The new 10-year, $38 billion aid package to Israel is just another example of how money controls our politics (“U.S. pledges $38B to Israeli military over 10 years,” Sept. 14, Associated Press).
AIPAC, which is one of the top 10 lobby groups in this country, pretty much dictates our foreign policy when it comes to Israel. Politicians who speak out against our Israeli policies pay a very high political price because, in their next election, AIPAC will throw a lot of money against you and accuse you of being anti-Semitic, which has proven to be very effective.
In 1997, the United States started giving aid to Israel once a year — at the beginning of the year. Other countries receive their funding quarterly. We can’t afford this, so we have to borrow the money. Israel gets to collect interest on that money, and the American taxpayer gets stuck paying the interest.
This year our candidates will be asked again if “Israel has a right to exist,” and because of AIPAC we will always get the same answer. The Palestinian people have had everything taken from them, they are the ones who suffer, and this deal ensures they will suffer for another decade.
No ever asks if Palestinians have the right to exist.