The current fight is taking place at the beginning of a new chapter in American and American Jewish history, and this makes the controversies over what it means to lobby on Israel more fraught. The U.S. Jewish community is riven by more fractures than ever before, along religious, ideological and racial lines. They are occurring at a moment of unprecedented grass-roots and youth mobilization against mainstream national Jewish organizations such as AIPAC and wealthy donors who lean right on Israel-related issues such as Sheldon Adelson and Haim Saban.<doc-sep>Republicans and Democrats criticized Ilhan Omar, the Democratic congresswoman from Minnesota, after she tweeted that Republican support for Israel is linked to cash, particularly from the powerful pro-Israel group AIPAC. Jerry Nadler, the New York Democrat who chairs the House Judiciary Committee, called Omar’s remarks “deeply disappointing and disturbing” and said she “appears to traffic in old anti-Semitic tropes about Jews and money.” Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi said Omar’s “use of anti-Semitic tropes and prejudicial accusations about Israel’s supporters is deeply offensive.’ At the same time, some Americans rushed to Omar’s defense. “Lobbies influence politics, I don’t think that’s controversial to say,” said Rebecca Vilkomerson, executive director of Jewish Voice for Peace. “It’s not anti-Semitic to accurately describe something that is completely obvious about the Israeli lobby,” tweeted Brandon Friedman, a former Obama official who heads a public-relations agency whose clients address national security and defense issues. In apologizing today (Feb. 11), Omar stood by her view that lobbyists’ money in general plays too big of a role in American politics. Pro-Israel funding has increased Pro-Israel groups like AIPAC—the American Israel Public Affairs Committee—have been pouring money into US politics over the past 20 years and their influence in Washington has been scrutinized for nearly as long. However, the amount AIPAC has donated has been dwarfed in recent years by the mega-donors Sheldon and Miriam Adelson. The Center for Responsive Politics calls the overall pro-Israel politics lobby one of the most “active and well-financed” groups related to international issues in America: “It’s a highly fractious issue with high stakes and it plays a big role in domestic politics.” Amid concerns that former president Barack Obama would be less supportive of Israel, donations by pro-Israel political-action committees jumped in 2008, his first year in office. In 2018, these groups (including AIPAC) spent about $5 million on direct lobbying efforts beyond campaign contributions; pro-Saudi groups, for a rough contrast, spent $19 million from the beginning of 2017 until October 2018. Over the past two federal election cycles, pro-Israel groups have given more to Democrats than Republicans: The pro-Israel groups represent a spectrum of political positions, though they are united against the ”boycott, divestment, and sanction” campaign started in 2005 to protest Israeli policies toward the Palestinians. (A bill moving through Congress would allow state governments to dump contractors that boycott Israel.) One of the top pro-Israel DC lobbying groups in recent years has been JStreetPAC, which is dedicated to “a diplomacy-first approach to advancing US interests in the Middle East and promoting peace and security for Israel,” including a “two-state approach” for Israel and Palestine, and continued foreign aid to both. “There is no doubt that money often plays a major role in our political system,” J Street said in a statement released today about Omar’s comments. “At the same time, elected officials must be extremely aware that tropes about Jewish money and political influence have been used for centuries to target and stigmatize our community.” AIPAC’s political contributions The powerful lobbying group that Omar referenced has been active in the US since the 1960s, foots the bill for dozens of Congress trips to Israel every year, and was a longtime opponent of the Iran nuclear deal the Obama administration crafted. Along with other groups representing Middle East interests, AIPAC has applauded Trump’s withdrawal from the deal and the reimposition of sanctions on Iran. AIPAC’s political support is seen as so important that every top 2016 US presidential candidate spoke at the group’s annual convention, from Hillary Clinton to Ted Cruz. Bernie Sanders, the only Jewish candidate in the 2016 race, appeared by video. In a rare move for a US elected official, he offered some criticism of the Israeli government’s policies in his speech, saying, “When we talk about Israel and Palestinian areas, it is important to understand that today there is a whole lot of suffering among Palestinians and that cannot be ignored.” Peace, he said, would require compromise from “both sides.” The Adelsons and Israeli American Council AIPAC’s lobbying and campaign contributions have been much less than the huge influx of cash into US politics from mega-donors Sheldon Adelson and his wife, Miriam, who was born in Israel to parents who had emigrated to British-controlled Palestine from Poland in 1930s. They were the largest donors in the 2018 midterm elections with $123 million, all of that to Republican political action committees that then funneled millions to incumbents in tough races. Adelson-controlled entities gave $55 million to the Congressional Leadership Fund, for example, which spent $126 million running ads against Democrats such as Wisconsin’s Randy”IronStache” Bryche. The Adelsons also fund the Israeli American Council (IAC), a group with 20 chapters around the US that Sheldon Adelson described as a hardline alternative to AIPAC in November 2017. IAC will “unequivocally always without question and irreversibly support Israel when it needed it,” he said. “There will be no political correctness. There will be no questions about whether we should keep the door to the White House open to us.” Miriam, a doctor who runs drug-treatment clinics in Las Vegas and Israel, is believed to be a key influence on Trump’s decision to move the US embassy in Israel to Jerusalem, a move that most American Jews didn’t support. “Injecting Israeli Jewish sensibilities into the American Jewish body politic is what drives a lot of what the Adelsons fund,” the Times of Israel wrote last year. Sheldon’s casino interests have been advanced by the Trump administration, including lobbying the Japanese government on his behalf for a casino license. Miriam described how her childhood shaped her views in an interview with Hadassah Magazine in 2014. “I don’t remember any children of my class who were from Europe and had grandparents,” she said. “All were lost in the Holocaust. There was nobody to spoil us. We grew up knowing our existence depended on a strong army and that everyone around us wanted to invade us. It was important just to survive.”<doc-sep>U.S. Representative Ilhan Omar of Minnesota has apologized for her offensive tweet that suggested Israeli influence in the U.S. Congress was "all about the Benjamins." But that does not mean that the core issue underlying the controversy surrounding the tweet, Representative Ilhan and new voices critical of Israel in U.S. politics, is likely to fade away. Haaretz Weekly Episode 15 0:00 -- : -- 15 Skip 15 seconds backwards Play audio 15 Skip 15 seconds ahead 1 X Change playback rate from 1 to 1 Mute audio I'm not going to defend Omar. Her own apology was unequivocal and the tweet itself was, at best, inexcusably insensitive. But it is vitally important we distinguish between criticism of Israel and anti-Semitism. And, as importantly, we also must recognize the massive response against Rep. Omar for what it is - a spasm of fear about our changing times. >> Aaron David Miller: No, Israel and America Aren't Breaking Up. Don't Believe the Hype The entire infrastructure that has been built over the years to advance the interests of Israel in the U.S. is quaking in its boots - not because of the badly developed arguments of a rookie Congresswoman - but because of the coming generational change in U.S. views of Israel and because support for the Israeli government has been damaged among Democrats by the choice of the Netanyahu administration to so closely tie itself to Donald Trump and the Republican right wing in America. Open gallery view Supporters of US President Donald Trump cheer during a rally in El Paso, Texas on February 11, 2019. Credit: AFP Rep. Omar damaged her own credibility by embracing an old anti-Semitic trope. There is no place for that in American politics. But even as she should be condemned, her views of Israel need to be heard. There is no reason all American views on a foreign government should be in lockstep. Quite the contrary, Americans who seek to protect and advance our interests should no more reflexively embrace the views of the Israeli government than they do those of a pro-Brexit UK government or an anti-refugee Italian government. Israel's defenders would like the relationship to be deemed so important that it must not be criticized. This echoes the position, say, of the Saudis in the wake of the Khashoggi murder. And it is just as indefensible. A growing number of Americans realize that. Further, a growing number of American Jews feel the positions of the Netanyahu government are contrary to both U.S. interests and the values of Judaism, and thus the rationale for a Jewish state. In other words, they see Netanyahu’s actions as undermining the reasons Israel might have a special claim on their support. Indeed, no one, in fact, has done more to damage the standing of Israel than a Netanyahu government that has actively waged war on the Palestinian people, denied them their rights, responded disproportionately to threats and refused to acknowledge its own wrong-doing. Anti-Semites, with their stale and discredited attacks, can never do the kind of damage to the U.S.-Israel relationship that rampant Israeli wrong-doing can (especially when the Israeli government weakens the arguments against anti-Semites by embracing them, as in the case of Victor Orban in Hungary, or hugging those like Donald Trump who promote anti-Semites and anti-Semitic ideas about "globalists" or George Soros.) Open gallery view FILE PHOTO: Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his Hungarian counterpart Viktor Orban in Budapest, Hungary, July 18, 2017. Credit: Balazs Mohai/AP None of this is to diminish the real and ever-present threat of anti-Semitism. Which is why, of course, it is essential that we are careful to distinguish between it and legitimate criticism of the government of Israel. In fact, if we in the U.S. stand for what is best about America and hope for the best for Israel, then we must welcome those who would criticize Israel's government not as our enemies but as the true defenders of the idea of Israel, and of America's deep investment in the promise of that country. With that in mind, we must be careful that we do not allow the justifiable aspects of the critique against Rep. Omar to lead to a reflexive position where we silence active criticism of the Israeli government, or the worst actions of the State of Israel. Judging from comments in the media about her that pre-dated these statements, and comments about Rep. Rashida Tlaib, and comments about the "left" becoming anti-Israel, in my view we are in the midst of a pre-emptive push to combat the coming rethinking of the U.S.- Israel relationship. Open gallery view Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., left, joined at right by Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., listens to President Donald Trump's State of the Union speech, at the Capitol in Washington, February 2019. Credit: J. Scott Applewhite,AP It will seize upon the fact that some elements who offer the critique of Israel are in fact anti-Semitic or tap into anti-Semitic rhetoric and traditions, in order to tar with the same brush those who legitimately disapprove of the behavior of the Israeli government. That would be a mistake. Because it would not only silence a debate we need to and deserve to have, but it would undermine the ability of the U.S. to be a force for positive change in Israeli policies - change that is necessary to the future of Israel and to U.S. interests in that region. We must combat anti-Semitism. But we should also combat those who have no tolerance for democratic processes, or who would seek a political purity test for politicians based on narrowly-defined, traditionalist, outdated guidelines. The future of the U.S.- Israel relationship - and the future of Israel, the Palestinian people and peace in the region - depends on our willingness to look past biases of all sorts to the facts on the ground, to the justice that is required and to our interests going forward. David Rothkopf is a foreign policy expert and author, host of the Deep State Radio podcast and CEO of The Rothkopf Group, LLC a media and advisory firm.<doc-sep>This week’s controversial tweets by Rep. Ilhan Omar Ilhan OmarGOP senators introduce resolution condemning antisemitic violence amid 'horrific' spike in attacks US sees startling rise in antisemitic attacks Ilhan Omar is wrong about 'Cold War' with China MORE (D-Minn.), one of the first two Muslim women to serve in Congress, has put the spotlight on the American Israel Public Affairs Committee. AIPAC, founded in 1963 with a mission of promoting the U.S.-Israeli relationship, has long been seen as a significant player in Washington. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT The group also has won support from lawmakers on both sides of the aisle for years, with many political figures, including presidents and presidential candidates from both parties, flocking to its annual conference, which always attracts some of the biggest names in politics and foreign policy from the United States and Israel.But it has been long a target for criticism from the left wing of the Democratic Party, where support for a foreign policy that would offer more support for the Palestinian cause has been building as the Democratic caucus grows larger and more diverse.The Omar controversy started Sunday when she commented on a tweet by journalist Glenn Greenwald, a loud critic of AIPAC’s influence on American foreign policy and politics. Greenwald had tweeted out a story about House Minority Leader(R-Calif.) promising “action” against Omar for critical views on Israel.“It's all about the Benjamins baby,” Omar tweeted.In a subsequent tweet, Omar directly called out AIPAC, suggesting it was the lobbying group responsible for U.S. support of Israel.Democratic leaders just a day later were lambasting Omar over her tweets, accusing her of employing anti-Semitic tropes about Jewish people and money.“Legitimate criticism of Israel’s policies is protected by the values of free speech and democratic debate that the United States and Israel share,” a joint statement from Speaker(Calif.) and other House Democratic leaders stated. “But Congresswoman Omar’s use of anti-Semitic tropes and prejudicial accusations about Israel’s supporters is deeply offensive. We condemn these remarks and we call upon Congresswoman Omar to immediately apologize for these hurtful comments.”Omar did apologize for the remarks, but she stuck to her criticism of AIPAC.“I reaffirm the problematic role of lobbyists in our politics, whether it be AIPAC, the NRA or the fossil fuel industry,” she said. “It’s gone on too long, and we must be willing to address it.”Following Omar’s initial tweet on Sunday, AIPAC issued an official statement expressing its pride in working to strengthen the U.S.-Israel relationship.“Our bipartisan efforts are reflective of American values and interests. We will not be deterred in any way by ill-informed and illegitimate attacks on this important work,” the group said.An AIPAC official who asked not to be identified said the group’s “entire approach is to focus on a bipartisan path to pass legislation. From an AIPAC perspective, our strength comes from our grass-roots lobbyists efforts.”The official was also unsurprised Democrats came to the defense of the organization.“In many ways, they were expressing both outrage at what the bigoted aspect of it but they were also expressing support for grass-roots involvement in the democratic process and what AIPAC does is at the heart of the First Amendment, to petition government,” the official told The Hill.While AIPAC has bipartisan support, there have been tensions with Democrats over various policy issues for years.Pelosi herself has spoken at AIPAC, though not always to applause.In 2007, she was booed by some members of the audience after she offered criticisms for the Iraq War. AIPAC was decidedly at odds with the Obama administration over the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, which it lobbied hard against. The deal also divided the Democratic Party, with powerful lawmakers such as Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer Chuck SchumerSchumer says Senate will move on Biden's infrastructure agenda in July Senate confirms Biden pick to lead Medicare, Medicaid office Pelosi presses for Senate action on Jan. 6 commission: 'No time to waste' MORE (D-N.Y.) opposing it. Given shifts in the Democratic Party, such clashes over policy are unlikely to end — and they may also open up new battles over anti-Semitism. Rep. Rashida Tlaib Rashida Harbi TlaibGOP leaders condemn Greene's Holocaust comments US sees startling rise in antisemitic attacks Progressives ramp up scrutiny of US funding for Israel MORE (D-Mich.), who is the first Palestinian-American congresswoman and the other first Muslim woman to serve in Congress, has criticized AIPAC over its messaging on Israel and Palestine. Shortly before she took office, she said that she wanted to plan a congressional delegation to the West Bank as counter-programming to the trip AIPAC regularly organizes for lawmakers to go to Israel. “I don’t think AIPAC provides a real, fair lens into this issue,” Tlaib told The Intercept in December. Tlaib herself has been criticized for anti-Semitism. Tlaib was called out for her own tweet in January that said lawmakers who support penalizing participants of the "boycott, divestment and sanctions" (BDS) movement “forgot what country they represent.” The tweet was widely criticized as invoking an anti-Semitic trope that Jewish people have dual loyalty. Rep. Lee Zeldin Lee ZeldinAndrew Giuliani to run for New York governor The US has a significant flooding problem — Congress can help GOP lawmakers ask acting inspector general to investigate John Kerry MORE (R-N.Y.), who is Jewish, introduced a resolution in January condemning anti-Semitism that singled out Tlaib's tweet, her support for the BDS movement and a 2012 Omar tweet saying "Israel has hypnotized the world." "She is being attacked for shamefully targeting Israelis, Jews and others with a ton of hatred obviously consuming her heart," Zeldin said of Tlaib in January. "It is ironic that someone who loves the dual loyalty line of attack against supporters of Israel draped herself in a Palestinian flag on election night." Progressives who dislike AIPAC’s influence on U.S. policy say Omar’s mistake was not in criticizing the group, but in the language she used.<doc-sep>
Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar of Minnesota was widely criticized on Monday for tweets about Israel and the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), a pro-Israel lobbying group . . Omar was accused of using anti-Semitic tropes, including by top Democrats in Congress. Omar, who's among the first female Muslim members of Congress, has maintained that she's not anti-Semitic amid ongoing criticism of her stance on Israel. Omar on Monday afternoon issued a statement apologizing for her tweets and acknowledging the "painful history of anti-Semitic tropes." A number of congressional Democrats on Monday joined a growing chorus of criticism against freshman Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar of Minnesota over her tweets about Israel that led to widespread allegations of anti-Semitism. Omar ignited a social-media firestorm on Sunday after she suggested that support for Israel among Republican members of Congress is motivated by money. "It's all about the Benjamins baby," Omar tweeted in response to a tweet from the journalist Glenn Greenwald about House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy threatening to take "action" against the freshman congresswoman over her criticism of Israel. Subsequently, when asked to clarify what she meant, Omar in a separate tweet seemed to suggest a pro-Israel lobbying group — the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) — is paying US politicians to support Israel. Omar was swiftly condemned on social media, and the backlash was hardly limited to Republicans. A number of her fellow Democrats expressed concern over Omar's tweets, which many felt played into anti-Semitic tropes about Jews and money. Jewish Democrats in Congress are lining up against Omar Democratic Rep. Max Rose of New York, also a freshman in Congress, tweeted, "Congresswoman Omar's statements are deeply hurtful to Jews, including myself." Meanwhile, Democratic Reps. Josh Gottheimer of New Jersey and Elaine Luria of Virginia, who are also Jewish, have sent a letter to Democratic leaders urging them to take "swift action" against Omar and freshman Rep. Rashida Tlaib of Michigan over their recent remarks on Israel. Omar and Tlaib are the first two female Muslim congresswomen in US history. "We cannot remain silent in the face of hateful speech or actions. We know what happens in our communities when leaders ignore or embrace unacceptable rhetoric," the letter said. "That is why we have an obligation to speak out against anti-Semitism and to vigorously confront, challenge, and defeat those who traffic in these harmful tropes and smears." —Rep Josh Gottheimer (@RepJoshG) February 11, 2019 Democratic Rep. Jerry Nadler of New York, who's also Jewish, in a statement said Omar's "choice of words" were "deeply disappointing and disturbing." Nadler, chairman of the House Judiciary Committee and one of the most powerful Democrats in Congress, went on to say, "In this fragile moment in our nation’s history, we must all redouble our efforts to engage in policy debates in ways that respect the dignity and humanity of all people." House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Eliot L. Engel, a Jewish Democrat from New York, in a statement on Monday called Omar's tweets "unacceptable." "It's shocking to hear a Member of Congress invoke the anti-Semitic trope of 'Jewish money,'" Engel added. "Criticism of American policy toward any country is fair game, but this must be done on policy grounds." Democratic Rep. Ted Deutch of Florida, who's also Jewish, in a statement said he found Omar's remarks "unacceptable" and "deeply worrisome to the Jewish community." Democratic leaders call Omar's remarks 'deeply offensive' House Speaker Nancy Pelosi was joined by other Democratic leaders on Monday in condemning Omar's remarks. In a sternly worded statement, they called on Omar to apologize. “Anti-Semitism must be called out, confronted and condemned whenever it is encountered, without exception," the statement said. "Congresswoman Omar's use of anti-Semitic tropes and prejudicial accusations about Israel’s supporters is deeply offensive," the statement added. "We condemn these remarks and we call upon Congresswoman Omar to immediately apologize for these hurtful comments." Separately, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer also condemned Omar's tweets. "Rep. Omar's use of an anti-Semitic stereotype was offensive and irresponsible," Schumer said. "This kind of intolerance has no place in Congress–or anywhere in American society. No one should invoke anti-Semitic tropes during policy disagreements."" Omar has expressed concern over the treatment of Palestinians by Israel Omar is a proponent of the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement (BDS), a nonviolent, global campaign that seeks to isolate Israel economically and politically regarding the country's treatment of Palestinians and the occupation of the West Bank.