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The Israel lobby (at times called the Zionist lobby) is the diverse coalition of those who, as individuals and as groups, seek to influence the foreign policy of the United States in support of Zionism, Israel or the specific policies of its government.〔Mearsheimer, John J. and Walt, Stephen. The Israel Lobby and U.S. Foreign Policy, ''London Review of Books'', Volume 28 Number 6, March 22, 2006. Retrieved March 24, 2006.〕 The lobby consists of Jewish-American secular and religious groups. The most famous and visible group within the Israel lobby is the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC). AIPAC and other groups within the Israel lobby influence American public policy in a variety of ways such as through education, responding to criticism of Israel, and putting forth arguments in support of Israel. The Israel lobby is known for its success in encouraging U.S. lawmakers to support the policies that it supports. ==History== A Christian belief in the return of the Jews to the Holy Land has roots in the US, which pre-date both the establishment of the Zionist movement and the establishment of Israel. Lobbying by these groups, to influence the US government in ways similar to Zionist ideology, dates back to at least the 19th century. In 1844, Christian restorationist George Bush, a professor of Hebrew at New York University and distantly related to the Bush political family, published a book entitled ''The Valley of Vision; or, The Dry Bones of Israel Revived.''〔Medved, Michael. ("What the Evangelicals Give the Jews." ) ''Commentary''. May 2012. 2 October 2012.〕 In it he denounced “the thralldom and oppression which has so long ground them (the Jews) to the dust,” and called for “elevating” the Jews “to a rank of honorable repute among the nations of the earth” by restoring the Jews to the land of Israel where the bulk would be converted to Christianity.〔(Valley of vision: or, The dry bones of Israel revived : an attempted proof, from Ezekiel, chap. xxxvii, 1-14, of the restoration and conversion of the Jews, George Bush, 1844 ) "When the Most High accordingly declares that he will bring the house of Israel into their own land, it does not follow that this will be effected by any miraculous interposition which will be recognized as such....The great work of Christians, in the mean time, is to labor for their conversion. In this they are undoubtedly authorized to look for a considerable measure of success, though it be admitted that the bulk of the nation is not to be converted till after their restoration ; for it is only upon the coming together of bone to his bone that the Spirit of life comes into them, and they stand up an exceeding great army."〕 This, according to Bush, would benefit not only the Jews, but all of mankind, forming a “link of communication” between humanity and God. “It will blaze in notoriety...". “It will flash a splendid demonstration upon all kindreds and tongues of the truth.”〔Power, Faith, and Fantasy by Michael B. Oren REVIEWED BY HILLEL HALKIN, Commentary, Januare 2007 http://www.commentarymagazine.com/viewarticle.cfm/power--faith--and-fantasy-by-michael-b--oren-10818〕 The book sold about a million copies in the antebellum period.〔Dr. Michael Oren, address before the American Israel Public Affairs Committee Policy Conference 2007, delivered March 11, 2007; quoted in Foxman, ''The Deadliest Lies'', pp. 17-18.〕 The Blackstone Memorial of 1891 was also a significant Christian Restorationist petition effort, led by William Eugene Blackstone, to persuade President Benjamin Harrison to pressure the Ottoman Sultan for the delivery of Palestine to the Jews.〔Blackstone Memorial〕〔Paul Charles Merkley, ''The Politics of Christian Zionism, 1891–1948'', 1998, p. 68 ff.〕 Starting in 1914, the involvement of Louis Brandeis and his brand of American Zionism made Jewish Zionism a force on the American scene for the first time, under his leadership it had increased ten-fold to about 200,000.〔Donald Neff, ''Fallen Pillars U.S. Policy towards Palestine and Israel since 1945''(Chapter One: Zionism: Jewish Americans and the State Department, 1897-1945 )〕 As chair of the American Provisional Executive Committee for General Zionist Affairs, Brandeis raised millions of dollars to relieve Jewish suffering in war-torn Europe, and from that time “became the financial center for the world Zionist movement.”〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=Academic Awards )〕 The British Balfour Declaration of 1917 additionally advanced the Zionist movement and gave it official legitimacy. The US Congress passed the first joint resolution stating its support for a homeland in Palestine for the Jewish people on September 21, 1922. The same day, the Mandate of Palestine was approved by the Council of the League of Nations. Zionist lobbying in the United States aided the creation of the State of Israel in 1947-48. The preparation of and voting for the United Nations Partition Plan for Palestine which preceded the Israeli Declaration of Independence, was met with an outpouring of Jewish American support and advocacy in Washington.〔Collins, Larry and Dominique Lapierre. ''O Jerusalem!'' New York: Simon and Schuster, 1988. p. 27.〕 President Truman later noted, "The facts were that not only were there pressure movements around the United Nations unlike anything that had been seen there before, but that the White House, too, was subjected to a constant barrage. I do not think I ever had as much pressure and propaganda aimed at the White House as I had in this instance. The persistence of a few of the extreme Zionist leaders—actuated by political motives and engaging in political threats—disturbed and annoyed me."〔George Lenczowski, ''American Presidents and the Middle East'', (1990) p. 28, cite, Harry S. Truman, ''Memoirs 2'', p. 158.〕 In the 1950s, the American Zionist Committee for Public Affairs was created by Isaiah L. "Si" Kenen. During the Eisenhower administration, Israel's concerns were not at the forefront. Other problems in the Middle East and USSR were paramount, and Israel's U.S. supporters were not as active as they had been. AZCPA formed a pro-Israel lobbying committee to counter rumors that the Eisenhower administration was going to investigate the American Zionist Council. AZCPA's Executive Committee decided to change their name from American Zionist Committee for Public Affairs to American Israel Public Affairs Committee. The relationship between Israel and the government of the United States began with strong popular support for Israel and governmental reservations about the wisdom of creating a Jewish state; formal inter-government relations remained chilly until 1967.〔Abraham Ben-Zvi, ''Decade of Transition: Eisenhower, Kennedy, and the Origins of the American-Israel Alliance'', Columbia University Press, 1998.〕 Before 1967, the government of "the United States was actively hostile to Israel."〔George Friedman, ''The Israel Lobby in U.S. Strategy'', September 4, 2007 (The Israel Lobby in U.S. Strategy | STRATFOR ).〕 Since 1979, Israel has received the most foreign assistance. The roughly $3 billion in assistance to Israel comprises a small percentage of the roughly $3 trillion US budget.〔Benhorin, Yitzhak. ("Israel still top recipient of US foreign aid." ) ''Ynetnews''. 2 August 2007. 13 December 2012.〕 AIPAC "has grown into a 100,000-member national grassroots movement" and claims that it is America's "pro-Israel lobby."〔AIPAC Web Site (AIPAC - Learn About AIPAC ). Retrieved April 18, 2007.〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Israel lobby in the United States」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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