Israel lobby wields huge power in US

The American Israeli Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) concluded its annual meeting in Washington DC a few days ago. Now if you don’t know what’s the AIPAC, it’s considered to be one of the most powerful lobbies for the Jewish community in the US as well as for the Jewish state of Israel. The AIPAC has an annual budget of around $70mn.The AIPAC has a diverse body of members: some are Democrats, some Republicans and others independents. They don’t have to be Jews or even religious. In fact, the majority of its members are known to be Evangelicals; many of whom take the Bible literally and their support of Israel comes from a religious perspective rather than a political one. Many argue that some of these Evangelicals are more wedded to Israel’s cause than some Jews are. Many of the recommendations and laws being made in the US Congress make their presence first at the AIPAC, which shows how powerful it is, despite the fact the body meets only once a year. In his recent speech at the AIPAC, US President Barack Obama tried to be as diplomatic as possible when he talked about Iran and their nuclear programme. He urged Israel, which is beating the drums of war against Iran, to give diplomacy a chance. However, I bet Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was confused over Obama’s diplomacy callings. Will the US president be with Israel or against it when it launches a military attack against Iran? I don’t think Obama wants to be a man of war like George W Bush, nor does he want a shadow of war chasing him after he leaves office. At the same time, he wants to ensure that Israel’s interest and its supporters in the US are his priorities, therefore his words against a military action against Iran weren’t tough enough. Every time he talked about diplomacy, there wasn’t much applause at the AIPAC meeting. But that was not the case when he talked about the possibility of an attack on Iran.Additionally, through his speech, he was sending a message to his opponents, especially Republicans who are extremely pro-Israel.  In fact a Republican presidential nominee, Mitt Romney, said: “If Barack Obama gets re-elected, Iran will have a nuclear weapon.” Many would see this remark as a joke and an effort by Romney to gain votes in the heated US presidential election. Netanyahu is known for his charismatic personality, which makes everything he says believable, particularly if he’s talking in front of the AIPAC members who applauded him more than the US president, although I bet that many of them don’t know Hebrew or the true history of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. But when money and power come together, corruption becomes rife and rationality goes out the window.Many see the AIPAC as  an extreme, right-wing and Zionist organisation; in fact, they think that the committee is endangering the principles of peace, humanity and tolerance. But the lobby groups who are against the AIPAC can’t do much simply because they don’t have the power and money needed for that.Perhaps Netanyahu knows that he’s fooling himself and everyone else who is listening to him: at one time he says Israel is the only place in the Middle East where Christians are free to practice their faith, yet another comment by Bibi to gain the support and the sympathy of the audience who are predominantly Christians.  But he failed to mention that the Falasha Jews (from an Ethiopian descent) don’t get full rights or treated like the “white-European” Jews and they still face obstacles in the Israeli society. Another ironic statement Bibi made was on “peaceful coexistence”, but he doesn’t want to live with a nuclear Iran (If it is really so).  His ongoing threat to attack Iran makes us wonder whether Israel is really serious about the idea. And shouldn’t an attack plan like this be confidential? This reminds me of two incidents in Israel’s history when they attacked two locations as part of its defence policy. These happened without a public disclosure, first when Israel destroyed a nuclear reactor in Iraq in 1981 after unconfirmed reports that Saddam Hussain had plans to attack Israel.  The then Israeli prime minister Menachem Begin justified his attack by saying that Saddam would have destroyed Israel and created another “Holocaust”. Secondly, in 2007 Israel attacked an apparent nuclear reactor in Deir Alzor in Syria. This too happened without a public discussion. So what’s with all this talking Netanyahu is doing? I think he wants to create an atmosphere of fear among the international community while trying to deter Iran. If we assume that Israel would launch a military attack against Iran with American support, that won’t happen until 2013, which is after the presidential election in the US. But is the US really willing to help Israel with the possible attack, knowing well it could endanger themselves and their interests around the world? But taking into consideration the current US economic situation, are the American tax payers willing to fund another expensive war?So the US is facing no-win situation, either way. If it helps Israel, it would be hurt on a domestic and foreign affairs level and if the US refrained from aiding Israel, it will make the two countries’ relations at stake. In this context, Iran’s role is to co-operate with the IAEA and the international community to avoid a war in the region. But will the Iranians choose that path?