This unprecedented gathering will focus on the Israel lobby in America. How big is it? How fast has it grown? How interconnected are the organizations and individuals? How much revenue….
This unprecedented gathering will focus on the Israel lobby in America. How big is it? How fast has it grown? How interconnected are the organizations and individuals? How much revenue does it raise and where does the money go? What are the common objectives of the lobby? What laws apply to lobbying to benefit a foreign government and are they vigorously enforced? Do coordinated campaign contributions cause American policymakers to act more on behalf of Israel than the United States? What fallacies underlie the assertions that U.S. and Israeli interests are the same? What are the Israel lobby’s public and private, short-and-medium-term policy objectives? And what can Americans who do not believe pro-Israel slogans, activities and policy objectives do?
– Panel 1: What is the Israel Lobby and How Does It Work?
- Grant Smith: How big is the Lobby and what does it do? An overview of the 501(c) universe.
- Seth Morrison: From the Jewish National Fund to Jewish Voice for Peace and BDS.
- Jeffrey Blankfort: The ADL: Covert action, censure, and courting law-enforcement.
– Panel 2: Are Critical Voices Silenced?
- Prof. Richard Falk: Weakening and discrediting the UN: The work of pro-Israel NGOs.
- Dr. Alice Rothchild: Silencing voices that question Israeli actions.
- Dr. Jack Shaheen: The use of cultural stereotypes to shape policy.
– Panel 3: Is Freedom of Speech Encouraged on American Campuses?
- Amani Al-Khatahtbeh: Daring to speak out on campus.
- Dima Khalidi: Pressures on universities to discipline and punish students and faculty for speech activities.
- Ahmad Saadaldin: Overcoming obstacles: SJP successes.
– Panel 4: Is the Lobby Good for Israel?
- Miko Peled: How the Lobby enables Israeli policy: Views of an Israeli in America.
- Gideon Levy: Does unconditional support for Israel endanger Israeli voices?
- Huwaida Arraf: The situation of Arab citizens of Israel: Views of an Arab citizen of Israel.
– Panel 5: How Does the Lobby Influence Congress?
- Former AIPAC employee MJ Rosenberg: Is it all about the money?
- Former Rep. Nick Rahall (D-WV): My experience with the Israel Lobby; The use of dark money.
- Former Rep. Paul Findley (R-IL): What I should have done, and what Congress can do today.
– Panel 6: Is There an Iraq-Iran Continuum?
- Gareth Porter: The push for war on Iran.
- Reza Marashi: The Iran nuclear deal.
- Paul Pillar: AIPAC/Netanyahu objectives and the American interest.