Without the Israeli lobby, would US congressmen support the atrocities in Gaza?
The Guardian: "Israel lobby paid pro-Israel members of US Congress!"
The Guardian has revealed that some members of the US Congress, who support Israel in its attacks on Gaza, have received donations from Israeli lobbies.
The Guardian examined media statements, X (formerly Twitter) accounts and letters written to US President Joe Biden between October 7 and mid-November 2023 by members of the US Congress in terms of support for Israel.
According to the analysis, major donors mainly want the US to continue military aid to Tel Aviv and support Israel's attacks on Gaza.
Some campaign finance experts who have examined the data also say the donations have led to an increase in Congress' "broad support" for Israel.
About 82 percent of members of Congress became more strongly supportive of Israel between October 2023 and November 2023, while only 9 percent strongly supported Palestine.
According to the analysis, members of Congress classified as pro-Israel received an average of $125,000 in donations during the last election, while those who supported Palestine received an average of $18,000.
John Mearsheimer, a professor of political science at the University of Chicago and one of the authors of the book "The Israel Lobby", said in a statement about the analysis that the donations received had a "profound impact" on US policy towards Israel.
"The response of the US Congress to the war in Gaza would have been very different if it hadn't been for a lobby that could really influence members of Congress," Mearsheimer said.
The American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), the nation's most powerful "Jewish lobby," and another lobby group, the Democratic Majority for Israel, are among the campaign's leading funders.
According to the analysis, 93% of the members of Congress encouraged Washington to provide military or financial aid to Israel, and 81% supported Israel's attacks on Gaza. While 17 percent of Congress members criticized Israel and called for a cease-fire, 17 percent argued that the events of October 7 occurred because of Israel's years of siege and occupation of Gaza.
Congress has more sympathy for Israeli civilian casualties than Palestinians
Congress is more sympathetic to Israeli civilian casualties than to the Palestinians, the report said, but party politics, not money, drive congressional statements about civilian casualties.
Stephen Walt, a professor of international relations at Harvard University, noted that the analysis of philanthropy helps to explain the reason for Israel's attacks on Gaza. emphasizes that.
Professor Walt noted that the idea that the United States would support UN Security Council resolutions, introduce sanctions against Israel or cut off military aid is "absolutely delusional."
Congressmen John Fetterman, Maxwell Frost, and Raphael Warnock, who were "pro-Palestinian for election," appeared to support Israel after receiving donations from the aforementioned lobbies.
The analysis showed that, unlike the US public, where an overwhelming majority of members of Congress support Israel, only 17% of members of Congress criticize Israel and call for a ceasefire.
The report said a pro-Israel donor offered $20 million to an alternative candidate to challenge Rashida Tlaib, a Democrat of Palestinian origin, in the next election.
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The Israeli lobby succeeded in the dismissal of Antoinette Lattouf, a journalist for the Australian ABC TV channel, who prepared a report on Gaza.
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Israel's Haaretz newspaper reported that Meir Baruchin, who taught history at the Yitzhak Shamir High School in Petach Tikva, east of Tel Aviv, was under pressure from his students and the country's government because of his condemnation of Israel's actions in Gaza and the West Bank on social media. He was first fired and then sentenced to 15 days of house arrest. His students insulted him and wished him to get cancer.
