Bending Over Backwards
The United States supports the government of Israel financially, militarily, and legislatively. The government of Israel also receives international cover and a favorable press from the United States. Let us review in detail how the United States has supported Israel as well as the government of Israel’s lobbying efforts.
Financial-Military Aid
● By far, Israel receives the most U.S. foreign aid than any other nation. The total aid from 1948 to 2023 hovers around $300 billion, factoring for inflation. [66] Currently, the annual rate is around $3.8 billion per year. Most of the aid is for the government of Israel’s military.
● Although the government of Israel receives foreign aid, Israel is a rich country boasting the second largest tech ecosystem (called Silicon Wadi). Their citizens receive universal healthcare and subsidized college tuition.
Defense Support
● The U.S. commits itself to defend Israel. In fact, the U.S. currently has ships in the Mediterranean Sea deterring a regional war, shooting down missiles and drones, and handling the Houthis (an Islamic political and military organization) in the Red Sea.
International Diplomatic Cover
● Over the years, the U.S. has vetoed 45 U.N. resolutions against Israel, and 33 of them refer to the government of Israel’s occupation and treatment of the Palestinian people. [67] Also, the U.S. vetoed three U.N. resolutions to have a ceasefire during the Israel-Hamas war. which would have allowed humanitarian aid to flow through Gaza.
Legislative Support
● Congress passes resolutions supporting Israel. One of the resolutions recently passed by the House of Representatives in December of 2023 stated that Anti-Zionism is antisemitism.[68]
● Benjamin Netanyahu received 29 standing ovations in one of three speeches in front of Congress. He said Israel will not return to the 1967 borders, and the Palestinian refugees will not return. He also said Jerusalem won’t be divided (East and West Jerusalem will be under Israeli sovereignty). [69] All of these issues are unquestionably precious to the Palestinians.
● Thirty-Eight U.S. states have executive orders or laws that discourage or penalize businesses, organizations, and/or individuals that boycott or call for boycotting Israel or Israeli settlements in the occupied territories. [70]
Political Lobby
● The American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) and other Pro-Israel groups donate to many campaigns. Their contributions cover both sides of the aisle including the leadership of the Democrat and Republican Parties and President Joe Biden.[71]
● Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (AOC) and other members of “The Squad” have spoken out against the occupation and the horrors of Gaza. AIPAC announced that they plan to spend $100 million for candidates to replace them which corresponds to about $20 million for each member of “The Squad.” [72]
● According to The American Prospect, AIPAC gave members of Congress talking points which defy the facts on the ground. Some of these taking points include: 1) “Israel is not blocking the delivery of aid to Gaza,” and 2)“Reports that people are starving in Gaza are false.” [73]
United States Media – Facts
● According to The Intercept, the New York Times set guidelines for their journalist regarding the Israel-Hamas War coverage in November of 2023.
● Terms including “genocide” and “ethnic cleansing” were restricted. Other terms such as “occupied territories”, “refugee camps”, and “Palestine” were too be avoided.
● The source commented, “You are basically taking the occupation out of the coverage, which is the actual core of the conflict.”
● Between October 7th and November 24th of 2023, the New York Times used the words “slaughter” and “massacre” far more often to describe attacks on Israelis than attacks on Palestinians even though 15,0000 Palestinians have been killed by that time. Specifically, the ratios were 22 to 1 for the use of “slaughter” and 53-1 for the word, “massacre”.[74]
● According to a recent report in The Guardian, six staffers of CNN describe the coverage of the Israel-Hamas War as being “journalist malpractice”. [75]
● The Intercept reported that Christiane Amanpour and other CNN Employees confronted their network bosses regarding filtering coverage of the Israel-Hamas War. Their stories go through their Jerusalem bureau called “Second Eyes”. The complaints include changing copy, using double standards, and treating Arab reporters with hostility. [76]
United States Media – Opinion and Analysis
The New York Times and CNN are not the only media companies who show a Pro-Israel bias. Most of the U.S. media sanitize the language. They refer to the situation as a “conflict,” giving the illusion of equal sides and not an “occupation” of one group of people over another group of people.
Consider how the “Israel-Hamas War” is framed by the U.S. media. To them, the October 7th terrorist attack started the war which seemed to come out of nowhere. The government of Israel is an innocent bystander going about their business and has the right to defend itself. The U.S. media pretends the 56 year “Occupation,” or in this case the “Gaza Blockade” isn’t happening.
The Palestinian pundits who are interviewed by the U.S. media are hit immediately with two questions before the interview proceeds. “Do you condemn the Hamas terrorist attack?” and “Does Israel have the right to defend itself?” The government of Israel’s representatives are almost never asked about the occupation, the blockade, or the settlements.
Hamas isn’t a separate country with its own army, tanks, planes, or ships. They also aren’t a serious military threat to Israel. Hamas has at best unguided rockets. In contrast, Israel has state-of-the-art conventional weapons, a well-trained army, an “Iron Dome” to shoot down those unguided rockets, and many believe they have nuclear weapons as well.
Further, this isn’t a real war between nations; it is more analogous to a prison rebellion. The government of Israel is brutally crushing this rebellion while severely punishing the remaining nearly two million men, women, and children prisoners living in the Gaza Strip in the process.
Opinion and Analysis – United States Support
The government of Israel obviously benefits from the Pro-Israel lobbying efforts. First, by U.S. proxy, the government of Israel essentially has a vote (a veto) on the U.N. Security Council. Second, our Congress weighs in on definitions such as Anti-Zionism. Finally, our Congress passes boycott laws for a foreign country.
If that isn’t enough, the benefits listed above represent just the tip of the iceberg. Think of the “Israel is the victim” narrative our representatives consistently project to the public even though the Palestinians are the ones under decades of military occupation and siege.
The U.S. may bend over backwards in our support for the government of Israel. However, the U.S. has not been a “friend” to the government of Israel. A “friend” would call-out the government of Israel’s unacceptable behavior and hold them accountable for their own good. Does the passage in the Bible that says God blesses those who bless Israel include supporting slaughter, ethnic cleansing, and occupation?
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References – United States Support
66) Masters, Jonathan (January 23, 2024) US Aid to Israel in Four Charts. Cfr.org
67) O’Dell, Hope (December 23, 2023) How the US has Used Its Power in the UN to Support Israel for Decades. globalaffairs.org
68) Demirjian, Karoun (December 5 2023) House Declares Anti-Zionism Is Antisemitism, Dividing Democrats. nytimes.com
69) Allen, Jonathan (May 24, 2011) Netanyahu Wows Congress. politico.com
70) Anti-Semitism: State Anti-BDS Legislations. jewishvirtuallibrary.org
71) OpenSecrets.org
72) Palmer, Ewan (November 16, 2023) AOC Responds to Reports Pro-Israel Group Targeting ‘Squad’ newsweek.com
73) Goldstein, Luke (March 14, 2024) AIPAC Talking Points Revealed. prospect.org
74) Scahill, Jeremy Grim, Ryan (April 15, 2024) New York Times to Journalists: What You Can’t Say on Gaza War theintercept.com
75) McGreal, Chris CNN Staff Say Network’s Pro-Israel Slant Amounts to ‘Journalistic Malpractice’. theguardian.com
76) Boguslaw, Daniel Thakker, Prem (March 1, 2024) In Internal Meeting. Christiane Amanpour Confronts CNN Brass About “Double Standards” on Israel Coverage. theintercept.com