Israel: Our Greatest Ally?

During the recent Michigan primary, won by socialist Abdul el-Sayed, he leaned on the left’s hatred of Israel at every opportunity. In his debate with Haley Stevens, you’d have thought Israel was his opponent rather than Stevens herself. He claimed, “AIPAC is set to spend at least $3,847,990 against me. Why? Because [Haley Stevens] is more committed to the future of a foreign country than keeping your tax dollars here to provide schools and healthcare for you and your kids.” He blamed underfunded schools on Israel and its American Jewish supporters, mainly AIPAC. Healthcare too expensive? Blame U.S. support for Israel. Housing unaffordable? Blame AIPAC. “We should be using our tax dollars here to invest in healthcare and education here, rather than sending money to Israel,” he said.

The argument seems to have resonated with those on the left. But I wonder if anyone asked him whether the $3.8 billion Israel receives from the U.S. could really pay for all the ills el-Sayed listed. That $3.8 billion is a rounding error in the federal budget. More ironically, el-Sayed’s own parents are from Egypt, which receives $1.3 billion a year from the U.S. under the Camp David Accords. Some NGO and congressional estimates put the total aid to Egypt since the treaty was signed at more than $50 billion in military assistance and $30 billion in economic assistance. That could have funded a lot of schools and heathcare. So shouldn’t el-Sayed also cast blame on the land of his ancestors? Didn’t Stevens and her supporters know this? If so, why didn’t they turn el-Sayed’s own argument back on him — substituting Egypt for Israel?

I don’t begrudge AIPAC for lobbying on Israel’s behalf. Foreign governments spend heavily to influence American institutions through registered lobbyists, universities, think tanks, businesses, and other organizations — and I presume, through spies too (see Eric Swalwell and Fang Fang). But I know of no other organization quite like AIPAC: funded and staffed by Americans, for the purpose of persuading the American government that a strong alliance with Israel serves American interests. I’m no expert in geopolitics and could be wrong about that. What does trouble me, though, is the extent of the spying Israel has done in this country.

Israel has been called “America’s Greatest Ally.” I admire the country, but I’ve never thought it deserved that title — though since Donald Trump took office, the label may now be true by default. As I’ve said before, Israel is its own greatest ally and will do what it judges necessary to survive. I respect that will to survive, but I haven’t “liked” Israel since it attacked the USS Liberty in 1967, killing 34 crew members and wounding 171 more. And if Israel really is “our greatest ally,” I keep coming back to the same question: why does it spy on us so much?

In 2004 AIPAC members were caught spying for Israel. Pentagon analyst Lawrence Franklin passed classified U.S. policy documents on Iran to two AIPAC staffers, who relayed the information to Israeli diplomats. Franklin pleaded guilty and was sentenced to twelve years. The two staffers, Steven Rosen and Keith Weissman, were fired by AIPAC and indicted for illegally conspiring to gather and disclose classified national security information to Israel. Prosecutors later dropped all charges against them without any plea bargain — go figure. What is puzzling to me is why AIPAC was never required to register as a foreign agent under the Foreign Agents Registration Act. AIPAC avoids registration because it is organized and presented as a domestic American organization, without the contractual ties, foreign control, or foreign-principal status that trigger the statute. Sure. Regardless, AIPAC should be required to register as a foreign agent. Its predecessor, the American Zionist Council, was required to register.

Remember Jonathan Pollard? U.S. officials feared that some of the intelligence he handed over might be passed by Israel to the Soviet Union. It’s well documented that Israel has spied on the U.S. since the 1950s. During the Cold War, U.S. security officials ranked Israeli intelligence as the second-most active service operating on American soil, behind only the Soviet Union. A 1996 CIA report to Congress named Israel — along with, oddly enough, France — as a country “extensively engaged in espionage” against U.S. interests. Throughout the 1990s, numerous espionage allegations surfaced but rarely led to prosecution, likely due to political reasons. 

More recently, questions have surfaced about Jeffrey Epstein’s close association with Ehud Barak, the former Israeli prime minister and military intelligence commander.

All of this is well documented. The question is why do we put up with Israel’s spying? So, what would Harold do? I’d get Congress to pass a bill cutting Israeli aid every time Israel is caught spying — a “three strikes and it’s gone” ultimatum, and I’d mean it. “Friends don’t spy on friends” would be the message, and if that message didn’t resonate, I’d terminate the aid entirely. It’s only a drop in our bucket, but it matters a great deal to their security. And if the spying continued, no amount of lobbying from AIPAC or anyone else would restart the flow of funds.