Money in Politics
By Jonathan Kuttab
Money has always played a nefarious role in politics. Yet, in America today its influence has become totally corrosive and threatens to undermine the very concept of democracy itself. This is true for all aspects of US politics, but nowhere is it more evident than over the issue of Israel/Palestine. Zionist forces have fine tuned the art of using money for political influence and are wielding it with great force and effectiveness against those who advocate for justice in Israel/Palestine.
On the one hand, they would challenge anyone who points out the influence of pro-Israel money in politics as engaging in anti-semitic tropes. (Remember the attacks on Ilhan Omar for her comment, “It’s all about the Benjamins.”) On the other hand, these groups have no problem proudly proclaiming the influence they have. AIPAC recently tweeted that it had effectively determined the outcome in a number of primary races including Glen Ivey, Shontel Brown, Valerue Foushee, Don Davis, Morgan McGarvey, David Scott, Henry Cuellar, Robert Garcia, and Dina Titus.
In the past, there was some attempt to limit the effect money had on politics by enacting restrictions on how much money one person could contribute to a candidate during an election cycle. This all went out the window as a result of two devastating developments: First, was the 2010 decision of the Supreme Court in Citizens United holding that corporations were actually “persons” and that financial contributions by corporations were a form of political speech protected by the First Amendment that should not be limited. Second, was the development of “super PACs,” also in 2010, which were effectively authorized to contribute unlimited amounts of money from undisclosed sources to political campaigns. The length of time and the enormous amounts of money needed to run for office today means that even the most principled and conscientious politicians must beg, grovel, and become beholden to moneyed interests as they struggle to raise the needed sums to finance their campaigns. This is equally true for BOTH parties. Even Barack Obama, who campaigned against such dark money, felt compelled to set up his own super PAC (to allegedly “level the playing field”).
What is new and even more disheartening is a new tactic being used. Newly formed super PACs have now surpassed even AIPAC. They target a progressive democratic candidate, like Nina Turner of Ohio, then massively fund her opponent with unprecedented amounts of money and negative TV ads. The curious thing is that such ads do not even mention Israel, Palestine, or the true agenda of the spoilers. But, they ensure that the progressive candidate ends up losing, sometimes even to another “progressive” who is a PEP (progressive except for Palestine) or who is willing to toe the line. AIPAC, together with a newly formed Democratic Majority For Israel (DMFI) and United Democracy Project (UDP) spent unprecedented amounts in the Democratic primary race in Maryland, leading to the defeat of Donna Edwards, who only mildly criticized Israel and supported J Street. Over $6 million dollars was spent by AIPAC largely for attack ads that had nothing to do with Israel. The winning candidate in this largely African American community would be bound to follow the wishes of his donors, rather than the desires of his natural constituency.
It is not surprising, perhaps, that these new PACS, as well as AIPAC, have been eager to also support Republican candidates who are election deniers, and who voted to try and overturn the results of the last election.
I recite these facts not to further dishearten us, but for two reasons: First, we need to be aware of these facts and tactics in order to properly fight them. Like Jesus’ disciples, we are being sent into an evil world and are advised to be gentle as doves but wise as serpents. Second, because it is important to build alliances with others realizing that the battle for Palestinian rights is also a battle for human rights in general and even for the soul of our democracy itself. If we lose, all America loses. However, we should not be disheartened. We should have faith in God and be confident of our positions. Ultimately, we will prevail, as we must.
An Update on "The Six"
Many of you have signed a petition regarding the six humanitarian and human rights organizations declared to be “terrorist organizations” by Israel. We had reported that Israel was surprised by the pushback it received and, as such, was not taking specific actions against the six organizations but kept the law on the books to intimidate the organizations and dry up their funding sources.
Three new developments have taken place recently: First, the European Union has publicly declared that they were not satisfied with the Israeli proffered “evidence” against the six organizations, and are now resuming normal public relations with and support for the six organizations.
Second, on July 18th, Representative Ayanna Pressley (MA-07) led 21 members of Congress in a letter to the State Department concerning the 6 organizations, stating “the U.S. must always and consistently speak out against efforts by all countries attempting to undermine civil society and the necessary work of humanitarian organizations." It is to be noted that the US government still has not completed its “review” of the Israeli “evidence” regarding the six organizations.
Lastly, the Israeli government has written to the lawyers representing these organizations warning them that these are “terrorist organizations” and that the lawyers face criminal charges if they accept fees from them without getting prior permission from the Israeli government. This is such an outrageous new development, since lawyers have been representing Palestinians in military courts and tribunals for decades without being required to get a prior permission to collect their fees. As a lawyer, I myself have represented clients charged with terrorism, including members of Hamas, Fatah, PFLP, and others, who had been charged with murder, shootings, and other offenses, without ever receiving such threatening letters.
We will keep you updated of any new developments on this front.
Take Action!
Sign the petition!
Stop US charities that finance violence
The Campaign to Defund Racism is a Palestinian-led movement to end the use of ‘charitable’ funds raised in the United States to carry out the mission of Israeli settler organizations. It aims to uncover wrongful acts being funded by these organizations through the use of their charitable status, stop the exploitation of US charitable laws that fund settler extremism and violence, and as a result, the subjugation and displacement of Palestinian communities.
Tell your regulatory bodies to uphold and enforce the law!
Get Involved!
FOSNA invites you to join us in the following events and activities:
August 5-7
Seeing Through the Prism of Justice: Pax Christi's 50th Anniversary Conference
For its 50th anniversary, Pax Christi is holding its first in-person conference since 2016! Celebrate the legacy of peace and gospel nonviolence in Washington, D.C. and connect with FOSNA's Executive Director Jonathan Kuttab.
August 20
Middle East Peace Now Monthly Forum
FOSNA Executive Director Jonathan Kuttab will be the keynote speaker for Middle East Peace Now's Monthly Forum on August 20, at 10:00-11:30am Central Time. Stay tuned for more details and learn more about Middle East Peace Now here.
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Sabeel Prayer Service. Join Sabeel every Thursday (6pm Jerusalem) for online Bible Study, discussion, and prayer. Examine scripture in light of the ongoing realities confronting the Palestinian Church and the pursuit of Palestinian liberation.
Wave of Prayer. Subscribe to receive Sabeel's Wave of Prayer, enabling friends of Sabeel around the world to pray over issues of critical concern to the Holy Land on a weekly basis.
Kumi Now! (Week 29) The Israeli Apartheid Wall. Resolution ES-10/15 doesn’t, in name, sound like much. But it was a resolution passed on July 20, 2004 that acknowledged the illegality of Israel’s separation barrier under international law. Years later, Palestinian communities in the occupied territory are still being torn apart due to the construction of the separation barrier, otherwise known as the Apartheid Wall. As the wall gets built, Israel is effectively annexing more and more Palestinian land to itself. Here’s what you need to know about the Israeli Apartheid Wall and what you can do so that together we can rise up.
Podcast: On the Ground for Palestine. On the Ground for Palestine is a weekly podcast to keep you updated on the news events and activism happening on the ground in Palestine and Israel. Each episode is short, less than 10 minutes, covering major stories from the past week, and is available as an audio-only podcast and as a video podcast. Our goal is to create something that is useful for activists for Palestine around the world