The Zionist Movement in the United States (9/10)
Mechanisms of influence on members of
Congress.
As
for its mechanisms of operation within Congress, AIPAC provides each member of
Congress with a report on how to vote in favor of Israel and supplies them with
data and documents related to issues presented before Congress that concern
Israel and support its perspective. It reinforces this through phone calls,
personal visits, and cultivating relationships with congressional aides, who
play an important behind-the-scenes role in shaping certain policies,
presenting specific positions, and making contacts on behalf of their
representatives. AIPAC also focuses on members who belong to key committees on
foreign or political aid, as well as other influential members. It maintains a
list of senators and representatives committed to voting in accordance with the
instructions of the Zionist lobby, who receive immediate praise in the lobby’s
publications, are honored at conferences and dinners, and are featured in
positive reports to their constituents in their states. The committee also
indirectly contributes to financing their election campaigns through pro-Israel
political action committees. These committees emerged as a significant
political force in the United States following the reforms of the Federal
Election Law in 1974 and 1976, which set the limit of individual donations to
political candidates at one thousand dollars. Groups of individuals can form a
political action committee with the right to donate five thousand dollars to
each candidate in a single election.
Pressure on anti-Israel legislators
Accordingly, many AIPAC staff members
and their supporters began establishing a large number of political action
committees, most of which were formed in 1980. Estimates of the number of
pro-Israel committees range between 33 and 54, the most prominent being the
National Political Action Committee. These committees carry no indication
whatsoever of Israel, the Middle East, or foreign policy. In fact, this
reflects the Jewish community leaders’ concern to avoid any hints of 'Jewish
money' or accusations of buying politicians (these committees spent about $4.25
million during the 1984 congressional elections on candidates). Through these
committees, AIPAC also pressures members of Congress who do not support Israel
or who sympathize with Arab causes, working to undermine their chances in
elections. Indeed, AIPAC succeeded in unseating some members of Congress, such
as Charles Percy, who opposed the sale of aircraft to Israel in 1982, and Paul
Findley, who met with Yasser Arafat and adopted a sympathetic stance toward the Palestinian cause, among others.
In addition, AIPAC provides other
forms of assistance to members of Congress (such as drafting official
speeches), and it also conducts research for them. The committee’s periodical, Near
East Report, is considered one of the most influential publications among
members of Congress regarding Middle East affairs
Tensions and conflicts between AIPAC and
other organizations
AIPAC informs members of the active
political sector within the Jewish community about the issues presented before
Congress, so that each of them can write to the relevant member and contribute
to his or her election campaign if they demonstrate pro-Israel behavior. AIPAC
coordinates lobbying campaigns with the American Jewish Committee, the
Anti-Defamation League, and the American Jewish Congress, in addition to the
Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations. However, there
appears to be a degree of tension, disagreements, and competition between the
first three organizations on the one hand, and AIPAC on the other, regarding
the definition of tasks and the shaping of policies. These organizations
accused AIPAC, in a letter published in the New York Times, of adopting
positions inconsistent with the consensus of the organized Jewish community and
demanded that AIPAC consult with them before announcing its stances on public
issues. It was also rumored that the three organizations were moving toward
forming another lobbying group (though this was denied). AIPAC has likewise
been attacked in some American media outlets due to its growing political
influence, both in U.S. legislative elections and in relation to American
foreign policy toward the Middle East. This criticism led to the resignation of
AIPAC’s legislative director as well as the entire editorial board of Near
East Report, and it may also result in curbing its influence in the future.
AIPAC’s annual conferences
AIPAC holds annual conferences that
bring together active members, community leaders, representatives of targeted
groups, dozens of politicians, and prominent Israeli and American figures.
Through these conferences, it presents its political positions and current
priorities for action. AIPAC communicates its program to both the legislative
and executive branches of the U.S. government, as well as to the national
political conventions of the Republican and Democratic parties, which are held
before the U.S. presidential elections every four years. AIPAC is careful to
maintain a neutral stance toward both parties in order to secure the support of
either one.
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Source: Encyclopedia of the Jews, Judaism, and Zionism
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