thejewishweek.com
At a time when sequestration is about to take a big bite out of the Pentagon budget, the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) will be sending thousands of its citizen lobbyists to Capitol Hill next week to make sure Israel is exempted from any spending cuts.
This could prove a very risky strategy at a time when millions of Americans will be feeling the bite of the sequestration debacle, from the defense budget to the school lunch program.
But not aid to Israel, which will be untouched if AIPAC gets its way.
This resolution could easily backfire and damage Israel far more than any cuts in its very generous grant aid program.
With no agreement between the administration and Congressional Republicans by March 1, sequestration will kick in.
The 13,000 expected AIPAC activists will be telling Congress not to touch Israel’s $3-billion-plus annual security assistance and to vote for legislation declaring the Jewish state a “major strategic ally.”
That is a designation not enjoyed by any other nation, JTA pointed out, noting it may be a step toward the goal of some conservatives of divorcing assistance to Israel from all other foreign aid spending.
AIPAC’s annual policy conference begins Sunday and culminates Tuesday with personal visits by constituents to hundreds of members of the House and Senate.
They will also be urging Congress to enact more stringent sanctions on Iran and press the administration for tougher measures to thwart Tehran’s nuclear ambitions. Part of that effort will be lobbying for support for a non-binding resolution urging the president to back Israel “it it is compelled to act against the Iranian nuclear threat,” JTA reported.
Look for opposition in Congress from lawmakers who see this as virtually requiring the United States to surrender to Israel the decision on whether to go to war with Iran.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who will address the gathering by video link from Jerusalem where he is trying to cobble together a new government, has stressed that Iran poses the greatest existential threat to the Jewish state.
That message will be delivered in person by outgoing Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak.
Vice President Joe Biden will address the group and can be expected to stress the administration’s “rock solid” support for Israel and to reiterate its determination to prevent Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon.
As for the peace process with the Palestinians, never a popular topic for the group, JTA’s headline noted, “Palestinians aren’t even mentioned in agenda for confab.” Look for the usual lip service, but don’t look for any light between AIPAC and Netanyahu, as usual.
#1 by lolathecur on March 3, 2013 - 5:08 pm
Reblogged this on Lolathecur's Blog.
#2 by lolathecur on March 3, 2013 - 5:16 pm
The chutzpah of some individuals never ceases to amaze me. The lobby will get what they want as always while we go broke. I would like to believe that at this point washington would stand up for america but I know it will not happen. So sick of this shit. Think we need a solution to this (jewish)problem.
#3 by Richard Bertram on March 3, 2013 - 5:23 pm
Cut all aid to the biggest terrorists on earth!!
#4 by Blake on March 3, 2013 - 5:25 pm
Cut them off. Send a message they are on their own. They won’t last 5 minutes then.
#5 by Bob on March 3, 2013 - 6:21 pm
Hmmmm, the Jews are usually smarter than this. I would have expected them to accept the cuts associated with sequestration, and making sure that everyone was told about these cuts, to undermine the growing belief in Jewish supremacy in Washington. Then they could quietly get measures attached to unrelated legislation restoring their funding a few weeks down the road.
To engage in this kind of overt “lobbying” on this topic is politically foolish and to be blunt, unnecessary. Organized Jewry can quite easily get whatever they want from Congress without ever saying a word in public. They essentially own most of these congressmen. I’ve thought for some time now that these overt lobbying efforts were more to maintain the appearance that the Jews were simply “Lobbying” when they are effectively RULING in DC. Perhaps that is what is going on here, but in either case, it is politically foolish.
I’m not sure if this is just proof that even well organized smart people do stupid things, or if this is just more evidence of how arrogant organized Jewry has become. I will make the following prediction: “the flow of wealth from the USA to Israel will continue unabated and will not be affected by the sequestration or any other budget issues in Washington”. I know it doesn’t take a psychic to make that prediction, but its as close to a sure thing as I’ve seen lately.
#6 by Ba Aden on March 3, 2013 - 6:45 pm
Tell them to go to HELL and get all the help they want from there. Those Effendis must feel how it is to be a Palestinian other wise they will keep on killing innocent children and kids down there. They must get a clear message that the USA is out of its power to help them any more.
My message to the US citizens, Stand up for your rights and don’t let the Government play with the Tax payers money and give it to Israel. There are more poor people in the USA then in any other part of the world, and it is them that have the first right to get all the help before sending all that money to people who are killing the innocent population of a country that they have almost driven out of their homes because Israeli idea is the sweep all Arabs in the area for them selves. and nothing more than greediness from their side.
#7 by Joyce on March 3, 2013 - 8:30 pm
The expectation by AIPAC that they can send their army of thousands of well-heeled lobbyists to Capitol Hill on Tuesday and convince the American public that Israel should be innoculated from sequestration is delusional. That is not possible evin if they control all of the media.
The people would rise up and go to the streets if any such ridiculous legislation were enacted.
#8 by Matthew/Boston on March 3, 2013 - 11:35 pm
No disrespect intended, but Joyce needs schooling.
The subversive AIPAC, which acts as a Fifth Column in America, doesn’t have to convince the American public of anything; they only have to ensure that the cowardly house and senate vote how AIPAC wants them to vote. And the media has very little to do with it.
And the American people have taken to the street for very, very little the last few decades, and certainly will not take to the streets over aid to parasite Israel…unfortunately.
#9 by Grand Republic on March 3, 2013 - 11:58 pm
The press will try to suppress the demands and the conference.Years ago,I saw Katie Couric describe a speech by Cheney as;’An address by a powerful group’. Jews are far from brilliant.many have high IQs because the chief rabbi would marry his children off to the riches money changer.This makes them great with numbers but nothing artistic or original.they use the same formula.again and again.Control the media,help each other get money(no get out there and dig a ditch crap for them)and using cunning/deception/concentration.If the method of slander,set up,pressure,and control is revealed,it falls apart.See on YOU TUBE Adolf Hitler in a January 1940 address asking for PEACE negotiations with Britain/France about this.They are really stupid he says for overplaying.HITLER WARNS OF FREEMASONS AND JEWS YOU TUBE.
#10 by Steven on March 3, 2013 - 11:58 pm
Any country that owes as much money as America does has no business having a foriegn aid expenditure in its budget for any reason. Money for nations like Israel that commit acts of war, assasination, espionage and terrorism against America and its allies has to be cut off right now!
This is just one small step if taken in America’s pulling back from out right financial disaster.
It is time for the state to be made small and limited in its size and spending. Control the coinage , courts and militia and leave the rest to the people to deal with informally and at their own disgression.
#11 by Matthew/Boston on March 4, 2013 - 12:21 am
Joyce:
The subversive AIPAC, which acts as a Fifth Column in America, doesn’t have to convince the American public of anything; they only have to ensure that the cowardly house and senate vote how AIPAC wants them to vote. And the media has very little to do with it.
And the American people have taken to the street for very, very little the last few decades, and certainly will not take to the streets over aid to parasite Israel…unfortunately.
#12 by isaac on March 4, 2013 - 10:56 pm
Those idiots in Congress will not stand for the American People, they will follow the same bull shit ordered by their masters in Tel Aviv.