Grant Smith

In early December hundreds of Syrians gathered to protest the Israeli company Energix as it began construction of massive wind turbines in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights. Energix is also facing growing community opposition across Virginia as it lobbies to secure permits to build solar energy utilities on mostly agricultural parcels with cultural, forest and natural … Continue reading “Energix Faces Opposition in Syria and Virginia”

Jonathan Jay Pollard sold thousands of sensitive American secrets to Israel while employed as an intelligence analyst in the Naval Investigative Service Command. Pollard was ideologically committed to becoming a spy for Israel, and after he was captured claimed he considered himself “a frontline soldier forgotten deep in enemy territory.” Pollard pled guilty to espionage … Continue reading “The Jonathan Pollard Exception”

The United Arab Emirates bid to purchase F-35 multirole stealth aircraft caused a firestorm among Israel lobby operatives, pundits and congressional fellow travelers. They say the US has an obligation to maintain Israel’s "Qualitative Military Edge" if not Israel’s "Qualitative AND Quantitative Military Edge." QME is a doctrine that US war planners originally conceived to … Continue reading “The Israel Lobby’s ‘QME’ Scam”

The claim that US Christian Zionists are "the largest Israel lobby" is a canard now so commonplace that it appears within the first paragraph of Wikipedia’s page on the "Israel lobby in the United States." But are Christian Zionists really the largest Israel lobby? That all depends on your definition of "large," "lobby" and beliefs … Continue reading “Are Christian Zionists the ‘Largest Pro-Israel Lobby’?”

On May 1, 2020, the Virginia Office of the State Inspector General formally notified the Secretary of Commerce and Trade of improper financial dealings between the Virginia Israel Advisory Board’s vice chairman and the executive director of the Tobacco Region Revitalization Commission. According to the notification, the action was initiated following a whistleblower complaint to … Continue reading “Virginia Israel Advisory Board Deal Improper Says IG”

These are desperate times for the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, AIPAC. AIPAC has canceled its single most important program. The lobby’s grip on Congress is slipping and its influence in the Foreign Affairs Committee has been truncated. Is AIPAC finished? There are three reasons to believe it may be. First came the cancellation of … Continue reading “Is AIPAC Finished?”

Tazewell County in the Southwest corner of Virginia has been hit hard by declines in formerly vibrant industries such as coal mining and furniture manufacturing. Since launching in 1988 the Virginia Coalfield Economic Development Authority VCEDA provides grants and low interest loans to diversify the economy. Likewise, Virginia’s Tobacco Region Opportunity Fund, or TROF, has … Continue reading “AIPAC Junket Spawned ‘Project Jonah’”

Benjamin Netanyahu’s prosecution for corruption in an Israeli courtroom is now underway. The current Israeli Prime Minister is facing three counts of fraud and breach of trust and one count of bribery. The first count listed in the charge sheet details Israeli movie producer Arnon Milchan’s long relationship with Netanyahu. Netanyahu received approximately $140,000 worth … Continue reading “Why Wasn’t Netanyahu Ever Indicted in the US?”

Public opinion polls soliciting the views of American voting age adults on timely policy matters impacting Israel and its US lobby are scarce. Americans are only rarely asked about whether they approve of the U.S. having given the lion’s share of the foreign aid budget to Israel over the last seven decades. Perhaps that is … Continue reading “Poll: Americans Reject Israeli Annexation”

On April 22, 2020 Judge Rudolph Contreras ordered the IRS to provide details about the adequacy of its search for documents about policy on US nonprofit charitable funding flows into Israeli settlements. The order was only the latest round in a legal battle launched by the Institute for Research: Middle Eastern Policy (IRmep), which in … Continue reading “IRS Must Describe Its Search for Israeli Settlement Policies”