It’s been a busy day. My third article post of the day, this one at LobeLog, reporting on a bill that was a focal point of AIPAC lobbying around its policy conference. Such bills usually torpedo through Congress, but not this one. I examine why.
Posts Tagged ‘Senate’
AIPAC Bill Runs Into Unusual Resistance In Congress
Posted in US-Israel Lobby, tagged AIPAC, AIPAC 2013 conference, bill, Congress, House, Israel, Israel Lobby, Senate, sequester, Two-state solution, United States-Israel Strategic Partnership Act of 2013, US visas on April 12, 2013 | 1 Comment »
Is the Israel Lobby Losing Its Grip?
Posted in US-Israel Lobby, tagged AIPAC, Anti-Semitism, Barack Obama, Chuck Hagel, Congress, CUFI, democracy, Israel Lobby, J Street, Jewish State, Neoconservatives, Netanyahu, PA, Palestinian Authority, PLO, Romney, Senate, Union for Reform Judaism, United Nations on January 9, 2013 | Leave a Comment »
This article originally appeared at LobeLog. Check out the new look of this outstanding site for foreign policy analysis you won’t find anywhere else.
In recent weeks, a few incidents have begun to raise questions about the vaunted power of the so-called “Israel Lobby” and whether its influence might be waning. First there

Bibi might have to do more listening to Obama and future Presidents
were the AIPAC-backed congressional bills that sought to level sanctions on the Palestinian Authority to punish it for having gone to the United Nations in seeking and winning an upgrade in their status to one that implied statehood and granted it a few more rights in the international system. Those bills both died before reaching the floors of the Senate and House of Representatives. More recently, there was the row over Chuck Hagel’s nomination as Secretary of Defense. That nomination went forward and it has since become evident that, despite some disparaging comments from a few Senators, Hagel is likely to be confirmed.
Those aren’t small failures for “the Lobby”, but the circumstances around them should be examined to put them in context. The two events do indicate the potential beginnings of a shift in the discourse around US policy in the Middle East, but it’s important not to make more out of this than there is. (more…)
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