Back in 2017, when an Israeli diplomat in London asked for action against Alan Duncan. He is the British foreign minister who wrote a letter in his diary. According to him, he had joked with colleagues about the Conservative Friends of Israel and the Israelis seemed to control the Foreign Office.
Some people on the Left clearly said that these complaints are not right and there is no fact in it. According to them, Israel’s influence is overstated and also Israel stands in favour of the United States’ interest.
David Wearing, a British writer, says that Israel’s role as an important ally in a key region is clear and doesn’t need special lobbying to be understood.
In a recent book, scholar Hil Aked argues that claims about Israel being against American interests are mistaken or even xenophobic. He thinks these ideas are not based on real evidence. Similarly, Andreas Malm disagrees with the idea that a powerful lobby controls U.S. policy on Israel. Instead, he believes that Israel is part of US imperial interests, a view supported by both historical and current evidence.
It is always correct that the United States supports Israel just because of a fixed imperial goal. According to this theory, US leaders always stand in favour of Israel without question to serve a constant, unchanging imperial interest.
With respect to this view, many facts are overlooked. It includes that the foreign policy of the United States changes and becomes more complex with the passage of time. Joe Biden’s statement clearly highlights the importance of Israel. According to him, if Israel did not exist then the United States would have to create it. But that belief might be mistaken.
US leaders also made wrong decisions about what was beneficial for the nation. For example, many thought that George W. Bush’s decision to invade Iraq was based on imperial interests, but now it’s seen as a harmful choice. This belief that Israel’s presence is important for the nation’s progress is not correct. Everyone should question this belief rather than accept it.
Historical comments, like those from Henry Kissinger in 1975, suggest that Israel isn’t necessarily key to stopping the spread of communism. Today, there is considerable debate within the US government about the risks of always supporting Israel, showing that the issue is more complicated than it might seem.
Some people on the left still believe old ideas about how imperial power works, especially when it comes to the influence of the Israeli lobby. They think that supporting Israel is good for the US progress but it is always true.
The US support for Israel can actually hurt the US interest, especially in this complicated political world. The influence of Israel and its lobby is important here.
Second, the idea that supporting Israel is always beneficial for the United States is outdated. Some places are not important now, such as the Eastern Mediterranean and the Persian Gulf.
The US is trying to handle the severe conflicts in different parts of the world. This effort makes it hard for this nation to keep up its military power.
Also, Israel’s action made it difficult for the United States to maintain stability in the Middle East. Experts like John Mearsheimer and Stephen Walt say that US support for Israel can makes other countries the biggest threat to America.
Lastly, the belief that smaller countries can’t influence big powers ignores history. Even small states can have a big impact. Bill Clinton’s frustration with Israel’s influence shows this.
With the passage of time, it becomes complicated to support Israel. The lobbying efforts have been done to convince Western leaders that supporting Israel is good for the nation. But the ongoing conflict in Gaza changed the people’s support. They stand in favor of Israel. So, it is not wise to agree on Biden’s policy that Israel is important for America.
Some people believe Israel has total control or that we need to destroy Western civilization for Palestinians to be free, but these ideas aren’t helpful. It’s becoming clear that Israel is less important to America, so the lobby has to work harder to keep support.
Instead of focusing on the details of the US-Israel relationship, the Left should make ethical and strategic arguments against supporting Israel. To challenge the situation in Palestine, we need to fight against the Israel lobby’s influence.
