The American Israel Public Affairs Committee () is a powerful lobbying group that advocates pro-Israel policies to the
Congress and
Executive Branch of the
United States full documentary
The powerful pro-Israel lobby
AIPAC is planning to launch a major lobbying campaign to push disobedient lawmakers to back the resolution authorizing a US strike against
Syria, sources say.
Officials said on Thursday that some 250
Jewish leaders and AIPAC activists will storm the halls on
Capitol Hill beginning next week to persuade lawmakers that Congress must adopt the resolution.
They are expected to lobby virtually every member of Congress, arguing that the alleged chemical attack in Syria cannot be tolerated, and that failing to act would "send a message" to other parties that the US won't stand up to hostile countries' efforts to develop weapons of mass destruction, according to a source with the Jewish group.
"
History tells us that ambiguity [in US actions] invites aggression," said the AIPAC source who asked not to be named.
The source added the group will now be engaged in a "major mobilization" over the issue.
Despite the group's political muscle, it often doesn't get involved in congressional fights over authorizing military action.
But the stepped-up involvement comes at a welcome time for the
White House, which is struggling to muster the votes in both chambers for a resolution that would give
President Barack Obama the authority to engage in 'limited' military action" in Syria for 60 days, with one 30-day extension possible.
The hawkish group also has ties with many
Republicans, including ones who have been critical of the
Obama administration's handling of US-Israeli affairs.
The top two
Senate GOP leaders —
Minority Leader Mitch McConnell of
Kentucky and
Minority Whip John Cornyn of
Texas — both have already been urged by top Jewish donors and AIPAC allies to back the Syria resolution, sources say.
Unlike their
House GOP counterparts who endorsed the measure, McConnell and Cornyn have withheld their support. A Cornyn aide said Thursday that the senator currently opposes the Syria resolution, which will be debated on the Senate floor next week.
The call for military action against Syria intensified after foreign-backed opposition forces accused the
Syrian government of launching a chemical attack on militant strongholds in the suburbs of
Damascus on August 21, which killed hundreds of
Syrians.
The Syrian government has repeatedly said the deadly attack was a false-flag operation carried out by the militants in a bid to draw in foreign military intervention.
http://www.usnews.com/news/articles/
2013/09/06/jewish-lobby-seeks-to-turn-tide-on-syria-debate-in-congress
- published: 08 Sep 2013
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