History of “Israel Lobby” Controversy Has “Proven Us Right,” Says Stephen Walt

Ten years ago Stephen Walt and John Mearsheimer published a controversial article and subsequent book concerning the impact of the “Israel lobby.” Writing in The Forward (Oct. 2, 2017), Walt, Professor of International Affairs at Harvard’s Kennedy School, notes that, “We argued that decades of unconditional support for Israel — the so-called ‘special relationship’ — is not explained by U.S. strategic interests or by shared values, as is often claimed, but is due primarily to the political efforts and activities of the lobby. The result, we argued, does more harm than good, to both the U.S. and Israel.”

In Walt’s view, “For the U.S., the ‘special relationship’ undermines America’s standing in the Arab and Islamic worlds … and contributes significantly both to America’s terrorism problem and to needless and costly debacles like the 2003 invasion of Iraq. For Israel, unquestioning U.S. support for almost all its actions has allowed the decades-long subjugation of the Palestinians to continue unchecked, undermining the Israeli- Palestinian peace process and threatening Israel’s future as a democratic and/or Jewish state.”

The article and the book predicted that it would face much criticism, which, Walt reports, included “more than a few accusations that we are anti-Israel or anti-Semitic. Nothing could be further from the truth.”

The past decade, Walt argues, “provide ample evidence that our core argument is still correct. Nevertheless, shifts inside the pro-Israel community and in Israel itself may yet lead to positive shifts in U.S. Middle East policy and to a healthier relationship between the two countries … The clearest illustration of the lobby’s enduring power … is the Obama administration’s failure to make any progress in settling the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. President Obama and Secretary of State Kerry were strong supporters of Israel and both believe a two-state solution is, as Obama put it, ‘in Israel’s interest, Palestinians’ interest, America’s interest and the world’s interest.’ But even with backing from pro-Israel, pro-peace organizations such as J Street, their efforts to achieve ‘two states for two peoples’ were rebuffed by Israel, working hand in hand with AIPAC and other hard-line groups. So, instead of seriously pursuing peace, Israel expanded its settlements … making it more difficult than ever to create a viable Palestinian state.”

The two-state solution, which the U.S. has long sought and Prime Minister Netanyahu has long opposed, is, Walt believes, “now farther away than ever.” Still, he points out, “Despite the lobby’s continuing influence … there is a more open discussion of Israel-related issues today than there was before we wrote the book … The ability to speak more openly about Israel is likely to diminish the lobby’s impact on U.S. foreign policy in the future … Despite joining forces with Netanyahu to oppose the Iran deal, AIPAC was unable to convince Congress to reject the agreement … Furthermore, the taboo of publicly criticizing Israel … has been broken. In recent years, writers such as Peter Beinart, John Judis, Dan Fleshier and others have written important works examining the role of pro-Israel groups in American politics and criticizing their impact on U.S. foreign policy. Prominent journalists such as Thomas Friedman, Andrew Sullivan and Roger Cohen have penned their own criticisms of Israel’s policies and the lobby’s activities.”

Walt also points to “a growing divide within the American Jewish community. The creation of the pro-peace lobby J Street and the rapid growth of progressive groups like Jewish Voice for Peace and the success of controversial online journals critical of Zionism, such as Mondoweiss, show that attitudes about Israel are more complicated than in the past. Reflexive support for whatever Israel does is no longer the default condition for many American Jews. The vast majority of American Jews remain deeply committed to liberal values, while Israel has been moving away from them for many years now.”

The future, Walt concludes, may be conducive to positive change: “… the fissures within the lobby and in the American Jewish community more broadly, are likely to widen. If the balance of power in that community shifts in favor of more moderate and pro-peace groups, then there may be a glimmer of hope … Political pressure from a powerful pro-Israel and pro-peace lobby … is probably the only development that would convince U.S. leaders to act as fair-minded mediators and persuade the Israeli government to grant the Palestinians a viable state of their own.”

Discussing AIPAC’s many varied activities, The Forward (Oct. 24, 2017) carried an article with the headline, “Did AIPAC Secretly Write Your Rabbi’s Sermon?”

It notes that, “Each week AIPAC sends out two prewritten sermons to rabbis across the U.S. pushing AIPAC’s legislative agenda. Each week AIPAC reminds rabbis that they shouldn’t tell congregants where they get the pre-written texts.”

Rabbi Jill Jacobs, executive director of the rabbinical human rights group T’ruah , said: “You would think that if there’s an idea they would want to get in the world they would be proud of it."

One recent sermon, distributed Oct. 9, used the biblical story of Cain’s murder of Abel, related in that week’s Torah portion, to discuss an AIPAC- backed bill calling for increased sanctions on Hezbollah. An Aug. 14 sermon connected to Moses an argument for increased foreign aid to Israel. •