Defiant Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu doubled down on opposition to Palestinian statehood, deepening the divide with Israel’s closest international allies, as cracks in his wartime “unity” government became increasingly evident.
Anger with Netanyahu is also increasingly visible on the streets, even though there is broad public support for the war. On Saturday, protesters gathered in Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, Caesarea and Kfar Saba, some calling for bolder action to secure the release of hostages, and others demanding the prime minister step down.
One in Jerusalem held a placard that read: “Mothers’ cry: we will not sacrifice our children in the war to save the rightwing.”
Israel has spent decades building a powerful lobbying bloc in Washington. American-Israel PAC is one of the top 3 donors of Congress competing with NRA. They made ties with evangelicals and give free vacations to Israel for every politician. They establish ties with both major political parties and spend millions to defeat any congressman who criticizes Israel.
It seems weird that another country can lobby our government. Are there any others doing that? Russia? China? Like do they all have officially recognized lobbying groups?
Foreign countries are legally banned from donating to US politicians and any foreign lobbyists have to be registered. AIPAC has skirted around those laws and even been caught in some scandals over it (e.g. Larry Franklin passing classified documents to the Israeli ambassador) but has made powerful friends and avoided law enforcement.