by Alison Weir, …with If Americans Knew

Alison Weir, on the front lines for many years in DC

[ Editor’s Note: Alison Weir, being located in D.C., is well placed with her modestly funded organization to ride herd on the Israeli Lobby’s 24/7 campaign to make sure the US supports anything that it wants.

While the Lobby claims the anti-BDS effort benefits the US, its non-opposition to Israel’s industrial-scale espionage operations here shows it is primarily representing a foreign power over the country where its members live. Notice I did not refer to them as Americans. They made the choice, not me.

That said the Lobby folks are not alone in that category. Congress, which takes huge donations from them, just follows their lead with, “If Israel says it is a good thing, then it would be unpatriotic of us to question.” And yes, I mean unpatriotic to Israel.



Israel likes to promote bills annually to publicly broadcast that Israel has its yoke on Congress, purely as an intimidation reminder exercise that the Lobby fears no one here because it knows it has the fix in where it counts.

Anti-BDS is a key example, as it presents as a given – or as Israel wishes – that constitutionally-guaranteed American free speech can be dispensed with via the help of a corrupted Congress.

They do this by making a non-existent tie-in with “hate speech” legislation already on the books, and then claim that legalizes criminalizing BDS political activists. That this rationale basically gives Israel the right to “curtail” Constitutional rights did not seem to bother a big majority of Congress.

Thankfully not all were on board, but I would suspect most of them are in safe districts. But despite all of the above, average Americans and virtually all of our institutions have laid down on this outrage, letting the Lobby walk all over them.

That gives solid cover for Congress doing the same. I cannot count how many times I have been privately told by political people that if they were pressured to do something about this Lobby outrage, they would do so, but the public had to show they would support the effort and not let them be thrown politically to the wolvesJim W. Dean ]

Jim's Editor’s Notes are solely crowdfunded via PayPal
Jim's work includes research, field trips, Heritage TV Legacy archiving & more. Thanks for helping. Click to donate >>

– First published … January 12, 2019

Senate Republicans again failed to obtain the 60 votes necessary to move the bill to a quick vote, as Democratic leaders complained of what they say is Republican intransigence in ending the government shutdown. Rubio says the bill was crafted to help Israel, says he opposes Trump troop withdrawal from Syria because it would hurt Israel

*

Senate Republicans again failed to obtain the 60 votes necessary to move Senate bill S.1 to a quick vote, as Democratic leaders complained of what they say is Republican intransigence in ending the government shutdown.

The Thursday vote was 53-43, with fewer Senators voting than the previous tally of 56-44.

The bill, entitled the “Strengthening America’s Security in the Middle East Act of 2019,” consists of four components focused on Israeli needs. Among other things it would cement a $38 billion aid package to Israel, the largest military aid package in U.S. history, and would work to “combat BDS” – the international campaign of boycott, divestment and sanctions to pressure Israel to end its violations of international law and human rights.

The bill also provides money to Jordan, considered an Israel ally, and takes action against Syria. During the debate, the bill’s main sponsor, Marco Rubio, said that he opposes President Trump’s efforts to withdraw U.S. troops from Israel because he claimed “the U.S. withdrawal from Syria will have a dramatic impact on the security of Israel.”

Rubio said the sponsors created the bill to help Israel: “We went through and we said let’s find some bill that would help our allies in the region — Israel, Jordan.” Rubio receives major backing from pro-Israel billionaires such as Sheldon Adelson and Paul Singer.

The Senate Democrats said they opposed taking up the bill while the government is shut down, many describing the hardship of federal workers not receiving their pay.

Some of the Democrats who voted against cloture, for example Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (NY)  and Ben Cardin (MD), are among the Senate’s most fervent advocates for Israel.

While the Republican Jewish Coalition supported the vote, the Jewish Democratic Council of America opposed it, issuing a statement saying:

“Senate Republicans have abdicated their responsibility to the American people by forcing a second vote on S.1, a bill that has nothing to do with reopening the government. After consideration of this bill was blocked on Tuesday, Senate Republicans’ decision to hold a second vote on the same bill is a clear effort to defer reopening the government and politicize U.S. support for Israel.”

“Senate Democrats support aid to Israel and unanimously oppose the Boycott, Sanctions, and Divestment (BDS) movement—these two issues are not in question,” she continued. “The government shutdown imposes grave and growing social, economic and security risks on the American people. JDCA stands behind Senate Democrats’ insistence that the Senate prioritize opening the government, and demands that Senate Republicans stop politicizing historically bipartisan support for Israel.”

A few Democratic Senators such as Bernie Sanders (VT) and Dianne Feinstein (CA), oppose anti-BDS legislation on free speech grounds.

Numerous voters contacted the Senators urging them to vote no on the bill because of Israel’s violent actions against Palestinians. Most Americans feel the U.S. already gives Israel too much money.


Alison Weir is executive director of If Americans Knew, president of the Council for the National Interest, and author of Against Our Better Judgment: The Hidden History of How the U.S. Was Used to Create Israel.

ATTENTION READERS

We See The World From All Sides and Want YOU To Be Fully Informed
In fact, intentional disinformation is a disgraceful scourge in media today. So to assuage any possible errant incorrect information posted herein, we strongly encourage you to seek corroboration from other non-VT sources before forming an educated opinion.

About VT - Policies & Disclosures - Comment Policy
Due to the nature of uncensored content posted by VT's fully independent international writers, VT cannot guarantee absolute validity. All content is owned by the author exclusively. Expressed opinions are NOT necessarily the views of VT, other authors, affiliates, advertisers, sponsors, partners, or technicians. Some content may be satirical in nature. All images are the full responsibility of the article author and NOT VT.

9 COMMENTS

  1. If this is allowed to continue one will have to swear fealty to Israel to collect social security or to get health insurance as I put nothing past these inbread traitors! Course, the Evangelicals would be all for it.

    Nine

  2. During the revolution, people in the colonies who supported Britain were dubbed loyalists.
    The people who support this legislation are to be branded ‘Loyalists’, and considered to be in opposition to US sovereignty.
    This is a flagrant and disappointing attack on the first amendment, in obeisance to a foreign power.
    It is putting their toes on the line of treasonous behavior. There is a zero chance that the majority of people would even consider this. It is usurpation of the public will by religious extremists.

  3. Marco “Israel First” Rubio is not the only one. Never forget the 47 Traitors that signed Tom ” Anything you want Bibi” Cotton’s letter to Iran!
    The Patriots in Arkansas can send a clear message to Sheldon Adelson and AIPAC in 2020 by voting out the lapdogs in the Senate!
    TAKE OUR COUNTRY BACK!
    This is mot the United States of Israel!

  4. The delay in coming into the site is a protection from the hack attacks we have been getting, overloading the server at the data center. When we take it off they attack the server again. The folks at the data center are struggling. Someone does not like that we have been publishing, which is always great news. 🙂

  5. ATTACK DOG FOR WOLVES

    In today’s Haaretz writer Anshel Pfeffer lambastes the leadership of Israeli Illegal Settlements, the same entity denying Americans their First Amendment rights in 26 states through the AIPAC-driven anti-Boycott movement:

    “Their Pretense Is Over. The Settler Leadership Is a Violent, Lawless, Racist Gang of Vigilantes.” the headline reads. All in keeping with the dictates of an apartheid state one can only surmise.

    The introductory paragraph states quite categorically in a damning indictment of the Settler Leadership:

    “The blanket public support offered by settler leaders to the suspected murderers of Aisha Rabi is a milestone. The settlement enterprise, long based on Jewish supremacy and territorial expansion, now justifies terror… –

    Attacks by settlers on Palestinians increased 300% over the past twelve months. And AIPAC is clamping down on American citizens to support them! Don’t expect the New York Times or their ilk to report on this. Ultimately, this news merely infuriates any sane person at how low members of the Senate and Congress will stoop to pocket what can be fairly termed Zionist ‘blood-money.’ Rubio is up to his scrawny neck in it. Finally, publish the list of 43 dual citizens who voted to deny Americans their First Amendment rights. Name, blame and shame them too on the strength of Pfeffer’s article for being accessories to Zionist atrocities. How long more must the US be an attack dog for wolves?

  6. It never stops. Until someone in a position of power, with the gonads to confront AIPAC and call it what is, a tool for Israel, and put a bill in front of congress that will force AIPAC to register as an agent of a FORIEGN government, this charade will continue.

Comments are closed.