Customer Reviews

Transforming America's Israel Lobby: The Limits of Its Power and the Potential for Change

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Unlike most of the current authors writing about the mainstream Jewish community, the Israel Lobby and American foreign policy, Fleshler actually seems to know what he is talking about.

He has done some original research on funding sources for AIPAC and shows that it is not the invincible Leviathan that it is often made out to be. And he has talked to government officials in order to gauge the real impact of the lobby's considerable efforts over the last 30 years.

While he does not have much use for Mearsheimer and Walt, unlike a lot of their critics, he takes no prisoners, dismissing many of the tenets espoused by the "conventional Israel lobby."

This nuanced approach sets this book apart from a forest of predictable rhetoric that one can find in the plethora of tomes on this topic and on the internet.

However, I was disappointed in that in his attempt to build an alternative to the status quo, he seems to identify many more problems than solutions. While intellectually honest, it does leave the reader frustrated by how difficult it is and will be to supplant the Israel Lobby in its current form with a palatable alternative.

Dan Fleshler wants to weaken hawkish groups like AIPAC and strengthen dovish groups like J Street. He wants more American Jews to understand that a passionate commitment to Israel's survival does not entail indifference to the suffering of the Palestinians. On the contrary, he argues, a viable Palestinian state is not only a worthy goal on moral grounds, it is also in the long-term interest of both Israel and the United States. All of this is of course common knowledge among supporters of groups like J Street and Brit Tzedek v'Shalom. But Fleshler understands that if such groups are to succeed, they must wean more American Jews away from the hawkish positions espoused by AIPAC and the neoconservatives. This entails addressing the very real fears that induce otherwise rational people to embrace irrational views. Fleshler understands this in a way that some critics of the mainstream "Israel Lobby" do not. He is a wise man and a good man. And his book is a gem.

This is a very well-written, trenchant and witty blueprint for a change that seems very unlikely to happen. From his own experience and interviews with American Jewish activists, U.S. officials and others, Fleshler makes a yeoman's effort to show how the "conventional Israel lobby" can be transformed or replaced. He certainly helped me understand the mysteries of American Jewish community life and the way pro-Israel organizations interact with the political establishment. He makes a convincing case that AIPAC, in particular, is not the 800 pound political gorilla everyone thinks it is. Then, after cutting AIPAC and other groups down to size a bit, he takes an honest look at the obstacles to building a "lobby for the rest of us," for Americans who are sick and tired of their government accepting Israeli policies that are clearly against U.S. interests.

The obstacles seem very formidable, including a self-censoring, timid pro-Israel left; and a potential coalition of likeminded Jewish and Christian and Arab American groups that are deeply divided over tactics and can't seem to communicate across various divides. This reader closed the book feeling admiration for the author's fighting spirit and ambition and thankful for what he taught me, but unconvinced that much could be done to supplant the pro-Likud, pro-settler American Jewish establishment.

There is much in Dan Fleshler's book that is unique to the Israel lobby and its many groups, factions, and complexities. But what may be more interesting is how broadly applied Fleshler's analysis could be to other lobbying groups in Washington, DC. That certainly includes other ethnic/religious/national groups such as the Indians or Armenians, who have tried to model themselves off of the Israel lobby model, particularly AIPAC. But it also applies to other types of groups such as the gun lobby or the business lobby. For example, just as AIPAC does not really speak for the multifaceted views of all American Jews, the National Association of Manufacturing (NAM) does not speak for the multifaceted views of all manufacturers. But part of what makes NAM effective is to give the strong impression that it does. Similarly, I suspect that NAM is more successful at getting somewhat meaningless resolutions and amendments passed through Congress than determining major policy initiatives of the Executive Branch.

But as stated above, Fleshler's book also discusses some issues specific to the Israel lobby, such as the specific range of players, their history, and how they interrelate. Some of the other reviewers have noted that Fleshler's book has many more questions than answers, which he actually acknowledges within the text at one point. But part of Fleshler's difficulty is that he is arguing for the great moderation, which is always difficult to rally around. Fleshler does not support AIPAC's positions, which are generally hawkish and in my view have actually conflicted more with official Israeli government positions since the late 1990s more than Fleshler concedes. But Flesher is also not a "dove." J-Street (http://www.jstreet.org/), of which Fleshler is an advisor for, has tried to turn moderation into a movement and has had some success. But it has not been easy and has been slow in coming.

As AIPAC has wedded itself closely to the neocon movement and the Bush Administration, it will be interesting to see how they adjust in the next few years. A follow-up from Fleshler in the future will make interesting reading about the next chapter of the Israel lobby. But again, it will also make an intriguing contribution to the broader literature about lobbying and government.

For those that want a rational approach towards open and productive lobby by American Jews towards Middle East policy, this book offers the basis for changing AIPAC or at least countering its predictable failures. For die hard AIPAC members, test your dogma and maybe you can help change your irrational policies.