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Election Season Primary season is in full swing, and the pro-Israel lobby is hard at work spending millions against candidates who advocate for Palestinian rights. Having spent large sums attacking Rep. Marie Newman (DIL), the lobby was pleased to see the freshman lose in her June primary against fellow incumbent Rep. Sean Casten (DIL). The two were forced to square off as a result of redistricting. Elsewhere, Reps. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI) and Ilhan Omar (DMN) are up against millions of dollars in pro-Israel attack ads ahead of their August primaries. This issue includes charts showing how much money congressional candidates have received from pro-Israel Political Action Committees (PACs). As you will see (p. 16), pro-Israel spending is out of control as the lobby fights off growing global recognition of Israeli apartheid. In this issue (p. 24), Walter L. Hixson notes, “a handful of super-rich donors continue to fuel the Israel lobby, which prompts Congress to send billions to the apartheid regime even as it uses the money to become ever more militaristic and repressive.” Will these donors again succeed in buying off members of Congress to keep quiet about the reality in Palestine? Will the system ever allow the voices of the people to prevail?
Elections for Israel, Too As the status quo of Israeli occupation, ethnic cleansing and besiegement of Palestine continues (p. 32), those with the right to vote in Israeli elections will again head to the polls in November. While the inability of Israel to form a steady government is interesting to observe, it has little material impact on the lives of Palestinians. Gideon Levy (p. 12) notes that regardless of the label given to the various Israeli governments—liberal, conservative, etc.—they all persist in stifling Palestinian prosperity. Of course, the U.S. also maintains steady support for Israel regardless of the ruling regime. As Israelis gear up for another election, perhaps they should consider the millions of PalestiniAUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2022
Publishers’ Page ment is just another example of the U.S. putting aside facts, ethics—and even the interests of its citizens—when it comes to its “special relationship” with Israel. Gideon Levy (p. 8) notes how the Israel and the U.S would have assuredly reacted differently if a noted Israeli journalist had been assassinated by a Palestinian.
PHOTO BY ABBAS MOMANI/AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES
American Educational Trust
Sabra and Shatila 40 Years Later
People walk past a newly‐erected street sign in Ramallah in the occupied West Bank bear‐ ing the name of the late Al Jazeera correspon‐ dent Shireen Abu Akleh. DC recently renamed the street in front of the Saudi Arabian Em‐ bassy after Jamal Khashoggi. We hope the street in front of the Israeli Embassy will be re‐ named in memory of Shireen Abu Akleh. ans under Israeli dominance who have no say over the daily injustices they are forced to endure.
No Accountability for Israel The killing of Al Jazeera journalist Shireen Abu Akleh prompted a rare moment of bipartisan pressure being placed on Israel. As our new congressional columnist Julia Pitner notes (p. 13), multiple congressional letters called on the Biden administration to make sure an independent investigation was conducted into Abu Akleh’s death. On the July 4 holiday, the State Department released a brief statement saying it could not forensically conclude who shot the bullet that killed the Palestinian American. While the statement did say the U.S. believes an Israeli soldier fired the bullet, it attributed the shot to an error made in the midst of fighting with Islamic Jihad. Multiple independent investigations have systematically disproved the notion that the killing could have been accidental. The state-
Forty years ago, militias supported by Israel savagely killed 3,000 people in Beirut’s Sabra neighborhood and the adjacent Shatila refugee camp. In this issue, a witness to the massacre, Dr. Swee Chai Ang (p. 30), recounts what she saw and implores the world not to forget the victims of 1982—as well as those who continue to suffer at the hands of Israel. “When I talk to Palestinians in Lebanon directly, they rarely complain about being forgotten,” she writes. “Their first concern is about Occupied Palestine. They live for Palestine.”
Calling All Angels Our mid-year donation appeal was mailed in July and we are looking forward to a generous response from our donors. We have a lot going on: Reporting on the proliferation of pro-Israel money in politics, the resumption of our in-person intern program (see their event recaps beginning on p. 46), hopes to renovate our bookstore and expand programming, the launch of our popular TikTok page, covering the myriad live events that are resuming, etc. However, the reality is that we are stretched thin. When COVID finally hit our office this summer, our small and already overworked staff struggled to keep things functioning. The reality is we need more staff and resources to do the work you have entrusted us with. Your generous support will ensure the Washington Report can go full-steam ahead in promoting a U.S. foreign policy that all Americans can be proud of.
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WASHINGTON REPORT ON MIDDLE EAST AFFAIRS
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