https://arab.news/7j94t
As Australia’s pro-Palestine protests continue to grow and after the Australian government made the somewhat strange decision to cut ties with Iran over its alleged role in some obscure arson attacks on Jewish premises, I saw an interesting interview with , the country’s former foreign minister. In the video, Carr talks about the tight control the pro-Israel lobby has over political life in Australia and how this is a mere sample of the influence the lobby has in the US.
The pro-Israel lobby has created a system whereby all politicians are captive. Everyone must toe the line when it comes to the Palestine-Israel conflict and the Middle East more generally, otherwise the supporters of Israel will heavily fund someone to challenge them in the next electoral cycle. Therefore, even people who are not convinced by Israel must support it if their political existence is not to be endangered.
However, the political establishment, especially in the US, now has a chance to break free from this vicious influence, which often pushes politicians to vote against their national interest.
It is important to give a quick overview of how the lobby works. To start with, the pro-Israel lobby in the US, even though it serves Israel, is registered as a domestic lobby. Hence, it can fund election campaigns.
In addition to funding candidates, it has consistently worked on demonizing Arabs and Muslims and portraying them as terrorist. Hence, anyone who shows any sympathy toward Palestinians is immediately labeled as having sympathy with fundamentalism and as being soft on terrorism and national security.
The political establishment, especially in the US, now has a chance to break free from this vicious influence
Dr. Dania Koleilat Khatib
Meanwhile, anyone who dares to criticize Israel is immediately labeled as an antisemite. Supporters of Israel have set up organizations, such as the Anti-Defamation League, to observe the public discourse in the US. On the surface, this organization’s mission is to detect antisemitism, but in reality it works on stifling any criticism of Israel.
Another method that is highly suspected but not confirmed is the use of “kompromat,” compromising material or damaging information, to manipulate people in power and influence them. Several people, including conservative political commentator , have claimed that Jeffrey Epstein was a Mossad agent in charge of setting honey traps for the movers and shakers in the US.
However, public opinion is now changing. The Gaza war is changing how the world views Israel. So, as Gazans and the Palestinian people struggle for their freedom, they may end up freeing the world. The horrors committed by the Israeli killing machine can no longer be covered up. Global public opinion is becoming negative of Israel. An April poll by Pew showed that of adults in the US have an unfavorable opinion of Israel. As of July, only of Americans support Israel’s offensive in Gaza.
What does that mean in practice? It means that the pro-Israel lobby’s narrative is failing. People are no longer fooled by Israeli hasbara. People are starting to see the ugly truth. Social change is happening, so political change is likely to follow. The Israeli government is helping in this respect. The arrogance and blatant racism of this government can no longer be defended. Its members are clearly expressing their expansionist ambitions and are pointedly refusing a Palestinian state, while advocating for ethnic cleansing, which contravenes all Western principles and norms.
As the public increasingly questions Israeli propaganda, Israel has less ability to defeat those who criticize it
Dr. Dania Koleilat Khatib
Criticism is coming not only from the liberal left but also the conservative right. Those who believe in “America First” are speaking out against Israel and questioning its influence, which is weighing heavily on their country and pushing it into unnecessary conflicts in the Middle East. The likes of Carlson, Alex Jones, Marjorie Taylor Greene, Thomas Massie and Steve Bannon have all denounced the pro-Israel lobby’s influence over American policy.
As the public increasingly questions Israeli propaganda, Israel has less ability to defeat those who criticize it. In fact, for a politician to be pro-Israel and accept donations from the American Israel Public Affairs Committee or any similar organization is becoming a liability. For example, the staunchly pro-Israel Rep. was booed at a New York event last week. She hardly managed to say two words before having to hand the microphone back to the master of ceremonies. Supporters of Israel are increasingly being viewed as genocide enablers. Hence, politicians will start to think twice before accepting a dime from the pro-Israel lobby.
The barrier of fear has been broken. As politicians are no longer scared of being targeted by the pro-Israel lobby, more and more are daring to speak out. This will likely have a snowball effect. As the influence of the lobby diminishes, more anti-Israel figures will rise to prominence. For example, Zohran Mamdani, a 33-year-old rookie, in June beat seasoned pro-Israel candidate Andrew Cuomo in the Democratic primary for the mayorship of New York. And guess what, Mamdani is even doing well among . The shift in public opinion among Jewish Americans, who are supposedly the core base of the pro-Israel lobby, is very significant. The lobby is becoming hollow.
As the pro-Israel narrative is no longer sellable, the only pressure point the lobby seemingly has left is the kompromat. However, this is its last bullet. It can only be used once. Once it exposes someone, it can no longer blackmail them. , a former Israeli intelligence agent who also claimed Epstein was a Mossad agent, has said that Israel cannot hold the kompromat card for much longer.
As the American people see the horrors committed by Israel in Gaza, they also see the pro-Israel lobby’s control over their country, its foreign policy and their tax money. When they see this control, they want to break free. It is ironic, but Gaza may end up freeing the US from Israeli control.
- Dr. Dania Koleilat Khatib is a specialist in US-Arab relations with a focus on lobbying. She is co-founder of the Research Center for Cooperation and Peace Building, a Lebanese nongovernmental organization focused on Track II.