Pro-Israel Lobby in America and Its Influence on Middle Eastern Foreign Policy

Introduction:

With the eruption of the Syrian revolution and its transformation into a complex regional and international crisis, the Syrian issue delved deep into the depths of regional and international geopolitical balances. Some forces within the Revolution and Opposition had once placed their hopes on an international intervention akin to what had occurred in Libya. However, the situation took a different course, and the belief that Syria’s intricate geopolitical status and proximity to Israel hindered serious deliberations spread among Syrians. It appeared that Washington, in principle, preferred to prolong and manage the war to neutralize various factions, control the course of the conflict to prevent it from spilling beyond Syria’s borders, and prevent the leakage of chemical weapons to various groups.

The notion that Israel’s security influenced American foreign policy has also been overly disseminated. Perhaps the initial message from Rami Mahluf, a key figure in the Assad regime, underscores this: “Without stability in Syria, there will be no stability in Israel.”

Recent developments suggest that the America-Russia-Israel consensus played a gradual role in the normalization tendencies towards the Assad regime. Information surfaced indicating Israeli intelligence had prepared a vision in coordination with Moscow, including the continuity of the Assad regime. Subsequently, meetings and discussions between American-Israeli-Russian national security institutions influenced the determination of the normalization process in Syria.

On January 9, 2019, the Middle East Eye website published a report about an Israel-Gulf-Egypt plan aimed at legitimizing and reintegrating the Assad regime into the Arab League primarily to limit Turkish influence in Syria, followed by Iranian influence (noting that Iran’s influence is fragile compared to Turkey’s capacities). According to the site, an agreement was reached among intelligence service leaders during a meeting held in a Gulf capital and in the presence of the head of Israeli intelligence Mossad.

Given America’s significant position in the Middle East, particularly in the Syrian context, understanding the dimensions and motivating factors of Israel’s security concerns on American decision-makers sheds light on Israel’s influence on American foreign policy, especially in the Middle East.

Considering the influential role of the pro-Israel lobby in the United States in shaping American policy towards Israel, understanding its overall impact on American foreign policy and particularly its actions in the Middle East, unrelated to the Syrian issue, becomes paramount. This analytical exposition relies primarily on a series of symposiums held by political science Professor John Mearsheimer at the University of Chicago and international relations Professor Stephen Walt at Harvard University in 2015. It’s worth noting that these two experts co-authored a book on this subject in 2006.

Read the full report (Arabic)