Far From Zion

AIPAC and whose best interests?

Okay, so I am not someone who believes, in the vein of Mearsheimer and Walt, that there is an ominous, unified Israel lobby bent on subverting US interests to the cause of Israel and manipulating the entire American political process to do so.  BUT, it seems, I could be wrong.

According to Douglas Bloomfield, who spent nine years as the legislative director and chief lobbyist for AIPAC, “AIPAC worked closely with congressional Republicans to undermine the Clinton administration’s Middle East policy,” including undermining the Oslo peace process.

WHAT? Why is this not a bigger revelation? It is buried in a March 5th column in the New Jersey Jewish News about the trial against two former AIPAC staffers. (Thanks to my usual hero, Gershom Gorenberg, for bringing this to light on his blog)

Now, I believe AIPAC is just one of many lobbying groups for one of many causes, and, though it is very effective, it does not speak for America’s Jews any more than the tobacco lobby speaks for every smoker in America, and it is no more a vast Zionist conspiracy than the Armenian lobby is part of a vast Armenian conspiracy, or the Save Darfur Coalition is part of a vast Save-Darfur Conspiracy. I also believe they are perfectly allowed to lobby for what they believe, as those of us more to their left are allowed to lobby for what we believe (that’s a link to J-Street, fyi). Dialogue among interest groups is how democracy works, after all.

Bloomfield’s assertion, however, suggests that AIPAC in the 90’s was right on a moral par with the tobacco industry suppressing health information about smoking. If this assertion is true, their efforts go far beyond their stated goal of strengthening US-Israel relations, but run to a complete disregard for life, for the human costs of war. It is morally revolting, and cruel to Palestinian civilians, and perhaps more hypcritcal for them, cruel to Israeli civilians and soldiers. If they undermined the Clinton administration’s Middle East policy deliberately and covertly, how can we believe that they have either the best interests of Israel or the US at heart.

Bloomfield’s accusations also indicate a close affiliation with one particular political party in Israel, and even more frightening, with one particular political party in the United States. If AIPAC undermined Clinton administration Middle East policy in favor of the right-wing in the US and Israel, that confirms some of the worst accusations against them. If they undermined the Oslo peace process and the hope of a viable two-state solution, that is simply immoral.

None of this has been proven, of course, and we must be wary, as any ill done by AIPAC, is too easily attributed as an ill done by “the Jews.” This is due in part to a world that often wants to believe the worst about us, but also due to the success AIPAC has had in claiming to speak for all Jewish people. I am, as it is clear, biased in favor of believing these troubling statements about AIPAC, especially given who is making them, but I’d love to be shown that they are untrue. We can only hope that the truth comes to light.

Tonight is the start of Purim, a night to celebrate Jewish survival and our salvation from destruction. Let’s hope we can be saved from all those who deceive, who work against peace, and all those, perhaps with good in their hearts, who simply know not what they do.