The Israel Lobby Con EXTRA! Podcast

Best of: Richard Falk "How Pro-Israel NGOs Weaken and Discredit the UN"

Richard Anderson Falk is professor emeritus of international law at Princeton University. He is the author or co-author of 20 books and the editor or co-editor of another 20 volumes, including Achieving Human Rights, Israel-Palestine on Record: How the New York Times Misreports Conflict in the Middle East with Howard Friel, and The Costs of War: International Law, the UN, and World Order after Iraq.

In 2001 Falk served on a United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) Inquiry Commission for the Palestinian territories with John Dugard, a South African professor of international law based in Leiden University in the Netherlands, and Kamal Hussein, former foreign minister of Bangladesh.

In 2008, the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) appointed Falk to a six-year term as a United Nations Special Rapporteur on “the situation of human rights in the Palestinian territories occupied since 1967.”

Falk has written for The Nation, The Huffington Post, Al Jazeera, CounterPunch and the Palestine Chronicle. He is a member of the editorial boards of The Nation and The Progressive.

This talk is from the 2015 IsraelLobbyCon at the National Press Club.

Transcript: https://www.israellobbyus.org/transcripts/2.1Richard_Falk.htm

Video at: https://youtu.be/u6PCviGBpR8

Best of: Gideon Levy "What I would tell a visiting congressional delegation."

Gideon Levy is a journalist for the Israeli newspaper Haaretz, and is widely considered the “dean” of Israeli journalism.

His columns about politics, money, how Israel's military occupation is changing Israeli society and about U.S.-Israel relations are widely read and discussed around the world.

Video of Levy’s presentation at last year’s (2015) conference has gone viral and received over 200,000 views.

Levy will outline what politicians, members of Congress and media elites visiting Israel should know about the situation on the ground—as opposed to what they are told on hundreds of junkets organized by the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC).

What politicians, members of Congress and media elites visiting Israel should know about the situation on the ground—as opposed to what they are told on hundreds of junkets organized by AIPAC. What harm is the relationship doing to the U.S.? 2016 IsraelLobbyCon!

https://www.israelsinfluence.org/default.asp

Video at: https://youtu.be/sw0qhmJlwVs

IsraelLobbyCon EXTRA! Series at: https://www.israellobbycon.org/home

"Coercing Arab Nations to Establish Relations with Israel" - As'ad AbuKhalil

As'ad AbuKhalil professor of political science at California State University, Stanislaus describes the downsides of the US coercing Arab countries to normalize relations with Israel. 

The Israel lobby and U.S. mainstream media both hail the recent "normalization" between Israel, the UAE, Bahrain and Sudan as major accomplishments. Not so, says Professor AbuKhalil. Sudan, "long a battleground for Cold War intrigues," agreed to recognize Israel in return for Washington lifting debilitating sanctions. Key regional powers, such as Saudi Arabia with its 2002 peace plan, long demanded that Israel withdraw from Gaza, the West Bank and East Jerusalem in return for full normalization. Now that the Kushner "deal of the century" has failed, the "alternative was a quick scheme to bolster the sagging fortunes of the Trump" administration with "normalization." The real architect of normalization, AbulKhalil argues, was none other than Binyamin Netanyahu.

But what about public opinion in Arab countries? Does it favor normalization before justice for Palestinians? Will a Biden administration continue the policy of coerced normalization? Would the promised "economic relief" to Arab countries signing recognition deals with Israel ever arrive? Will burgeoning U.S. arms shipments pave the way for a new arms race in the region?

Video at: https://youtu.be/Me2e_MvC8Rg

IsraelLobbyCon EXTRA! Series at: https://www.israellobbycon.org/home

"Christian Zionism and Settler Colonialism" Reverend Don Wagner

Rev. Donald E. Wagner, is the author of “Zionism and the Quest for Justice in the Holy Land.” Until recently, historical and political accounts of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict have ignored or understated the influence of Christian Zionism in British and U.S. policy in the Middle East. Reverend Wagner examined Christian Zionism in relation to Britain’s 1917 Balfour Declaration during the British Empire and how “Manifest Destiny” and settler colonialism have influenced attitudes about Middle East policy in the United States.

Christians United for Israel (CUFI) has proclaimed itself the largest pro-Israel lobby in the United States. With its intimate partnership with AIPAC and various Zionist think tanks and lobby organizations, Christian Zionism’s political profile has been elevated to new heights during the Trump-Netanyahu alliance. But who is really setting the agenda? And at what cost? Have Christian evangelical leaders been a force on Capitol Hill, beyond urging its adherents to the ballot box? How do Christian Zionist lobbying expenditures stack up against Jewish Zionist organizations? What was Secretary of State Pompeo trying to accomplish by speaking to the Republican National Convention from Jerusalem?

Video at: https://youtu.be/pSzPYPp_Tcc

IsraelLobbyCon EXTRA! Series at: https://www.israellobbycon.org/home

"Settler Colonialism from America to Palestine" Distinguished Professor Walter Hixson

Walter Hixson is the author of a half-dozen books on the history of U.S. foreign relations.  He has taught history for 36 years and is currently distinguished professor of history at the University of Akron. His most recent books are "American Settler Colonialism: A History" (2013) and "Israel's Armor: The Israel Lobby and the First Generation of the Palestine Conflict." (2019).

Hixson answered cross disciplinary questions about foreign policy, the Israel lobby and settler colonialism. What are the core objectives of settler colonialism? Why must the population targeted for removal be the object of hatred and portrayed as primitive, uncivilized and "savage?" Massacres can exist without genocide, but can genocide exist without massacres? Are indigenes ever allowed to avail themselves of the colonizer's means of communications and justice system to argue their case? What Is perpetrator trauma?

What systemic purpose do concepts such as the "Doctrine of Discovery," "Manifest Destiny" and "chosenness" serve in settler colonialism? Is settler colonialism always a "zero-sum-game?" Why was ongoing settler destruction of Indian crops, buffalo, horses and burning homes such an important strategy? How does this compare to Israeli attacks on Palestinian electricity generation, bulldozing homes, and cutting off access to fishing? What roles do the major Israel lobby organizations such as AIPAC, the American Jewish Committee, ADL, etc. play in the ongoing colonization? Are there any opportunities for American redemption by cutting off official and nonofficial U.S. support for Israeli settler colonialism?

Video at: https://youtu.be/H38MYjCcX3U

IsraelLobbyCon EXTRA! Series at: https://www.israellobbycon.org/home

“Palestine, Propaganda and the President" Ali Abunimah

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, and takes questions from webinar attendees.

Video at: https://youtu.be/-1a-t37wFd8

IsraelLobbyCon EXTRA! Series at: https://www.israellobbycon.org/home

“Censorship, Entanglement & Corruption: The Israel Lobby 2021 Agenda" Grant F. Smith, IRmep

Grant F. Smith is the author of seven books about the Israel lobby, and research director of IRmep. His most recent books are "Big Israel: How Israel's Lobby Moves America" (2016) and "The Israel Lobby Enters State Government: Rise of the Virginia Israel Advisory Board" (2019).

Continuing an election year tradition, Smith presented his most recent research findings about Israel affinity organization legislative, executive agency and state government lobbying initiatives. He discussed in depth the trajectory, roles and relative importance of Jewish establishment lobbying (such as AIPAC and the Zionist Organization of America) vs. relatively more recent Christian Zionist lobbying.

Smith also explored the Israel lobby's latest major program—importing and subsidizing Israeli companies to compete with domestic U.S. companies. As a case study, Smith gave an update on recent initiatives and the cloud of corruption enveloping the Virginia Israel Advisory Board.

Smith's 2016 election year roundup has more than 37,000 YouTube views. A presentation of key findings from his book "Big Israel" is now approaching 100,000 YouTube views.

Video at: https://youtu.be/Gw0E5E4-6sQ

IsraelLobbyCon EXTRA! Series at: https://www.israellobbycon.org/home