Before Netanyahu Speaks, AIPAC Gives Thanks for An Aggressive Congress

[NeoConsSuck]

Source: Bloomberg

"Thank goodness for Congress!" said Howard Kohr, the CEO of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee.

Applause filled the Washington Convention Center, from thousands of people attending AIPAC's annual policy conference. In the Obama years, AIPAC's show of force in Washington often overlapped with a moment of tension or scandal in the relationship between the president and the Likud government of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. This year's conference coincides with Netanyahu's speech to a joint session of Congress, which originated in conversations with the Republican leadership—not, as is the norm, via conversations with the White House.

The controversy has gripped Washington for weeks, pointing unwelcome attention on Netanyahu's government, his country's March 17 election, and the increasing disquiet about Israel on the American left. AIPAC's opening plenary, always a dazzling show of video and music beamed around a cavernous convention space, dealt bluntly with the controversy while assuring supporters and members of the lobbying group that everything was going to work out. Screens playing the main events onstage were bracketed by rotating pictures of inspirational photos of Israel, and slogans like "This is Hope," "This is Resilience," and "This is Diversity."



Read more: http://www.bloomberg.com/politics/articles/2015-03-01/before-netanyahu-speaks-aipac-gives-thanks-for-an-aggressive-congress

[Scootaloo]

1. So a big ol' rave hosted by the nation's premier violent anti-Arab hate group

Were there glowsticks?

[bjobotts]

13. Short sighted cause backlash will result in Americans have reason to hate Jews

[leveymg]

2. AIPAC calls itself "diverse." Ecstatic audience self-applause.

[bjobotts]

14. Yes and these are war criminals who murder children.

[libdem4life]

3. It's a good read... read the last paragrahs...that's where the conclusion is. Not a slam dunk.

I almost didn't read it based on the title, but am glad I did. The jury, which is likely represented by the Democrats that don't go, is still out.

[BillZBubb]

4. Tranlation: Aggressive means compliant

They are happy a US congress does the bidding of a foreign government they favor.

"This is Power," "This is Intransigence", and "This is Apartheid". But don't tell anyone.

[Jefferson23]

5. American Israel Public Affairs Committee ( Source Watch and Open Secrets )

snip* AIPAC's lobbying

AIPAC directly lobbies the U.S. government on behalf of the Israel. The lobby, originally called the American Zionist Committee for Public Affairs, was founded in 1951 by I.L. (Sy) Kenen to appeal directly to Congress for legislation to provide aid to Israel to circumvent State Department opposition. It is a nonpartisan watchdog that seeks to deter anti-Israel policies from being adopted, but has not always been in agreement with the Israeli government. For example, the New York Times quoted AIPAC's Director Thomas Dine as saying that the Reagan peace plan had some good points after the Israeli government had rejected the plan.[citation needed]

Joel Beinin, a contributing editor of Middle East Report and a professor of Middle East history at Stanford University writes that AIPAC "became a significant force in shaping public opinion and US Middle East policy after the 1967 Arab-Israeli war. Its power was simultaneously enabled and enhanced by Israel's emergence as a regional surrogate for US military power in the Middle East in the terms outlined by the 1969 Nixon Doctrine".[9]

Its reputation for being a politically powerful lobby, Beinin argues, dates back to the 1970s and 1980s when it "was able to unseat representatives and senators who could not be counted on to support Israel without qualification, such as Sen. Charles Percy (R-IL), Rep. Paul Findley (R-OH) and Rep. Pete McCloskey (R-CA)".

"In 2002, the pro-Israel lobby successfully targeted African-American representatives Earl Hilliard (D-AL) and Cynthia McKinney (D-GA) for defeat in Democratic primaries. Hilliard and McKinney were both vulnerable for reasons unrelated to Israel. McKinney, for instance, was defeated in part because the open primary allowed Republicans angered over her comments about the September 11 attacks to cross over and vote against her in the Democratic primary. Nonetheless, their defeat enhanced the impression that the pro-Israel lobby wields great power in electoral politics," Beinin wrote.

One strategy adopted by AIPAC for building political support is by organizing tours to Israel. In August 2003, a AIPAC foreign policy associate in Jerusalem told CNSNews.com that in that month alone approximately 10% of the members of the U.S. House of Representatives had visited Israel on their tours.[11]

AIPAC is associated with the American Israel Education Foundation (AIEF), which sponsors fact-finding trips for many members of Congress.

http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=American_Israel_Public_Affairs_Committee

Interest in Israel: The Money in Politics On Gaza
by Masha Shapiro on August 4, 2014

As the fighting in Gaza escalated over the past few weeks, Congress said and did little, except consider a bi-partisan bill just before recess to replenish aid to Israel’s missile defense program. At a time when nearly everything is grounds for noisy partisan rancor, this unusual silence and cooperation indicates general accord on Capitol Hill over the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Public opinion tends to be in favor of Israel, but it is more divided than Congress. What could lead this divisive Congress to concur on such a publicly contentious issue?

The American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), an organization primarily interested in promoting a strong U.S.-Israeli relationship, spends millions of dollars each year lobbying Congress. AIPAC has invested $1.5 million on lobbying so far in 2014, $991,000 of that in the second quarter. In 2014 spending, it ranked 190th out of 9,600 lobby groups. AIPAC’s lobbying reached record heights in 2013 – almost $3 million dollars. Although none of the bills AIPAC has lobbied on directly relate to Palestine, many have to do with creating stronger ties to Israel. H.R. 938, United States-Israel Strategic Partnership Act of 2014, is one example of a bill lobbied by AIPAC and seven other lobby groups. It is sponsored by Rep. Ilean Ros-Lehtinen (R-Fla.) and co-sponsored by a combination of Democrats and Republicans. (AIPAC does not contribute directly to candidates, PACs or candidate committees.)

AIPAC isn’t the only lobbying group that invests heavily in promoting support for Israel, but most other organizations fall far behind in terms of spending. J Street has posted $200,000 in lobbying expenses so far this year, while the Zionist Organization of America has spent about $100,000. And although J Street has released statements expressing its moderate stance on the issue, the group is still largely a pro-Israel organization. J Street is also one of two organizations that lobbied on H.Res 365, “expressing the sense of the House of Representatives commending efforts by the United States to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict through a negotiated two-state solution.”

The JStreetPAC, J Street’s political action committee, has contributed $814,616 to candidates and parties so far in the 2014 cycle, with 97 percent of its contributions going to Democrats. Among pro-Israel groups, the second highest political contributor is NorPAC, a nonpartisan organization with the goal of fostering stronger relations between Israel and the United States. It has contributed $571,856, with about half going to members of each party.

http://www.opensecrets.org/news/2014/08/interest-in-israel-the-money-in-politics-on-gaza/

[dmosh42]

6. Aggressive also means working class Americans do the fighting and dying!

[Jefferson23]

7. Pro-Israel: Background ( Open Secrets )

Few lobbies dedicated to international issues are so active and well-financed as the Israel lobby. The question of Israel's future has the right mix to attract monied interests -- it's a highly fractious issue with high stakes and it plays a big role in domestic politics.

A powerful pro-Israel force has carved out an influential place in American campaigns in the form of super PAC megadonor Sheldon Adelson. Adelson doled out a whopping $92.8 million to Republican super PACs in 2012, making him the single highest contributor to outside groups that year.

A national network of political action committees supplies much of the pro-Israel money in American politics. Chief among these donors' goals: To support Israeli policy, especially towards its neighbors. That's the Israel lobby's legacy; the movement to institute a Jewish state began with the political influence of Zionists like Louis Brandeis.

The pro-Israel lobby also works to build stronger bilateral relations and to garner American military and economic support for Israel. The financial relationship between the United States and Israel has become increasingly integrated since the 1985 bilateral Free Trade Agreement, the first FTA ever signed by the United States.

AIPAC is the face of pro-Israel political influence, and it supports a two-state solution. Despite its name, it does not make campaign contributions. But pro-Israel entities spent $3.8 million on lobbying in 2013, and AIPAC accounted for roughtly $3 million of that figure.

Among the more sweeping bills that the pro-Israel lobby backed in 2013 was the United States-Israel Strategic Partnership Act. AIPAC was the signature supporter. The bill would have erased the process of getting an American visa for Israeli citizens. Conversely, the U.S. still has concerns about Israel's practice of scrutinizing Palestinian Americans more thoroughly before allowing them entry.

More money was contributed from pro-Israel groups to federal campaigns in the 2012 election cycle, $16.1 million, than in any prior year.

in full: http://www.opensecrets.org/industries/background.php?ind=Q05++

[msongs]

8. are they showing videos of Israel stealing Palestinian lands and bulldozing property? nt

[Jefferson23]

10. Only under the heading of LIES:

“Israel is an apartheid state.” For a second, I think I must have misheard. I’m at a gala in downtown Manhattan on February 3 held by the ultra-Zionist newspaper Algemeiner, and the opening speaker appears to be going off-script. “Israel targets civilians,” she continues. Is this an awkward attempt at reverse psychology? Did she feel a last-minute pang of sympathy for the Palestinians on her way here, tossing her prepared speech out of the Uber and starting anew? She rattles off a few more common criticisms of Israel, none of which any honest observer would dispute, before pulling a quick rhetorical 180 that by now the audience is prepared for: “These are some of the lies you hear in the mainstream media.” It’s going to be a long evening.

The gala is meant to honor the “Jewish 100,” a list of the “top 100 people positively influencing Jewish Life.” The list of honorees, many of whom are not Jewish, includes Indian Prime Minister Narenda Modi, One Direction member Harry Styles, and the Pope. Algemeiner is not exactly a household name, but it has managed to carve out a niche for itself publishing online articles filled with a particularly rabid brand of hasbara. “Why do 80% of Palestinians Support Murder?” one piece asks. Another approvingly quotes an Israeli think-tank’s claim that “almost 50% of those killed in Gaza” during Operation Protective Edge were “terrorist operatives” (according to the Gaza Health Ministry, 70% were civilians, while a recent AP investigation concluded that only 11% were militants). The publication’s tone should be familiar to anyone who has waded into the morass of right-wing Zionist propaganda: fear masquerading as strength.

The night’s MC is Fox News’ Heather Nauert, who peppers her speech with country club flourishes – “isn’t that something?” – as she touts the accomplishments of Great (not necessarily Jewish) Jews. In fact, the distinction between Jewish and gentile has been all but obliterated. The meal may be kosher, but the message is inclusionary: “You can be of any race, nationality, or religion – we don’t care. As long as you support Israel, Jews will consider you an honorary member of the tribe.” Of course, by Jews they mean Zionists. More specifically, they mean the people who work at Algemeiner.

- See more at: http://mondoweiss.net/2015/02/warriors-ultimate-gather#sthash.iytKlnJq.dpuf

[freshwest]

9. So an aggressive Congress that would hurt Amercicans is a good thing? Their focus is narrow, but the

114th Congress is the worst since the Civil War.

No, wait...

They are much worse!

[kelliekat44]

11. Aggressive meaning " treasonous" Congress. nt

[kelliekat44]

12. Cardin: Sorry i voted for him.

"Cardin won more applause by telling the AIPAC crowd about legislation "coming this week" to use trade negotiations to penalize countries that boycotted, divested from or sanctioned Israel. Graham, newly empowered as a member of the Senate majority, one-upped Cardin again."

Undoing our own democracy in favor of supporting an apartheid regime in Israel.