Grant Smith

Grant F. Smith is the author of the new book Divert! NUMEC, Zalman Shapiro and the diversion of U.S. weapons-grade uranium into the Israeli nuclear weapons program. He is director of the Institute for Research: Middle Eastern Policy in Washington, D.C.

Americans Oppose Investigating the Gaza Massacre

Most Americans would oppose any Trump Administration support for an International Criminal Court investigation into Israel’s use of lethal force against Palestinian protesters on May 14. This is because they either never heard about the massacre or received slanted coverage. Thousands of Palestinian protesters in Gaza gathered in May near a "no-go" zone along an … Continue reading “Americans Oppose Investigating the Gaza Massacre”

Israel Uses Intelligence Cutouts To Target the US

An Israeli intelligence entity called "Black Cube" targeted Obama administration officials such as former foreign policy advisor Ben Rhodes and outside experts, such as the National Iranian American Council’s Trita Parsi, that advocated for passage of the JCPOA known as the "Iran nuclear deal." Though most media reports reference Black Cube’s self-designation as a "private … Continue reading “Israel Uses Intelligence Cutouts To Target the US”

Why Gallup Overstates American Sympathy for Israel

Pollster Gallup has claimed since the year 2001 that the majority of Americans (averaging 59% between 2001-2018) hold much greater sympathy for Israelis than for Palestinians (averaging 17%) “in the Middle East situation.” Gallup releases its yearly results with titillating headlines, such as “Americans Remain Staunchly in Israel’s Corner” (2018 poll) and "Israel Maintains Positive … Continue reading “Why Gallup Overstates American Sympathy for Israel”

In 1974 CIA Claimed Israeli Nuclear Missiles Could Hit Neighbors

The Central Intelligence Agency believed that by 1974 Israel could strike all of its bordering countries with nuclear-tipped two-stage Jericho missiles. Israel was viewed by CIA as a proliferation threat via sales of turn-key nuclear weapons systems to its close allies such as apartheid South Africa. This was corroborated in year 2012 news reports revealing … Continue reading “In 1974 CIA Claimed Israeli Nuclear Missiles Could Hit Neighbors”

Will Al Jazeera Air The Lobby Before AIPAC Meets?

The Israel lobby has a lot of levers it can push and pull to curry favorable news coverage from media organizations. These range from denying access to the limited pool of top-tier pundits and Israeli government officials, to crippling economic boycotts. This power is visible in the battle to punish and shutter Al Jazeera, the … Continue reading “Will Al Jazeera Air The Lobby Before AIPAC Meets?”

Poll: Americans Oppose Cutting Aid to Countries That Condemn US Jerusalem Policy

The Trump administration threatened to end billions of dollars in US foreign aid to countries opposing recent US recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. On December 21, despite US threats, 128 UN member states voted to uphold long-standing international consensus that the status of Jerusalem can only be settled through a peace deal … Continue reading “Poll: Americans Oppose Cutting Aid to Countries That Condemn US Jerusalem Policy”

Recognizing Jerusalem as Israel’s Capital Harms the US

President Donald Trump’s recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and intent to relocate the US embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem is sure to harm the United States. A product of decades of pressure by Israel and its US lobby, the move is an incremental step toward pressuring the US to confer legitimacy on all … Continue reading “Recognizing Jerusalem as Israel’s Capital Harms the US”

Poll: Americans Oppose the ‘Anti-Semitism Awareness Act’

The House Judiciary Committee held a hearing on November 7 to discuss the "Anti-Semitism Awareness Act." Proponents of ASAA claim it is a law that would protect Jewish students from anti-Semitic harassment, which they claim is a major problem on campus. Opponents argue the bill would undermine free speech rights, and is a thinly-disguised gag … Continue reading “Poll: Americans Oppose the ‘Anti-Semitism Awareness Act’”

Congressmen Pressed Obama To Pardon Spy Lawrence Franklin

On December 14, 2016 two California congressmen, Republican Dana Rohrabacher and Democrat Juan Vargas, secretly pressed President Obama to pardon convicted spy Lawrence Franklin. Colonel Franklin, an employee at the Department of Defense, pled guilty to charges of espionage for passing classified information to the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) as well as directly … Continue reading “Congressmen Pressed Obama To Pardon Spy Lawrence Franklin”

Poll: Americans Would Cut Middle East War Spending

On November 3, professor John Mearsheimer made a short and stunning presentation at "U.S. Foreign Policy in the Trump Era: Can Realism and Restraint Prevail?" conference held at George Washington University in Washington, DC. In the unipolar world after the collapse of the Soviet Union, he claimed, realists urged nonintervention and staying out of conflicts … Continue reading “Poll: Americans Would Cut Middle East War Spending”