The pro-Israel lobby has swayed US presidents since Truman. It must end with Trump
This essay explores the historical influence of the pro-Israel lobby on US presidential policy, beginning with the Truman administration. It argues that the lobby's significant impact on foreign policy decisions has persisted for decades and suggests a need for a shift in this dynamic.
Why it matters
It provides a critical historical perspective on the complexities of US-Middle East relations and the role of domestic lobbying in foreign policy.
/Getty Images/White House /Getty Images/White House The featured essay US political lobbying The pro-Israel lobby has swayed US presidents since Truman. It must end with Trump Our new book tracks the growth over nearly eight decades, of the most powerful foreign policy lobby in US history
In 1948, with war raging in Palestine , Harry Truman found himself trapped.
On one side were Zionist lobbyists and the president’s domestic political advisers, who were urging him to support the establishment of a Jewish state in as much of Palestine as possible. On the other were his top foreign policy and national security officials, led by the secretary of state, George C Marshall. Their unanimous recommendation was to prevent the establishment of a Jewish state, which they believed would trigger war in the Middle East and endanger the future of US relations with the Arab and Muslim world.
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