AIPAC’s Ugly Agenda

AIPAC’s Ugly Agenda

By Stephen Lendman
9-24-11

AIPAC is an unregistered foreign agent representing Israel. Edward Said once called it “the most powerful and feared lobby in Washington.”

Calling itself “America’s Pro-Israel Lobby,” it’s represented Israeli interests since founded in 1953. In 1963, it was incorporated as a division of the American Zionist Council (AZC), its precursor.

For decades, it’s been very successful subverting opposition to Israel’s agenda. Virtually no one in Congress confronts it. Doing so would be a career-ender.

Notably, it’s had virtual veto power over war and peace, trade and investment, multi-billion dollar arms sales, enormous handouts to Israel, and all Middle East policies affecting the Jewish state under Democrat and Republican administrations alike.

Deferentially, politicians, presidents, their hangers-on, media scoundrels and others pay it due homage and the government it represents. As a result, everyone pays dearly.

On September 15, AIPAC published an anti-Palestinian broadside headlined, “PA’s UN Statehood Bid Threatens Peace Efforts, Israel,” saying:

“The Palestinian effort to secure recognition of statehood at the United Nations is a direct challenge to US interests and could have severe implications for the peace process.”

Fact check

America represents Israeli interests. Israel wants Palestinians deprived of all rights under permanent occupation. There’s no legitimate peace process because Israel and Washington won’t tolerate it.

Yet AIPAC claims upgrading Palestine’s status “could have serious implications for” Israel.

Fact check

Indeed so. Independent Palestine could ratify and have access to international conventions. As a result, it could sue Israeli war criminals in the International Criminal Court. AIPAC calls it “politicizing the court.”

In addition, Israel’s occupation would be threatened though not easily ended. The fate of settlers would be up for grabs. Notably, half are fed up and want to leave but can’t for financial reasons.

Others would have a choice. Either become ex-pats in a foreign country under its laws, or leave. Moreover, settlement communities no longer could exclude non-Jews, besides other beneficial changes.

Israelis would have to learn to love or at least tolerate their new neighbors. Many, in fact, do now and would welcome them.

A century ago, Jews and Palestinians got along fine. Why not now. The problem isn’t Judaism and Islam. It’s repressive Israel and its Washington paymaster partner.

AIPAC rails against full Palestinian participation in UN agencies, including UNESCO, ECOSOC (Economic and Social Council), UNICEF (International Children’s Emergency Fund), and others.

“The Palestinians would use these committees to isolate and delegitimize Israel for ‘occupying’ a recognized state.”

Fact check

Israel illegally occupies Palestine. Moreover, Israel, not UN agencies, is very adept at isolating and delegitimizing itself. Balking at Palestinian statehood is its latest affront.

As a result and for other reasons, anti-Israeli sentiment is visceral in Cairo, Amman and elsewhere. Moreover, growing numbers of Jews are fed up and no longer support its repressive agenda with good reason.

Unilateral “Palestinian actions at the United Nations could increase the potential for violence by raising unrealistic expectations.”

Fact check

Israel alone threatens violence. Palestinians demand the same rightful “expectations” Israeli Jews enjoy – no less.

“Successful efforts by the Palestinians at the United Nations also would embolden Israel’s detractors and legitimize those who seek to isolate and question the legitimacy of the Jewish state. Boycotts of Israel could increase and be adopted more widely.”

Fact check

Anti-Israeli sentiment is fueled by its contempt for non-Jews, its repressive occupation, its aggressive wars, its territorial ambitions, its desire to be the region’s sole hegemon, and willingness to go to any extremes for it.

Israeli policies do more to “embolden” detractors than they alone or collectively could do on their own without ammunition Israel provides.

Abbas’ “statehood….plan….and refusal to talk to Israel are severely undermining US peace efforts.”

Fact check

It bears repeating. Neither Israel or Washington want peace. They need conflict to further their regional agenda and to claim Palestinians aren’t ready for independence.

How many more than 63 years of trying are enough to be ready for it. AIPAC didn’t say. Instead it claims Abbas won’t meet with Netanhayu.

In fact, they do often. Moreover, Abbas said resuming peace talks depends on Israel halting settlement expansions, stealing Palestinian land, and dispossessing lawful residents in the process.

In addition, all Palestinian leaders will negotiate with a legitimate peace partner on an equal status basis – not master/slave.

Israel was never willing and isn’t now – especially under a Netanyahu/Lieberman government, Israel’s most extremist ever.

AIPAC accuses Abbas of “setting unrealistic conditions” and failing to follow Oslo mandates. Seeking statehood also “serves to undermine Israel’s confidence in the PA as a legitimate partner for peace and could cause a breakdown in relations between the parties, making” future negotiation harder.

Fact check

AIPAC’s extremist, racist agenda comes out in comments like these.

You can’t make this stuff up. But there it is in direct quotes.

Only those ignorant of basic facts buy it. Others aware of what Palestinians endure condemn Israel and its supporters.

A previous article said Oslo promised final status talks in five years. It didn’t happen and won’t in 50 or 500 if left up to Israel. As a result, Palestinians and their supporters long ago lost confidence in Israel because of its contempt for doing the right thing.

AIPAC claims upgrading Palestine above its present status “may set back talks for years.” It will also make it harder for Israel “to enter talks when unacceptable results are the baseline.”

Fact check

The “baseline” is justice!

“The United States must continue to oppose Palestinian efforts at the United Nations and urge the Palestinians to return to the negotiation table.”

Fact check

That’s a direct order. Congress and Obama officials salute and obey, knowing what unacceptable alternative awaits objectors.

“The Palestinians should face consequences if they continue to defy the United States and press forward with their UN statehood bid.”

Fact check

AIPAC calls asking for legitimate rights “Palestinian incitement.”

No matter. If Palestinians pursue theirs, AIPAC wants them to “face consequences,” including all aid cut off, their PLO Washington office closed, and maybe perhaps Cast Lead II against all Palestine, claiming self-defense against dangerous Palestinians only wanting trouble.

In fact, AIPAC will say anything, fabricate any threat, pressure and lie to get what it wants at the expense of peace-loving people wanting and deserving the same rights as Jews.

That’s a real extremist agenda!

A Final Comment

On September 16, The New York Times published Anti-Defamation League (ADL) national director Abraham Foxman’s anti-Palestinian broadside headlined, “The UN Vote on a Palestinian State,” regurgitating a litany of racist lies about Palestine.

Calling its statehood pursuit a “mistake,” he accused it of “refus(ing) to negotiate with Israel….sign(ing) a coalition agreement with terrorist Hamas and now….bring(ing) this counterproductive initiative to the United Nations once again….rais(ing) serious questions about Palestinian intentions.”

As Foxman knows, they’re crystal clear. Palestinians want and deserve the same rights as Jews. He wants them denied.

So does Zionist Organization of America (ZOA) president Morton Klein in a disgraceful September 14 press release, thanking Obama for saying he’ll veto a Palestinian statehood bid in New York.

Calling it “wrong and strategically dangerous if (Abbas) obtain(s) statehood by circumventing negotiations and peace-making with Israel,” he concluded with hateful, reprehensible comments, saying:

“We dare not establish a racist, anti-Semitic terrorist beggar state that this would surely be. This is especially so at a time when the PA continues to engage in incitement to hatred and murder in its media, mosques, schools and youth camps and has signed a unity government agreement with the ‘kill the Jews’ Hamas terrorist organization.”

Established in 1897, ZOA is America’s oldest Zionist organization. Whatever its early agenda, it’s now an embarrassment and national disgrace, given hatemongers like Klein as leaders.

Hopefully growing numbers of Jews and others will repudiate his abhorrent ideology, opting instead for peace, reconciliation and justice for all.

Klein, Foxman, AIPAC officials, and others like them haven’t a clue what they mean.

Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago and can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.

Also visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com and listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network Thursdays at 10AM US Central time and Saturdays and Sundays at noon. All programs are archived for easy listening.

http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour/.

http://www.rense.com/general94/AIP.htm

FOR SALE!!

RTAmerica on 12 Aug 2011

Economic issues have been plaguing the US. Recently America’s S&P credit score was downgraded, the stock market has seen a significant drop and, while the US continues to struggle, Congress goes on an Israeli vacation. There are reports that 81 members of Congress are going to Israel and AIPAC is footing the bill. Estee Chandler, the organizer for the Jewish Voice for Peace’s LA chapter, joins us from Los Angeles for more.

Follow Lucy on Twitter: http://twitter.com/LucyKafanov

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StopNATOcrimes on 22 Sep 2011

While Palestinian leaders push to become a full member state, or at least a nonmember observing state at the United Nations, pro-Israel interest groups have been pushing to influence leaders in Washington to veto the statehood bid.
According to documents filed with the House Ethics Committee, 81 Congressional representatives traveled to Israel during August 2011, courtesy of the American Israel Education Foundation (AIEF), the charitable arm of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC).
Among the US representatives to travel to Israel were Congressman Tim Scott (R-SC) and his nephew, whose trip cost $21,000.
“I went to Israel 12 days ago, and I had the greatest spiritual and political revival I’ve had a very long time,” Scott told members of Seacoast Church in South Carolina. “I was sitting on the Sabbath at a dinner, listening to an observant orthodox Jew talk to me about the miracle of America. And he was asking me — or almost begging me — to make sure America stays strong.”
But Michael Cohen, a senior fellow at the American Security Project, said that such trips — while legal — distort politics.
“It gives a distorted view of what is going on in Israel and what is going on with the Palestinians, but it’s somewhat part for the course, unfortunately, in the way foreign policy runs in this country,” Cohen said.
Over 80 lawmakers — one-fifth of all of the House of Representatives — will be using their summer recess to spend some time in Israel thanks to an excursion being outlined by the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC). Self-described as “America’s leading pro-Israel lobby,” 55 Republicans and 26 Democrats will be flying overseas too see what all the hubbub is about.
At such perfect timing too, with absolutely nothing at all to worry about in America.
House Majority Leader Eric Cantor, Majority Whip Kevin McCarthy and Democratic Whip Steny Hoyer will be among the six dozen-plus lawmakers made the excursion this summer.
Aside from sponsoring the congressional journey to Israel through AIEF, AIPAC and other pro-Israel interest groups contribute the most of any lobby to federal candidates in the US — a total of $11.7 million in donations in 2010 alone.
“It is the responsibility of any pro-Israel activist to increase the number of individuals making their own direct financial contributions to the campaigns of pro-Israel members and candidates for Congress,” AIPAC president Lee Rosenberg said during AIPAC’s 2010 conference.
Author and researcher Rachel Tabachnick said that AIPAC is increasingly joined in its political donations and lobbying efforts by pro-Israel evangelical Christian groups, like Christians United for Israel (CUFI).
“Christian Zionist groups claim that when some events are taking place, they can get hundreds of thousands of emails to the White House and tens of thousands of emails and phone contacts to members of the House and the Senate. When Christians United for Israel holds their conference, they go and they personally lobby. When you take the combined forces of AIPAC and this Christian Zionist lobbying, it’s quite substantial,” Tabachnick said.
Influential conservative television host Glenn Beck brought hundreds of Christians to Israel for his rally. Beck was also one of the headline speakers at the 2011 CUFI conference in Washington DC.
“In Israel, there is more courage in one soldier than in the combined and cold hearts of every bureaucrat at the United Nations,” Beck said during his Israel rally.
The US House of Representatives voted 407 to 6 to cut all aid to the Palestinian Authority on July 8, 2011 should it seek statehood at the UN. The move was supported by Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL). Documents filed with the House Ethics Committee show that Ros-Lehtinen has traveled or sent her staff to Israel six times with lobbyists’ dollars.
“The Palestinian scheme is not the way to get peace with Israel. How will recognition of a Palestinian state bring Israel and the Palestinians closer to peace?” Ros-Lehtinen said during a press conference on September 13, 2011.
But Cohen said blocking Palestinian statehood is not a position that makes sense for the US.
“It’s not going to help our position in the Arab world, and we are basically supportive of Israel in a way that is destructive, maybe that’s a strong word, but certainly is not helpful to US security and US interests,” Cohen said.
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