Pulling US strings on Israel - AIPAC

http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/GE19Ak01.html


The Federal Bureau of Investigation's (FBI's) decision in early May to arrest Lawrence Franklin, the Pentagon analyst accused of disclosing classified information about US forces in Iraq, has put in the spotlight the work of an influential pro-Israel lobbying outfit, the American Israeli Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), as well as its many supporters in and outside government, including former deputy defense secretary Paul Wolfowitz (now World Bank chief), Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, and Under Secretary of Defense for Policy Douglas Feith.

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According to the New York Times (May 5, 2005), supporters of the "influential circle in the Pentagon", whose members were leading advocates for war in Iraq and have long-standing ties to AIPAC, blame the FBI's investigation on "the continuing struggle inside the administration over intelligence", arguing that individuals who supported the Iraq war have been unjustly targeted.

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Of all the US lobbies, few wield more influence than the pro-Israel interest groups. According to some estimates, about 500 national and local organizations collectively make up the pro-Israel lobby. And of those, AIPAC arguably carries the most weight - "the most effective general interest group over the entire planet", former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich once said of AIPAC. Extremely active in securing weapons deals for Israel, in lobbying for sanctions against the country's Middle East rivals, and in promoting the political agenda of whatever government happens to be in power in Israel, AIPAC has long played a highly public role in American policymaking in the Middle East.

AIPAC has also been active in pushing US intervention in the region. In fact, its efforts to persuade US lawmakers to go after Iraq date back to the first Gulf War. In an interview shortly after the 1991 Gulf War began, Thomas Dine, then the president of AIPAC, told the Wall Street Journal that his organization had been busy behind the scenes building support for the war. "Yes, we were active," said Dine. "These are the great issues of our time. If you sit on the sidelines, you have no voice."

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the article ends thus:

Several high-profile Bush administration folks have had financial interests in many of the weapons systems pushed by AIPAC, including Jay Garner, the former "mayor of Baghdad", whose SY Coleman produced parts for the Arrow missile system. Garner also has strong ties to the neo-conservative Jewish Institute for National Security Affairs.
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criminals