So pro-Israel that it hurts (Daniel Levy)

[laststeamtrain]

So pro-Israel that it hurts

By Daniel Levy

The new John Mearsheimer and Stephen Walt study of "The Israel Lobby and U.S. Foreign Policy" should serve as a wake-up call, on both sides of the ocean. The most obvious and eye-catching reflection is the fact that it is authored by two respected academics and carries the imprimatur of Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government. The tone of the report is harsh. It is jarring for a self-critical Israeli, too. It lacks finesse and nuance when it looks at the alphabet soup of the American-Jewish organizational world and how the Lobby interacts with both the Israeli establishment and the wider right-wing echo chamber.

<snip>

In the words of the Harvard study authors, "the Lobby's influence has been bad for Israel ... has discouraged Israel from seizing opportunities ... that would have saved Israeli lives and shrunk the ranks of Palestinian extremists ... using American power to achieve a just peace between Israel and the Palestinians would help advance the broader goals of fighting extremism and promoting democracy in the Middle East." And please, this is not about appeasement, it's about smart, if difficult, policy choices that also address Israeli needs and security.

In short, if Israel is indeed entering a new era of national sanity and de-occupation, then the role of the Lobby in U.S.-Israel relations will have to be rethought, and either reformed from within or challenged from without.

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/698302.html

[bemildred]

1. Yep, that's the problem.

A solipsist view of things does not lead to timely and accurate strategic and tactical adjustments. It's been all downhill since that moron Sharon invaded Lebanon. Not unlike the problems we have in the US ruling elites, either.

[Burried News]

2. If the American media gave us the information Ha'aretz gives

Israelis both countries would benefit immensely and it would lessen the need for and impact of AIPAC.

I do have a question. What is the equivalent agency or private group that Americans use to lobby and influence Israeli governmental actions? To my knowledge there isn't any. I also believe American Presidents should go to Israel and visit with Israeli Americans to try to influence the political process there, just as Ariel Sharon used to do here. One of the problems is that so much of this stuff is unidirectional.