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democratic majority for israel
US Lawmakers Received Over $58 Million From Israel Lobby Last Election Cycle
One progressive group said the money was "one of the main reasons most members of Congress don't represent the majority of Americans who want a cease-fire."
Jan 10, 2024
Members of Congress who expressed more support for Israel during the first six weeks of its war on Gaza received $125,000 on average from pro-Israeli lobby groups and individuals during their last elections, The Guardian reported Wednesday. In contrast, lawmakers who expressed more pro-Palestinian views only received $18,000 on average from these groups.
The Guardian analysis does not prove that legislators changed their views because they received donations; it is also the case that pro-Israel groups are more likely to fund campaigns run by people who express pro-Israel views. However, experts and advocates argue that the lobbying is one reason why around 82% of Congress was more supportive of Israel while only 9% was more supportive of Palestine.
"One of the main reasons most members of Congress don't represent the majority of Americans who want a cease-fire: The Israel lobby gave Congress $58 million last cycle; only 33 members didn't receive donations," the group Justice Democrats posted in response to the analysis. "This dark money poisons our democracy."
The analysis looked at the spending of 33 pro-Israel groups ranging from the more conservative American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) and Democratic Majority for Israel (DMFI) to the more liberal J Street as well as pro-Israel individuals. It assessed legislators' views by looking at their public statements, letters to President Joe Biden, and social media posts.
Overall, it found that Israel garnered much more support in Congress for its bombardment and invasion of Gaza—which has now killed 1% of Gaza's pre-war population according to CNN—than it has from the U.S. populace overall. The war began on October 7 after Hamas launched an attack on southern Israel that killed around 1,100 Israelis and took around 240 hostage. Before that attack, Gaza had been under Israeli blockade for 16 years.
During the first six weeks of the war—while human rights groups were already warning of its humanitarian consequences—93% of U.S. lawmakers advocated for military or financial support to Israel, 81% backed Israel's military response, 17% either criticized that response or advocated for a cease-fire, and 17% made statements that provided context for the conflict.
"If there was no lobby pushing Congress in a particular direction in a really forceful way, the position of the U.S. Congress on the war in Gaza would be fundamentally different."
There was a wide funding gap between the two groups. Lawmakers who called for U.S. aid to Israel had received $113,000 on average from pro-Israel groups compared to the $39,000 received by those who did not. Lawmakers who supported Israel's response received $127,000 compared to $26,000 to those who did not. Lawmakers who did not criticize the response or call for a cease-fire received $123,000 on average compared to $34,000 for those who did. And lawmakers who did not contextualize the war received $123,000 on average compared to $36,000 for those who did.
DMFI president Mark Mellman explained to The Guardian that the U.S.-lobby system "works that way for every issue, for every progressive issue, for every conservative issue, so there is absolutely nothing unique about pro-Israel community in this respect."
"Not acknowledging that would be antisemitic," Mellman said.
However, the Israeli lobby is a large one, spending more than oil and gas interests in 2022. AIPAC in particular has a reputation for spending money to defeat lawmakers who are more critical of Israel in primary campaigns.
"There aren't that many lobbies that are willing to spend millions of dollars to unseat you in a primary," progresive strategist Waleed Shahid told The Guardian.
Shahid said that candidates were often advised to make pro-Israel statements, and fear of a primary challenge may influence candidates' positions. The Intercept's Ryan Grim has previously noted that Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.), who has been a vocal supporter of Israel since October 7, allowed DMFI to edit his Israel-Palestine platform while running a primary against a more centrist candidate. The move was potentially aimed at keeping DMFI and AIPAC from backing his opponent, which they did not, in the end, do.
The Guardian's analysis found that the top six congressional recipients of Israeli lobby money in 2022 were centrist Democrats who defeated more progressive primary opponents, and that these donations made up 42% of the lobby's total spending.
"If there was no lobby pushing Congress in a particular direction in a really forceful way, the position of the U.S. Congress on the war in Gaza would be fundamentally different," John Mearsheimer, a political scientist at the University of Chicago political who co-authored the book The Israel Lobby and U.S. Foreign Policy, told The Guardian.
Days before The Guardian's report, Arab American Institute founder James Zogby wrote on social media that much of the money raised against progressives from pro-Israel groups comes from wealthy Republican donors.
"Why won't Dem leaders call them out? They would if it were for any other issue: guns, big pharma, etc.—but Israel gets a pass," Zogby said.
"We tried to get the DNC to ban dark money in primaries. We were shot down and no vote was allowed," Zogby continued. "This money is damaging our democracy and allowing supporters of Israel to shield Israel from sanctions or even criticism."
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Reports Expose US Billionaires and Corporate Profiteers Enabling Israel's War on Gaza
"As the Biden administration attempts to deny the death toll of Israel's campaign of mass murder in Gaza and sell genocide as a stimulus for the U.S. economy, these are the death merchants profiting from the war machine."
Oct 27, 2023
With more than 7,300 Palestinians killed so far in Israel's three-week bombardment of Gaza, a series of reports this week have exposed how U.S. weapon-makers and billionaire donors are enabling what legal scholars say could amount to genocide.
After Israel declared war in response to Hamas killing over 1,400 Israelis and taking around 200 hostages, the stocks of major American and European war profiteers soared. A Thursday report from Eyes on the Ties—the news site of LittleSis and Public Accountability Initiative—targets five U.S. firms with a record of providing weaponry to Israel.
The outlet stressed that while announcing a supplemental funding request that includes $14.3 billion for Israel, U.S. President Joe Biden last week "invoked 'patriotic American workers' who are 'building the arsenal of democracy and serving the cause of freedom,' but it's the defense company CEOs who rake in tens of millions a year, and Wall Street shareholders, who are the real beneficiaries of warmongering."
The five targeted industry giants collectively recorded $196.5 billion in military-related revenue last year, Eyes on the Ties reported. They are Boeing ($30.8 billion), General Dynamics ($30.4 billion), Lockheed Martin ($63.3 billion), Northrop Grumman ($32.4 billion), and RTX, formerly Raytheon ($39.6 billion).
"The top shareholders in these five defense companies largely consist of big asset managers, or big banks with asset management wings, that include BlackRock, Vanguard, State Street, Fidelity, Capital Group, Wellington, JPMorgan Chase, Morgan Stanley, Newport Trust Company, Longview Asset Management, Massachusetts Financial Services Company, Geode Capital, and Bank of America," the news outlet noted.
Eyes on the Ties also highlighted how chief executives are handsomely compensated—and the CEOs' ties to Big Pharma, the fossil fuel industry, Wall Street, and foreign policy think tanks such as the Council on Foreign Relations and Center for Strategic and International Studies.
According to the report:
- Boeing CEO David Calhoun took in over $64 million in total compensation from 2020-22 and as of February held 193,247 shares;
- General Dynamics CEO Phebe N. Novakovic took in over $64 million in total compensation from 202-22 and as of March held 1,616,279 shares;
- Lockheed Martin CEO Jim Taiclet took in over $66 million in total compensation from 2020-22 and as of February held 56,054 shares;
- Northrop Grumman CEO Kathy J. Warden took in over $61 million in total compensation from 2020-22 and as of March held 161,231 shares; and
- RTX CEO Gregory J. Hayes took in over $63 million in total compensation from 2020-22 and as of February held 801,339 shares.
Other reporting this week has taken aim at those CEOs for their suggestions that Israel's assault on Gaza is good for business.
During Lockheed Martin's latest earnings call, Taiclet correctly predicted Biden's request last week, saying that "there continues to be the option... for supplemental requests related to support Ukraine, Israel, and potentially Taiwan."
In addition to the request for Israel—which already gets nearly $4 billion in annual U.S. military aid—Biden asked for $4 billion to counter Chinese influence in the Indo-Pacific region and $61.4 billion more for
Ukraine, which is battling a Russian invasion.
"We are all witnessing significant geopolitical tensions across the globe, including the ongoing war in Ukraine and the horrific attacks in Israel," Warden said during Northrop Grumman's Thursday earnings call, according toVICE. "As we saw last week, the [Biden] administration continues to make supplemental requests for urgent needs, including those in Ukraine and Israel, to include investments in weapons systems and defense industrial base readiness."
As The Leverreported:
"The Israel situation obviously is a terrible one, frankly, and one that's just evolving as we speak," said Jason Aiken, chief financial officer and executive vice president at General Dynamics, on Wednesday. "But I think if you look at the incremental demand potential coming out of that, the biggest one to highlight and that really sticks out is probably on the artillery side."
He continued: "Obviously that's been a big pressure point up to now with Ukraine, one that we've been doing everything we can to support our Army customer. We've gone from 14,000 rounds per month to 20,000 very quickly. We're working ahead of schedule to accelerate that production capacity up to 85,000, even as high as 100,000 rounds per month, and I think the Israel situation is only going to put upward pressure on that demand."
Last week, roughly 100 activists gathered outside of General Dynamics' weapons plant in Pittsfield, Massachusetts, to protest the Israeli war, holding signs with slogans like, "Genocide: Brought To You By General Dynamics."
Both The Lever and VICE also pointed out that during RTX's Tuesday call, Hayes started by "acknowledging the tragic situation playing out in Israel" before turning to "an update on our end markets."
If Congress approves Biden's request for Israel, VICE explained, "some of the money would be used to restock Israel's Iron Dome rocket defense system, which RTX manufactured." Hayes said: "I think really across the entire Raytheon portfolio, you're going to see a benefit of this restocking. On top of what we think is going to be an increase in [U.S. Department of Defense] top line."
It's not just defense executives enabling Israel's mass slaughter of civilians in Gaza. As Eyes on the Ties reported, "Lobbying groups including the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) and Democratic Majority for Israel have been active in Washington, calling on lawmakers to send money and weapons to Israel."
The report names some billionaire donors to the lobbying groups, including New England Patriots and the Kraft Group CEO Robert Kraft, private equity investor Marc Rowan, venture capitalist Gary Lauder, hedge fund managers Daniel Loeb and Paul Singer, and Home Depot co-founder Bernard Marcus, who is also the founding president of the Israel Democracy Institute.
U.S. Rep. Summer Lee (D-Pa.) said Wednesday that Americans "know that funneling billions more dollars into arms dealers' pockets won't keep our children safe from weapons of war at home or across the world. It won't keep our loved ones safe from toxins in our air and drinking water. They know that lining the pockets of weapons manufacturers won't help families struggling to afford housing, medicine, or grocery costs. They know defense contractors won't safeguard Medicare and Social Security or shield our communities against the climate crisis."
Unlike the CEOs of firms like Lockheed Martin and RTX, "moms who can't afford childcare, young folks who can't pay off their debt, veterans who can't keep up with housing costs, and children who go to school hungry don't have million-dollar lobbying budgets," added Lee, one of the few members of Congress pushing for a cease-fire in Gaza. "So it's up to us to stand up for their needs."
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