November 15, 2018

*-- Watch the film the Israel lobby didn't want you to see --*

The Electronic Intifada

The Electronic Intifada has obtained a complete copy of The Lobby - USA, a four-part undercover investigation by Al Jazeera into Israel's covert influence campaign in the United States. The Lobby, Episode 1

We are releasing the leaked film simultaneously with France's Orient XXI and Lebanon's Al-Akhbar, which have respectively subtitled the episodes in French and Arabic.

The film was made by Al Jazeera during 2016 and was completed in October 2017.

But it was censored after Qatar, the gas-rich Gulf emirate that funds Al Jazeera, came under intense Israel lobby pressure not to air the film.

Although Al Jazeera's director-general claimed last month that there were outstanding legal issues with the film, his assertions have been flatly contradicted by his own journalists.

In March, The Electronic Intifada was the first to report on any of the film's specific content. We followed this in August by publishing the first extract of the film, and shortly after Max Blumenthal at the Grayzone Project released others.

Since then, The Electronic Intifada has released three other extracts, and several other journalists have watched the entire film and written about it - including Alain Gresh and Antony Loewenstein.

Now The Electronic Intifada can reveal for the first time that it has obtained all four parts of the film.

You can watch the first two parts in the video embeds above and below.

The Lobby, Episode 2

To get unprecedented access to the Israel lobby's inner workings, undercover reporter "Tony" posed as a pro-Israel volunteer in Washington.

The resulting film exposes the efforts of Israel and its lobbyists to spy on, smear and intimidate US citizens who support Palestinian human rights, especially BDS - the boycott, divestment and sanctions movement.

It shows that Israel's semi-covert black-ops government agency, the Ministry of Strategic Affairs, is operating this effort in collusion with an extensive network of US-based organizations.

These include the Israel on Campus Coalition, The Israel Project and the Foundation for Defense of Democracies.

Censored by Qatar

The film was suppressed after the government of Qatar came under intense pressure not to release it - ironically from the very same lobby whose influence and antics the film exposes.

Clayton Swisher, Al Jazeera's head of investigations, revealed in an article for The Forward in March that Al Jazeera had sent more than 70 letters to individuals and organizations who appear in or are discussed in the film, providing them with an opportunity to respond.

Only three did so. Instead, pro-Israel groups have endeavored to suppress the film that exposes the lobby's activities.

In April, Al Jazeera's management was forced to deny a claim by the hard-right Zionist Organization of America that the film had been canceled altogether.

In June, The Electronic Intifada learned that a high level source in Doha had said the film's indefinite delay was due to "national security" concerns of the Qatari government.

Covert action

As revealed in a clip published by The Electronic Intifada earlier this week, the film shows Julia Reifkind - then an Israeli embassy employee - describing her typical work day as "mainly gathering intel, reporting back to Israel . to report back to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Strategic Affairs."

She discusses the Israeli government "giving our support" to front groups "in that behind-the-scenes way."

Reifkind also admits to using fake Facebook profiles to infiltrate the circles of Palestine solidarity activists on campus.

The film also reveals that US-based groups coordinate their efforts directly with the Israeli government, particularly its Ministry of Strategic Affairs.

Run by a former military intelligence officer, the ministry is in charge of Israel's global campaign of covert sabotage targeting the BDS movement.

The film shows footage of the very same ex-military intelligence officer, Sima Vaknin-Gil, claiming to have mapped Palestinian rights activism "globally. Not just the United States, not just campuses, but campuses and intersectionality and labor unions and churches."

She promises to use this data for "offense activity" against Palestine activists.

Jacob Baime, executive director of the Israel on Campus Coalition, claims in the undercover footage that his organization uses "corporate level, enterprise-grade social media intelligence software" to gather lists of Palestine-related student events on campus, "generally within about 30 seconds or less" of them being posted online.

Baime also admits on hidden camera that his group "coordinates" with the Israeli Ministry of Strategic Affairs.

Baime states that his researchers "issue early warning alerts to our partners" - including Israeli ministries.

Baime's colleague Ian Hersh admits in the film to adding Israel's "Ministry of Strategic Affairs to our operations and intelligence brief."

"Psychological warfare"

Baime describes how his group has used anonymous websites to target activists.

"With the anti-Israel people, what's most effective, what we've found at least in the last year, is you do the opposition research, put up some anonymous website, and then put up targeted Facebook ads," Baime explains in part three of the film.

"Canary Mission is a good example," he states. "It's psychological warfare."

The film names, for the first time, convicted tax evader Adam Milstein as the multimillionaire funder and mastermind of Canary Mission - an anonymous smear site targeting student activists.

The Electronic Intifada revealed this in a clip in August.

Eric Gallagher, then fundraising director for The Israel Project, is seen in the undercover footage admitting that "Adam Milstein, he's the guy who funds" Canary Mission.

Milstein also funds The Israel Project, Gallagher states.

Gallagher says that when he was working for AIPAC, Washington's most powerful Israel lobby group, "I was literally emailing back and forth with [Adam Milstein] while he was in jail."

Despite not replying to Al Jazeera's request for comment, Milstein denied that he and his family foundation "are funders of Canary Mission" on the same day The Electronic Intifada published the clip.

Since then, Josh Nathan-Kazis of The Forward has identified several other groups in the US who fund Canary Mission.

Suppressed film

In March, The Electronic Intifada published the first details of what is in the film.

We reported that it showed Sima Vaknin-Gil claiming to have leading neoconservative think tank the Foundation for Defense of Democracies working for her ministry.

The undercover footage shows Vaknin-Gil claiming that "We have FDD. We have others working on" projects including "data gathering, information analysis, working on activist organizations, money trail. This is something that only a country, with its resources, can do the best."

As noted in part one of the documentary, the existence of the film and the identity of the undercover reporter became known after footage he had shot for it was used in Al Jazeera's The Lobby - about Israel's covert influence campaign in the UK - aired in early 2017.

Since then, Israel lobbyists have heavily pressured Qatar to prevent the US film from airing.

"Foreign agent"

Clayton Swisher, Al Jazeera's head of investigations, first confirmed in October 2017 that the network had run an undercover reporter in the US Israel lobby at the same time as in the UK.

Swisher promised the film would be released "very soon," but it never came out.

Multiple Israel lobby sources told Israel's Haaretz newspaper in February that they had received assurances from Qatari leaders late last year that the documentary would not be aired.

Qatar denied this, but the paper stood by its story.

Swisher's op-ed in The Forward was his first public comment on the matter since he had announced the documentary.

In it, he refutes Israel lobby allegations about the film and expresses frustration that Al Jazeera had not aired it, apparently due to outside pressure.

Several pro-Israel lawmakers in Washington have piled on more pressure by pushing the Department of Justice to force Al Jazeera to register as a "foreign agent" under a counterespionage law dating from the 1930s.

The Israel lobby goes to Doha

While the film was delayed, a wave of prominent pro-Israel figures visited Qatar at the invitation of its ruler, Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani.

They have included some of the most right-wing and extreme figures among Israel's defenders in the US, such as Harvard law professor Alan Dershowitz and Morton Klein, the head of the Zionist Organization of America.

Swisher wrote in The Forward that he ran into Dershowitz at a Doha restaurant during one of these visits, and invited the professor to a private viewing of the film.

"I have no problem with any of the secret filming," Swisher says Dershowitz told him afterwards. "And I can even see this being broadcast on PBS" - the US public broadcaster.

Yet it appears that Israel lobby efforts to quash the film were successful - until now.

Original Article: Watch the film the Israel lobby didn't want you to see

Midterm Scoreboard Reveals Massive Pro-Israel Influence on Congressional Candidates

By "If Americans Knew"
informationclearinghouse

A detailed scoreboard on candidates for the Senate and House of Representatives shows that 28 pro-Israel PACs and numerous pro-Israel individuals have given candidates millions of dollars in campaign contributions. The scoreboard presents 29 bills and resolutions that were introduced on behalf of Israel.. 20 passed into law or on-record statement, many by unanimous consent. The legislation has accrued a total of over 3,300 co-sponsors... Over 80 congressional challengers have also accepted donations from at least one pro-Israel PAC; most from more than one... Read more:

"Information Clearing House" - A just-released Midterm Elections Scoreboard shows that Israel partisans have dominated Congress over the past 10 years, despite the preference of American voters, who consistently wish evenhanded policies and feel the U.S. gives Israel too much money.

The detailed scoreboard on candidates for the Senate and House of Representatives* shows that 28 pro-Israel PACs and numerous pro-Israel individuals have given candidates millions of dollars in campaign contributions. There are currently no pro-Palestine PACs (although one of the pro-Israel PACs supports some Palestinian positions).

The scoreboard presents 29 bills and resolutions that were introduced on behalf of Israel, some openly drafted by AIPAC, the American Israel Public Affairs Committee. Twenty have passed into law or on-record statement, many by unanimous consent. The legislation has accrued a total of over 3,300 co-sponsors.

In the rare cases when pro-Israel bills were unpopular, the split usually occurred along party lines, suggesting that the action was motivated by partisan politics, not deviation from pro-Israel positions.

Only one bill explicitly supportive of Palestinians (opposing Israel's widespread imprisonment of children) has been introduced. The bill has so far garnered 29 cosponsors.

The Scoreboard was compiled by If Americans Knew, a nonpartisan organization that focuses on Israel-Palestine and the U.S. connection.

Five pieces of legislation in the study addressed military aid to Israel, including the Memo of Understanding (MOU) that President Obama signed, promising Israel $38 billion over the next 10 years. A bill currently before Congress cements this nonbinding agreement into law - the largest such aid package in U.S. history and an amount greater than US military aid to all other countries in the world combined. American taxpayers presently provide nearly a quarter of Israel's annual defense budget. Six in ten Americans feel that is too much.

Six pieces legislation grant congressional supported to Israel's "right to self-defense" against the unarmed enclave of Gaza or the Palestinians in Jerusalem; six others took a stand against actions of the United Nations which sought to safeguard Palestinian rights; an additional four supported the erosion of Americans' rights to free speech.

In addition to bills and resolutions, the Scoreboard includes 11 open letters - some penned by AIPAC - to presidents and other influential leaders. Six of these letters endorsed pro-Israel policy and were signed by a significant number of legislators. The five letters encouraging actions that would benefit Palestinians gathered modest support.

An overwhelming majority of the incumbents running for re-election voted for the pro-Israel legislation and signed the pro-Israel letters.

The Scoreboard also indicates which incumbent candidates received campaign donations from pro-Israel political action committees (PACs), which totaled over $2.2 million for the 2018 election cycle. Pro-Israel Individuals contributed an additional $13 million.

Thirteen Senators and 14 Representatives received money and/or endorsements from five or more pro-Israel PACs.

Over 80 congressional challengers have also accepted donations from at least one pro-Israel PAC; most from more than one. According to Open Secrets, there are currently 28 pro-Israel PACs.

Unlike most PACs, which announce their focus in their name, most of the pro-Israel PACs use names that disguise their focus, such as "Americans United in Support of Democracy," "Americans for Good Government," and "Because We Care."

While there are currently no pro-Palestine PACs, one pro-Israel PAC, J-Street, is supportive of some Palestinians rights. However, J-Street aligns with Israel on many of its major policies, and supports the massive aid to Israel.

Open Secrets, a project of the Center for Responsive Politics, points out, "Few lobbies dedicated to international issues are so active and well-financed as the Israel lobby."

Open Secrets continues, "A powerful pro-Israel force has carved out an influential place in American campaigns in the form of super PAC mega-donor Sheldon Adelson." Adelson's contributions to national political campaigns in 2018 alone reached over $113 million - all to Republicans/conservatives.

The Scoreboard indicates that a substantial number of the 410 incumbents on the ballot in both houses voted pro-Israel most of the time: 355 members of Congress (87%) had a pro-Israel score over 70%.

63% of House incumbents (240 of 378) had 100% pro-Israel scores - 74% of those (177) were Republican.

One Senator (Cindy Hyde-Smith, R-MS) had 100% pro-Israel rating; 78% of Senate incumbents (25 of 32) had a rating of 80% or higher. Six of these were Republican.

Congress considered only one piece of explicitly pro-Palestine legislation during the entire decade: Rep. Betty McCollum (D-MN) offered HR 4391 "No Way to Treat a Child," which has garnered just 7% congressional backing (29 cosponsors) .

"No Way to Treat a Child" challenges Israel's illegal practice of detaining, interrogating, and torturing Palestinian children - part of the brutal military occupation that has been ongoing for over half a century.

In the words of the No Way to Treat a Child campaign, "Israel has the dubious distinction of being the only country in the world that systematically prosecutes between 500 and 700 children in military courts each year."

UNICEF, the UN Children's Fund, reports that ill-treatment of children (as well as adults) in the Israeli military detention system is "widespread, systematic, and institutionalized."

In spite of this documented disregard for international humanitarian law on the part of Israel, only 29 members of Congress (7%) have signed onto HR 4391.

If Americans Knew says that the scoreboards will be updated and expanded as more information becomes available, and has announced that it welcomes sourced information from readers.

NOTE: More information about the scoreboards is here. A Tutorial on using them, including background information on the project, is here. Documentaries about the Israel lobby are here, and below.

* The House Scoreboard can be viewed in quick-loading sections by region, or as a whole (which takes up to 10 minutes to load):

Alabama, Alaska, American Samoa, Arizona, Arkansas, California
Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Guam, Hawaii, Idaho
Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts
Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey New Mexico
New York, North Carolina, Northern Mariana Islands, North Dakota, Ohio
Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee
Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virgin Islands, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming

Original Article: Midterm Scoreboard Reveals Massive Pro-Israel Influence on Congressional Candidates
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