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New book: Israel's Lobby: America in the Grip of a Foreign Power - Eli Clifton

Posted by Raskolnikov User icon on August 13, 2026, 6:52 am

An unflinching exposé of Israel's Lobby, showing how its outsized influence works against our national interests and threatens our freedom.

The greatest story in geopolitics and in American domestic affairs is how the far-right government of a small Middle Eastern country came to hold a controlling interest in United States foreign policy. Israel’s lobby is now in a position to police the speech of American politicians, college students and journalists, and coerce and persuade the White House to back unpopular, costly, and ultimately national security-threatening policies. From the Biden administration’s unwillingness to bring American leverage to bear an end to genocidal violence that only harmed our national security interests, to the Trump administration’s role in lifting the parole restrictions on a spy who had sold vital government secrets, American subservience to its putative client state, Israel, is a vivid and vexing example of the tail wagging the dog.

Israel’s Lobby combines investigative journalism and political science to tie together the stories of American and Israeli oligarchs capturing the policymaking process in successive presidential administrations and the geopolitical, national security and domestic consequences of American foreign policy effectively sold to the highest bidder. Eli Clifton and Ian Lustick explain how shifts in global politics, Israel’s lurch to the extreme right, and the evisceration of American campaign finance laws make the influence of Israel’s lobby more costly and more dangerous today than it ever was before, why the lobby launched an antisemitism witch hunt to suppress opponents rather than attempt to defend Israel's policies, and how the Lobby not only distorts American policy but helps make Israel a “crazy” state.

Israel’s Lobby follows the money and lifts the veil on a seemingly unassailable feature of American politics, importantly detailing how we can unite around traditional American values and the importance of substantive debate to resist Israel-first vigilantism.

https://www.mediafire.com/file/nnpxch0co0e8zay/Israel%2527s_Lobby_-_Eli_Clifton.epub/file

The corporate media are complicit in the Gaza genocide.
Never forget what they did. Never forgive them for it.

So, what share of total lobbying funds would you imagine is by AIPAC & The Israel Lobby? nm

Posted by Der User icon on August 14, 2026, 6:29 am, in reply to "New book: Israel's Lobby: America in the Grip of a Foreign Power - Eli Clifton"

Re: So, what share of total lobbying funds would you imagine is by AIPAC & The Israel Lobby? nm

Posted by Raskolnikov User icon on August 14, 2026, 8:11 am, in reply to "So, what share of total lobbying funds would you imagine is by AIPAC & The Israel Lobby? nm"

I snatched a bit of this article (behind a paywall) but it doesn't quote figures as a percentage of total lobbying but the numbers are huge. And because of the toxification of AIPAC as a brand they have diversified into lots of less well know, non-apartheid state branded groups (plus increased personal donations).

https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2026/08/04/us/politics/aipac-israel-funds-spending.html

In less than five years, the American Israel Public Affairs Committee has become one of the biggest spenders in American elections, flooding the airwaves in congressional races across the country.

Since its first involvement in elections, the amount of money AIPAC-affiliated political action committees have spent on campaign advertising and outreach to voters has more than doubled, from $29.3 million to $67.2 million, with much of it spent in Democratic primaries.

also

In 2022, AIPAC created a super PAC that has spent more money on TV, radio and digital ads in federal elections over the past three election cycles than any other special interest group not linked to a political party, according to a Times analysis of data collected by AdImpact, a media tracking firm. AIPAC’s rapid growth in election spending, both through its super PAC and other new affiliated organizations, makes clear how significant the issue of Israel has become in American politics — but also how complicated.

The corporate media are complicit in the Gaza genocide.
Never forget what they did. Never forgive them for it.

Only 1% of lobbying money is AIPAC's. Hence we should be more concerned by other lobbying groups.

Posted by Der User icon on August 14, 2026, 1:11 pm, in reply to "Re: So, what share of total lobbying funds would you imagine is by AIPAC & The Israel Lobby? nm"

The US dog wags the Israeli tail. And the Ukraine tail. In the greater scheme of things Israel are just another proxy outfit. Totally dependent on the US for pretty much everything. They do what they're told. That's from Berletic.

He has no time for all this "Israel Lobby" stuff. Mearsheimer is interesting on Ukraine yet he can't see the similarity between the role of Ukraine and Israel!

Re: Only 1% of lobbying money is AIPAC's. Hence we should be more concerned by other lobbying groups.

Posted by Raskolnikov User icon on August 14, 2026, 3:34 pm, in reply to "Only 1% of lobbying money is AIPAC's. Hence we should be more concerned by other lobbying groups."

I don't trust him.

As pointed out "AIPAC" isn't the same as the lobby in toto.

The numbers are still enormous and its effect damaging; they can afford to spend 30 mill on a state primary for example.

Pretending it isn't a thing is foolish imo.

Short answer: don't read it if you already know all you want to.

The corporate media are complicit in the Gaza genocide.
Never forget what they did. Never forgive them for it.

We should also get on to Ilan Pappé

Posted by Raskolnikov User icon on August 14, 2026, 4:27 pm, in reply to "Re: Only 1% of lobbying money is AIPAC's. Hence we should be more concerned by other lobbying groups."

tell him not to waste his time writing any more books about the lobby because it's not a big deal. Brian said so.

The corporate media are complicit in the Gaza genocide.
Never forget what they did. Never forgive them for it.

Also the Iran misadvanture. Why is it do you think that no other president would go for it

Posted by Raskolnikov User icon on August 14, 2026, 4:32 pm, in reply to "We should also get on to Ilan Pappé"

until the massively compromised by the lobby that doesn't exist tango twat came along? Just that on its own is reason to investigate and learn.

We all know the dog wags the tail but it isn't a binary and this simplistic "The US does what it wants through the apartheid state. End of story" isn't a sensible approach.

The corporate media are complicit in the Gaza genocide.
Never forget what they did. Never forgive them for it.

What mecchanism does your lobby use to manipulate the US empire?

Posted by Keith-264 User icon on August 14, 2026, 6:26 pm, in reply to "We should also get on to Ilan Pappé"

Alchemy? Conspiracy?

Sounds like you need to read more, not least the posts you "reply" to

Posted by Raskolnikov User icon on August 14, 2026, 9:09 pm, in reply to "What mecchanism does your lobby use to manipulate the US empire?"

It's clearly pointless that's why they spend so much time, energy and money on it; they just love having no effect.

The corporate media are complicit in the Gaza genocide.
Never forget what they did. Never forgive them for it.

Popinjay-itis

Posted by Keith-264 User icon on August 14, 2026, 11:45 pm, in reply to "Sounds like you need to read more, not least the posts you "reply" to"

That isn't an answer, it's running away.

Ok read Whitney Webb for many methods of control and influence

Posted by Raskolnikov User icon on August 15, 2026, 6:14 am, in reply to "Popinjay-itis"

There's one answer. Also, if you are so obsessed with answers, what about the Iran question posed above? Nothing, right?

Like I ALREADY SAID, it's not a binary and pretending it's just one way and that's that is fucking stupid. But you obviously feel you know everything already so it's pointless pointing out the stupidity of the argument. You do you.

The corporate media are complicit in the Gaza genocide.
Never forget what they did. Never forgive them for it.

Quite agree....nm

Posted by Keith-264 User icon on August 14, 2026, 3:57 pm, in reply to "Only 1% of lobbying money is AIPAC's. Hence we should be more concerned by other lobbying groups."

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