Pro-Israel lobby influences US politics with substantial contributions

AIPAC
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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.


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