Emergent Face of the Israel Lobby
by toenjes
This diagram was created using UCINET 6 for Windows Software for Social Network Analysis: Borgatti, Everett and Freeman, 2002 , - 1999-2002 Analytic Technologies, Inc.
The small points in the diagram with a single line extending from them represent grantors that contributed only to a single organization. Those small points that have two lines emanating from them represent organizations that made grants to the two organizations depicted by the square or circle at the opposite ends of the lines. For example, the cluster of connecting lines near the upper center region of the diagram indicates that these grantors made grants to both the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) and to at least one of the organizations that support illegal settlements, labeled SF. In some cases, a single grantor contributed to 3 or more recipient organizations, therefore multiple lines emanate from such points.
It is suggested that the large number of instances where a single granting institution makes grants to multiple members of the Israel Lobby, or to at least one member of the Lobby and to one or more organizations that support illegal settlement activity give structure to the entire Israel Lobby apparatus, at least as represented by the subset of the Lobby included here. Wealthy individuals, or the private charitable foundations which they control, can exert influence and give coherence to the various organizations to which they contribute.
It is pointed out that most if not all of the grants included in this study were made by tax exempt, not-for-profit organizations. In making contributions to illegal settlement activity, they are benefiting from their tax-exempt status to aid activities that are deemed illegal under international law, some of which have even been declared illegal under Israeli law, and all of which are in opposition to the stated policy of the United States as defined most recently by President Obama.
Final comment
The Israel Lobby taken as a whole carries out a variety of functions. Some elements of the Lobby are most focused on ensuring that Congress approves legislation that promotes the interests of the Israeli government (AIPAC, AIEF). Other elements try to ensure that American public opinion strongly supports Israel (MEMRI, CAMERA, ADL). Still other elements focus their attention on seeking to promote the continued close military alliance and cooperation between the US and Israel (JINSA, CSP, FIDF). In the background but nonetheless an integral part of the Israel Lobby are the many individuals and organizations that contribute financial resources to these various elements. When those same donors also provide large amounts of funding to organizations that directly and indirectly channel those funds to the illegal settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem then those illegal settlements de facto become part of the Israel Lobby. Settlement subsidization has been Israeli policy for decades. By assisting in the expansion of existing settlements and the establishment of new ones, the Israel Lobby is actively assisting in the execution of policies of the State of Israel. Unfortunately, such actions conflict with the stated policies of the US government and violates international law. The support of Israel's illegal settlements by US citizens and organizations should stop.
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