
heroes are those who murder Jews,” Trump repeated Netanyahu’s lie
that “Israel does not name public squares after terrorists.” He wrapped
things up by exploiting his daughter, whose Jewish husband, New York
Observer publisher Jared Kushner, helped write his speech: “My daughter
Ivanka is about to have a beautiful Jewish baby!” The crowd, already
worked into a frenzy by Trump’s Islamophobia, raucously cheered the
Jewish baby as one of its own. The night had officially gone off the
rails.
Republicans who spoke Monday night turned Verizon Center into a
modern-day Colosseum, playing gladiator to the Muslim boogeyman they
summoned with every warning of global jihadism. Trump gave an unhinged
but surprisingly lucid speech, promising to “dismantle the disastrous
deal with Iran.” Decrying an evil Palestinian society in which “the
heroes are those who murder Jews,” Trump repeated Netanyahu’s lie
that “Israel does not name public squares after terrorists.” He wrapped
things up by exploiting his daughter, whose Jewish husband, New York
Observer publisher Jared Kushner, helped write his speech: “My daughter
Ivanka is about to have a beautiful Jewish baby!” The crowd, already
worked into a frenzy by Trump’s Islamophobia, raucously cheered the
Jewish baby as one of its own. The night had officially gone off the
rails.
Not to be outdone, Ted Cruz began his speech with
the story of Purim, using the villainous Haman as a stand-in for
“radical Islamic terrorism.” Cruz took the cake for bloodlust,
chastising Clinton for not doing enough to justify Israel’s war crimes
during Operation Protective Edge:
the story of Purim, using the villainous Haman as a stand-in for
“radical Islamic terrorism.” Cruz took the cake for bloodlust,
chastising Clinton for not doing enough to justify Israel’s war crimes
during Operation Protective Edge:
“Hamas
would place rockets in elementary schools. They placed their
headquarters in the basement of a hospital, and I would note that
Hillary Clinton, in 2014, explained this as follows, ‘Hamas puts its
missiles, its rockets in civilian areas, part of it is because Gaza is
pretty small and it’s densely populated.’ Well, Madam Secretary, with
all respect, the reason the missiles are in schools is not because Gaza
is small, the reason the missiles are in schools is because Hamas are
terrorist monsters using children as human shields.”
The United Nations Independent Commission of Inquiry on the 2014 Gaza Conflict concluded that Israel, not Hamas, used human shields, while the UN Fact Finding Mission on the Gaza conflict described
Protective Edge as “a deliberately disproportionate attack designed to
punish, humiliate and terrorize a civilian population.” But to Ted Cruz
and his base, the massacre is only significant insofar as it presents
yet another opportunity to suck up to the Israel lobby.
Protective Edge as “a deliberately disproportionate attack designed to
punish, humiliate and terrorize a civilian population.” But to Ted Cruz
and his base, the massacre is only significant insofar as it presents
yet another opportunity to suck up to the Israel lobby.
Freedom Beats Tyranny
On
Tuesday the conference concluded with a Skyped-in Netanyahu address and
a fire-and-brimstone speech by Bob Menendez, the ethically challenged
New Jersey senator who is the fourth highest recipient of donations from pro-Israel interests in Congress. Netanyahu couldn’t appear in person because he had awkwardly backed out of a visit to DC, almost certainly to avoid another acrimonious meeting with Obama.
Tuesday the conference concluded with a Skyped-in Netanyahu address and
a fire-and-brimstone speech by Bob Menendez, the ethically challenged
New Jersey senator who is the fourth highest recipient of donations from pro-Israel interests in Congress. Netanyahu couldn’t appear in person because he had awkwardly backed out of a visit to DC, almost certainly to avoid another acrimonious meeting with Obama.
“I’m
confident that over time, the trend of embracing Israel will overcome
the trend of maligning Israel,” Bibi proclaimed, “because ultimately,
freedom beats tyranny.” I sidled up to a young man standing alone and
asked him, “Are Palestinians under occupation free?” The man was caught
completely off guard, hesitating and stammering before finally blurting
out, “Ask your local AIPAC representative.” Watching hardline Zionists
squirm when asked to acknowledge the existence of the Palestinian
people, much less the occupation, is akin to watching a robot short
circuit after having a bucket of water dumped on its head.
confident that over time, the trend of embracing Israel will overcome
the trend of maligning Israel,” Bibi proclaimed, “because ultimately,
freedom beats tyranny.” I sidled up to a young man standing alone and
asked him, “Are Palestinians under occupation free?” The man was caught
completely off guard, hesitating and stammering before finally blurting
out, “Ask your local AIPAC representative.” Watching hardline Zionists
squirm when asked to acknowledge the existence of the Palestinian
people, much less the occupation, is akin to watching a robot short
circuit after having a bucket of water dumped on its head.
Menendez
adhered closely to the saber-rattling tone of the conference, warning
that, “Iran will never change. The devil you see now is the devil you’ve
always known.” In a not-so-subtle shot at Trump’s alleged neutrality,
Menendez boasted that “unlike some presidential candidates, I do not
believe the United States can be neutral if Israel is to survive.”
Menendez, along with fellow senators Mark Kirk and Chuck Schumer, gained
attention a few years back for introducing a strict sanctions bill
backed by AIPAC called the Nuclear Weapon Free Iran Act of 2013. Last
year, the Justice Department charged Menendez with 14 counts of corruption, including eight counts of bribery. During his trial, Menendez relied entirely on pro-Israel oligarchs to cover his legal defense.
adhered closely to the saber-rattling tone of the conference, warning
that, “Iran will never change. The devil you see now is the devil you’ve
always known.” In a not-so-subtle shot at Trump’s alleged neutrality,
Menendez boasted that “unlike some presidential candidates, I do not
believe the United States can be neutral if Israel is to survive.”
Menendez, along with fellow senators Mark Kirk and Chuck Schumer, gained
attention a few years back for introducing a strict sanctions bill
backed by AIPAC called the Nuclear Weapon Free Iran Act of 2013. Last
year, the Justice Department charged Menendez with 14 counts of corruption, including eight counts of bribery. During his trial, Menendez relied entirely on pro-Israel oligarchs to cover his legal defense.
The
last person I spoke to before leaving the Convention Center was a
soft-spoken white-haired Californian named Walter who was standing
around with his wife as the crowds started to file out after the Tuesday
morning session. Playing up the danger of Iran, he asked, “How would
you feel if you were to wake up tomorrow and find out there is no more
Israel?”
last person I spoke to before leaving the Convention Center was a
soft-spoken white-haired Californian named Walter who was standing
around with his wife as the crowds started to file out after the Tuesday
morning session. Playing up the danger of Iran, he asked, “How would
you feel if you were to wake up tomorrow and find out there is no more
Israel?”
“I don’t see it happening,” I responded, “I think Iran
knows if they attack Israel, the U.S. would obliterate them the next
day.”
Walter considered this for a moment. “I’m very cynical
about the loyalty the United States has with Israel, because I think a
lot of it is the way that organizations like AIPAC focus on it, right in
that one area.” Like most of the people I talked to, Walter shared
AIPAC’s single-minded focus and implacable paranoia. “They don’t get
involved with anything else. They’re lobbying Congress on behalf of
Israel and the bottom line is that if AIPAC wasn’t here, do you really
think that Congress would really give a damn? If something did happen to
Israel, everyone would go, Oh my God, what a terrible, horrible thing,
and then they’d move on.”
When I mentioned that Palestinians
living under occupation in the West Bank lack the right to vote, Walter
replied, “That’s where our son has a problem with Israel. He thinks they
should back off, but the West Bank is Samaria and that is the original
part of Israel. That’s where the Jews really came from.” His son “got
involved in BDS for a while and stuff like that…he can’t stand things
like the settlements because he thinks that’s so antagonistic it’s
unbelievable, and if they stopped doing the settlements it would go a
long way towards making peace.”
After listening to another
digression about the rightful Jewish claim to ancient Samaria and how
“it’s a pretty mixed bag of people living there,” I asked Walter and his
wife Judy about their lanyards, which were a different color than mine.
They explained that they were dues-paying members. I said that as a
broke millennial I could barely afford the ticket. Hearing the word
“millennial,” Walter struggled for the right words to describe my
generation. “One thing is certain” he began, “the future is in your
hands.” It was a trite but endearing sentiment and I smiled despite
myself, bidding Walter and Judy goodbye before leaving the conference
for good.
