AMMAN — In 2019, a report by The Guardian found that
pro-Israel lobbyists and donors spent more than $22m on lobbying and campaign
contributions during the 2018 election
اضافة اعلان
Israel-aligned groups and donors, including the American
Israeli Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), have invested hundreds of millions in
US politics. The non-profit Center for Responsive Politics (CRP) found that
pro-Israel lobbying groups spent about $5 million in 2018, the highest since
1998. AIPAC, the largest spender, allocated $3.5 million for lobbying during
the 2018 election cycle.
Foreign agents registered under the Foreign Agents
Registration Act, aligned with pro-Israel interests, spent $46.3 million in
2017-2018, with $2.1 million for political activities. Pro-Israel groups
contributed nearly $15 million to US politicians in 2018, with J Street Pac
leading at $4.03 million. The pro-Israel lobby contributed to 269
representatives and 57 senators in 2018, favoring Democrats two-to-one.
Top 2018 recipients included Senators Bob Menendez, Ted
Cruz, Sherrod Brown, Tammy Baldwin, and candidate Beto O’Rourke. Democratic
leaders critical of Ilhan Omar, including Eliot Engel, received substantial
pro-Israel lobby contributions. Dark money makes tracking difficult, but
pro-Israel lobby spending surpasses non-Israel-aligned PACs. The pro-Israel
lobby spent less than other industries, with the securities lobby at $389
million and real estate at $186 million in the 2018 cycle.
Now, in 2023, as Israel’s war on Gaza rages on, and the 2024
US Presidential Elections are underway, the same question has been raised
again, who is benefitting from Israel’s support?
The US and Israel, close allies, including President Joe
Biden, who has been in support of Israel with the right to defend itself are
coming after fire by many Americans, who are denouncing the US in its support
of Israel and the thousands of Palestinian civilians who have been killed,
including the ongoing aggression by Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank.
According to a recent report and analysis by Mint Press
News, reporting from opensecrets.org, the
top currently serving politicians who have taken the most pro-Israel cash since
1990, include the following:
Joe Biden: Around $4 million
On November 3, the US House of Representatives approved a
nearly $14.5 billion military aid package for Israel, Euronews reported. Biden
has been not shy of showing his approval for Israel, and in a recent statement
on December 11, he once again stated some of the southern parts of the country
when, 35 years ago, I said, “You don’t have to be a Jew to be a Zionist, and
I’m a Zionist.” (Laughter and
applause.) And, by the way, you don’t
have to be a Jew to be a Zionist.”
Robert Menendez: Over $2 million
Since October 7, the New Jersey Senator has received $2.5
million in contributions, and has been drumming up support from Israel, he
said “The images are indelible —
Israelis slaughtered by marauding thugs. Concert Goers shot in the back in
broad daylight. People butchered. Women raped. Even infants murdered in cold
blood,” said Sen. Menendez from the Senate floor.
“The barbaric atrocities are an affront to humankind itself.
M. President, in the face of unspeakable evil, we must not mince words. We must
not waver in our resolve. Every single one of us in this chamber has a moral
responsibility to speak out — unequivocally and unapologetically — as we stand
shoulder-to-shoulder with Israel and her people.”
He also sponsored a Senate resolution titled “Standing with
Israel against terrorism,” by a 97-0) vote on October 19.
Mitch McConnell: $1.9
million
The Senate Minority Leader has been deemed one of the most
powerful politicians in the US, and according to Jewish News Syndicate (JNS) in
2019, he came down on democrats for holding anti-boycott divest sanction (BDS)
views.
He said “Our legislation would help American communities
boycott the BDS boycotters,” he said. “The outcry from the anti-Israel crowd
has paralyzed the House and scared them away from even considering our
legislation.”
Chuck Schumer: $1.7 million
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer has taken over $1.7
million from Israel lobbying groups. Since October 7, he has made his view in
support of Israel even more clear, and on November 26, CNN reported that
Schumer is set to bring a national security package to the floor that ties
together Israel and Ukraine funding.
He has also been very vocal, warning Democrats that they are
unknowingly aiding and abetting antisemitism in the name of social justice, and
fueling a dangerous rise in bigotry against Jews. On the Senate floor three
weeks ago, he called this rise in antisemitism a “five-alarm fire.”
Steny Hoyer: $1.6 million
Serving as a former House Majority Leader, he has been
called one of Israel’s most vocal supporters in the House of Representatives
and calls himself a Zionist.
On his website, in a bold press release, he stated “We are
with Israel today, tomorrow, and always.”
Ted Cruz: Over $1.3 million
On October 18, Senator Ted Cruz addressed Israel’s war on
Gaza “Calling for the U.S. to provide Israel with full military and diplomatic
support in their campaign to eradicate Hamas, for as long as it takes.” He
continued by saying “In the face of this evil, Israel must and Israel will
defend herself.”
And even in a newer interview with Ryan Grim, he said that
he condemns nothing that Israel is doing, even with the thousands of civilian
casualties.
Grim, in his debate with Cruz, emphasized that Congress over
Israel’s overwhelming response to October 7, would look much different today
had not a big-money operation, unprecedented in its scope and scale, launched —
purging the Democratic Party of some of its toughest critics of the Israeli
government and cowing others into silence.
That operation was organized by AIPAC and an allied super
PAC called Democratic Majority for Israel, which was founded by Mark
Mellman, a longtime adviser to a top Israeli government official, Yair
Lapid, who rose from foreign minister to prime minister, a position he held
only briefly before being knocked out by Benjamin Netanyahu.
Ron Wyden: Over $1.2 million
Senator Ron Wyden has been one of Israel’s longest advocates
and allies. He supported former President Donald Trump’s decision to move the
US Embassy to Jerusalem and has opposed BDS in all of its forms.
And in 2017, was one of the 43 senators who wanted to make
it a federal crime to boycott Israeli settlements. The proposed measure, called
the Israel Anti-Boycott Act (S. 72), was drafted with the assistance of AIPAC,
and co-sponsors included Schumer, and Cruz, just to name a few, NY Magazine
reported.
Josh Gottheimer: Over $1.1 million
Inducted into office in 2017, Gottheimer has reportedly
received more than $1.1 million from pro-Israel lobbying groups, according to
MPN.
He has co-sponsored a bill equating opposition to Israeli
government policy with anti-Semitism and introducing legislation to block and
criminalize boycotting the state of Israel.
Furthermore, on December 4, he called on Rutgers University
to protect students and remove anti-Israel speakers from a December 7 event,
which included a panel entitled, “Race, Liberation, and Palestine,” which was
to include Noura Eraka, Nick Estes, and Marc Lamont Hill.
In his statement, he added why these speakers should be
removed and sent a letter to the president of RU, citing that anti-semitism is
openly denouncing the right of Israel to exist.
And recently, on December 21, he went on an intelligence
trip to Israel where he met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and
added in his statement that “Hamas is using innocent Palestinians as human
shields,” a statement that has been denounced and misinformed, including
misinformation about Hamas committing sexual violence against men and women
hostages.
Shonte Brown: Over $1 million
In the 2021 election for Ohio’s 11th congressional district,
Shontel Brown, a candidate strongly supported by the pro-Israel lobby, secured
victory over Nina Turner, a democratic socialist and advocate for justice in
Palestine. Brown received substantial pro-Israel funding, surpassing all other
politicians nationwide during the two-year election cycle.
Over $1 million was spent on attack ads against Turner, who
faced a significant polling deficit. In her acceptance speech, Brown expressed
gratitude to the Jewish community for support and has since endorsed Israeli
actions in Gaza. Additionally, she rejects the characterization of Israel as an
apartheid state, asserting that such claims seek to delegitimize the country
and fuel antisemitism. Brown emphasizes advocating for a strong U.S.-Israel
relationship based on shared values.
She also cosponsored legislation including the Israel
Relations Normalization Act, which she added on her site aimed to strengthen
and expand the historic normalization agreements between Israel and its
neighbors.
According to a 2014 report by VOX, it unequivocally declared
in its opening sentence that the U.S. is widely acknowledged as Israel’s
closest ally. When questioned about the significance of lobbying, the report
emphasized the considerable influence of pro-Israel lobbying groups such as
AIPAC, underscoring that America's unwavering support for Israel is intricately
linked to lobbying efforts.
Read more Region and World
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Rep. Shontel Brown
