Grant Smith discusses the Israel lobby’s deep involvement in the U.S. economy, this time as regards the American firms in the business of promoting Israeli interests, who have recently received large sums of money through special coronavirus relief programs. Smith cross-referenced the list of companies receiving such aid with pro-Israel lobbying groups from his previous research, finding a great deal of overlap, particularly among the recipients of large “loans” (which under certain circumstances don’t even need to be repaid). These firms include the Zionist Organization of America, Friends of the IDF and the Israeli American Council, among others. Smith hopes that bringing this type of influence to light will also help Americans understand the Israeli government’s unjust and inhumane subjugation of the Palestinian people, and the many ways that our government enables it.

Discussed on the show:

• “Israel Lobby Orgs Grab Covid-19 CARES Act Funds for Itself, IDF Facilities, and Sketchy Israeli Companies” (Antiwar.com)
• Yom Kippur War
• “The Men From JINSA and CSP” (The Nation)
• A Pretext for War: 9/11, Iraq, and the Abuse of America’s Intelligence Agencies
  
• “For Israel and Palestine, Equality in a One-State Solution” (The New York Times)
• Jerusalem Embassy Act of 1995
• “Bin Laden’s ‘Letter to America’” (The Guardian)

Grant F. Smith is the author of a number of books including Big Israel: How Israel’s Lobby Moves America, Divert!, and most recently The Israel Lobby Enters State Government: Rise of the Virginia Israel Advisory Board. He is director of the Institute for Research: Middle Eastern Policy in Washington, D.C.

This episode of the Scott Horton Show is sponsored by: NoDev NoOps NoIT, by Hussein Badakhchani; The War State, by Mike Swanson; WallStreetWindow.com; Tom Woods’ Liberty Classroom; ExpandDesigns.com/Scott; Listen and Think Audio; TheBumperSticker.com; and LibertyStickers.com.

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