This book seeks to debunk the popular myth of an all-powerful pro-Israel lobby. Here, Kiely demonstrates how discourses surrounding American Identity and US foreign policy towards the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, which has deep roots in American historicity, have constructed an understanding of the conflict which is inherently more susceptible to the Israeli narrative. Kiely argues that the so-called power of what other researchers, such as Mearsheimer and Walt (2006, 2007), call ‘The Israel Lobby’ are limited by these discourses. It is the author’s contention that groups such as The American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) serve to amplify and reproduce existing representations within these discourses which align the United States and Israel in terms of cultural, historical and political values while simultaneously reinforcing dominant representations of the Palestinian ‘Other’.

Originally published in 2007, The Israel Lobby and U.S. Foreign Policy, by John Mearsheimer of the University of Chicago and Stephen M. Walt of Harvard's John F. Kennedy School of Government, provoked both howls of outrage and cheers of gratitude for challenging what had been a taboo issue in America: the impact of the Israel lobby on U.S. foreign policy. A work of major importance, it remains as relevant today as it was in the immediate aftermath of the Israel-Lebanon war of 2006. Mearsheimer and Walt describe in clear and bold terms the remarkable level of material and diplomatic support that the United States provides to Israel and argues that this support cannot be fully explained on either strategic or moral grounds. This exceptional relationship is due largely to the political influence of a loose coalition of individuals and organizations that actively work to shape U.S. foreign policy in a pro-Israel direction. They provocatively contend that the lobby has a far-reaching impact on America's posture throughout the Middle East―in Iraq, Iran, Lebanon, and toward the Israeli-Palestinian conflict―and the policies it has encouraged are in neither America's national interest nor Israel's long-term interest. The lobby's influence also affects America's relationship with important allies and increases dangers that all states face from global jihadist terror. The publication of The Israel Lobby and U.S. Foreign Policy led to a sea change in how the U.S-Israel relationship was discussed, and continues to be one of the most talked-about books in foreign policy.

Describes how the remarkable level of material and diplomatic support that the United States provides to Israel is due to the influence of the Israel lobby, which has a far-reaching impact on America's foreign policy decisions throughout the Middle East.

The US foreign policy stance on Israel-Palestine has shifted considerably in recent years, from a position of "Israel only" to one which embraces both Israel and Palestine in a call for peace. This volume assesses why the US stance has evolved in the way that it has, concluding that while international factors cannot be overlooked, developments within the United States itself are also crucial. After years of vacillating on Palestinian national aspirations, the majority of Americans, the author notes, have come to favor the establishment of an independent Palestinian state on the West Bank and the Gaza strip. Considering what accounts for changes in US policy on Israel-Palestine, this volume: delivers a thorough assessment of the role of international and domestic factors in shaping US policy in this area considers how US policy has evolved from the Camp David negotiations of the 1970s up to the occupation of Iraq in the mid 2000s explores the significance of American public opinion and the pro-Israel and Arab lobbies in the evolution of US policy The Arab Lobby and US Foreign Policy will be of interest to students and scholars of Foreign Policy and Political Science, Current Affairs and American Studies. Khalil M. Marrar is Professor at DePaul University, USA. He has served in editorial positions at the Arab Studies Quarterly and the Association of Arab-American University Graduates.

John Mearsheimer and Stephen Walt argue that U.S. foreign policy has been overly influenced by strong pro- Israel groups, producing a strategy that is detrimental to the resolution of difficulties in the Middle East and to the interests of the United States. The authors' article in the London Review of Books on the negative effects of "the unmatched power of the Israel Lobby" provoked an unprecedented response from the international community. That article forms the basis of this book, which has been deepened to include recent events.

Proposes an alternative pro-Israel lobby that liberals can support.