Kewlduderules

Warning: this material can be viewed as highly controversial and sensitive. It is not intended to be hateful, deceitful, creating any ill-will, or malicious. Such acts are deplorable and looked down upon. Moreover, such generalizations about specific populations is hazardous to your and everybody else's health.


World renowned and highly acclaimed award winning VPRO Backlight series has taken controversy to a new level. In their new documentary 'The Israel Lobby' touches on highly sensitive and deeply delicate areas of American politics, identity, and religion that are connected to Israel. Is it because of the Lobby? Or is it just the way of American life? Or to suggest otherwise, is it Anti-Semitism? Or is it a long over due debate in the United States




The Israel Lobby
English version
For many years now the American foreign policy has been characterized by the strong tie between the United States and Israel. Does the United States in fact keep Israel on its feet? And how long will it continue to do so?

Director: Marije Meerman
Research: William de Bruijn
Is one allowed to question that reality, or is the pro-Israel lobby so strong, financially and politically, that the relationship with Israel is taboo and therefore unmentionable? And what happens to those who dare expose the unmentionable?

In March 2006 the American political scientists John Mearsheimer (University of Chicago) and Steve Walt (Harvard) published the controversial article 'The Israel Lobby and US foreign policy'. In it they state that it is not, or no longer, expedient for the US to support and protect present-day Israel. Together with the power shifts in Congress and the increasing doubts about the current Middle-East policy, this could become the fuse in the powder keg. Backlight talks to the people concerned in this 'new realism' debate.

The documentary sheds light on both parties involved in the discussion: those who wish to maintain the strong tie between the US and Israel (Neocon Richard Perle, televangelist John Hagee, and lobby organization AIPAC), and those who were critical of it and not infrequently became 'victims' of the lobby. Member of Congress Earl Hilliard from Alabama advocated a rapprochement with the Arab world and was promptly ousted by a political adversary who had the support of Aipac money. Historian Tony Judt, who tried to maintain that Israel was becoming a belligerent and intolerant ethno-state, driven by religion, found a lecture cancelled at the last minute. And Human Rights Watch director Kenneth Roth was personally attacked after he had criticised the violence Israel had used in the mini-war against Lebanon last summer.

Finally the question arises to what extend the pro-Israel lobby ultimately determines the military and political importance of Israel itself. Colonel Lawrence Wilkerson (Colin Powell's ex chief-of-staff) explains how the lobby's influence affects the decision-making structure in the White House. The lobby, Congress, the White House and Israel itself seem to have ended up in a suffocating embrace: will it ever change and how could it?Tony Judt and Richard Perle conclude by raising the crucial matters: what is the alternative? And what other friends can Israel count on?



Tegenlicht -> Afleveringen -> The Israel Lobby

(to watch click on ‘Video’ that is on the right side of the screen then select your bandwith- defaults are set at broadband. Click on the ‘Opslaan’ button. Your media player appears with the video. To expand the size of the video screen, click on the small tiny box that is just to the bottom right of the video screen. It either reads ‘afspelen’ or ‘formaat’)


I watched the documentary and various others by VPRO, they are all good. This one though is quite powerful and scary if true. My question though is why did they not talk about the PNAC in this as well? Moreover, how is it we do not see this on TV? I had never heard of AIPAC only until recently.

vladward8

Hey...even here in our friendly local political bar I just got warned about being potentially anti-semitic

Troianii

Of course their lobby is strong. The Jews, as a people, have been the most successful on earth for centuries. That is one of the primary reasons why they were the main targets of the holocaust. Today in America, the Jews rank with the highest average IQ, the highest average income, and are very influential (a prominent Jew runs the banks - doesn't that sound stereotypical?).

But Israel only has one real ally in the world, and that is us. On all sides they have enemies, enemies who from day one of their existence attacked them because they could not stand the idea of a Jewish state. All around them nations cry out for the anihilation of all Jews. With us as their only ally, is it any wonder that their lobby is so strong? But it's a combination of Israel's current state of affairs and of the many Jewish Americans who have been major American supporters. Why, next to France, Jews gave the most money to us to fight Britain, if memory serves correct.

Kewlduderules

Gees, there is so much to say about the above post. For one, to generalize about all Jews is just too simple. Jews come from may different countries and backgrounds. And you have Ashkenazi Jews and Sefardic Jews. And to say they have higher IQ's has a bit of a favor of superiority which I think is definitely off mark. True, many are hard working and strive for achievement in academics, business, or government. But you can say this as well about many Asian cultures as well as Indian culture.

As for the Lobby, the problems is that the lobby promotes Israeli interests not American Jewish interests- fact, 75% of American Jews did not support the Iraq War and are in favor of peace with Palestinians even if it means giving up land. Moreover, 50% of Israelis support this as well. The problem is that the Israeli government which is highly influenced by the Lukud party has LOTS of connections to this lobby. This becomes more complicated because there is a lot of money here and what happens is that rich Americans, rich Jewish Americans, rich Israeli Americans, Israelis (far right mostly), they are all connected in this web due to money and their interests intermingling. Only until recently have you had a new voice come out against the lobby, George Soros, who is an American Jew. he has a strong voice in the anti-AIPAC movement.

As for financiers of the American revolution, that is a bit of a stretch. The main contributors of the revolution were in fact and indeed, the French. However, you had Haym Salomon, who was Jewish, who acted as a broker for Robert Morris between the French and other merchants to finance the Revolution. This does not mean he was the financier. Additional financiers came from The Gratz Family and The Seixas Family. But you had other families act as financiers who were NOT Jewish. They did contribute but were not the sole and majority of financiers.

Brother Oz

For centuries? In many countries they couldn't even work in government until the 19th century. Most were dirt poor, the only exceptions being the ones who worked in banking.

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Kewlduderules

Agreed!