M.J. Rosenberg writes: The neoconservatives’ battle to sink the potential nomination of former Senator Chuck Hagel has again raised the issue of the power of the Israel lobby. And it should. Hagel, as a respected former senator would be sailing to an easy confirmation, if not for the power of the Israel lobby which considers him insufficiently loyal to the policies of the Israeli government.
The assault on Hagel is truly ugly and opposing a highly respected ex-senator and decorated war hero out of fear he won’t defer to Netanyahu is also stupid. Unlike John McCain whose war record is ambiguous, Hagel’s record was indisputably heroic. He and his brother Tom served side by side in Vietnam as infantry squad leaders and earned military decorations and honors, including two Purple Hearts. To put it bluntly, how does it look to be opposing this American war hero for being insufficiently devoted to a foreign country?
The most maddening thing is that the lobby does not speak for most Jews, not even close. The best proof of that was this year’s election results in which 70% of Jews voted for President Obama although Netanyahu and his cutouts here made clear that they preferred Romney. And, as the definitive American Jewish Committee survey demonstrated, not even the Jewish Republican vote had much, if anything, to do with Israel. Only 5% of Jews consider Israel their most important issue. Republican Jews are Republican for the same reasons other Republicans are (the economy, and other domestic issues). Overwhelmingly, Jews choose domestic issues as most important to them. Additionally the Jews who do care about Israel (a strong majority at least) support neither Netanyahu nor the occupation. The last Israeli prime minister they admired was Yitzhak Rabin.
So who and what is the lobby?
The first thing to know about it is that it is about delivering money not votes. It is irrelevant that most Jews are liberals and not Netanyahu devotees. The people with the money (i.e., the lobby) are right-wing on Israel. And it is those people (think Democrat Haim Saban and Republican Sheldon Adelson and the like) who have the clout. Not the dentist or lawyer down the street or the local Hadassah chapter.
I worked on Capitol Hill for 20 years, for five Members of Congress, and had hundreds of dealings with the lobby. Despite claims that the lobby includes Christians, that is simply not true — at least not in terms of influencing U.S. policies.
First, so-called “Christian Zionists” do not give heavily to campaigns so their support for Likud policies is both amorphous and insignificant. Second, “Christian Zionists” are Republicans who will never support the party of GLBT rights, choice, regulations and higher taxes. Unlike the AIPAC-directed donors, they are not in play. They are just Republicans. (Even when “Christian Zionists” do contribute to campaigns, their issues are the social issues like blocking marriage equality, not supporting Israel).
Bottom line: the Israel Lobby is the Jewish Lobby. One would be hard-pressed to find a single legislator who kisses up to Netanyahu and AIPAC to please Christians. Not a single constituent organization that composes the lobby is anything but Jewish, starting with AIPAC. The others all have the word “Jewish” in their names. Who are they kidding? [Continue reading…]
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/trita-parsi/chuck-hagel-defense-secretary_b_2371332.html
US Jews really don’t support Israel blindly…they really don’t. Sometimes Israel is used as a cover by some Jews. Adelson, for example, intervened in US politics with $millions and then on a YouTube that went viral said he was ashamed of being American and in heart is an Israeli. So, is he proof of a Zionist conspiracy made obvious through chutzpah, or was he trying to hide that he’s a Chinese Manchurian Candidate intervening in Republican politics on behalf of China; he’s total financially dependent on CHINA, NOT ISRAEL? We’ll never know because SupremeCourt made possible campaign funding totally SECRET. Similarly, the “JEWISH(sic)” attack on Hegel is not real, it’s simply proof that Israel’s radical Zionist faction is trying to impose its will by raising a fake issue: calling Hegel an “antiSemite,” a term used, according tby their rules, against anyone who does not bow to radical Zionist Imperialism and racism. In fact MOST AMERICAN JEWS ARE
AMERICA-FIRSTERS and probably think Hegel an ideal SecDef, being first in a long time to shed his blood
for his country as a combat volunteer. OUR Jews have a principle– “ABOVE ALL DO NO HARM” when it comes to Israel– so they, unlike for-rent neocons hired by radical Zionist after ColdWar ended, tend to be a silent Jewish majority. The radical Zionists have a real problem: with more Israeli Sabras leaving for the West than Disporics moving to Israel they can’t expand. So want to feed Western anti-Semitism so Diaspora Jews stampede to Israel in fear, their wealth, easily looted by these radicals once there.
It is said that if you put SIX Jews in a room you get endless debate over SEVEN opinions. So there can be no “Jewish Conspiracy.” But that doesn’t stop the radical Zionists from painting ALL Jews as their stooges. Neocons tried to incriminate all US Jews by calling on them to demand release of spy-for-cash Pollard on grounds that spying for Israel is not spying. The deafening silence spoke for itself. Don’t ever lump all Jews into a conspiracy as six arguing over seven opinions doesn’t make for foreign conspirators!