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When the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, probably the most influential pro-Israel group in the US, desires to make use of its muscle, it may well name on its appreciable sources to run unfavourable advertisements in opposition to lawmakers who oppose its agenda and pour cash into funding a challenger.
When the Mates Committee on Nationwide Laws, a Quaker group that’s pushing for a cease-fire between Israel and Hamas, desires to push its message, its Center East lobbyist turns to ways like taking part in guitar with schoolchildren within the occupied West Financial institution and sharing video messages about their fears with members of Congress on Capitol Hill.
Going up in opposition to the numerous forces backing Israel is a problem for any group. However the conflict is very hanging relating to the Mates Committee, whose antiwar positions are in sync with a lot of the left of the Democratic Occasion however run counter to Biden administration coverage within the wake of the Hamas terror assault and face intense opposition on the proper.
AIPAC, based about 70 years in the past to advertise Israel’s pursuits within the U.S., is a juggernaut. Final 12 months, its nonprofit arm reported greater than $73 million in income. Final month, its political motion committee, which helps candidates who embrace its coverage priorities, reported document fund-raising — bolstering a $40 million struggle chest that could possibly be spent making an attempt to defeat political opponents in Washington. It has the ear of congressional leaders in each events.
The Mates Committee, which was based throughout World Warfare II, is a part of what quantities to Washington’s peace foyer. It doesn’t run a political motion committee. It experiences about $3 million in annual income. Its lobbying method entails on the lookout for “the divine within the those that we’re assembly with,” Sarah Freeman-Woolpert, the Quaker group’s deputy director of strategic advocacy, says in a video.
The group has draped a banner stating “Ceasefire Now!” in English, Arabic and Hebrew on the facade of its Second Road workplace, which faces the Hart Senate Workplace Constructing on Capitol Hill.
“We’re clearly being outspent, however I feel the saving grace is that our concepts are simply extra common,” stated Hassan El-Tayyab, the Mates Committee’s Center East legislative director.
“So our foreign money is folks energy, and getting constituents to foyer their members of Congress,” he stated. “And that has a significant influence. And you’ll’t essentially purchase that public help.”
However whereas polling means that American help for Israel’s ways in Gaza is weakening because the civilian dying toll there grows, teams just like the Mates Committee and its coalition of greater than 80 like-minded teams, together with American Muslims for Palestine, Jewish Voice for Peace and the Episcopal Church, are struggling to get traction for his or her message in Washington.
As Congress grapples with offering extra help to Israel, the Mates Committee and its political allies are pushing for a direct cease-fire, extra humanitarian help for Gazans, continued funding for the U.N. help group UNRWA and a cleareyed evaluation of Israel’s human rights document.
AIPAC, which is supporting scores of Democrats and Republicans for re-election this cycle, is well-known — and feared — in Washington. “Members of each events frightened about crossing the American Israel Public Affairs Committee,” former President Barack Obama wrote in his 2020 memoir, echoing a chorus heard from lawmakers right this moment.
AIPAC has just lately run harsh advertisements spotlighting some lawmakers’ refusal to sentence the Oct. 7 terror assaults carried out by Hamas. It plans to problem incumbents like Representatives Ilhan Omar, Democrat of Minnesota, and Jamaal Bowman, Democrat of New York, whose stances on Israel and the Palestinians it disagrees with.
The peace teams are largely targeted on amplifying their affect with left-leaning Democrats — however hoping to win over extra moderates alongside the way in which.
In late October, Mr. El-Tayyab pitched Consultant Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Democrat of New York, on signing a letter arguing for a cease-fire. Weeks later, she was amongst two dozen members of Congress to ship a letter to the White Home and the State Division pushing for speedy de-escalation of Israel’s offensive in Gaza and a cease-fire. Since then, the variety of members calling for a cease-fire has grown to 68, in response to a tracker managed by the Working Households celebration and Congressional bulletins — together with one from Consultant Chrissy Houlahan, Democrat of Pennsylvania, launched on Thursday.
Extra just lately, the Mates Committee and different peace and religion teams urged help for a decision launched by Senator Bernie Sanders, the Vermont unbiased, to look at Israel’s human rights document earlier than offering the extra protection funding now beneath dialogue. The measure was rejected by the Senate final month when it drew simply 11 backers, virtually fully Democrats. (The only real Republican on board was Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky.)
“They’re all, I feel, very mobilized voices and have had an influence,” stated Consultant Ro Khanna, Democrat of California, who referred to as for a cease-fire in November after initially hesitating. “They’ve had constituents attain out to completely different members of Congress, they’ve organized numerous demonstrations in districts, they’ve completed so much on social media, they’ve raised numerous consciousness.”
Mr. Khanna stated he and his workers meet with teams just like the Mates Committee “on a regular basis.”
The Spiritual Society of Mates, or Quakers, has been lobbying since its founding within the 1600s in England, stated Jordan Landes, a Quaker historian at Swarthmore Faculty. Quaker lobbying facilities on a handful of themes, known as “testimonies,” together with peace, equality and stewardship, Ms. Landes stated.
The Mates Committee was based in 1943, within the throes of World Warfare II. It focuses on coverage targets like assuaging little one poverty and making certain funding to assist struggle the influence of local weather change. It additionally promotes peace world wide, not solely in Gaza.
Mr. El-Tayyab is a self-described agnostic who grew up in Plymouth, Mass., and was a musician in a roots rock band referred to as American Nomad earlier than changing into a lobbyist (he nonetheless performs frequent gigs). His work on Center East coverage just lately took him to Jerusalem and the West Financial institution metropolis Ramallah, the place he and different peace advocates met with religion and political leaders.
In Ramallah, he performed his guitar and sang “I desire a cease-fire now” to college students at an area Quaker faculty meeting. He comforted some who have been troubled by the struggle and its influence on them and their relations, promising “to relay these conversations to Congress after I get again.”
He additionally met with Mahmoud Abbas, the president of the Palestinian Authority, whereas within the West Financial institution. Over cigarettes and tea, Mr. Abbas thanked Mr. El-Tayyab and his different guests for his or her work lobbying for a cease-fire, in response to two individuals who have been there.
A New York Instances / Siena ballot in December confirmed that 44 p.c of respondents believed that Israel ought to cease its navy marketing campaign in Gaza, with 39 p.c believing that Israel ought to proceed (18 p.c of respondents didn’t know or declined to reply). A January ballot from the AP-NORC Middle for Public Affairs Analysis confirmed that fifty p.c of adults surveyed believed that the struggle had “gone too far,” with 46 p.c saying it had both been “about proper” or “not gone far sufficient.” Because the Gazan well being ministry experiences that greater than 28,000 Palestinians have been killed, Mr. El-Tayyab and his fellow peace lobbyists are pushing for a cease-fire not solely on ethical grounds, but additionally on sensible ones.
“This isn’t sustainable,” stated the Rev. Dr. Mae Elise Cannon, govt director of Church buildings for Center East Peace, the group that convened the latest assembly with Mr. Abbas. “It’s not sustainable for Palestine, for the Israelis. Even when Gaza is rebuilt, this could’t proceed, and so I feel that’s an enormous concern.”
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