How powerful is the Israeli lobby!

Since the early 20th century, ethnic minority interest groups have played a significant role in United States foreign policy. One faction that stands foremost in terms of influence is the pro-Israel pressure group. For decades, America's support for Israel has been a fixed truth, but rarely is the question asked: why does the world's most powerful nation prioritize Israel's interests to the extent that it must compromise its own American interests? Some believe that secret deals are made in dark rooms. However, a recently published book titled The Israel Lobby and U.S. Foreign Policy, written by distinguished scholars John Mearsheimer and Stephen Walt at the University of Chicago and Harvard University respectively, reveals that the truth is entirely the opposite. There is no conspiracy. The Israel lobby not only operates in broad daylight, but its operations are part of the fabric of modern democracies, all of this demonstrating just how powerful it is.

Both authors generally dismiss the moral and strategic arguments made on behalf of Israel. They believe that the alliance with Israel has proven very costly for the United States. Washington's close relationship with Israel and its willingness to subsidize it, regardless of its policies, has not made American citizens safer or wealthier; rather, it has done quite the opposite. Unconditional support for Israel has diminished America's relations with other countries and inspired an entire new generation of anti-American extremists. All of this harms American foreign policy and U.S. interests in the Arab world and largely across the Muslim world. The billions of taxpayers' dollars squandered in supporting the state of Israel are a separate subject altogether.

In reality, the Israel lobby exists as a loose coalition of organizations and individuals who dedicate their time and money to promoting Israel's interests. They employ a variety of tactics such as open letters, congressional resolutions, press releases, debates, and think tanks, organizing meetings among civil servants and members of Congress. The American Israel Public Affairs Committee and the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations serve as two of the most important organizations within the lobby. Their members sincerely believe that they are advancing American and Israeli interests, and the organizations have successfully convinced many Americans that American and Israeli interests are nearly identical. A small but passionate minority group can persuade policymakers to appease Israel's interests, because doing so causes no significant harm to constituents, but can make all the difference in close elections. Consequently, leaders tend to compete with their opponents to demonstrate that their pro-Israel credentials are stronger than those of their rivals. We witnessed this exact trend in the last presidential election when both Hillary and Trump vied with each other in pledging to visit Israel.

There is nothing illegal in these lobbying efforts; the tug-of-war of lobbying is the very essence of democratic politics, even when it is detrimental to the interests of the state. There are numerous other lobbying groups, ranging from ethnic diaspora organizations to energy firms and the weapons industry, all of which seek to dictate terms to the White House. But AIPAC, alongside the National Rifle Association and the American Association of Retired Persons, stands at the very top of the hierarchy in size and reach.

Both authors maintain that in the case of the Israel lobby, lobbying efforts do not always represent the will of the American people. Nor do they represent the broader community on whose behalf it claims to speak, given that most American Jews oppose armed conflict and generally support a two-state solution. The book is divided into two parts. The first part focuses on the domestic nature of the U.S.-Israel relationship and the establishment of the lobby. Here we learn how the lobby dominates public perception, and its influence over the highest spheres of governmental bodies is the subject of the second part of the book. Mearsheimer and Walt describe the Israel lobby in an almost omnipotent manner, such that United States policy in the Middle East is almost exclusively due to the activities of the Israel lobby.