This is an archive of past discussions. Do not edit the contents of this page. If you wish to start a new discussion or revive an old one, please do so on the
current talk page.
New documents debunk a great deal of the assertions made on this wiki entry. I propose that we correct it over the next week making the following changes:
1. That AIPAC did not exist as a separate entity before 1965. It was really just a committee within the older American Zionist Council, as supported by Senate Testimony.
2. That AZC was created under the direction of David Ben Gurion in 1952 as a point of contact for Israel to give lobbying direction to supporters in the US (NYT article).
3. That AIPAC was the product of a 1965 shell company reorganization after the DOJ ordered the AZC to register as an Israeli foreign agent in 1961. The AZC had to shut down in '65.
Please let me know if there are any objections to these modifications. —Preceding
unsigned comment added by
NonResidentFellow (
talk •
contribs) 16:47, 10 November 2009 (UTC)
Done, thanks. Also, note that if you make just two more edits to anywhere - e.g.
WP:SANDBOX - you will be able to edit semiprotected files yourself. Chzz ► 01:07, 12 June 2010 (UTC)
I have reverted
[1] edits by
User:MUCHERS22. As far as I can see, those edits are non-neutral and contain
WP:OR and do not accurately reflect what the source cited says. The source
[2] does not mention anything about the "huge imapct" of AIPAC or about AIPAC having been "the driving force behind the sanctions from the start".
Nsk92 (
talk) 11:57, 3 October 2010 (UTC)
The "huge impact" part is not neutrally worded; per
WP:NPOV, strong language is best avoided at all and when used, it must be supported by particularly convincing sourcing. The part about AIPAC being "the driving force behind the sanctions from the start" is not supported by any source cited here.
Nsk92 (
talk) 18:19, 3 October 2010 (UTC)
Well the article itself state in atlest 3 places the power this lobby have on foreign policy.
But primary, why did you remove all? Including the sentence which had the source? —Preceding
unsigned comment added by
MUCHERS22 (
talk •
contribs) 18:25, 3 October 2010 (UTC)
I explained in my original post above why I reverted your edit - a part of it was non-neutral and another part was not supported by the source cited. With a significantly flawed edit like that, the proper thing to do is to revert it and discuss it at the talk page, which is exactly what I did.
Nsk92 (
talk) 18:34, 3 October 2010 (UTC)
Well you didnt have a reason for removing the sourced stuff. But everyhing is ok now, the current sentence about the sanctions seems to be satisfied. —Preceding
unsigned comment added by
MUCHERS22 (
talk •
contribs) 18:36, 3 October 2010 (UTC)
The last edit you made introduced a malformatted and grammatically incorrect sentence "And have been one the driving force behind the sanctions from the start." Even if one fixes the grammar here, the source cited
[3] does not support this statement.
Nsk92 (
talk) 18:48, 3 October 2010 (UTC)
You missunderstand. Some stuff werent sourced which of course could be removed. BUT you removed also the sourced stuff which you have no right to. —Preceding
unsigned comment added by
MUCHERS22 (
talk •
contribs) 18:54, 3 October 2010 (UTC)
You are quite wrong here. In case of a seriously problematic edit, like yours was, the correct thing to do is to revert the entire edit first and then discuss it at the talk page rather to try to salvage it on the fly.
Nsk92 (
talk) 19:13, 3 October 2010 (UTC)
Not at all, just remove the bad parts and it would be all fine. —Preceding
unsigned comment added by
MUCHERS22 (
talk •
contribs) 19:16, 3 October 2010 (UTC)
New information about AIPAC
I propose that the AIPAC wikipedia entry be expanded to include the following subjects:
1. Early Donors. According to new research, people involved in organized crime and Israel's nuclear weapons program provided significant amounts of start-up capital to AIPAC. AIPAC apparently tried to coverup the Israeli nuclear weapons program in the US media PR campaign:
2. Pornography @ AIPAC. According to recent court files cited by Jacob Heilbrun and others, a significant percentage of AIPAC employees use the nonprofit's tax preferred resources to view pornography and arrange sexual liaisons at work.
3. Tax Status under investigation. According to Accounting Today, AIPAC's tax exemption was alleged to be granted based on a fraudulent application. There appears to be a lot of content about that available.
4. Former director alleges classified US government document circulation. A former employee, Steven J. Rosen, swore to a DC court in 2010 that AIPAC trafficks in classified US government information. He told the Washington Post "I will introduce documentary evidence that AIPAC approved of the receipt of classified information."
Any objections to adding all of this sourced material? Just wanted to check before getting down to work...
3456truth (
talk) 15:58, 22 April 2011 (UTC)
whoops, i think I accidentally erased previous discussion. can an advanced user fix that? thanks!
3456truth (
talk) 16:01, 22 April 2011 (UTC)
Huh! None of my sourced changes to the page seem to be taking, anyone know why?
3456truth (
talk) 16:05, 22 April 2011 (UTC)
This kind of stuff really doesn't belong in an encyclopedia article. You write the accounting today thing as if that publication is making the accusation, when in fact its an outside group that's doing so and accounting today states: "The IRS has increasingly been on the receiving end of letters from various groups demanding that the tax-exempt status of groups opposed to their ideology or political or religious leanings be investigated or revoked. As the IRmep filing shows, that trend shows no signs of slowing down anytime soon." Points 1, 2 and 4 strike me as basically gossip. Rosen is a disgraced ex-employee who made some claims. We already have plenty of serious criticism of AIPAC in the article, we shouldn't be piling on rumors and non-events.
GabrielF (
talk) 19:21, 22 April 2011 (UTC)
I'm not so sure. Mob money in AIPAC seems relevant. Nuclear funding coordinator Abe Feinberg's donations and AIPAC's coverups of Israeli nukes seems pretty suspicious. And actually, Rosen placed a ton of internal AIPAC documents into the public domain to back up his claims about AIPAC information trafficking. Seems worth mentioning other US government classified docs held by AIPAC. According to court docs, "Rosen documented a two-decade span of AIPAC intelligence collection to back up his claims. AIPAC obtained a 'secret National Security Decision Directive #99 calling on the Armed Services and Secretary of Defense to explore the potential for stepped-up strategic cooperation.' AIPAC gleaned classified annual reports of secret U.S. arms transfers. AIPAC skimmed classified law enforcement files about North African financial transfers to African-American political activists, which it then used to discredit Jesse Jackson's presidential campaign. AIPAC suctioned up classified U.S. intelligence about Khartoum. An AIPAC board member funneled classified raw U.S. signals intelligence into a lobbying effort, while another AIPAC employee solicited and received classified information about secret U.S. understandings with Saudi Arabia."
I wonder if there's another allegedly American nonprofit lobby that trafficks in so much stolen classified government information. Seems to distinguish AIPAC from the others, while calling into question its claimed purpose/configuration. Oh, I forget. Nobody likes that... — Preceding
unsigned comment added by
3456truth (
talk •
contribs) 19:44, 22 April 2011 (UTC)
Hahahaha. Good point
History
I notice that the original info "Founded in 1953 by Isaiah L. "Si" Kenen, AIPAC's original name was the American Zionist Committee for Public Affairs." has been removed. Why has this been removed, other than the obvious?
Vexorg (
talk) 15:44, 22 May 2011 (UTC)
I have reached my limits for reverts (see
WP:3RR) but I feel that 3456truth's edits are introducing non-neutral and badly-referenced material into this article. Specifically, I'm concerned that 3456truth is adding the text "AIPAC traces its history back to 1951, the date its founder left the employment of the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs in New York." into a citation to the AIPAC website, although this fact does not appear on that website. I also feel that 3456truth is replacing material that is appropriate for the lede in that it provides a general summary of two opposing positions about the organization and its critics with information about a very specific instance that occurred 25 years ago and is covered two paragraphs later. I don't understand why we need to quote the FBI stating that they received an "unsubstantiated allegation".
GabrielF (
talk) 19:40, 21 April 2011 (UTC)
AIPAC's founder, Isaiah L. Kenen, worked for the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs, until he founded AIPAC. According to his biography, he colluded with his former employers who were looking for a front man to lobby Congress as an American, rather than an Israeli dealing with the Department of State. This is the origin of AIPAC, a stealth foreign agent. At one point, this wiki had important information about AIPAC's true origins and Kenen. I guess we need to beef that history up, because this page has been going down hill as far as facts are concerned.
3456truth (
talk) 00:46, 22 April 2011 (UTC)
AIPAC has been under investigation almost constantly since it split off from the AZC. Therefor it is an integral part of its history to show and repeat specific examples of investigations and allegations of criminal activity from the time it emerged from the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs. — Preceding
unsigned comment added by
3456truth (
talk •
contribs) 01:00, 22 April 2011 (UTC)
Actually, each bit of information can be substantiated, and has been by AIPAC's own founder. If it is original research, it is Isaiah Kenen's. A reference can be placed in the piece, much more useful to informing readers than the previous content calling critics "anti-Semites".
As a collection of primary source documents, calling the ILA "non-mainstream" (as if that were even a problem given the state of mainstream media) is not a credible exercise. You'd really need to discredit the FBI, GAO, IRS, and all the other government agencies that provided documents to the Israel Lobby Archive collection. Better to take down the National Security Archive or Jewish Virtual Library. Not really worth arguing about.
3456truth (
talk) 13:18, 22 April 2011 (UTC)
First off, please don't mark changes that effect the meaning of an article as minor. See
Help:Minor edit. More significantly, you haven't explained why these changes belong in the lede of the article. Here is what
Wikipedia:Manual of Style (lead section) tells us: "The lead should define the topic, establish context, explain why the subject is interesting or notable, and summarize the most important points—including any prominent controversies. The emphasis given to material in the lead should roughly reflect its importance to the topic, according to reliable, published sources..." The details of the organization's legal status 50 years ago seem completely insignificant to me. An "unsubstantiated allegation" is certainly not appropriate for the lede of an article. You're also removing sourced information from one side of the debate. Please see
WP:NPOV.
GabrielF (
talk) 14:18, 22 April 2011 (UTC)
AIPAC's origin belongs in the lede. The context of AIPAC as a front for the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs is a critical part of its history. In your POV history may seem insignificant, but it is not. The allegation "Israeli intelligence at AIPAC" was part of an espionage investigation. It provides continuity to the idea of AIPAC as an Israeli front, which is the core theme of the organization to all new literature that uses real (often recently declassified) primary sources. Please don't remove this sourced material, including the founder's statement on the genesis of AIPAC lobbying for the Israeli government.
3456truth (
talk) 14:25, 22 April 2011 (UTC)
When you say: "the idea of AIPAC as an Israeli front, which is the core theme of the organization" - that's your opinion. You need to demonstrate that high-quality secondary sources see it this way. Even if you could demonstrate this, which I doubt, it still wouldn't excuse removing another side's opinion from the lede and it wouldn't justify clogging up the lede of the article with minor details - particularly when you are doing original synthesis by drawing conclusions from these primary sources (Kennan's book and the FBI document) without citing secondary sources that also draw those conclusions.
GabrielF (
talk) 15:15, 22 April 2011 (UTC)
Fact, not opinion. AIPAC has been under constant investigation for operating as a foreign agent. It was the subject of an entire senate investigation.
http://irmep.org/ILA/Senate/default.asp and several FBI investigations. If you want to edit Alan Dershowitz broad brush accusations of antisemitism into the intro, feel free. There is another book called "America's Defense Line" that can be cited with declassified 2008 Justice Department documents on AIPAC's emergence as well, but primary sources are all online.
3456truth (
talk) 15:30, 22 April 2011 (UTC)
The ILA is certainly not mainstream. Have you seen its website? It has no address (only a post office box), and doesn't even list any of the people involved in it. Its analysis does not meet the requirements for
Reliable Sources. But more to the point, the documents it claims to be posting are primary sources, which you are summarizing into your own analysis; That is
original research, which is not allowed in Wikipedia.(
Hyperionsteel (
talk) 15:18, 22 April 2011 (UTC))
If ILA is good enough for the Washington Post, it's good enough for wikipedia. As you may know, there is an organized effort to attack, smear, discredit, defund and defame any who write critically about the Israel lobby. If you don't believe that, carefully review
http://irmep.org/ILA/AZC/default.asp Given that reality, primary source documents are not only acceptable, they are necessary in this case.
3456truth (
talk) 15:30, 22 April 2011 (UTC)
Wikipedia does not allow original research, even in cases where someone feels very strongly about a topic. Your summary and synthesis of primary sources is original research.(
Hyperionsteel (
talk) 15:48, 22 April 2011 (UTC))
I haven't submitted any original research. I'm not sure what you mean by "even in cases where someone feels very strongly about a topic." Who is that? Also, the entire intro is a synthesis of different bits of sourced material. It may not be known to many that AIPAC sprang from the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs, but erasing that fact with various dubious edit claims isn't improving the entry.
3456truth (
talk) 16:44, 22 April 2011 (UTC)
No Original Research
3456truth, you have submitted original research. And Yes, you seem to feel very strongly about this topic; you stated above that "Given that reality, primary source documents are not only acceptable, they are necessary in this". Unfortunately, Wikipedia's prohibition on Original Research does not include exemptions for certain realities or cases. But back to the main issue, you have taken primary sources and comprised your own summary based on your own interpretation. This is original research.
You are violating both of this rules by inserting the material in question.(
Hyperionsteel (
talk) 18:13, 22 April 2011 (UTC))
I have not engaged in original research, I've entered some primary sources. This is allowable, the guidelines you reference specifically state "primary sources that have been reliably published may be used in Wikipedia."
I have offered links to a program that shows the reality of decades of heavy handed Zionist attacks on media outlets, academics, and others that publish critical information about the lobby. This has undermined free speech and diminished output in that domain, since nobody likes to be called an "anti-Semite" for criticizing (as the current intro also does). So that's not me feeling strongly, that's me putting in the key information that's still available.
But since we're now ascribing motive and emotions here (and not assuming good faith) this whole thing appears to boil down to, you don't want AIPAC's true origins from the Israeli government in the entry. I do. You say its irrelevant history. I say its vital for readers to know about. You selectively cite policy, I carefully source every reference.
All of the supporting information is also in the book "America's Defense Line." I could reference that, but then I supposed you'd then question whether that book, for years cited as a reference on this wiki page, is an acceptable source, rather than the real issue: the true origins of AIPAC. Using technicalities to fend off the truth. So sad.
3456truth (
talk) 19:02, 22 April 2011 (UTC)
Repeat: No original research
You are attempting to use Wikipedia to promote conspiracy theories from a unreliable website and then accusing those of want you to respect Wikipedia's polices of having alterior motives. I will advise you to review
Talk page guidelines.
Wikipedia is an encyclopedia, not a journal or advocacy outlet that is used to advance political opinions or theories derived from primary sources. In Wikipedia, Original research "includes any analysis or synthesis of published material that serves to advance a position not advanced by the sources." Regarding your claim that you are not inserting Original Research, I will point out that Wikipedia clearly states that:
"All interpretive claims, analyses, or synthetic claims about primary sources must be referenced to a secondary source, rather than original analysis of the primary-source material by Wikipedia editors."
To demonstrate that you are not adding OR, you must be able to cite reliable, published sources that are both directly related to the topic of the article, and directly support the material as presented."
This is all blather. If Alan Dershowitz of Harvard wrote a book called "Confessions of the Israel Lobby" which referenced the obvious online documents, that would be accepted. But linking to the source documents, and a book written to them are unacceptable. Key difference? Zionists don't like this information to be widely, publicly available. Sad, but true.
Apollo Steel (
talk) 14:24, 1 November 2011 (UTC)
April 26 2011
I continue to be concerned with these changes. If you want to add information on the formation of the organization and its initial request for tax-exempt status, using Kennan's book as a source I don't object, but it should in the body of the article and not in the lead paragraphs, which should be reserved for summary material. My preference would be for you to include more context - what was Kennan's stated motivation for forming the organization? What did he say he hoped to accomplish? I object strenuously to the addition of an "unsubstantiated allegation" to the lead section. This is not encyclopedic material.
GabrielF (
talk) 19:47, 26 April 2011 (UTC)
"Israelis began looking for a lobbyist to promote the necessary legislation…would I leave the Israeli delegation for six months to lobby on Capitol Hill? There were other questions. Should I continue my registration as an agent of the Israel government? Was it appropriate for an embassy to lobby? Embassies talked to the State Department, and American voters talked to their congressmen."
Si Kenen, "All my causes"
It's now glaringly obvious why Kenen started AIPAC - to skirt the 1938 Foreign Agents Registration Act. It's one of those "inconvenient truths."
It's original research because it is a primary source. Wikipedia relies on Secondary sources.(
Hyperionsteel (
talk) 03:51, 2 November 2011 (UTC))
It is also in the book "America's Defense Line" so I'll reference that as well. But it is more powerful to see the signature of AIPAC;s founder as an employee of the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Primary or secondary, it is sourced. So please stop editing history.
It's important to mention in the lead that AIPAC is a nonpartisan lobbying group. I'll try to find sources to establish that, but maybe someone else who's more adept as such things can help out.—
Biosketch (
talk) 14:28, 13 November 2011 (UTC)
Actually, AIPAC is a partisan organization. It is a partisan of the Israeli government. Even a cursory review of the espionage investigations, career of its founder, and daily activity substantiates that.
Apollo Steel (
talk) 13:13, 18 March 2012 (UTC)
That isn't what the word partisan means in English in this context – it refers to being partial towards one or the other major parties in the American political system.—
Biosketch (
talk) 09:55, 22 March 2012 (UTC)
a firm adherent to a party, faction, cause, or person; especially : one exhibiting blind, prejudiced, and unreasoning allegiance
I'd say that sums up pretty well AIPAC's partisanship toward the Israeli government, whatever PR spin they put on it.
Apollo Steel (
talk) 16:54, 24 March 2012 (UTC)
Some of the info could be sourced from the
Jeff Stein article that was also cited and removed. It's not clear why the editor didn't use that source in the first place rather than the Institute for Research. Sean.hoyland - talk 16:44, 22 March 2012 (UTC)
I don't know anything about the source, but just an observation on the second entry at
WP:RSN. It is a single comment by Biosketch himself - no input from any other editors.
Dlv999 (
talk) 18:33, 22 March 2012 (UTC)
The BLP facts have much more strict rules for sourcing then regular facts. --
Shrike (
talk) 20:30, 22 March 2012 (UTC)
The first entry gives a clear picture that the source is unreliable--
Shrike (
talk) 20:35, 22 March 2012 (UTC)
Yes, there's no evidence at all that the Institute for Research qualifies as an RS but the Washington Post clearly does. Sean.hoyland - talk 06:24, 23 March 2012 (UTC)
The WaPo link is to the Post's defunct "Spy Talk" blog rather than a regular WaPo article. Per
WP:NEWSBLOG, such sources are generally viewed with more caution than regular articles because they don't necessarily have the same fact-checking process - in this case Jeff Stein's bio explicitly describes him as a columnist rather than a reporter.
[4] There are additional issues, such as how much weight it is reasonable to give an incident that occurred 27 years ago and didn't result in charges. Stein describes the incident as "small potatoes" compared to the Pollard case and my reading of the FBI's summary of the case
[5] doesn't leave me with the impression that this incident was all that noteworthy - if you think you've obtained a document illegally you don't go around offering to show it to members of Congress who are waiting to receive it through official channels. I would want to see more than one columnist, who doesn't seem to think this was that big a deal, before I included it.
GabrielF (
talk) 07:41, 23 March 2012 (UTC)
The bio describes him as a "longtime investigative reporter specializing in U.S. intelligence, defense and foreign policy issues". I would say the person, the piece and the publisher qualify as RS. However, I agree that just having this source on its own doesn't make a compelling case for inclusion weight-wise. I wouldn't object to one sentence but it would be better to be able to demonstrate that there was more coverage. Sean.hoyland - talk 07:59, 23 March 2012 (UTC)
IRmep hosts a government document repository. Therefore, if you take down the link to AIPAC's articles of incorporation, you're saying the DC Division of Corporations is not a reliable source because it's only available on the IRmep website. If you take down the finding that Morris Amitay harmed US national security, you're saying US State Department is not a reliable source because it's only available on the IRmep website. Likewise, if you eliminate information about the coorindated AIPAC/Israeli Ministry of Economics theft of US business data, you're saying US State Department is not a reliable source because it's only available on the IRmep website.
I think it would just be easier to cite ZDL as the reason for keeping the entry like a fact-free AIPAC press release. Zionist Don't Like. Of course, that's not (yet) a valid category.
Apollo Steel (
talk) 16:51, 24 March 2012 (UTC)
IRmep doesn't qualify as a
reliable source here. It can't be used. Nor was its removal
WP:VANDALISM. Regarding primary sources that IRmep may host, please see
WP:PRIMARY. It describes the rules that govern their use. Your edit just doesn't comply with Wikipedia policy, that's all, and it has nothing to do with Zionism or whether editors are Zionists. If you keep restoring it, someone will report you, and you will either be warned or blocked. You need to find sources that qualify as
WP:RS. You have the Washington Post. That is being discussed above. Also, please read
Help:Minor edit to see when you can mark edits as minor. Sean.hoyland - talk 08:21, 25 March 2012 (UTC)
To speak more generally to the topic: While I can't remember all the facts about IRMEP/Smith meetings with/supplying info to DOJ, it does seem that If we had transparent government at least some of this material would be up on DOJ website and that primary sources would be useable. Just because the media chooses to ignore certain things, doesn't mean they aren't encyclopedic from primary sources. (Including various new laws proposed in congress to censor the internet as much as SOPA did.) That's why we sometimes have to IGNORE ALL RULES. At least the Wash Post mention is a start. CarolMooreDC 05:31, 26 March 2012 (UTC)
Reminder: Wikipedia is not an investigative journal nor is it a platform for conspiracy theories. If you want to cite the Washington Post article, that's fine but trying to turn this article into an display for IRMEP isn't acceptable.(
Hyperionsteel (
talk) 00:05, 27 March 2012 (UTC))
It's probably good to identify which "You" one is talking about to get a proper reply, or at least avoid one from the wrong person. :-0 CarolMooreDC 02:58, 28 March 2012 (UTC)
Oops. I should have been more specific: In this case, the "you" referred to
Apollo Steel given the tone and content of his comments above and his recent additions to this article. (At the time, I was unaware that he has subsequently been banned from Wikipedia permanently).(
Hyperionsteel (
talk) 05:00, 28 March 2012 (UTC))
Reminder: the issue here is can IRMEP's copies of government documents be used as sources.
WP:Primary states: A primary source may only be used on Wikipedia to make straightforward, descriptive statements of facts that any educated person, with access to the source but without specialist knowledge, will be able to verify are supported by the source. That is all that is done
at this diff. Obviously it would be helpful if a secondary source had the info, and I do believe that can be found. But people do look at documents and we can be sure that if the documents at IRMEP were false there would be front page New York Times stories about it.
Also, I have to disagree with the first post in this section's characterization of what is found at WP:RSN. There certainly are mixed opinions in the
detailed discussion here Nov 2011. There also is
this from March 2012 which no one replied to and
this from March 2012 which no one replied to. No replies does not mean others agree or disagree with you. CarolMooreDC 14:03, 2 April 2012 (UTC)
Anyone can post documents on the internet and conduct their own analysis (and reach their own conclusions). The question here involves whether or not IRMEP's analysis of these documents (and given the language used on its website, its' lack of neutrality is evident) meets the requirements for Wikipedia. Wikipedia generally prefers mainstream sources - especially on controversial topics. Anyone can post their own work on the Internet (even from so-called "institutes" such as IRMEP that in reality only consist of one person, a website, an email address, and a post office box) - this is why Wikipedia frowns on sources such as these. If IRMEP is to be included, please take care not to turn this page into a clearing house for IRMEP's views and analysis.(
Hyperionsteel (
talk) 22:38, 2 April 2012 (UTC))
Is this not the
diff in question? It's just a link to a declassified govt document not available at another site. That's all I'm talking about here, not analysis. But as I said elsewhere, I think there needs to be a WP:RSN on IRMEP that is NOT basically saying "Is this crappy source any good?" Rather one that lists some indications that it is credible enough for at least linking to original documents. CarolMooreDC 00:59, 3 April 2012 (UTC)
Just noticed my note directly above. In case anyone missed it,
a RSN thread has been going on and most noninvolved editors -- having seen formidable list of WP:RS about or quoting or citing IRmep/Grant Smith have opined it's reliable to link to for original documents. Some believe uses for opinion/facts would have to be done on a case by case basis, i.e., at the very least if some WP:RS mention IRmep/Smith activity or quote them, it's obviously useable. As it happens there is quite a bit such info available online and I'll have it all together after I finish and put up the IRmep article. FYI CarolMooreDC 16:42, 16 April 2012 (UTC)
Dr. Paul mentioned AIPAC
He said: "Why is it political suicide for anyone to criticize AIPAC ?" in his
farewell speech. This should probably be added under criticism I imagine.
65.242.81.226 (
talk) 17:24, 15 November 2012 (UTC)
Why doesn't Michael Kassen have a Wikipedia page? As president of AIPAC, he should. — Preceding
unsigned comment added by
Bluetortilla (
talk •
contribs) 05:08, 6 April 2014 (UTC)
List of Presidents
Would be great if someone could update the List of Presidents. It ends in 2008 right now.
41.83.38.155 (
talk) 23:55, 9 September 2015 (UTC)
AIPAC/Mossad Connections
There is some new information out about how the founder of Mossad delivered early strategy initiatives to an AIPAC precursor organization. Is that an appropriate subject for this entry? — Preceding
unsigned comment added by
Apollo Steel (
talk •
contribs) 13:16, 18 March 2012 (UTC)
If the information comes from a source that qualifies as reliable, then yes, it's relevant to the history of the organization and can be included. You can just go ahead and include information sourced from reliable sources per
WP:BRD. If anyone disagrees they can remove it and leave a message here describing the policy based reason for its removal. The source must be reliable though. If you have any doubts about whether the source qualifies, don't add the information, post it here for discussion. Sean.hoyland - talk 04:47, 23 March 2012 (UTC)
KHC
I don't know about the
Mossad, but I heard that AIPAC may be trying to influence the KHC, which could overrule Mossad, through bribing
The Grand Nagus Zek himself.--
Achim (
talk) 02:30, 24 November 2015 (UTC)
Jane Harman
I didn't find anything - not even a link! - about the whole
Jane Harman controversy. Any reason we shouldn't include it?
Cheers,
Λuα(
Operibus anteire) 01:35, 18 March 2016 (UTC)
NPOV
This article has large issues regarding it's non-neutral tone. Large swaths are devoted to what is little more than criticizing it, which is unacceptable. It needs to be severely pruned by one of the regular editors of the article.
Hallward's Ghost (Kevin)(
My talkpage) 15:47, 6 September 2015 (UTC)
A vague "I don't like it" is not sufficient justification for tagging an article with a pov tag. You should be giving some specific examples within the article's content that you think need changes, so that any alleged problems can be addressed in order for the tag to be eventually removed. I have deleted the npov tag given the lack of justification for its placement.
Tiptoethrutheminefield (
talk) 19:00, 28 March 2016 (UTC)
Fund raising for candidates
where in the source is there support for " helps candidates raise money through PACs it has established and by other indirect means." ?
Epson Salts (
talk) 03:09, 24 June 2016 (UTC)
"and a major beneficiary of AIPAC-related funding,"
"The lobby does not raise funds directly. Its members do, and the amount of money they channel to political candidates is difficult to track."
"AIPAC helped form pro-Israel PACs. By the end of the decade, there were dozens. Most had generic-sounding names, like Heartland Political Action Committee, and they formed a loose constellation around AIPAC. Though there was no formal relationship, in many cases the leader was an AIPAC member, and as the PACs raised funds they looked to the broader organization for direction."
"Dine estimated that in the eighties and nineties contributions from AIPAC members often constituted roughly ten to fifteen per cent of a typical congressional campaign budget. AIPAC provided lavish trips to Israel for legislators and other opinion-makers."
Could be more but that was enough for me to put it back, though I'm sure you must have read the entire thing twice to make sure you were correct. It's nice to see an account pass 30/500 just to come edit here.
Sepsis II (
talk) 03:30, 24 June 2016 (UTC)
I don't think that quite enough to support the claim. Specifically, items #2& #4 refer to AIPAC members as individuals. As I wrote the first time these items were used (#2), members may do many things as individuals, but that does not mean that AIPAC is directing actions. As an example exmapel, in addition to raising funds, I am sure many AIPAC members have their male children circumcised, but I would find a claim that it is AIPAC directing them to do so quite ludicrous. Item #3 says AIPAc formed PACs, but also states explicitly that " there was no formal relationship", and again references what individual PAC members , who are also AIPAC member may have done. I will be removing that statement unless it is rephrased to what is actually supported by this source.
Epson Salts (
talk) 04:06, 24 June 2016 (UTC)
Glad this is happening on the talk page and not via an edit war.
1) "PACs it has established" is directly supported by the article reporting: "AIPAC helped form pro-Israel PACs." I'll correct the existing language to include the word "helped."
2) "indirect means" This was all over the article. For instance:
"The lobby does not raise funds directly. Its members do..."
"a major beneficiary of AIPAC-related funding"
"Though there was no formal relationship, in many cases the leader was an AIPAC member, and as the PACs raised funds they looked to the broader organization for direction."
"Members’ contributions were often bundled. 'AIPAC will select some dentist in Boise, say, to be the bundler,' a former longtime AIPAC member said. 'They tell people in New York and other cities to send their five-thousand-dollar checks to him..."
There are, of course, more such examples. You might disagree with the claim that AIPAC is directing the contributions, but that's in fact what's in the source. Rather than remove statements that you disagree with, I recommend that you try to suggest language that better fits the source in cases where the Wikipedia article is inaccurate as to what's in the source material.
PPX (
talk) 21:03, 24 June 2016 (UTC)
What I actually disagree with is your claim that "AIPAC is directing the contributions" is in the source. The source describes the actions of individuals, who are AIPAC members, who on occasion, it claims, have asked AIPAC for guidance. The statement as is currently in the article reverses that relationship, and has AIPAC directing the actions of those individuals. That does not have any support in the article , as far as i can see. To clarify the distinction I am making here- many politicians and leaders have advisors, on a wide range of topics. So it would be fair to say, for example,based on this article - vhttp://www.haaretz.com/world-news/u-s-election-2016/1.721158 - that Bernie Sanders has sought the guidance of Zogby on foreign the DNC platform, but it would not be ok to use the same source to say that Zogby directs the DNC platform.
Epson Salts (
talk) 00:10, 25 June 2016 (UTC)
I think this is splitting hairs. If PAC's who were established by AIPAC and look to AIPAC for direction raise funds for candidates, that's pretty much AIPAC raising money. But, I went ahead and made an edit to try to account for this flag.
PPX (
talk) 13:24, 28 June 2016 (UTC)
I disagree that this can be described as AIPAC raising money, but I think your latest edit is good enough.
Epson Salts (
talk) 15:50, 28 June 2016 (UTC)
External links modified
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Preserving here by providing
this link. My rationale was: "remove uncited / self-cited & unduly promotional content". Please let me know if there are any concerns. --
K.e.coffman (
talk) 16:59, 24 March 2018 (UTC)
Unduly self-serving content is not covered by
WP:ABOUTSELF. In addition, one of the two paras was not cited at all. --
K.e.coffman (
talk) 17:02, 31 March 2018 (UTC)
Covering AIPAC's positions, per AIPAC, attributed to them does not seem that problematic - we do so elsewhere, and it does not seem promotional. I'm also fairly certain someone external to AIPAC covered AIPAC's positions.
Icewhiz (
talk) 10:21, 1 April 2018 (UTC)
Extended-confirmed-protected edit request on 6 September 2018
In the first sentence of this article, remove the reference to the Executive branch. AIPAC does not lobby the Executive branch; it only lobbies Congress. None of the references included provide any evidence to the contrary. In fact, the first sentence of the "Aims, activities, successes" subsection states that AIPAC lobbies Congress, but does not discuss the Executive branch at all.
DannyS712 (
talk) 06:03, 6 September 2018 (UTC)
Not done: AIPAC's
"What We've Accomplished" page on their own website claims that they work with "leaders in the executive branch". I've cited this in the article.
— Newslingertalk 09:40, 12 September 2018 (UTC)
Extended-confirmed-protected edit request on 15 January 2019
Change "The current President of AIPAC is Lillian Pincus." to "The current President of AIPAC is Mort Fridman." Lillian Pinkus serves as Chair of the Board of Directors. This is correct in the sidebar, but incorrect in the opening paragraph of the page.
In the List of Presidents section, the following names and dates should be added:
Mort Fridman (2018-present), New Jersey
Lillian Pinkus (2016-2018), Dallas
Robert Cohen (2014-2016), New York
Michael Kassen (2012-2014), Connecticut
Lee Rosenberg (2010-2012), Chicago
50.207.208.142 (
talk) 16:37, 15 January 2019 (UTC)
Not done: please provide
reliable sources that support the change you want to be made. The source in the infobox is from 2014, yet it is being used to support the 2018 president. –
Jonesey95 (
talk) 18:40, 15 January 2019 (UTC)
See sources referring to Lillian Pinkus as Chairman of the Board and Mort Fridman as President (as of March 2018):
[1][2]50.207.208.142 (
talk) 14:57, 28 February 2019 (UTC)
Seems quite
WP:UNDUE to include a list of specific supporters--e.g. Joe Biden, Kamala Harris--in the lede. Would editors oppose trimming that to simply say that the organization has bipartisan support from leaders in both parties? Harris and Biden have made a few token positive comments about AIPAC, doesn't really seem justified to include so prominently in the lede, although the body is fine. Thoughts?
ModerateMike729 (
talk) 15:00, 4 March 2019 (UTC)
No, I think that the names listed are representative, and well support the contention that the group has bipartisan support.
Beyond My Ken (
talk) 03:01, 5 March 2019 (UTC)
I think this information is important and should be included in AIPAC's Wikipedia page under the Controversy section.
Randall.ellis (
talk) 02:45, 10 April 2020 (UTC)
Extended-confirmed-protected edit request on 30 July 2020
History of AIPAC is tied to both the history of Israel and the history of Zionism in America
As noted in the article, AIPAC started in 1953 -- during the McCarthy-era and HUAC anti-communist political rhetoric.
It was also a time when the majority of American Jews did not support Israel and were not Zionists. Many, especially Orthodox Jews, were anti-Zionist at the time.
Both the world Zionist movement and the State of Israel were dominated by socialist parties that were members of the Second International. Needless to say, supporting Israel at that time opened one to chargtes of being a communist, a socialist, a "red", etc. -- and indeed socialist Zionism was the dominant wing of the Zionist movement.
This was also a time when Israel's diplomatic corps was weak, understaffed and under-resourced.
AIPAC was founded to convince Jews and politicians to support the new state and, perhaps more importantly, NOT to militarily, economically and diplomatically support the oil kingdoms/sheikdoms that were, at the time, Israel's "enemies".
And AIPAC was for a long time a rather weak and poorly funded organization and lobbying group not widely supported by American Jewry. It supported Israel when it joined forces with England and France when they tried to seize the Suez Canal in 1956 -- a move opposed by the US government. It unsuccessfully lobbied for US arms sales to Israel. When the 1967 war began, Israel's weapons and planes came from France and Britain -- not the US.
Without this understanding of the origins of AIPAC it is impossible to understand the dramatic shifts that have taken place in this organization and its bases of support.
1967 was a turning point because all of a sudden Israel became a partner with the Viet Nam embroiled US military-industrial complex.
Just as the NRA can be seen as a lobby group for small arms manufacturers -- and not gun-owners -- so, too, can AIPAC be seen to have become a lobby for large arms and defense contractors -- and for neither American Jewry nor the State of Israel (which by this time had a strong diplomatic corps).
"Its critics have stated it acts as an agent of the Israeli government with a "stranglehold" on the United States Congress with its power and influence."
[9]
I'm not sure why this doesn't go into its criticism section as that header either.
Also, "The American Israel Public Affairs Committee is a lobbying group that advocates pro-Israel policies to the Congress and Executive Branch[3] of the United States. The current president of AIPAC is Betsy Berns Korn.[4]"
Flows better as
The American Israel Public Affairs Committee is a group that advocates for pro-Israel policies to the Congress and Executive Branch[3] of the United States. The current president of AIPAC is Betsy Berns Korn.[4]
Technically it doesn't spend cash, and this still makes it clear it lobbies, just like Jstreet. — Preceding
unsigned comment added by
2600:1700:A1C0:6D40:706A:745E:E6DD:7DDA (
talk) 02:42, 21 April 2021 (UTC)
Extended-confirmed-protected edit request on 24 May 2021
The article says that Mayer Mitchell was a scrap metal dealer in Mobile, Alabama when, in fact, he was a real estate developer.
2601:42:180:1DC0:64E6:5C44:8171:1CD0 (
talk) 13:15, 24 May 2021 (UTC)
Not done: it's not clear what changes you want to be made. Please mention the specific changes in a "change X to Y" format and provide a
reliable source if appropriate.
Melmann 14:31, 24 May 2021 (UTC)
Interesting. The year Mitchell was president is contradicted by the obit I found. It looks like the presidents section was copied from
this list at some point. Probably worth checking that list more thoroughly.
Freelance-frank (
talk) 22:11, 14 June 2021 (UTC)
Riddled with errors, probably? Moving here for now:
List of presidents
Robert Asher, 1962–1964, a lighting-fixtures dealer in Chicago
Probably better if integrated into the article than if used as en external link. Depending on the article contents, I would certainly support inclusion of some details.
I don't have Haaretz premium access, so I can't do that myself, though I would if I had access to the article. Unfortunately you can't add it to the article because this page is protected due to its part in the I/P conflict area--you'd need 30 days and 500 edits on your account.
Freelance-frank (
talk) 21:24, 27 October 2021 (UTC)
Extended-confirmed-protected edit request on 26 Feb 2022
Typo fix but I don't have extended edit rights. "Mear" cite note misspells the author's name, please change Mearshimer to
Mearsheimer.
Also link appears to be broken.
<ref name=Mear>{{cite journal
| first = Mearshimer
| last = John
|author2=Walt, Stephen
| title = The Israel Lobby and U.S. Foreign Policy
| publisher = Harvard University
| date = March 2006
| url = http://mearsheimer.uchicago.edu/pdfs/A0040.pdf
}}
</ref>
The dead link was to a working paper (which which seems to have circulated widely). The author's web page pointed to a free published version in the London Review of Books, so I used that and updated the block quote to match the slightly-changed wording of the published version. And, of course, I fixed the spelling and the name-flip in the citation. Thank you! --
M.boli (
talk) 13:36, 26 February 2022 (UTC)
typo in lead
This
edit request has been answered. Set the |answered= or |ans= parameter to no to reactivate your request.
Not done: this is not the right page to
request additional
user rights. You may reopen this request with the specific changes to be made and someone may add them for you.
M.Bitton (
talk) 14:09, 10 March 2023 (UTC)
If what you want is the logo, it is [[File:AIPAC_logo.svg]] in Wikimedia --
M.boli (
talk) 14:16, 10 March 2023 (UTC). -- 14:16, 10 March 2023 (UTC)
Extended-confirmed-protected edit request on 24 May 2023
Hello, can we please request that the protestors image on the "Criticism" section. Please see screen shot attached to reference the image on the right we would like removed. Thanks you
IncognitoEm (
talk) 14:56, 24 May 2023 (UTC)
Why, and who is we? nableezy - 16:13, 24 May 2023 (UTC)
Intro
The last sentence of the intro includes: "... former Vice President Joe Biden and Senator Kamala Harris (both of whom ran for President in the 2020 Democratic Presidential primary)..." Can this be updated to reflect the fact that they won the Presidency and Vice Presidency, respectively? Suggest: "...Joe Biden and Kamala Harris, both of whom ran for President in 2020 and were elected as President and Vice President, respectively..."
Editor of Note (
talk) 15:56, 18 March 2021 (UTC)
I tried to fix it, without becoming too cumbersome. Also I replaced the reference, which did not support the text. --
M.boli (
talk) 19:04, 18 March 2021 (UTC)
Correction to Mistake: While having endorsed over 100 Republican members of Congress who had voted against certifying Joe Biden's election
OOPS! Further research reveals that AIPAC later in April endorsed 109 Republican election deniers, which contradicts what I said below. Perhaps what is needed for the article is this footnote link at the end of the quoted sentence:
https://www.jta.org/2022/04/21/politics/aipacs-new-pac-is-now-the-countrys-biggest-pro-israel-pac-and-endorses-3-4-of-republicans-who-embraced-election-falsehoods . It describes the original and the later endorsement. Perhaps the sentence could also be changed in this way:
"While having endorsed later in April over 100 Republican members of Congress..."
___________
I'm leaving my original post, for those who want more context and want to double-check my conclusion:
[Original Talk post]
The endorsement apparently was for 37 Republican election deniers, not over a hundred. So the sentence beginning "While having endorsed over 100 Republican members of Congress who had voted against certifying Joe Biden's election" is mistaken. Apparently 120 members of Congress of BOTH parties were endorsed, based on various pro-Israel stances, which included the 37 Republican election deniers.