Israel Lobby Damage Assessment

”Israel Lobby Damage Assessment” is a podcast of the Institute for Research Middle Eastern Policy. IRmep is a Washington-based nonprofit organization that studies US-Middle East policy formulation. Founded in 2002, IRmep is non-partisan and does not support or oppose candidates for public office. IRmep’s Center for Policy & Law files Freedom of Information Act requests and lawsuits to create warranted transparency and reveal the functions of government. It also examines how balanced and vigorous law enforcement—as well as civil suits—can improve human rights, trade, economic development and America’s international standing. IRmep’s Israel Lobby Archive documents and exposes the history and little known initiatives, providing citizen access to relevant documents about the behind-the-scenes activities of one of the most harmful—but little studied—forces driving policy formulation through the US political process: Israel and its US lobby. IRmep Conferences are public events, often held in partnership with other organizations or solely organized by IRmep, that provide the timely insights of experts and opportunities to network with Americans concerned about US Middle East policy and how it is made. IRmep Polls are periodic single-question queries to representative samples, mostly in the United States, asking key questions about US policy. IRmep research and analysis appears in online publications, paid news releases, email updates, select social media platforms, syndicated podcasts and the Washington Report on Middle East Affairs, a major print and online publication critically focusing on Middle East policy. Visit https://IRmep.com and https://IsraelLobby.org for more information

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Episodes

Friday Jan 19, 2024

On this January 18 episode of Corporations and Democracy Steve Scalmanini and Annie Esposito discussed "The Israel Lobby vs The Innocents of Gaza" with Norman Solomon, Executive Director of the Institute for Public Accuracy and author of “War Made Invisible: How America Hides the Human Toll of Its Military Machine” and twelve previous books, and Grant F. Smith, Director of the Institute for Research: Middle Eastern Policy and author of “How Israel Made AIPAC: The Most Harmful Foreign Influence Operation in America” and eight previous books. KZYX & Z, 90.7, 91.5, and 88.3 FM in Mendocino County, CA

AIPAC’s foreign startup funding

Wednesday May 24, 2023

Wednesday May 24, 2023

60 years ago today, the Senate uncovered $60 million in Israeli and foreign seed money had been laundered into the US to set up AIPAC. What really happened and what has been the impact?Grant F. Smith gives an overview of the 1963 Senate investigation of Jewish Agency money laundering into the US, why the Senate Foreign Relations Committee investigated Israel front organizations in America, what Israel and the Jewish Agency were trying to accomplish in the US, how the foreign influence node and legitimator network have reconstituted over time, and how that network is presently structured to serve as a foreign influence operation.Watch the May 23, 2023 livestream of this presentation at https://www.youtube.com/live/dfaLVkp6uY8?feature=shareToday, the price of the book from which this research is drawn "How Israel Made AIPAC: The most harmful foreign influence operation in America" is now only $20 (down from $200!)Grab a copy at: https://www.amazon.com/How-Israel-Made-AIPAC-Influence/dp/0982775725/

Friday Mar 31, 2023

James Bamford’s new book Spyfail: Foreign Spies, Moles, Saboteurs, and the Collapse of America’s Counterintelligence devotes nine chapters to the impunity of Israel, its spies and U.S. lobby.
Bamford is best known as America’s premiere chronicler of the ultra-secretive National Security Agency in his books The Puzzle Palace and The Shadow Factory.
Unlike most authors published through mainstream publishing houses, Bamford has not held back on exposing extremely damaging and behind the scenes exploits of Israel and its lobby in this damning look at U.S. counterintelligence. Grant F. Smith of IRmep reviews highly relevant sections of Spyfail directly contributing to instability in Israel as Benjamin Netanyahu tries to extricate himself from corruption cases in Israeli courts.We also review what's not so great about "Spyfail" (although everybody should still buy it.)
Report and links at:https://irmep.com/2023/03/bamfords-spyfail-exposes-corruption-at-center-of-netanyahu-judicial-reform-crisis-that-is-tearing-israel-apart/

Monday Mar 13, 2023

On Friday explosive news broke that China had successfully concluded a secret peace agreement between Iran and Saudi Arabia. The plan aims to restore diplomatic relations by reopening embassies within two months. They also agree to restart their April 2001 Security Cooperation. Also back on the front burner is a 1998 General Agreement covering economic, trade, investment, technology, science, culture, sports and youth ties. It is well worth reading the entire statement.
https://www.fmprc.gov.cn/mfa_eng/wjdt_665385/2649_665393/202303/t20230311_11039241.html
The move signals Saudi Arabia does not want to be yoked to an Israeli "attack Iran Abraham Accord" coalition or open itself up to Israeli meddling like the United States. UAE, in congratulating Saudi Arabia and placing a halt on weapons purchases from Israel, appears to be questioning the value of its "Abraham Accord."
Report and links at
https://irmep.com/2023/03/israel-and-its-us-lobby-dealt-major-blow-by-china-saudi-iran-peace-initiative/

Thursday Feb 23, 2023

2024 will mark the fourth decade since AIPAC and the Israeli Minister of Economics stole classified American industry data to aid passage of America’s worst bilateral trade deal.
Among all bilateral “Free Trade Agreements” (NAFTA and CAFTA are multilateral) the 1985 U.S. Israel deal has produced the highest inflation adjusted cumulative merchandise trade deficit—$365.9 billion—since going into effect. In 1984 American companies were steamrolled by corrupt politicians on the take from AIPAC-directed stealth political action committees or PACs. Today, captured U.S. federal and state agencies channel hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars away from American companies into the coffers of new, often incompetent, Israeli market entrants.Read more at:https://irmep.com/2023/02/02202024aipac-israelfta/

Wednesday Feb 08, 2023

The Israeli company Energix Renewable Energies has been lavishly subsidized by U.S. solar energy tax credits and the cadmium telluride solar panel manufacturer First Solar.But Energix has also been listed by the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights as a category g human rights violator over its resource theft in the Israeli occupied West Bank and Golan Heights.Virginia communities have successfully challenged Energix across the commonwealth for over its importation of "worst practices" from its overseas operations.Sources cited in this episode:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/vchr-virginia-communities-petition-authorities-to-cancel-energix-solar-projects-jeopardizing-the-israels-firm-revenues-301724243.htmlhttps://irmep.com/2022/10/why-is-first-solar-externalizing-recycling-costs/https://www.israellobby.org/energix/https://townhall.virginia.gov/L/ViewPetition.cfm?petitionId=380
https://www.amazon.com/Israel-Lobby-Enters-State-Government/dp/0982775733
 
 

Friday Jan 20, 2023

The ADL has been trying to liaise with the FBI by offering ADL investigators as informants, offering to exchange files to “avoid duplication of investigation” and “train” FBI and law enforcement personnel since the 1940s.
What have been the negative consequences for human rights activists?
IRmep presents findings from years of Freedom of Information Act filings at a number of relevant Washington, DC locations.
See the report "ADL files FBI “Civil Rights Threat” conflating white nationalists with pro-Palestinian charities" at https://irmep.com/2022/11/adl-files-fbi-civil-rights-threat-conflating-friends-of-sabeel-and-american-muslim-alliance-with-a-white-nationalist-group/
See FOIA documents about ADL and the FBI at https://IsraelLobby.org
Watch the video of this podcast at https://youtu.be/FqGv7qXNOt8

Thursday Jan 12, 2023

Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III was the perfect keynote speaker at the January 10, 2023 AIPAC Political Leadership Forum.
Austin prioritizes Israeli over American defense priorities, advocates illegal land grabs that benefit Israel, inserts Israel into places it does not belong, and uses cultish, reverential language.
Most important, he is willing to dishonor JFK's three final bids for justice, rule of law and against Middle East nuclear proliferation.Video: https://youtu.be/sJAfimzUgBAReport: https://irmep.com/2023/01/01102023/

Wednesday Jan 11, 2023

2022 US Middle East policy review and 2023 forecast.US Middle East policy continued its downward spiral in 2022. The president and Congress aided and abetted illegal Israeli objectives over better policies preferred by overwhelming majorities of American voters. In poll after poll, Americans have signaled they would like to cut U.S. foreign aid to Israel. Sanction Israel over apartheid practices. Hold it responsible for being the Middle East’s leading state sponsor of nuclear proliferation and not recognize Israeli territorial annexation. Americans also oppose Israel’s U.S. surrogates attempting to curb their 1st Amendment rights to boycott Israel in response to its perpetual human rights violations. None of these popular and noble objectives were translated into U.S. policy in 2022. Americans are instead likely to be further undermined in 2023. This episode examines IRmep’s takes on 2022 and 2023 predictions.View this content on Youtube at: https://youtu.be/3jhUM9nE_Aw
Read this content at https://irmep.com/2022/12/2022-us-middle-east-policy-review-and-2023-forecast/

Wednesday Nov 18, 2020

American journalist Ali Abunimah is co-founder of the Electronic Intifada and author of "One Country: A Bold Proposal to End the Israel-Palestine Impasse'' and "The Battle for Justice in Palestine." He discussed post-election administration policy on key issues. Will the administration demand any pause to illegal Israeli settlements? Will Israel be successful in continuing to use the coercive power of the U.S. State Department and other key agencies to demand Arab nations establish formal ties with Israel? Will the drive to label human rights organizations as "anti-Semitic” prevail?
Abunimah also discussed growing social media censorship of Palestinians and their allies. Facebook has repeatedly shut down the Gaza Health Ministry even as the COVID-19 pandemic began taking its toll. In addition, Facebook colludes with the Israeli occupation authorities—including appointing an Israeli government spokesperson to its "oversight board"—to shut down the accounts of dozens of Palestinian publications and journalists "on the Israeli-supplied pretext that criticism of Israel and its crimes against Palestinians constitute ‘incitement.’”
Meanwhile, Facebook has given free reign to Israel lobby influence and disinformation campaigns across its platform. But Americans can successfully fight back. Abunimah discusses his own winning tactics and strategies for pushing back against censorship by American social media giants.YouTube: https://youtu.be/-1a-t37wFd8

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