AIPAC and its allies (including Christian Zionists) have no serious opponents in the lobbying world. They know it has become more difficult to make Israel’s case today, and they are responding by expanding their activities and staffs. Moreover, American politicians remain acutely sensitive to campaign contributions and other forms of political pressure and major media outlets are likely to remain sympathetic to Israel no matter what it does.
This situation is deeply worrisome, because the Lobbyʹs influence causes trouble on several fronts. It increases the terrorist danger that all states face—including Americaʹs European allies. By preventing U.S. leaders from pressuring Israel to make peace, the Lobby has also made it impossible to end the Israeli‐Palestinian conflict. This situation gives extremists a powerful recruiting tool, increases the pool of potential terrorists and sympathizers, and contributes to Islamic radicalism around the world.
Furthermore, the Lobby’s campaign for regime change in Iran and Syria could lead the United States to attack those countries, with potentially disastrous effects. We do not need another Iraq. At a minimum, the Lobby’s hostility toward these countries makes it especially difficult for Washington to enlist them against al Qaeda and the Iraqi insurgency, where their help is badly needed.
There is a moral dimension here as well. Thanks to the Lobby, the United States has become the de facto enabler of Israeli expansion in the occupied territories, making it complicit in the crimes perpetrated against the Palestinians. This situation undercuts Washington’s efforts to promote democracy abroad and makes it look hypocritical when it presses other states to respect human rights. U.S. efforts to ...
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... West Bank or its broader regional agenda. Open debate will expose the limits of the strategic and moral case for one‐sided U.S. support and could move the United States to a position more consistent with its own national interest, with the interests of the other states in the region, and with Israel’s long‐term interests as well.
To sum up: Jews wield immense power and influence in the United States. The “Jewish lobby” is a decisive factor in US support for Israel. Jewish-Zionist interests are not identical to American in¬terests. In fact, they often conflict. As long as the “very powerful” Jewish lobby remains entrenched, there will be no end to the Jewish-Zionist domination of the US polit¬ical system and the American media, the Zionist oppression of Palestinians, the Israeli threat to peace, and the bloody con¬flict between Jews and non-Jews in the Middle East.
“Palestinians do not control their own fate but instead live under the power of other states” (82, Yambert). The one state that directly controls the fate of Palestinians in the occupied territories is Israel and for the Palestinians who do not reside in Israel, other governments control them. The history of Palestine and how Israel came into existence is essential to understand in order to break down the present day conflict. The most dominant and important player in the Palestinian – Israeli conflict has been the United States of America, which has completely shaped the predicament in order to fulfill its interests. Before delving into the role of the United States, it is essential to go back in time and familiarize with the history of Palestine and Israel.
Late into the 19th century, Zionism (a biblical name for Jerusalem) started to rise when Theodor Herzl published an article that concluded Jewish assimilation and emancipation could not work in Europe. It was this that started plans for the creation of a Jewish statehood. During this time, the population of Jews were spread out across different countries, and in each of these countries, they had represented a minority. Throughout this period, they had longed for a state in which they called Eretz Israel, the land of Israel. Herzl’s proposed solution was for the revival of a Jewish homeland where they could set up a state belonging to themselves. Following his publishings, the First Zionist Congress was held in Switzerland. The program state that “The aim of Zionism is to create for the Jewish people a homeland in Palestine secure by public law”. Much of the Jewish community at this point held mixed views about this movement but it was this time period of the late 19th ce...
Yates, Joshua. “Haredim vs. Secular: Israel’s Internal Culture War and the Fight for Israeli Identity.” In Levitt Fellowship Research, edited by Shoshana Keller, 2-71. Clinton: Hamilton College, 2012.
The Israeli-Palestine conflict is an event that has been well documented throughout the course of Middle-Eastern history. The conflict dates back as far as the nineteenth century where Palestine and Zionist, will later be known as Israel, are two communities each with different ideologies had the same overwhelming desire to acquire land. However, what makes this clash what it is, is the fact that both of these up and coming communities are after the same piece of land. The lengths that both sides went to in order obtain they believed was theirs has shaped the current relationship between the two nations today.
The influence of political Zionism has declined considerably since formation of Israel that has become stronger day after day; nonetheless, the faction continues to thrive and support the Israel policies, aiding the Jews who were persecuted while encouraging Jews to resettle in Israel. Although, most political parties continue to associate themselves with the political Zionism ideology, the present political environment does not seem to be founded on the principles of political Zionism. Irrespective of that observation, political Zionism has succeeded in increasing the population of Jews living in Israel year after year. Through the efforts of the political Zionism, Israel has remained the only state founded by a population existing in Diaspora. This research paper focuses on the history of political Zionism, the reason why Theodor Herzl played a key role in the political ideology, and an evaluation on whether its goals have been achieved.
The Middle East has since time immemorial been on the global scope because of its explosive disposition. The Arab Israeli conflict has not been an exception as it has stood out to be one of the major endless conflicts not only in the region but also in the world. Its impact continues to be felt all over the world while a satisfying solution still remains intangible. A lot has also been said and written on the conflict, both factual and fallacious with some allegations being obviously evocative. All these allegations offer an array of disparate views on the conflict. This essay presents an overview of some of the major literature on the controversial conflict by offering precise and clear insights into the cause, nature, evolution and future of the Israel Arab conflict.
Proceeding from a simplistic perception of regional stability, Washington utilized the surrogate strategy to control the outcomes of regional interactions in the Middle East and chose Israel to play the role of regional surrogate. But Israel, in many cases, instead of maintaining regional stability on behalf of the US, served its own interests which were not always consistent with US interest in regional stability. The Israeli violations, however, were either condoned or even approved by the US administrations. These reactions comprised what this chapter addressed as a pro-Israel model of intervention.
Since the inception of an Israeli nation-state in 1948, violence and conflict has played a major role in Israel’s brief history. In the Sixty-One year’s Israel has been a recognized nation-state, they have fought in 6 interstate wars, 2 civil wars, and over 144 dyadic militarized interstate disputes (MIDs) with some display of military force against other states (Maoz 5). Israel has been involved in constant conflict throughout the past half century. Israel’s tension against other states within the Middle East has spurred vast economic, social, and political unity that has fostered a sense of nationalism and unity in Israel not seen in most other states. Over the next several pages I will try and dissect the reasons for why the nation state of Israel has been emerged in constant conflict and how this conflict has helped foster national unity and identity among the people of Israel.
A Political, Cultural, and Religious Description of the Current Atmosphere as Exists in Israel Israel, in the 1990's, is in a continual state of political, cultural and religious flux. Religion continues to play a central factor in the difficulties which the state has been and continues to experience. This unique country is characterized by an amalgam of cultural and ethnic diversity. This historical and cultural fact ensures that the difficulties the state has been experiencing in realizing self-adjustment will continue. At the same time, there exist mostly positive and persistent facets of the culture which continue unabated as will be discussed. Israel is characterized by many religious groups including Greek Orthodox, Muslim, Palestinians, Jews, Arabs and others. Similarly, the Labor Ruling Party is integrally linked to religious orientation and has been embroiled in domestic controversy and flagellation from many sides in recent years. OVERVIEW Statehood in Israel was attained some three thousand years ago, and has served as the home of the Jewish people who are credited with giving the world the Bible. As mentioned, however, this land is comprised of many different groups. The Jewish people constitute 81.8%, and Muslims represent 14.1%. The Christians comprise 2.4% and the Druze and others make up 1.4%. Some five million people from different ethnic, cultural and religious backgrounds live in Israel today. It is a country of immigration, and in the decades prior to the establishment of the state, the majority of newcomers came from Europe, joining Jews whose families had lived in the land for generations. Immediately following independe...
Bourke, Dale Hanson. The Israeli-Palestinian Conflict: Tough Questions, Direct Answers. Downers Grove, IL: Inter Varsity, 2013. N. pag. Print.
First, a summary of the conflict history between Israel and Palestine since 1947 will be given. Second, the views regarding conflict/peace negotiations of several theorists will be discussed. This analysis also includes an inquiry of the position of the US regarding the conflict. Finally, the foregoing will be summarised in the conclusion.
The international Zionist movement, birthed in the 19th century, served as a major catalyst for the Jewish state. Jews from around the world developed their longing for a revived homeland into political and social action. August 29, 1897 marked the First Zionist Congress, convened by Theodor Herzl in Basle.1 Out of this gathering arose a collective proclamation for the Jew's right to a national homeland. Recognized by the world in the early twentieth century with the British-issued Balfour declaration, the state of Israel was officially realized on May 14, 1948, at the signing of the Declaration of the Establishment of the State of Israel, which deemed “the State of Israel … open for Jewish immigrati...
By highlighting the presence of anti-Semitism around the world, the objective of this paper is to raise awareness regarding a form of discrimination that is generally ignored. Throughout this paper, there will be examples to support the idea that the Jewishness of Jews who do remarkable things is often erased; however, the Jewishness of Jews who do unacceptable things is emphasized. Subsequently, this paper aims to introduce and briefly discuss Jewish activists and politicians who have made profound contributions to society as well as their advancements in thought surrounding topics such as politics, interreligious dialogue, gender, and the
Fareed Zakaria discussed the issue about Jerusalem with guest speakers: Richard Haass, Hanan Ashrawi, and Dore Gold. President Trump caused a commotion when he publicly recognized Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. Richard Haass stated that while it is true, that Israel controls all of Jerusalem, it was was a mistake to publicize it. Both Israel and Palestine are trying to come to an agreement with how to divide the land in Jerusalem. By publicly choosing to side with Israel, America has failed to be an unbiased broker. Trump has added more tension and conflict between the two countries. In this situation, America should make a policy to decrease interference with other countries. If we are not improving the situation, we should pull out
...ctual demand of terrorism will consummate the underlying issue ("International Affairs"). Though the United States cannot currently “win the hearts and minds of the Middle East in the short run”, we can take immediate action that will contribute to the end of terrorism and stabilization of the Middle East.