This week, Jews from across the United States are converging on Washington, D.C. in an annual pilgrimage to the policy conference hosted by the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC).
AIPAC enjoys widespread support among American Jews. For many, AIPAC is the go-to organization for supporting Israel. But what is AIPAC’s actual impact on Israel and American Jews?
AIPAC has a mixed track record and a questionable ability to influence American policy makers.
Over the last decade, AIPAC’s primary policy goal has been to prevent an unfavorable agreement between the United States and Iran concerning Iran’s nuclear weapons program. AIPAC came out strongly against the Iran deal forged by former President Barack Obama’s administration. It dedicated significant resources to combating this deal and to influencing US lawmakers to oppose it.
After years of lobbying efforts, however, AIPAC failed both to discourage the administration from signing the deal and to garner enough support among lawmakers to successfully oppose it.
Although unsuccessful in its efforts to influence the Iran Deal, AIPAC has had success in influencing Israeli policy. When Benjamin Netanyahu became Israel’s prime minister for the second time in February 2009, he came under heavy attack from Washington and its allies for refusing to endorse a two-state solution.
It wasn’t until June of that year, at his Bar-Ilan Speech, that Netanyahu announced his support for the policy. But what most people forget is that in May 2009 – one month before Israel’s prime minister succumbed to American pressure – AIPAC circulated a petition to US lawmakers in support of the two-state solution, sending a clear message to Netanyahu that he should not rely on American Jewish support when resisting Washington’s demands.
AIPAC’s primary mission is actually not to lobby the US government on Israel’s behalf but rather “to strengthen, protect, and promote the US-Israel relationship.”
For AIPAC, the US-Israel relationship seems to trump the national aspirations of the Jewish people, as well as a strong and independent Israel. Perhaps this was the reason behind AIPAC’s efforts to pressure Netanyahu to endorse the two-state solution. If the US-Israel relationship is the primary concern, then it would make sense that a truncated Israel dependent on US military aid is preferable to an independent Israel sovereign in the entire Jewish homeland and at peace with her neighbors.
Despite AIPAC’s self-declared mission and mixed record, most pro-Israel American Jews consider AIPAC to be the primary institution for supporting the State of Israel. AIPAC has helped attract its constituents by promoting an environment where many supporters can feel comfortable as both Americans and Jews, without having to choose between the two identities or potentially conflicting national interests. In many respects, AIPAC works to create psychological space for American Jews to live in a reality where they can be both patriotic Americans and ardent Israel supporters. But how honest is this reality?
The history of the US-Israel relationship reveals significant differences in the goals and aspirations of both nations.
These differences have played out in real terms since Israel’s establishment, from Washington unsuccessfully trying to deter Zionist leaders from declaring a state in 1948 to the US embargo that prohibited arms sales to Israel during the war that followed.
From unsuccessfully discouraging Israel from taking decisive action in 1967 that resulted in the liberation of Jerusalem and the heart of the Jewish homeland to successfully preventing Israel from launching pre-emptive strike in 1973 that could have curtailed the devastation of the Yom Kippur War. From forcing Israel to relinquish the Sinai peninsula (twice) to preventing Prime Minister Menachem Begin from offering Israeli citizenship to Palestinians.
These are just a few historically significant examples but there are also several smaller ones. In light of these differences, can AIPAC truly foster Pro-American and Pro-Israel activism?
Leading up to its establishment, the State of Israel dominated the collective imagination of Jews throughout the globe. From ingathering a dispersed and persecuted people home and reviving the Hebrew language to making the desert bloom and successfully ousting a colonial power, Israel inspired many generations to dream big and to accomplish amazing feats.
Yet over the last few decades it seems like we have retreated from dreaming big about the next chapter of Jewish history. Zionist activism today has essentially been reduced to annual AIPAC conferences, defending Israel from criticism, and touting Israel’s achievement in high-tech, agriculture, and medicine. In the meantime, generations of young Diaspora Jews are losing interest in their homeland and being part of the Jewish people’s national project.
As America’s most important Israel-focused organization, AIPAC has a mixed impact on Jewish activism and identity. Participation in national and local AIPAC events is still a great way to meet Jews that genuinely care about the State of Israel and feel committed to the Jewish future. But the organization’s interests may not be aligned with the ancient collective yearnings of our people, and the comfortable, yet questionable, allure that it offers might be leading American Jews away from meaningfully participating in Jewish history.
For this reason, perhaps now is the time to reevaluate the role that we allow this powerful organization to have in shaping our future. Perhaps now is the time to once again dream big so that the next generation of American Jews will be inspired to contribute to our people’s future in the Land of Israel.
