'Gaza' bribery for some US Congress members supporting Israel

In its analysis based on election campaign data, the newspaper examined media statements, X accounts, and letters written to US President Joe Biden between October 7 and mid-November 2023 to determine whether Congress members supported Israel or Palestine.

According to the analysis, those who receive large donations mostly demand the continuation of US military support to Tel Aviv and support Israel's attacks on Gaza.

Some campaign finance experts who reviewed the data also argue that the donations help increase the "overwhelming support" Congress gives to Israel.

While approximately 82 percent of Congress members increased their support for Israel between October 2023 and November 2023, only 9 percent supported Palestine more intensely.

According to the analysis, Congress members classified as supporters of Israel received an average of 125 thousand dollars in their last elections, while those who supported Palestine received an average of 18 thousand dollars in donations.

CREATED PROFOUND EFFECTS

John Mearsheimer, a Professor of Political Science at the University of Chicago and co-author of the book "The Israel Lobby," said in a statement regarding the analysis that the findings have "profound effects" on US policy toward Israel.

Mearsheimer stated, "If there were not a lobby that really pushed Congress strongly in a particular direction, the US Congress's stance on the war in Gaza would be fundamentally different."

The American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), the most powerful "Jewish lobby organization" in the country, and another lobby group, the Democratic Majority for Israel, are among the leading campaign financiers.

According to the analysis findings, while 93 percent of Congress members want Washington to provide military or financial support to Israel, 81 percent support Israel's attacks on Gaza. While 17 percent of Congress members criticized Israel and called for a ceasefire, 17 percent argued that October 7 occurred due to the blockade and occupation Israel has imposed on Gaza for years.

PARTY POLICIES, NOT MONEY, DETERMINE

According to the report, Congress feels much more affinity for Israeli civilian casualties than for Palestinians, but it is party policies, not money, that determine Congress members' statements regarding civilian casualties.

Stephen Walt, a Professor of International Relations at Harvard University, stated that the analysis of donations helps explain the reason for Israel's attacks on Gaza, saying, "For the last few decades, it might not have been possible for Israel to carry out its provocative policies, such as expanding settlements, without the US weapons and political support it obtained with the help of the pro-Israel lobby."

Walt explained that due to the influence of pro-Israel lobby groups, ideas such as the US supporting United Nations Security Council (UNSC) resolutions, imposing sanctions on Israel, or withdrawing military support are "pure fiction."

It was observed that Congress members John Fetterman, Maxwell Frost, and Raphael Warnock, who "adopted a pro-Palestinian stance to get elected," took a pro-Israel stance after receiving donations from the aforementioned lobbies.

While the analysis revealed that, unlike the American public, most Congress members support Israel, it found that 17 percent of Congress members criticized Israel and called for a ceasefire.

According to the claim in the report, a pro-Israel donor offered 20 million dollars to a candidate to run against Palestinian-origin Democratic member Rashida Tlaib in the next elections.