Sharon'Cheerleaders and the money from AIPAC

Sharon's Cheerleaders in Congress and the money from AIPAC

By Hassan A. El-Najjar

4/28/02

When the Israeli Prime Minister, Ariel Sharon, personally supervises the Jenin refugee camp massacre in Palestine, he should be condemned, described as a war criminal, be arrested, and extradited to be tried in the Netherlands side by side with Melosivic. Actually, he has been condemned all over the world and there is a case against him in Belgium, to be tried for his 1982 war crimes in Sabra and Shatella refugee camps of Beirut, where about 3,000 Palestinians were massacred under his supervision.

However, when it comes to the United States, Sharon is described as a "man of peace," something even Sharon himself may not say. His propaganda emissary, Bibi Nethanyaho, was received in Congress and was allowed to spread his racist and hateful propaganda against the Palestinian people. The United States government stands alone in the world as the only supporter of Israeli continuous aggression against Arabs and Muslims generally, and the Palestinian people in particular. This is partly attributed to the power of the Israeli lobby in Congress. The American- Israeli Political Action Committee (AIPAC) uses millions of dollars to exert its influence on law makers. In return, these members of Congress have to demonstrate their loyalty to Israel by words and by making laws that would benefit Israel or hurt its enemies. They would support Israel even if this support would create enemies for America in the Middle East and around the world. Just a quick look at the major names of these members of Congress, who acted as Sharon cheerleaders in the previous few weeks, would make the point.

On AIPAC's annual meeting, just last week, half of the Senators, including Tom Daschle, the majority leader, and nearly 100 representa- tives, including the House majority whip, Tom Delay attended. Mr. Daschle said, "Our commitment to Israel must be unshakeable; it must be absolute."(1) Some Democrats, who did not participate in the Sharon cheerleading effort, were criticized. When Joe Biden refused to let Netanyaho appear before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, quickly Joe Lieberman (D) and Jon Kyl (R) invited him to another forum. John Kerry and Richard Gephardt (2004 presidential candidates), together with New York Senator, Charles Schumer blasted other fellow Democrats for not participating in the Israel cheerleading party.(2)

So, how much has AIPAC paid for these politicians and other Israel-loyals in Congress? A full list of members of Congress and the amounts of money they have recived from AIPAC is published in this website: http://www.wrmea.com

However, here is a list of major AIPAC's financial contributions to members of Congress. Read, and next time you hear somebody in Congress praising the butcher of the Palestinian people, think about how much did he or she receive from the Israeli lobby.

Notes:

(1) Files, John. "Lawmaker Reaffirm Israel Support." New York Times. 4/22/02.

(2) Safire, William. "Democrats vs. Israel." New York Times. 4/22/02.

Dr. Hassan A. El-Najjar is the Editor of www.aljazeerah.info and author of "The Gulf War: Overreaction & Excessiveness." (2001).