Lobbying of Congress by the largest contingent of the so-called Pro-Israel Lobby

In less than a week, the largest annual meeting of the largest contingent of the so-called Pro-Israel Lobby will be held in Washington, D.C. The annual "Policy Conference" of AIPAC (the American Israel Public Affairs Committee - "America's Pro-Israel Lobby") starts on Saturday, March 11 and runs through Tuesday morning, March 13. The AIPAC web site says:

This year, top Congressional leaders and Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni will be among numerous speakers at what will be AIPAC's largest ever Policy Conference March 11-13.  6000 delegates are expected to lobby on behalf of issues affecting the U.S.-Israel relationship.

The afternoon of Tuesday, March 11 is dedicated to lobbying of Congress:

Lobbying on Tuesday

Face-to-face meetings with members of Congress are one of the highlights—and most important aspects—of AIPAC's Policy Conference. The conference ends at approximately 11 a.m. on Tuesday, but lobbying appointments will follow immediately after, so please don't make arrangements to leave earlier than 3 p.m. on March 13.

What is AIPAC? According to their own web site:

For more than half a century, the American Israel Public Affairs Committee has worked to help make Israel more secure by ensuring that American support remains strong.  From a small public affairs boutique in the 1950s, AIPAC has grown into a 100,000-member national grassroots movement described by The New York Times as "the most important organization affecting America's relationship with Israel."

AIPAC lists among its "achievements":

As America's leading pro-Israel lobby, AIPAC works with both Democratic and Republican political leaders around the country to ensure that the U.S.-Israel relationship remains strong and vital. With the support of its members nationwide, AIPAC has worked with Congress and the Executive Branch on numerous critical initiatives, ...

They fail to list among their achievements the inciting of the invasion of Iraq and the inciting of saber-rattling with Iran.

While the media covers the Saudi-Iran meeting and attempts to deal with sectarian violence in the Middle East, AIPAC's main web page has as its top "briefing":

Iran's President Says Israel is a "Manifestation of Satan"

As Iran continues to pursue a nuclear weapons capability, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said on Thursday that "the Zionists are the true manifestation of Satan," Iran's official news service reported.  "Today the Zionist regime is a symbol of hedonism and the manifestation of the ugly soul of some usurper powers that support it," Ahamadinejad exclaimed.  He has previously called for Israel to be "wiped off the map" and branded the Holocaust a "myth."  Iran has failed to obey the U.N. Security Council's demand that it halt its efforts to enrich uranium - a key step toward developing atomic arms - and faces additional sanctions if its non-compliance continues.

There is a very serious need for very serious diplomacy in the Middle East, but all AIPAC can bring itself to do is to further fan the flames of passion.

-- Jack Krupansky