Olmert's Claim He Instructed Bush on UN Vote Another Disgrace To US Foreign Policy Under Dubya'
Ehud Olmert's statement that he instructed Bush to make Condi Rice abstain on the UN Security Council's resolution for an immediate cease-fire in Gaza has added weight to the claim that Bush foreign policy in the Mid-East is dicated by the powerful Israeli lobby in Washington.
While both the White House and State Department say that Olmert's statement is inaccurate, the influence of the Israeli lobby is not a myth.
And the vote on Capitol Hill last week overwhelmingly supporting Israel and ignoring the humanitarian nightmare in Gaza gives even more credence to that claim.
From IPS News: "Regardless of the truth of Olmert's claims, the story comes as an embarrassment to the Bush administration, which has faced criticism for its alleged unquestioning support for Israeli positions.
"While most U.S. allies in Europe and elsewhere have called for an immediate ceasefire since the Israeli bombardment of Gaza began on Dec. 27, the Bush administration has been unwavering in its refusal to condemn the campaign or suggest a timeline for its conclusion.
"On the U.S. domestic scene, Congress's overwhelming backing of the Gaza offensive despite apparently lukewarm public support has been taken as further evidence for the existence of an "Israel lobby" skewing policy in a hawkish direction.
"This claim was put forth by political scientists John Mearsheimer and Stephen Walt in a 2006 article in the London Review of Books entitled "The Israel Lobby", later turned into a 2007 book. They alleged that hawkish pro-Israel lobbying groups -- most notably the powerful American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) -- have for decades skewed foreign policy in a direction detrimental to U.S. interests.
"The Mearsheimer/Walt thesis has been extremely controversial since its publication. To critics, the thesis was simply the latest manifestation of a long line of conspiracy theories alleging covert Jewish domination of politics.
"Defenders countered that the idea of an Israel lobby was not meant to stand in for Jews as a whole -- both because the policies of groups like AIPAC were unrepresentative of the more dovish views of most U.S. Jews, and because the lobby was also made up of large numbers of evangelical Christians.
"As world debate over the Gaza war remains fierce, it seems unlikely that these controversies will die down in the near future."
While both the White House and State Department say that Olmert's statement is inaccurate, the influence of the Israeli lobby is not a myth.
And the vote on Capitol Hill last week overwhelmingly supporting Israel and ignoring the humanitarian nightmare in Gaza gives even more credence to that claim.
From IPS News: "Regardless of the truth of Olmert's claims, the story comes as an embarrassment to the Bush administration, which has faced criticism for its alleged unquestioning support for Israeli positions.
"While most U.S. allies in Europe and elsewhere have called for an immediate ceasefire since the Israeli bombardment of Gaza began on Dec. 27, the Bush administration has been unwavering in its refusal to condemn the campaign or suggest a timeline for its conclusion.
"On the U.S. domestic scene, Congress's overwhelming backing of the Gaza offensive despite apparently lukewarm public support has been taken as further evidence for the existence of an "Israel lobby" skewing policy in a hawkish direction.
"This claim was put forth by political scientists John Mearsheimer and Stephen Walt in a 2006 article in the London Review of Books entitled "The Israel Lobby", later turned into a 2007 book. They alleged that hawkish pro-Israel lobbying groups -- most notably the powerful American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) -- have for decades skewed foreign policy in a direction detrimental to U.S. interests.
"The Mearsheimer/Walt thesis has been extremely controversial since its publication. To critics, the thesis was simply the latest manifestation of a long line of conspiracy theories alleging covert Jewish domination of politics.
"Defenders countered that the idea of an Israel lobby was not meant to stand in for Jews as a whole -- both because the policies of groups like AIPAC were unrepresentative of the more dovish views of most U.S. Jews, and because the lobby was also made up of large numbers of evangelical Christians.
"As world debate over the Gaza war remains fierce, it seems unlikely that these controversies will die down in the near future."
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