Palestine and Western Public Opinion – A Battle That Continues
When The New York Times reports that U.S. support for Israel has undergone a seismic reversal in public opinion, it is sounding alarm bells, not merely reporting the news. The newspaper has never failed to support Israel, and its coverage of the genocidal war is just a stark example. In addition, when congressional candidates pledge to refuse campaign funding from the Israel lobby and even return the funds they have received to date, and when current members are being pressured to disclose the amount of money they have received from the lobby, the earthquake must have indeed already occurred.
All of this was unthinkable before the Al-Aqsa Flood.* Over the past two years, for the first time, it has become impossible for the American press to hide Israel's crimes. Americans have watched the genocidal war on their phones.
The Al-Aqsa Flood has significantly deepened the generational divide in America, including, by the way, American Jews. Furthermore, American polarization is no longer just a left-right divide. Instead, it has become, so to speak, a four-fold polarization. Within each of the main political currents, there is now an internal split between traditional supporters of Israel and those who openly oppose American support for it.
In fact, none of these shifts happened overnight. They resulted from an accumulation over at least a decade, but it was a slow build-up until the genocidal war occurred. Then, the accumulation accelerated and took an unprecedented leap.
For the first time, this has placed the Israel lobby in an unprecedented position — a reality that Donald Trump has publicly acknowledged on multiple occasions. This in itself is another historic precedent.
The lobby has always been powerfully present in American politics, yet intentionally absent from political discourse.
For the first time, human rights organizations are openly demanding that the Israel lobby in Washington be registered as an organization working for foreign interests, rather than under the laws governing American interest groups.
However, the lobby is not standing idly by in the face of these developments. In my view, it is still capable of exploiting what is known as dark money. This is a loophole in the current campaign finance law that allows wealthy individuals to spend enormous sums without having to disclose the source. This loophole remains a crucial tool aimed at abolishing the influence of public opinion and holding Congress captive to special interest groups.
Wealthy pro-Israel donors have already begun suppressing public opinion by criminalizing support for Palestine and by purchasing social media platforms, including television news networks to secure influence and produce pro-Israel coverage.
Furthermore, Israel is not standing idly by either. It has allocated $145 million to launder its reputation, as I have written here before. It is targeting the younger generation, paying social media influencers to create content in support of Israel.
In fact, American organizations are now demanding that these influencers register as working for foreign interests.
*Editor’s note: “Al-Aqsa Flood” is the name given by Hamas and other Palestinian militant groups to the surprise, large-scale attack they launched on Israel from the Gaza Strip on Oct. 7, 2023.
All of this was unthinkable before the Al-Aqsa Flood.* Over the past two years, for the first time, it has become impossible for the American press to hide Israel's crimes. Americans have watched the genocidal war on their phones.
The Al-Aqsa Flood has significantly deepened the generational divide in America, including, by the way, American Jews. Furthermore, American polarization is no longer just a left-right divide. Instead, it has become, so to speak, a four-fold polarization. Within each of the main political currents, there is now an internal split between traditional supporters of Israel and those who openly oppose American support for it.
In fact, none of these shifts happened overnight. They resulted from an accumulation over at least a decade, but it was a slow build-up until the genocidal war occurred. Then, the accumulation accelerated and took an unprecedented leap.
For the first time, this has placed the Israel lobby in an unprecedented position — a reality that Donald Trump has publicly acknowledged on multiple occasions. This in itself is another historic precedent.
The lobby has always been powerfully present in American politics, yet intentionally absent from political discourse.
For the first time, human rights organizations are openly demanding that the Israel lobby in Washington be registered as an organization working for foreign interests, rather than under the laws governing American interest groups.
However, the lobby is not standing idly by in the face of these developments. In my view, it is still capable of exploiting what is known as dark money. This is a loophole in the current campaign finance law that allows wealthy individuals to spend enormous sums without having to disclose the source. This loophole remains a crucial tool aimed at abolishing the influence of public opinion and holding Congress captive to special interest groups.
Wealthy pro-Israel donors have already begun suppressing public opinion by criminalizing support for Palestine and by purchasing social media platforms, including television news networks to secure influence and produce pro-Israel coverage.
Furthermore, Israel is not standing idly by either. It has allocated $145 million to launder its reputation, as I have written here before. It is targeting the younger generation, paying social media influencers to create content in support of Israel.
In fact, American organizations are now demanding that these influencers register as working for foreign interests.
*Editor’s note: “Al-Aqsa Flood” is the name given by Hamas and other Palestinian militant groups to the surprise, large-scale attack they launched on Israel from the Gaza Strip on Oct. 7, 2023.
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