The Tide Begins to Turn against the Israeli Lobby

The United States of America has been pursuing policies that are often dictated by various interest groups that have their own organs dedicated to insuring that these interests influence Congressional or Executive decisions on major issues of Government policy. It is part of the democratic process and in more ways than one it is a healthy sign of democracy at work. But as of late, this sort of phenomena has led to many leading American scholars, academicians, political thinkers, journalists and other elements of the society raising questions as to how much such influence should be allowed in conducting political affairs. Perhaps no such organ of influence peddling has aroused the attention of such skeptics as that of the Pro-Israel lobby. Indeed, no influence peddlers have enjoyed so much control of United States Government policy as the Israel lobby. To get a very good feel of this influence and the unfavorable consequences this has had on directing American policy one must read the recent study produced by John Mearsheimer and Stephen Walt called “The Israel Lobby”. This study is available in the internet in long form (issued by the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University (http://ksgnotes1.harvard.edu/Research/wpaper.nsf/rwp/RWP06-011/$File/rwp_06_011_walt.pdf) and an edited version issued by the London Review of Books (http://www.lrb.co.uk/v28/n06/mear01_.html). This observer must attest that no report or study has ever dealt with this issue in such detail and frankness and with strong authority as this study and it should be read by anyone who really wants to get an inside view of this powerful machinery of the International Zionist Establishment and the bearing it has had in wrongly directing American foreign policy. Note that the report has left no stone unturned in showing the moral as well as the tangible costs this has had on American foreign policy.The most convincing aspect of the study is that it wholly relies on the sayings, writings and doings of the elements that have come to shape this lobby and its supporters and therefore its contents can neither be disputed or questioned. Even those who have sought to play down the significance of the report or discredit it are unable to contest any of the topics covered or the contents. The study highlights the background of the Lobby and how it has developed into the overriding influence in the shaping of US foreign policy in the Middle East for the last sixty years. Reading the report clearly shows that the authors knew that they were touching upon a highly controversial issue, which was bound to raise a hell of a storm among the elements of the Lobby. Nevertheless as well known scholars in their field, they felt that it was about time someone did something that would increase the American public’s awareness of the impact that the Lobby has had in negatively influencing American foreign policy. The report starts off with noting the exorbitant cost that the overzealous support to Israel has been to the American taxpayer, which accumulated to US $ 140 billion over the years (without mentioning the other indirect costs like the War in Iraq – another product of the efforts of the Lobby and the incalculable cost of leaked intelligence and other by products of the work of the Israel lobby). In conclusion the report indicates the need to look seriously at the negative impact of submitting to the wishes of the Israeli lobby and the need to find ways to circumvent it. Otherwise, the United States is rapidly becoming a rouge state in itself!