They Figured Out How the Israel Lobby Works | Eli Clifton, Ian Lustick Interview | Luke Thomas
Historically, discussing the Israel lobby and its impacts in the United States has come with a variety of challenges. Professors John Mearsheimer and Stephen Walt earned enormous blowback in 2007 when they tried to simply argue there was such a thing as the Israel lobby. While now the existence of the loose federation of donors, organizations and activists isn’t necessarily contested, few actually understand how they operate, who funds them and perhaps most importantly, how their efforts influence our lives and government’s priorities. That’s where today’s conversation comes into play. In their latest book, investigative journalist Eli Clifton and political science professor Ian Lustick combine their expertises to explain what they call “the greatest story in geopolitics”, namely, how American domestic and foreign affairs are massively influenced by the Israel lobby, who seek to police our speech and cajole our national security apparatus to back “unpopular, costly and national security-threatening politics.” This book deserves consideration because it illuminates what has long been hidden or poorly understood. Clifton and Lustick chronicle how the lobby came to be and why its aims have changed over time. They also expertly detail how its funding has grown and how those impacts have been felt plus the tactics it uses to deliver for the interests of Israel. Most importantly, they leave us with a warning that the Israel lobby hasn’t merely degraded and frustrated American foreign policy for decades, but now actively seeks to turn their efforts toward the rest of American society, attempting to curtail our freedoms at home. #israel #gaza #lukethomas TIMESTAMPS: 00:00 Open 01:34 The Israel lobby’s response to the book 04:52 Support from the publisher to get the book printed 07:00 What is the Israel lobby? 11:54 The changing tactics of the lobby 15:50 Changes to Israeli society and how that’s influencing U.S. politics 21:37 The state and failure of the Israeli left 26:39 How the lobby is funded and how that’s changed 33:12 How the lobby was changed by Citizens United 34:22 Lobby and media coordination aligning against Abdul El Sayed 38:00 Israeli support in the Democratic Party 47:44 How the lobby has undermined U.S. Presidents 51:12 What is the IHRA antisemitism definition? 55:24 How this definition is policing speech 59:07 What can an average voter do to push back?
