https://arab.news/7j94t
As Australia’s pro-Palestine protests continue to grow and after the Australian government made the somewhat strange decision to cut ties with Iran over its alleged role in some obscure arson attacks on Jewish premises, I saw an interesting interview with Bob Carr, the country’s former foreign minister. In the video, Carr talks about the tight control the pro-Israel lobby has over political life in Australia and how this is a mere sample of the influence the lobby has in the US.
The pro-Israel lobby has created a system whereby all politicians are captive. Everyone must toe the line when it comes to the Palestine-Israel conflict and the Middle East more generally, otherwise the supporters of Israel will heavily fund someone to challenge them in the next electoral cycle. Therefore, even people who are not convinced by Israel must support it if their political existence is not to be endangered.
However, the political establishment, especially in the US, now has a chance to break free from this vicious influence, which often pushes politicians to vote against their national interest.
It is important to give a quick overview of how the lobby works. To start with, the pro-Israel lobby in the US, even though it serves Israel, is registered as a domestic lobby. Hence, it can fund election campaigns.
