American journalist Eli Clifton and University of Pennsylvania retired professor Ian Lustick stated in their book that the Israel lobby influences US foreign policy decisions, creates a wide sphere of influence extending from election financing to Congress, and that this imposes heavy political, financial and security costs on Washington.
Clifton, an investigative journalist who works on US foreign policy and one of the founding partners of the Quincy Institute, and Lustick, who served as an expert on the Israel-Palestine issue at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs during the Carter administration and is one of the founders of the Israel Studies Association, discussed the role of the Israel lobby in US politics in their book titled "The Israel Lobby: America in the Clutch of a Foreign Power", published in August.
In the introduction of the book, the authors make evaluations about the threat posed by the Israel lobby and say, "The threats posed by the Israel lobby to the interests and freedoms of the United States are not ordinary, but extraordinary and extraordinarily dangerous." He uses the expression.
In the book published by Atria/One Signal Publishers, the "Israel lobby" is defined as organizations, groups and individuals that include Jews, Christians and other groups that advocate US policies that are in line with Israel's interests.
The authors object to the lobby's identification with American Jews, arguing that it is highly misleading to suggest that its political goals represent American Jews as a whole.
The book also states that Israel ranks 9th among 11 issues that are important to Jewish voters in the 2024 US presidential elections.
US support for Israel and lobbying influence in Congress
The book states that Israel has been one of the countries that has received the largest share of US aid since the 1970s and receives approximately 1/4 of the US military aid provided worldwide.
The authors point out that the USA provided loans and grants of more than 300 billion dollars adjusted for inflation to Israel in the period 1948-2024, and that this number is above the 179 billion dollars of aid received by Egypt, which ranks 2nd on the list.
The book also emphasizes that the USA has provided at least 16.3 billion dollars of military aid to Israel after October 7, 2023.
The authors note that Israel uses its relationship with the United States to "provide unconditional aid, coordination, and support on a scale and duration far beyond what any major power has ever done for another country."
Clifton and Lustick point out that the Israel lobby is one of the most effective foreign policy lobbies in US history.
The authors evaluate the American-Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), one of the lobby's leading organizations, as "a huge center of power acting as the representative of a foreign power."
In the book, it is stated that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made some statements regarding the USA during his meeting with Israeli right-wing activists in 2001, when he thought the camera was turned off.
The authors note that Netanyahu said in the meeting in question, "I know what America is. America is something that you can very easily mobilize and direct in the right direction. They will not stand in your way." he states.
The book emphasizes that Netanyahu's speech to Congress in 2024 was interrupted by applause 74 times, 53 of which were standing ovations.
The authors point out that groups affiliated with AIPAC spent $45 million in the House of Representatives and Senate elections in 2024, and most of these expenditures were directed to campaigns targeting Democratic Representatives Cori Bush and Jamaal Bowman, who called for a ceasefire in Gaza.
Billionaire donors and their influence on US elections
The authors note that after the "Citizens United" decision in 2010 and court decisions paving the way for super PACs (political action committees), some billionaires who openly expressed their support for Israel became influential in election financing.
According to the book, the political donations announced by 9 donors since 2012 exceed 1.7 billion dollars, while Sheldon and Miriam Adelson are at the top of the list with approximately 700 million dollars.
The authors recall that the Adelson couple used their private plane for Jonathan Pollard, who was convicted of espionage in 2020, to go to Israel, and evaluate that this situation was effective in their relations with Trump.
Antisemitism debate and universities
The book states that the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) definition of "antisemitism" is used to limit criticism of Israel.
The authors criticize the text of the IHRA, known as the "working definition of antisemitism", stating that it can be used to restrict freedom of expression.
The authors state that the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) included some expressions of opposition to Zionism in its evaluations after October 7, 2023, and that the average number of incidents in the 2023-2024 period increased approximately 3 times compared to the 2021-2022 period.
In the book, it is stated that the authors argue that this increase can be explained by the change in criteria.
The authors emphasize that the Trump administration launched more than 60 antisemitism investigations against universities in the first 9 months of 2025, and approximately 11 billion dollars of funding was cut from higher education institutions in the first 4 months.
In the book, the detention of Mahmoud Khalil (Mahmoud Khalil), one of the leaders of the pro-Palestinian protests at Columbia University, by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is also cited as an example.
The authors describe this process as a "campaign of slander and lynching against critics of Israel and supporters of Palestine" and a "witch hunt."
BDS movement and Mavi Marmara
The book states that Israel began to see the "Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS)" movement as a greater threat after the attack on the Turkish ship Mavi Marmara carrying aid to Gaza in 2010.
The authors report that 35 states in the United States passed anti-BDS legislation between late 2015 and mid-2025.
The book evaluates that after the Mavi Marmara attack, the BDS movement gained more support internationally and Israeli leaders began to consider this movement as an "existential threat".
The authors argue that the Israeli government has allocated a budget to combat BDS, that the issue has received ministerial attention, and that Israeli security services are also involved in the process.
Iran war and Israel's role in US policies
The authors also discuss US President Donald Trump's decision to start a war with Iran in February 2026.
In the book, "The Iran attack in June 2025 and the war in 2026 were both put forward, planned and insistently demanded by Israel and long-serving Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu." evaluation is included.
The authors state that the daily cost of the war was estimated at $1 billion at the beginning of March 2026.
Negative attitudes towards Israel are increasing in the US public
The book states that, according to a survey dated October 2025, 41 percent of Americans want military aid to Israel to be reduced, 24 percent to maintain the current level, and 13 percent to increase it.
According to the survey published by the Pew Research Center in the same month, it is stated that 59 percent of Americans have a negative view of the Israeli government.
The authors evaluate that the change in public opinion makes the influence of the Israel lobby difficult.
