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2017 Keynote Speakers
Presentations by
Growing numbers of Americans question
massive, automatic and unconditional U.S. support for Israel. The
American Educational Trust, publisher of the
Washington Report on
Middle East Affairs, and the Institute for Research: Middle Eastern
Policy will host an historic fourth annual conference on March 24,
2017 at the National Press Club
in Washington, DC focusing on the key issues.
Expert keynote speakers and panelists will
present their analysis of:
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U.S.
foreign aid, intelligence and diplomatic support to Israel. Since
1948, the U.S. has provided more foreign aid to Israel than to
any other country. In 2016 the U.S. signed a new pledge to
provide it $38 billion over 10 years. Is the aid unconditional?
Will the U.S. provide it no matter how many illegal settlements
Israel builds or what military
actions it takes?
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Israel as a U.S. ally. During the Cold
War, many claimed Israel was America’s “cop on the beat” in the
Middle East, squaring off against Soviet client states and
protecting U.S. access to oil. Were these claims ever true?
Does Israel currently serve any identifiable U.S.
strategic interest, or is it in fact a liability?
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Israel lobbying
organizations have launched many programs in the U.S. They
transfer billions of dollars in tax-deductible charitable
contributions to support Jewish immigration to Israel (including
from the former Soviet Union), and fund Israel’s clandestine
nuclear weapons program. Do these programs
further harm American
interests?
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Israel affinity organizations and
prominent neoconservatives have long demanded that the U.S. should
militarily engage Israel’s rivals, including Hamas, Hezbollah,
Iran, Syria and Iraq. Is the list of targets growing? What
future wars are these neocons currently agitating for? How likely is it
the U.S. will comply?
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The Israel-Palestine conflict is the
longest running confrontation in the region. It generates
terrorist attacks and other blowback against the United States.
What are the latest views from the region about prospects for a
viable Palestinian state vs. Israel’s continual territorial
growth as a foreign-supported settler-colonial enterprise?
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American public opinion is rapidly
turning against unqualified support for Israel. How do Americans
really feel about U.S. aid to Israel, Israel’s huge influence
with U.S. elites, and its treatment of Palestinians?
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Beyond changing perceptions, increasing
numbers of Americans are actively working against Israeli
programs. What is currently being done at the grassroots level,
in courtrooms and internationally to confront, expose and
challenge Israel lobby initiatives?
The Israel Lobby and American Policy
conference is solely sponsored by the American Educational Trust,
publisher of the Washington Report on Middle East Affairs, and the
Institute for Research: Middle Eastern Policy (IRmep). Attendees
receive lunch and an invitation to a special post-conference attendee-speaker
reception.
Register online today!