New Book Claims Israel Lobby Fuels U.S. Policy and Erodes Civil Liberties

In an interview, investigative journalist Eli Clifton and scholar Ian Lustick explain how their new volume documents the Israel lobby’s expansion after the Citizens United and SpeechNow rulings, which opened the floodgates for billionaire donors like Sheldon Adelson to fund U.S. campaigns. They contend that this financial power has been used to suppress debate, exemplified by federal funding withdrawals from university programs and immigration actions against critics.

The authors trace Israel’s strategic justifications from the Cold War through the global war on terror to the current focus on Iran, arguing that the lobby’s influence has enabled Israel’s increasingly militarized stance. They also argue that the lobby’s dominance has stifled moderate Israeli voices and made a two-state solution politically impossible. Looking ahead, they suggest that even a potentially more moderate Israeli leader such as Gadi Eisenkot may struggle to change the overall trajectory, which could eventually force new Arab-Jewish political alliances. The discussion underscores how the lobby’s power shapes both foreign policy and civil liberties in the United States.