RUSSIA’S meddling in the 2016 US presidential elections is nothing compared to Israeli interference in US electoral politics. So says the American linguist, philosopher and historian Noam Chomsky who recently accused Israel of “brazenly” interfering in US politics in a way that vastly outweighs any efforts that may have been carried out by Russia.
As evidence, Chomsky cites the invitation extended by then Republican House Speaker John Boehner to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu who in March 2015 addressed the joint houses of Congress about the yet to be signed Iran nuclear deal. Boehner did so without formally informing the White House, something which is said to have infuriated Barack Obama, whose administration would the following month join a seven-party agreement to limit Iran’s nuclear weapons ambitions.
Netanyahu went to the US to tell the Congress to reject Obama’s nuclear deal. This was an unprecedented interference of a foreign leader in US policy-making, unique in the way a foreign leader so vehemently attacked the policy of a US administration. With more than 50 Democrats boycotting the speech, Netanyahu tried to leverage American partisan disagreement on Iran’s nuclear development, an issue which he had spent years in disagreement with Obama.
In the interview, Chomsky also made reference to US pressure groups and lobbyists who use their resources to fund election campaigns. The pro-Israel lobby in Washington works to steer US foreign policy in a pro-Israel direction. Organizations such as the powerful American-Israeli Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) directly lobby Congress, with the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations facilitating contact between the Jewish community and the executive branch of the US government. AIPAC’s annual convention is a frequent stopping-off point for politicians seeking election or reelection.
The super-rich club in the US makes up just one percent of the population. Many are Jews who, Chomsky notes, are the most privileged and influential part of that population. It is they who are listened to by politicians, not the voiceless masses. It might be technically legal for them to fund election campaigns but it speaks volumes about the system.
Netanyahu has often been accused of seeking to help Republican candidates. In the 2016 presidential campaign, he met Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump. Although most American Jews were solidly in Clinton’s camp, meeting with Netanyahu gave Trump a chance to highlight his pro-Israel positions and thus the opportunity to make inroads with an important part of the electorate. Trump promised to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel; Clinton promised to maintain the nuclear agreement with Iran. It was not difficult for Netanyahu to choose who he would like to become president, even if he never expressed it publicly.
Early this year, US government and intelligence officials expressed concerns that foreign governments, including Israel, were manipulating Trump’s senior adviser and son-in-law Jared Kushner. If reports are true that Kushner had contacts with foreign officials that he did not officially report, and that officials were concerned that Kushner was “naïve and being tricked” by certain governments, including Israel, then Kushner’s credibility is certainly being compromised. He is tasked with forging peace in the Middle East but because he is close to several Israeli politicians and is a family friend of Netanyahu, the chances of Kushner offering a just peace plan range from slim to none.
Whether enabled by the Jewish lobby or Netanyahu’s political preferences, Israel interferes in American politics all the time, yet there are never any investigations about that. It’s never a scandal. Neither AIPAC nor the prime minister ever gets called out for their politicization because Israel and the US are viewed to have completely congruent interests — when that’s not always true. If the US is truly concerned about foreign interference, it’s not all about Russia. Israel already influences more of American politics than Russia could ever hope to.
