In the wake of Israel's bloody attack on American and other international peace activists of the Freedom Flotilla, now is a good time to examine what makes American policy toward Israel tick, which is embodied in one word: AIPAC. AIPAC is the right-wing lobby which directs millions of dollars toward congressional candidates in order to keep Israel's billions in American tax dollar assistance coming, and to keep the blank check on human rights violations from being questioned.

If we are to believe the Israeli government's spin, IDF Special Forces commandos were just minding their own business rappelling armed-to-the teeth onto the ships, when they were forced to defend themselves. Let there be no mistake: Had North Korea committed a similar act in international waters against a humanitarian mission, resulting in a slaughter of activists, this morning in Congress there would be calls for war.

That what we would expect from Congress, just moral condemnation of an atrocity against unarmed people by a crack unit wielding the latest automatic weapons, is not forthcoming, is a tribute to the power of AIPAC money and an excellent illustration of what is expected in return for it. Break the vow of "omerta," "thou shalt speak no ill of Israel," and the congressman is likely to find that money going to a fresh challenger, together with scurrilous allegations suddenly coming from nowhere suggesting he's somewhere in between a wife-beater and a child molester.

From Washington Report on Middle East Affairs:

AIPAC channels millions of dollars in campaign contributions to candidates for federal office through a network of political action committees established throughout the United States by members of AIPAC's national board of directors.These directors boast that for every dollar that enters congressional campaigns through the PACs, they can steer at least one additional dollar to friendly congressional incumbents, or to opponents of unfriendly incumbents, through contributions by individual supporters which they collect and present as a "bundle" to candidates they favor. In closed meetings for AIPAC members only, AIPAC directors have taken full or partial credit for the defeats of two former chairmen of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Republican Charles Percy of Illinois and Democrat J. William Fulbright of Arkansas....[The Lobby] is exactly how AIPAC is referred to by members of Congress, one of whom recently remarked to a foreign visitor that AIPAC visits to his office are "the most unpleasant moments" of his congressional schedule.

For Americans to see any real change in the blank check, both moral and financial, toward the Israeli government, congressmen must be challenged on their AIPAC campaign contributions. Look up your congressmember's contribution, note his or her silence on the Freedom Flotilla, and ask him who he represents. Is it Americans of all parties and faiths, including Jewish, who are outraged at this barbaric behavior? Or is it Benjamin Netanyahu, who recently said "There is no humanitarian crisis in Gaza."

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